Final Push by Neighbors as Easton Planners Prepare to Vote on 1M-Sq.-Ft. Wood Ave. Warehouse

Opponents deliver last testimony ahead of Dec. 3 Easton Planning Commission vote

For more than a year, developer Scannell Properties has pursued approval from the Easton Planning Commission for a proposed 1,000,000-square-foot warehouse at 1525 Wood Ave. On Wednesday night, neighborhood opponents made their final scheduled presentation to the commission before members vote next month.

A vocal coalition of Easton residents continues to contest the project on environmental, traffic and noise grounds. In May the group submitted a comprehensive binder of evidence to the commission outlining those concerns. The commission allowed the developer to respond, and Scannell’s attorney, Mark Kaplan, called multiple expert witnesses during two previous late-night hearings.

At a packed Easton City Hall session, opponents’ counsel Cody Harding called his own experts to rebut the developer’s testimony. Solicitor Joel Sheer instructed witnesses to limit their remarks to topics raised by Kaplan’s experts at prior hearings.

3-D modeling shows changes to topography and sightlines

Daniel Brown, a 3-D modeling specialist, presented visual simulations created from official topographic data, engineering drawings and Google Earth imagery. Brown said his renderings demonstrate how the warehouse, together with extensive retaining walls, would alter the site’s topography, the scale of development and neighborhood sightlines—including views of the Silk Mill and Bushkill Creek.

Brown contrasted his industry-standard modeled images with the applicant’s promotional materials, arguing the latter were less precise. Kaplan objected repeatedly to Brown’s testimony, challenging the evidentiary value of unofficial maps and renderings, probing Brown’s qualifications and asking which exact engineering drawings were used to generate the visuals. Kaplan urged the commission to rely on certified plans and verifications from licensed engineers.

Traffic, guard-house concerns and operational impacts

Peter Terry, a traffic engineer and president of Benchmark Civil Engineering Services, delivered a technical critique of the project’s traffic and noise assessments. Terry said the applicant’s acoustic analysis relied too heavily on off-peak traffic counts and omitted on-site vehicle movements—such as internal circulation, queuing and loading activity—that could increase noise and activity.

Terry also observed that large distribution facilities commonly include guard houses for security, an element not shown on the submitted site plan. He explained that an on-site guard house would change vehicle circulation patterns and could affect congestion both on-site and on adjacent roadways. "How the site is ultimately operated will determine its real-world impact on truck volumes and surrounding roads," he said.

Noise modeling challenged

Bailey Hilgren, a Ph.D. candidate at New York University studying environmental noise and health, criticized the applicant’s noise modeling for likely oversimplifying terrain effects and for not accounting for truck alarms, loading-dock activity or construction noise. She noted that the study’s projected nighttime range of 47 to 52 dBA approaches the legal nighttime limit of 52 dBA, leaving little margin for error if actual conditions differ.

Kaplan questioned Hilgren’s expert standing, arguing academic study does not replace licensure or direct professional experience in acoustics and pointing out she had not independently completed a full noise study.

Operational testimony from a former driver

Former tractor-trailer driver Jeremy Gold described typical warehouse operations from a driver’s perspective: how trucks queue, undergo security checks and drop off trailers. He reviewed Pennsylvania idling rules and noted exceptions that can apply during loading and unloading, which could lead to longer engine idling periods on-site.

"In Pennsylvania, the standard rule is you can only idle for five minutes in a 60-minute window. However, there are exceptions to that. For example, when you are loading or unloading at a warehouse, you can actually idle for up to 15 minutes in an hour," Gold said.

All testimony is now complete. The Easton Planning Commission is scheduled to decide whether to approve the warehouse at its Dec. 3 meeting, set for 6:30 p.m. at Easton City Hall.

Commission Chair Ken Greene thanked residents for their participation: "I know many of you have been a part of many of these meetings, and I think it’s been about as thorough a process as it could be, in many respects. So for everybody who has continued to show up, thank you."

Read the original reporting on lehighvalleylive.com.