Hundreds turn out to oppose Route 10 warehouse in Cumru, and a decision is delayed

Aug. 3—The Cumru Township planning commission postponed recommendations on plans for a 739,000-square-foot warehouse on a 171-acre plot at Freemansville Road and Route 10, after the project received a cascade of criticism Monday from residents.

Rumblings about how the warehouse might worsen traffic and lead to accidents on the two-lane Route 10 were frequent among the hundreds of residents in the Gov. Mifflin Intermediate School cafeteria, where the planning commission meeting was moved to accommodate the turnout.

Inside the cafeteria, about 20 spoke passionately against the warehouse during public comment.

"This project, I believe, is doomed before it even starts," said former Cumru planning commission member Richard Keffer, to applause and cheers from the crowd of over 200.

Many who spoke were members of a residents group, made up of those living in nearby Flying Hills and other communities next to the warehouse plot, its members identifiable by their bold red "no warehouse" signs.

Those signs have become a common sight at Cumru meetings since developer NorthPoint LLC, Riverside, Mo., submitted plans in May for the $80 million NorthPoint-Morgantown Commerce Center, a storage and distribution facility.

The planning commission was slated to act on the plans, and potentially give a recommendation for approval or denial to the township commissioners, who then vote on whether to accept the plans.

But after an intense public comment session, the planning commission declined to make any recommendation, instead announcing it would take more time to consider the project, along with residents' concerns, and possibly revisit the issue at their meeting in September.

"There's no need for a rush. I think we can just take everything we've heard tonight under consideration," said Michael Setley, township solicitor.

During public comment, resident Rick Wolf claimed that township officials' decision to rezone the warehouse plot from rural conservation to an industrial district clashed with county land use plans previously approved by township commissioners.

The site was rezoned after it was bought in April 2018 by current owner Mail Shark, a mail marketing company off Route 625.

Mail Shark bought the plot with plans to build its own distribution facility, but those plans were canceled in the COVID pandemic.

Mail Shark still owns the plot and has yet to close on the sale to Northpoint.

Wolf said the county planning commission reviewed Northpoint's warehouse plans and concluded they would involve encroaching on land classified by the state as critical habitats for certain plant and animals.

Northpoint's plans include requests for waivers from township rules requiring studies that would examine the project's impact on the local environment and its effect on the capabilities of township emergency and medical services.

In a review letter to the township dated July 29, planning commission engineer Steve Hoffman addressed the waiver requests.

Responding to the request to waive the environmental impact study, Hoffman said the warehouse site does contain floodplains and streams, but they will not be impacted by the project.

Addressing the waiver from an assessment of community facilities, Hoffman said it appears the proposed development will likely not have significant impacts on community services, including emergency services and educational facilities.

Hoffman's comments on those waivers, which were read aloud at the meeting, were met with incredulous groans, and calls of "Are you kidding me?" from the crowd.

Congestion issues

Several residents who spoke voiced concerns about how adding truck traffic to Route 10 and nearby roads could limit the ability of fire or medical services to reach Flying Hills and a nearby retirement community with a high concentration of elderly or sick residents.

Jordan Kirlin, a former medic with Southern Berks Regional EMS, worried traffic congestion could make it harder for the medical personnel who live in Flying Hills to reach their jobs, potentially putting the patients who rely on them at risk.

According to Northpoint's analysis, the proposed warehouse would generate less traffic than the canceled Mail Shark facility — 1,034 new trips daily, including 163 truck trips — as opposed to 2,982 new trips from the Mail Shark plans.

On those grounds, Hoffman suggested that a new traffic impact study wasn't necessary.

Resident Glenn Emery took issue with Hoffman's conclusion, claiming the Mail Shark facility would've added mostly commercial vans to Route 10 and surrounding roadways.

"Not so with the Northpoint plan, which would include a significant number of vehicles, some weighing as much as 80,000 pounds," Emery said. "Obviously, vehicles of this magnitude would have a much greater impact on safety, noise and air pollution, and wear and tear on roadways."

'Doesn't add up'

Resident James Piraino, who said he has over 40 years of experience in distribution and warehousing, and currently runs an industrial business, said the number of trucks the warehouse would add to Route 10 is vastly underestimated.

"There's no way that this facility can support any less than 300 or 400 trucks a day," Piraino said.

Piraino said the number of workers that would be at the warehouse daily — as indicated by developers' estimates of car traffic to and from the site — seems to far outstrip what would be needed to handle 163 truck trips per day.

"What are these 200 to 300 employees going to do all day, unloading and loading only 163 trucks?" Piraino said. "It doesn't add up. The truck traffic is way underestimated...having this volume of trucks on that road, is crazy."

The safety hazards that accompany adding large amounts of 18-wheel trucks to a steep-hilled, shoulder-less area of Route 10 was a point of concern for nearly every resident who spoke.

"I'm telling you without a doubt, there will be a fatality if this is approved, and that's on you," resident Pete Galvin told the planning commission, earning applause from the audience.

A few who spoke echoed Galvin's statement, and worried that warehouse traffic could cause accidents in inclement weather, or pose a danger to pedestrians or schoolchildren.

Would Cumru be sued?

After public comment, Keith Mooney, representing Northpoint, noted that developers have addressed resident concerns numerous times in open house sessions, where company representatives presented information related to the warehouse and spoke to residents.

"We are making all efforts to comply with the law and put in a project that we feel would be a good project," Mooney said.

His comments were met with boos from the crowd.

Allen Gibson, planning commission chairman, said he and other planning commission members will be taking time to examine the plans, Hoffman's review letter, and the issues raised Monday in greater detail.

Of his current opinion on the plans, Gibson said: "It looks like the developer can comply (with township requirements), but I also feel there is a traffic issue here. I'm not so sure it is good planning when we've got this traffic issue to deal with."

Gibson noted the township would likely be sued by developers, if Northpoint proves they can comply, and the planning commission still rejects the plans.

"It's going to go to a judge, and we're going to lose our ability to negotiate," Gibson said. "We're trying to serve the best interests of the public here."

Developers were at the meeting Monday but didn't address resident concerns.

A request for comment was acknowledged by developers, but comments were not returned Tuesday evening.