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A developer is pushing ahead with plans to build warehouses at the Dutch Springs quarry property, with municipal officials set to review the proposal next week.

Dallas, Texas-based Trammell Crow Co. says in documents attached to the Dec. 29 meeting in Bethlehem Township that it has found a company that can continue to offer scuba diving in the quarry. Dutch Springs’ aqua and aerial park uses, however, would cease under the proposal, the documents say.

In a statement Wednesday to lehighvalleylive.com, Trammel Crow Principal Matt Nunn said: “Trammell Crow Company is in active discussions with the local municipalities and other organizations to maintain access to the lake and secure amenities for divers and residents to continue to enjoy the lake. We have made good progress thus far and we are optimistic that we will reach an agreement to meet these goals. We look forward to sharing additional information in the New Year.”

The developer, a subsidiary of CBRE, is proposing the warehouses as Lehigh Valley Trade Center III, near its two additional industrial complexes of the same name. Trammell Crow’s LVTC III Owner LLC is the equitable owner of two parcels that comprise Dutch Springs at 4733 Hanoverville Road in Lower Nazareth and Bethlehem townships. It proposes consolidating the tracts into one property, then subdividing that into three new lots.

Lot 1 would give rise to a 287,455-square-foot warehouse and distribution center entirely in Lower Nazareth, on Lot 2 would be built a similar facility that is 300,153 square feet and in Bethlehem Township and Lot 3 would contain the existing quarry lake for scuba purposes, according to the documents the developer filed with Bethlehem Township.

LVTC III Owner LLC is looking for approvals from the Bethlehem Township Zoning Hearing Board related to the subdivision and continued scuba use, but notes it can build the warehouses without zoning relief: “Warehouses and distribution facilities are permitted by right in Lower Nazareth and Bethlehem Townships on the Property,” legal counsel for the developer says in the zoning hearing board documents.

“The Property can be developed with warehouses without requiring any zoning relief, however, this would eliminate the scuba use,” Catherine E.N. Durso, the applicant’s attorney, wrote to Bethlehem Township officials.

The Dutch Springs aqua and aerial parks are not being considered for continued use because they are more intensive than scuba diving, which would be supervised and available by reservation only, the documents from Bethlehem Township state.

The zoning hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 29, with options for both in-person and virtual attendance. Visit bethlehemtownship.org for more information.

In a strictly advisory review in August, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission criticized the project as adding more warehouses than the area needs, while impacting a recreational amenity that is vital to scuba divers looking to practice and certify from across the northeastern United States.

The developer in its correspondence with Bethlehem Township notes that attempts were unsuccessful to convey the quarry lake and adjacent area to either Lower Nazareth Township or Northampton County: “The community, however has expressed support for the continued scuba use.”

It’s not immediately clear when the proposal would come before Lower Nazareth Township. The project as of Wednesday was not reflected on upcoming township agendas.

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Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.

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