A hearing before the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is scheduled for the first of 15 buildings in a Slate Belt industrial park.
The DEP will host an open public hearing at 6 pm on Feb. 2, in order to take comments on a permit request by New Demi Road LLC.
This hearing is for a permit for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (or NPDES) related to the construction of a 420,000-square-foot building at 303 Demi Road.
Lou Pektor, a developer, is the owner of New Demi Road as well River Pointe Logistics Center LLC. This LLC owns more 725 acres which border the Demi Road property.
As of Wednesday, no development plans for the larger River Pointe project had been submitted to the DEP.
The NPDES permit regulates stormwater discharge from construction activities to many nearby waterways.
The hearing will feature representatives from the Northampton County Conservation District and DEPs Waterways and Wetlands Program.
Last summer, eight written public comments regarding the permit application were received in a 30-day period.
DEP will take testimony from the public on February 2, and will also accept written comments until Thursday, February 16.
If you would like to register for the online hearing, please contact Colleen Connolly, DEP Northeast Regional Office Community Relation Coordinator at 570-826-2035, or email [email protected].
DEP requests that registrants indicate whether they wish to give testimony or log on as observers.
The deadline to register for the hearing is February 1st at 6 p.m.
The industrial park will include 6 million square footage of commercial and industrial buildings. It is being marketed as the largest planned industrial area on the eastern seaboard, but has been met with opposition by residents of nearby towns.
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