Lower Nazareth Township supervisors approve Trio Farms housing project

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Township supervisors approved construction tonight of more than 300 homes in a development known as Trio Farms.

Supervisors Chairman Eric Nagle said Ashley Development Corp. plans to build 180 townhomes and 140 single family homes off Newburg Road. The supervisors granted permission for up to 374 homes, he said.

The project had been approved as an age-restricted community in 2005 but was never built. Now the homes can be built for owners of any age, not just those 55 and older, officials said. The original plan called for 440 homes.

Nazareth Area School District Superintendent Victor Lesky appeared last year before the township zoning hearing board to warn against lifting the age restriction.

He was grateful the number of homes in the development was reduced, but said more children in the district could require construction of a new school.

"It's going to have a significant impact on bringing more kids into the district and that's going to be expensive to us," Lesky said in a phone interview after tonight's meeting.

Lesky said about 360 children attend Lower Nazareth Elementary School. The sewer capacity at the school only allows for 600 total occupants, which limits the number of children there to about 500, he said.

The school district is considering an elementary redistricting plan to curb possible overcrowding at Shafer Elementary School in Nazareth.

The Trio Farms site was formerly a 100-acre dairy farm.

Voting with Nagle to approve the project were Supervisors Robert Kucsan and Martin Boucher, Nagle said. Supervisors Ricky Johnson and James Pennington were absent, he said.

Nagle said the township agreed to take dedication of the development's roads from Ashley Development, which is based in Bethlehem. In exchange, the developer agreed to repave and make improvements to Christian Spring Road, he said.