Two years after local officials rejected a massive development project on Lehigh Valley International Airport land, Majestic Realty is trying to get it launched again.

Hanover Township, Northampton County, residents whose fierce criticism of the proposed Majestic Hanover Flex Center helped block it in the first place say little has changed, in the plan or their opposition.

The Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, which operates LVIA, reached a deal in 2017 with Majestic Realty Co. to develop approximately 300 acres along Airport and Schoenersville roads. But township supervisors in 2023 rejected a zoning amendment that would have advanced Majestic’s plans.

Now the township is considering another zoning amendment that would allow the development.

On Aug. 26, township supervisors voted 3-2 to send the proposed ordinance to the planning commission for review. That board will recommend whether supervisors ultimately should approve it.

The change would let Majestic put 10 buildings, including warehouses, at the site. At a presentation Aug. 26, the company proposed structures of varying sizes, some with warehouse and storage facilities “as an accessory use” to store supplies that are manufactured or finished on site, according to public documents.

The amendment would allow buildings up to nearly 400,000 square feet, compared with the current allowance of 160,000 square feet.

That building cap is smaller than Majestic’s 2023 proposal, when it sought a maximum building size of 675,000 square feet, supervisors Chairperson Susan Lawless said.

The developer also is proposing larger buffer spaces between the buildings and neighboring homes and other buildings. The amendment would increase buffer space in the district from 150 feet to 400 feet.

The updated plan would also provide no connection to Orchard Lane except for emergency services personnel and maintain a 60-acre “special open area” and a higher percentage of undeveloped land.

Lawless, who voted for the amendment, said Aug. 26 that the latest zoning proposal represents a reasonable compromise between the township and developer.

But many residents, who have attended numerous meetings to express their concerns, remain unconvinced.

Resident Lee Stanley said Majestic should work with the township under its current ordinance for the property, which is in the Aircraft Flightpath Highway Business District.

“That zoning ordinance is our treasure,” Stanley said. “It protects us from damage to our quality of life.”

At Tuesday’s supervisors meeting, township resident Glynis Daniels said, “I think the community has made it clear that they don’t care for this plan. We made that clear two years ago.”

In a telephone interview, Supervisor Stephen Gross acknowledged the township can’t tell developers what to build, but he wished township leaders would have spent time reviewing revisions to the township ordinance for the site that he and others have been working on for months. A motion he made Aug. 26 to table Majestic’s zoning amendment proposal for further discussion was voted down, he said.

The working group’s plan, he said, included covering a host of commercial and other uses, including conditional use for a hotel convention center on the land.

“The impression I’m getting is Majestic can make the most money from large warehouses, and that’s what they want,” said Gross, who won a seat on the five-member board in 2023 running in part on opposition to the Majestic plan. He is running for reelection this year.

Daniels and others, including Monica Beaky, founder of the Hanover Township Residents Against Warehouse Development opposition group, say the new Majestic plan is similar to the one from 2023.

“That is why you are getting the same reaction,” Daniels said.

Airport authority spokesperson Colin Riccobon noted the development agreement with Majestic for the property remains in effect. “The township and developer are currently going through a zoning process,” he said, referring any further comment to Majestic

A spokesperson for Majestic, Joe Uliana, declined to comment.

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, which reviewed past ordinance proposals on Majestic’s development, is expected to take up the latest zoning amendment at its Sept. 23 Comprehensive Planning Committee meeting, spokesperson Matt Assad said. The LVPC gives recommendations on projects, but does not approve or deny them.

In 2021, LVPC staff said that zoning ordinance amendment was generally consistent with the organization’s FutureLV plan, but recommended regular communication with the airport authority to collaborate with all public, private and governmental entities on what effect the development could have on “mobility, resiliency and quality of life.”

Contact Morning Call reporter Anthony Salamone at asalamone@mcall.com.

https://www.mcall.com/2025/09/14/allentown-airport-land-plans/