ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Plans to develop the vacant Dixie Cup factory in Wilson Borough into more than 400 apartments were unanimously advanced by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Planning Committee on Tuesday.
Project developer Skyline Investment Group, of New York City, proposes a mixed-use reconstruction of the historic building at 315 S. 24th St. into 405 apartments and 3,373 square feet of commercial space for a dog lounge and spa.
The project is estimated to cost $155 million.
Transforming the factory with the iconic Dixie Cup on its roof into apartments will help address the growing housing shortage in the Lehigh Valley, planning committee members said, including a 34,000-unit deficit in units priced for higher income levels.
The smaller 900-square-foot apartments will run about $1,900 per month, Skyline consultant Claudia Robinson has said.
Two-bedroom apartments will be roughly $2,800 per month for 1,400 square feet.
The former factory’s boiler house will become a dog-friendly cafe and lounge
Tenants will also have access to amenities including a club room with a warming kitchen, a fourth-floor rooftop lounge with outdoor space, and a well-equipped fitness center and a pool.
Outside, the developers will build new parks and plazas for both residents and the public, including tie-ins to a nearby public bike trail.
The giant Dixie Cup will be removed from the roof and placed in one of the parks below. In its place will rise a lighter, more durable fiberglass copy.
In its draft letter to Eric Flowers, Wilson Borough manager, the LVPC commended the proposed retention of the existing building as it is adapted to a new use, which promotes development that complements the unique history, environment, culture and needs of the Lehigh Valley.
The property is within an area identified in FutureLV: The Regional Plan as a Development Area. Areas designated for Development have the infrastructure to accommodate future growth, or redevelopment in the case of the proposed project, and this project serves to increase the density of residential and mixed-use development.
About three-quarters of the units will be one-bedroom apartments; the remainder are all two-bedroom units.
The planning committee also noted that retaining the more than 100-year-old building could make it eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
“The site was previously the Dixie Cup factory, and while it has been vacant for decades, the building holds considerable local cultural and historical value,” the commission review letter said.
Maintaining the building also leaves an opportunity to receive federal historic tax credits, up to a 20% investment, which can assist in the preservation, reuse and rehabilitation of the site.
Concerns about proposed warehouse
The committee expressed major concerns over the proposal to construct a 547,500-square-foot warehouse at 3121 Route 309, and consolidate four parcels, in North Whitehall Township.
A portion of the property not proposed for development is also located in South Whitehall Township.
The 71.1-acre site is largely undeveloped, containing an existing residence, agricultural land and woodlands, the review letter said.
A warehouse of this magnitude is heavy industrial, not light. It doesn’t belong here. A lot of neighbors are against this."Mike Siegel, LVPC planning committee
Additionally, the committee did not approve of plans for the warehouse, listed at 50 feet high.
“[The] warehouse greatly surpasses the scale of surrounding developments,” the review letter said.
The site is zoned for light industrial development.
Committee member Mike Siegel voiced strong opposition to the project.
“There’s a tremendous amount of truck traffic by this single facility,” he said. “Light industrial does not mean heavy industrial. A warehouse of this magnitude is heavy industrial, not light. It doesn’t belong here. A lot of neighbors are against this.
“How does this meet the Lehigh and Northampton counties comprehensive plan?”
Lowhill Township resident Sue McGorry urged the committee to consider rejecting the project.
“You are directly across from educational facilities, and most of the land is farm and residential,” she said. “It’s light industrial; not for this size of a warehouse.”
The LVPC offered the following comments and recommendations:
- The size of the proposed building, over 500,00 square feet and 50 feet high, greatly surpasses the scale of surrounding developments.
- The roadways were not built to withstand the impact of tractor-trailers, public sewer and water is not available, and overall the site is not served by adequate infrastructure to accommodate the proposal.
Additionally, the LVPC said, the proposal is located adjacent to incompatible land uses, including residential neighborhoods and educational facilities, and the site contains high-preservation priority natural resources.
The subject property is better suited for smaller-scale low-impact commercial and industrial land uses that support local businesses and residents and can provide a transition between residential and industrial developments, the review said.
Under suggestion by committee member Armando Moritz-Chapelliquen, an amendment will be added to the review letter to suggest the project is inconsistent with plans for FutureLV.
Riverside Drive extension
A proposal to construct an approximately 2.3-mile extension of Riverside Drive along the Lehigh River was advanced by the committee.
The application proposes to construct a new local road and multiuse trail along the former railroad right of way between Furnace Street in the City of Allentown and Wood Street/Lehigh Avenue in Whitehall Township.
The proposal extends motor vehicle access from Furnace Street to Wood Street, providing connections to the Route 22 interchange at Fullerton Avenue.
LVPC Executive Director Becky A. Bradley said the multimodal corridor will serve all modes of transportation.
Connections between Riverside Drive and both Jordan Drive and Kimmet Avenue are also proposed. The roadway is to be 28 feet wide curb-to-curb for most of its length in Whitehall Township, expanding to 36 feet wide at Furnace Street and the Jordan Drive connection in Allentown to accommodate a center left turn lane.
The road is to be posted with a 25-mile-per-hour posted speed limit.
The proposal extends the completed Phase 1 of the project, which includes the construction of Riverside Drive from Hamilton Street north to Furnace Street.
A 12-foot-wide paved shared-use path for walking and bicycling will be constructed parallel to Riverside Drive, and a five-foot wide landscaped buffer with streetlights and street trees will be located between Riverside and the shared-use path.
The full LVPC board will vote on final approval at its meeting on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Reporter Ryan Gaylor contributed to this report.
