Cloudy with rain developing; may begin as a brief period of snow and sleet with a coating to an inch of accumulation in the higher elevations, which gets washed away with a steady afternoon and evening rain. .
Cloudy and increasingly breezy with windswept rain. Temperatures rising through the 40s and into the 50s after midnight.
Updated: December 22, 2022 @ 3:40 pm
WFMZ.com Reporter
Housing will be the most pressing regional issue of 2023, the head of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission said Thursday.
The Valley’s appeal as a place to live and work creates challenges, LVPC Executive Director Becky Bradley said at the final 2022 meeting of the commission.
There really is no place like home, but the shortage is even a problem for residents.
She noted that traffic, climate change and development all present problems, but chose one issue as No. 1: “A housing shortage that is pricing families out of their own neighborhoods.”
One market response has been to propose more apartments in the region. Steve Neratko, chief community and regional planner, said 366 apartments were among the projects submitted to the LVPC for review in November. That accounts for 80% of residential units proposed in the month.
“The apartment reviews keep growing,” Neratko said. The number of apartments proposed this year is unprecedented, he said.
Problems in the region are related and overlap, with development leading to environmental problems and growth leading to traffic.
Bradley said there have been an unacceptable number of pedestrian and bicycle fatalities, and many vehicle collisions that are the result of “bad driver behavior.”
Also Thursday, the commission reviewed its $3.77 million budget for 2023. Northampton County will contribute $605,000, and Lehigh County (which has a larger population) is responsible for $650,000. The Pennsylvania and U.S. departments of transportation will put up $1.57 million, contracts for specific projects generates $468,000, and planning commission revenue accounts for the remaining $477,000.
The LVPC’s expenses are mainly for personnel: payroll, benefits and pensions total $2.72 million, or 72% of expenses.
With the year winding down, the LVPC bade farewell to three commissioners: Liesel Dreisbach, representing Northampton County; Susan Lawless, a Hanover Township, Northampton County, representative, and Gerald Yob of Freemansburg.
“Wherever I go, I will be an and support of the work of the LVPC,” Lawless said.
“It has been a privilege to serve,” Dreisbach said, thanking Bradley for her work on behalf of the region.
“I am proud to have served alongside each of you,” LVPC Chairman Steve Glickman said.
The LVPC does not approve or block plans. Its professional staff reviews projects and makes recommendations, which are considered, sometimes altered, and voted on by the appointed commissioners. Those recommendations are then forwarded to municipalities.
The commission also welcomed two employees who joined this year: Patrick Osei, director of transportation and data, and David Jan, economist and data scientist.
Osei is a native of Ghana. He is pursuing a doctoral degree in environmental engineering at Drexel University. Jan is a graduate of Lehigh University and Boston University.
Leadership of the appointed commissioners will remain the same in 2023. Glickman will continue as chairman, with Chris Amato as vice chairman and Kevin Schmidt as treasurer.
The LVPC’s next full meeting will be held virtually at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26. The agenda and a link to the meeting will be posted on the commission’s website.
Scroll down for comments if available
WFMZ.com Reporter
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Brand New App to watch all of WFMZ-TV News and Syndicated Programing 24/7 on your Streaming App enabled TV.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.
Recent Comments