A New Jersey developer wants a tax break from the county to convert the dilapidated Dixie Cup building on 25th Street into a warehouse.

Blogger Bernie O’hare has published posts about the situation. One is regarding tax liens already on the property. Another post reports Wilson Borough Solicitor Stanley Margle pushing for the tax break at a County Council meeting. I’m unsure if he was speaking on behalf of Wilson Borough Council, or the developer.

According to O’hare, “Last week, Wilson Borough Solicitor Stan Margle instructed Northampton County Council they must ignore a property’s intended use in deciding on a LERTA. That position, of course is absurd. LERTAs are created for the very purpose of encouraging homeowners and small businesses to improve their properties without getting stuck with a giant tax bill all at once.

In addition to considering intended use of blighted property, taxing authorities really should consider the current owner as well. Reibman has a poor record in previous promises and predictions.”

Personally, I think a warehouse between two high schools will only make a traffic congested area far worse when trucks continuously arrive and depart a warehouse at that location. There are times now, even without a warehouse, traffic will back up all the way onto Route 22.

The location is zoned for warehouses, so arguing against a warehouse is futile.

What isn’t futile is letting County Council know that you’re against providing the developer with a LERTA Tax Break to make it easier for him in creating a traffic nightmare for us locals.

Wilson resident Armando Moritz-Chapelliquen has started an online petition seeking signatures opposing the LERTA tax break. I added my name to his petition. It reads as follows:

“The Wilson Area School District and Wilson Borough Council unanimously voted in favor of granting a tax benefit called a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance, or LERTA, to the potential buyer of the old Dixie Cup factory in Wilson Borough. The developer–in his own words–plans to use the 640,000 sq ft site mostly as a warehouse. While the old factory has been in desperate need of redevelopment for almost 40 years, this site is located between two schools, the Easton Area High School and the Wilson Area High School, and is down the road from the Wilson Borough Elementary School. For anyone who has driven along South 25th Street between Route 22 and William Penn Highway, you know the corridor is already heavily congested. Add in the increased truck traffic from this new warehouse and you have a perfect recipe for more traffic, worse air quality, and an overall reduced quality of life for residents around the development, including the students at the local schools.

While the school district and borough have already weighed in, the Northampton County Council must also vote on whether to grant a tax benefit for warehouse–a use that has increasingly worsened air quality and traffic conditions in the Lehigh Valley. The Dixie Cup must be redeveloped, but the restoration of the building should not be at the cost of the surrounding communities.

Northampton County taxpayers deserve better.

Northampton County Council must vote NO on the LERTA resolution for this project.”