Hazle Twp., Luzerne County, PA -
Land development and subdivision approvals that a real estate development firm seeks for the first phase of an estimated 1,500-acre business park in Hazle Twp. are under review by the planning department’s engineer.
Hazle Twp. Planning Department took no action on plans that Mericle Commercial Real Estate submitted for the first phase of CrossRoads East Business Park, which is proposed on land along the north and south sides of Route 424, between Route 309 and Route 924, Planning Director John Synoski said.
The requests were included on the planning department meeting agenda last week and have since been forwarded to the RJD Engineering firm for review, Synoski said.
“That’s still under review,” Synoski said Wednesday. “There was no vote on anything, yet.”
Joseph Calabrese, an engineer with the RJD firm, said the initial plan review could continue for at least a week and said it’s his understanding that Mericle has yet to share its plans for sewer and water service.
“Bottom line, this project will be on the Planning Department agenda for some time yet before any action will even be considered by the Planning Department,” Calabrese said in an email.
The Mericle firm seeks a recommendation from the planning department for preliminary/final major land development for the first phase of the business park project, which involves the construction of 10 buildings, roads, and stormwater and utility infrastructure on nearly 230 acres along the north and south sides of Route 424, west of Route 309, according to a legal notice that was published Aug. 10 in the Standard-Speaker.
The firm also proposes a preliminary/final subdivision for splitting two parcels within the project site into 14 lots with five roads, according to the legal notice.
Last November, Mericle representatives secured 10 years of Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act tax breaks for each of the proposed buildings.
At the time, developers told the township supervisors that the park will consist of 32 buildings that would offer 13.7 million square feet of space. The tax breaks apply only to improvements made to the land. The Mericle firm will continue paying about $114,000 that it currently pays to taxing entities through the 10-year LERTA period.
Mericle spokesman Jim Cummings said recently that the firm plans to build “flex” and industrial buildings that range in size from 40,000 square feet to 500,000 square feet. When completed, they will house a mix of manufacturing, distribution and light industrial tenants, he said.
Market conditions and the time it takes to design and develop plans and secure approvals will determine the timeline for construction, Cummings said.
