Majestic Realty Co.'s planned 300-acre development on Lehigh Valley International Airport land faces scrutiny from the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday.



The developer of the "Majestic Planned Flex Center" seeks a zoning change by Hanover Township (Northampton County) to help clear the way for 10 buildings along Airport Road.



That change provides flexibility to the developer, according to the LVPC draft review of the project. Most potential uses - light industrial, manufacturing, research and offices - are already permitted on the land, the LVPC report says.



"The stated purpose of a `Master Planned Flex Center' is to allow for greater flexibility of employment uses over a large area while reducing impacts to neighboring properties through site design, buffering and plantings," according to the LVPC review. The LVPC's Comprehensive Planning Committee discussed the plan Tuesday and moved it forward to the full commission meeting Thursday.



Some neighbors are not satisfied by the buffers and a "Hanover Township Residents Against Warehouse Development" Facebook page is trying to organize opposition. The township's Planning Commission has recommended the zoning change. The final decision is up to the Board of Supervisors.



Los Angeles-based Majestic's projects include the Bethlehem Majestic Center. That 441-acre development is at the intersection of Route 412 and Route 78 on former Bethlehem Steel Corp. land and is the site of multiple huge warehouses.



Joe Uliana of J.M. Uliana & Associates, spoke at a Hanover Township meeting earlier this month on behalf of Majestic. Uliana said that being close to the airport makes the site useful for manufacturing, storage, and other uses.



He added that the proposal was changed to reduce its impact on people living nearby. Property lines will be set back 300 feet from residential areas and loading-dock doors will be 500 feet away.

Truck traffic will be directed to Airport Road.



Uses that generate a lot of tractor-trailer traffic, such as cold storage, will be prohibited, Uliana said.



"Our vision is of a Class A master-planned development with an attractive, unified site plan," Uliana said at the Aug. 8 Hanover Township Planning Commission meeting.



The LVPC draft review notes the 300-foot setback between the development and homes and adds a suggestion to contain noise: "To further minimize impacts of development proximity to adjancent uses, any on-site public address system should be limited so that is not audible outside of the site."



Majestic has an agreement to lease the land from the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, which operates LVIA. The lease is part of the authority's plan to diversity its revenue sources beyond aviation.



The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission has a professional staff that reviews big projects proposed for Lehigh and Northampton counties. It makes recommendations, which are then considered by a board of appointed commissioners.



The commissioners vote on, and sometimes alter, the recommendations, which are then sent to developers and towns. The LVPC does not vote on whether a project can proceed, it votes only on approving the recommendations.



Final land-use decisions are up to municipalities.



The LVPC will meet virtually at 7 p.m. Thursday. The meeting agenda and a link to the webcast are available on the commission's website.