Home Care In Emmaus, PA

EMMAUS, Pa. — Envisioning a denser, more walkable and growing borough, officials are looking to implement plans for the future through a full rewrite of land regulations.

Members of the borough government and consultants say they set out to diagnose and update items out of "alignment with community vision" and establish plans, improve processes and regulations, improve consistency between documents, and improve readability in its zoning ordinance and subdivision and land development ordinance (SALDO).

The overhaul creates new zoning districts, a new official map of the borough, and it rewrites both the SALDO and zoning ordinances.

It also serves to reflect recent planning documents and guidelines, such as the Southwestern Lehigh Comprehensive Plan and the borough's Vision 2030 goals, greenways and trails plan, and parks, recreation and open space plan.

Some of those planned priorities include making roads safer and more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists, increasing mixed-use projects, preserving the South Mountain Trail corridor, implementing traffic calming measures, and improving street aesthetics.

At the Emmaus Borough Council meeting Monday, members did a first read of the ordinance to establish a new borough map, while tabling the SALDO and zoning ordinances pending final amendments and adjustments. Councilman Brent Labenberg voiced support for a second public hearing once changes were implemented, but no date was set.

The project kicked off in 2021 and was guided by a task force of borough officials from the zoning hearing board, planning commission, borough council and borough staff, and residents and consulting partners.

Hannah Clark, a representative for the consulting firm Michael Baker International, which worked with the borough on the updates, said the process involved tailoring updates to the borough's needs, as well as documents like the Southwestern Lehigh Multi-Municipal Plan, and the borough's parks, greenways trails and open space plan.

"This is really about operationalizing the borough's vision, where they want to go, and the documents that form this vision," Clark said in a previously recorded informational meeting. "When we began this process with the borough, we were tasked with creating a document that was searchable and maintainable, simple, meaning it was easy to understand access and apply."

Michael Baker International also helped lead the review and revision of land use laws in Upper Macungie Township this year.

Subdivision and land development ordinances regulate lot design and layout, street design and infrastructure improvements. Zoning regulates the uses of private properties such as commercial, residential or industrial.

Public comment was gathered throughout the process, including a public hearing held at the Nov. 6 borough council meeting, where the effort was tabled.

Borough Manager Shane Pepe explained at the hearing then that prior existing uses that would be out of line with the new ordinance would be OK to stay as long as they do not fall out of disuse.

"Anything that exists already is grandfathered," Pepe said. "You can replace a prior nonconforming existing use as long as it fits within the definitions of the prior nonconformity."

The ordinance was tabled at the prior meeting due to inconsistencies in the document related to short-term rentals as an accessory use, allowing RV and boat parking, and allowing pools to be built in the conservation district.

Zoning updates shift uses, districts

A major part of the zoning update is the shifts and changes to zoning districts. It will also govern the makeup, authority, and functions of the borough's zoning hearing board.

Priorities listed for the zoning update are predictability of building form; establishing and maintaining the borough's identity and character; highlighting arts, culture and historic character; having diverse and affordable housing; and promoting infill and redevelopment, including on brownfield sites.

The new ordinance outlines clear restrictions for each new district, including height width coverage and area maximums, along with setback, building form, and frontage requirements. A table of allowed principal uses for future construction is also provided.

The new P-Preservation district, which includes parts of what was formerly designated Conservation-Residential district, is for the preservation of publicly owned land. Principal uses include parks, nature preserves and forestry, along with emergency services.

The new C-Conservation is established to conserve natural settings of hillside, tree coverage and natural landscape. It is intended to promote small building footprints that leave most of the lot untouched and include parts of the former R-L Low Density Residential and C-R Conservation Residential districts.

The new RW-Wooded Residential is to "preserve the secluded and wooded character" of parts of the formerly R-L Low Density Residential district and to respond to hillside conditions, resulting in slightly larger lots and required building setbacks.

The new RE-Enclave Residential district covers the southwest corner of Emmaus with limited major road access that restricts what could be greater density. The description notes that house sizes vary but consistent setbacks are to complement the walkable scale and cohesive feel of the neighborhood. It encompasses previous C-R Conservation-Residential, R-M Medium Density Residential, and R-L Low Density Residential districting.

The new RC-Central Residential promotes residential uses with moderate density along walkable streets. The description states that it sets out to provide a cohesive feel with varying house sizes. It consists of previous R-RL Low Density and R-M Medium Density zoning areas.

UEN-Urban Edge Neighborhoods is said to create "an opportunity for expanded growth and density as the borough's needs evolve." It is a mixed-use zoning set near the Emmaus High School campus and new UG-Urban Gateway district, and will allow for expanded growth and density close to both shopping and parks. It consists of previous R-M Medium Density Residential, R-HO High Density Residential Office and R-R Conservation Residential district designations. It has irregular block sizes, and allows greater flexibility in building design. The idea is to permit innovative site design and communal open spaces to incentivize higher density.

UC-Urban Core Neighborhood encompasses parts of previous I-L Light Industrial, R-HO High Density Residential Office, R-M Medium Density Residential, B-C Central Commercial and R-L Low Density Residential. It is a mixed-use area with "a variety of building sizes and typologies that are suited to a mix of uses and reflect the historic and traditional character" of the borough. It establishes narrow lots and rear parking access, seeking to make it a walkable and dense urban area.

UG-Urban Gateway corresponds to the primary transportation access routes to the borough, suited to larger commercial and mixed uses, while remaining the "very auto[mobile] oriented" areas of the town. It consists of former B-H Highway Commercial and B-C Central Commercial districts. It is considered an area for growth and allows buildings up to four stories with little to no setback, prioritizing active ground floor use such as retail shops. Rear parking in this area is to be required, and shared parking strategies are "encouraged to promote a redevelopment that is people-oriented and a natural compliment to Emmaus' downtown." It allows the most forms of service and commercial use.

"Setbacks from the street are smaller, because we're trying to create more walkable human oriented streets, areas," Clark said.

"So even in areas that are more auto-oriented, such as the urban gateway, which was previously more or less the highway-commercial, we are seeing ultimately redevelopment closer to the street, so that people have a little more of that sense of downtown Main Street. and it's more inviting for both people who are walking, as well as people who are driving and hopefully getting them to slow down a bit."

DN-Downtown Neighborhood is a mixed-use district for walkable blocks with proximity to Triangle Park and the DC-Downtown Core district. Buildings are closely spaced or attached with little to no setback, with interaction between public sidewalk and building frontage. It is a flexible district with inclusions for residential, retail and office space, and is meant to feel and look like part of Emmaus' downtown. It consists of prior B-C Central Commercial, R-HO High Density Residential Office, R-M Medium Density Residential and B-H Highway Commercial districting.

DC-Downtown Core is the primary "heart" of the borough directly around Triangle Park and nearby blocks. It is to be "preserved and enhanced" as the historic center with shopping, retail and other active uses alongside residential. Up to five stories are permitted with parking delegated to the rear, prioritizing pedestrian access. This covers prior B-C Central Commercial District zoning.

ED-Enterprise District is on the former I-L Light Industrial District, allowing industrial uses and redevelopment "more flexibly" than in other districts. Height and siting can vary widely to enable uses to this end.

The actual document became condensed, turning the original 11 part ordinance to six.

Amendments made since the last major update, such as the age qualified community and medical marijuana facilities, are implemented into the main ordinance as well.

The current draft of the new ordinance can be viewed here.

New land development regulations and borough map

In tackling the borough's SALDO update, goals were set out such as incorporating sidewalk requirements, standardizing development review processes, updating stormwater management, reviewing street guidelines, and keeping aesthetics consistent.

The update seeks development standards that "provide a suitable balance between historic integrity and contemporary best practices in architecture and construction" along with consistent and walkable development.

Clark says it is a "complete overhaul" of the prior documents, updating items like street and intersection designs, outdoor lighting, and the subdivision process. It also provides specific dimensions for key development items, such as parking spaces, vegetation and preservation of natural features.

It also governs the process for the application and approval of subdivisions and land development projects through the planning commission and borough council.

The current draft of the new ordinance can be viewed here.

The new official map, which passed its first reading Monday, fits in the equation with the other actions by outlining planned changes to the borough.

Clark says the official map is a tool that will identify the location of current and planned public land and facilities, such as street widening, intersection improvements proposed parks and trails, and conserved open spaces.

Officials say the new official map allows continuous updates as a "living document" that can be continuously updated via ordinance if plans change in the future. It outlines planned trails and multimodal improvements, while highlighting lands for planned or potential parks, and recreation areas.

The map adds the recently established municipal parking lot at 311 Main St. in Emmaus.

The official map is planned for a final vote during borough council's Dec. 18 meeting.

EMMAUS, Pa. — Tax rates in Emmaus will rise slightly to help meet greater expenses in a budget that boasts more than $10 million more in revenues than the prior year.

Borough property taxes for 2024 are to be set at 8.3155 mills — up 0.134 mills, or 1.6% from the 2023 rate of 8.1815 mills.

A mill equals $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value. That means the owner of a property assessed at $100,000 for tax purposes would pay $8,371 in property tax — up $189.50 over this year.

That includes a general tax fund tax of 6.4404 mills, a fire fund tax of 1.3961 mills, a special roads fund tax of 0.32 mills and a street light fund tax of 0.159 mills.

"It's much better than what I was expecting when we when we started," Borough Council President Brent Labenberg said at Monday's council meeting.

"It's much better than what I was expecting when we when we started."

Emmaus Borough Council President Brent Labenberg

The general tax fund is seeing a slight raise from last year's millage rate of 6.3154, along with the street light fund increasing from 0.15 mills in 2023.

The fire fund tax and special roads fund tax remain unchanged.

The preliminary budget for 2024 is projecting a surplus of $1,370,240.16.

The borough's 2023 budget was projected to be balanced, but instead returned a surplus of $3,016,383. This was greater than the 2022 surplus of $2,853,635.57 — largely because of less expenses than projected across a variety of line items in 2023.

The full budget is currently advertised at borough hall and will be up for final approval at the Dec. 18 borough council meeting.

$16 million PFAS removal system

Water fund expenses grew dramatically, from $2,939,147 to $17,772,220.87, largely done to account for $16 million budgeted for a PFAS removal system to treat the borough's water supply.

To meet that, revenues from a $1.1 million American Rescue Plan Act fund transfer originally slated for last year and $15 million anticipated in revenues from final bill and certification fees were listed. Borough officials said final bill and certification fees are charged during property transfers.

Borough Water Sewer billing clerk Teresa Pohlmann said that type of fee was first implemented in 2023.

Council voted this year to retain its own water supply by treating its wells that have been contaminated by the "forever chemical" pollutants. In May it was projected to cost up to $30 million over 20 years, partially funded by grants.

The capital projects budget, which managed a balanced $9,198,740 in 2023, is down to $2,621,598 in expenses for 2024. The capital projects budget manages funds for construction and renovations projects for municipal buildings, among other things. The decrease is attributed to completion of renovations to Emmaus Borough Hall, police station and central fire station renovations, which were one-time occurrences.

EMMAUS, Pa. — A month after hosting President Joe Biden, Nowhere Coffee Co. has temporarily shuttered its second location.

Owners Lauren and Juan Vargas confirmed the location at 318 Main St. closed Thursday until further notice because of roof leaks that damaged critical equipment.

“South Mountain is closed while we figure this [gestures vaguely at the ceiling] out,” a post on Facebook said, with a video showing water from snow melt dripping throughout the cafe.

"It makes us very sad. 2024 needs to calm itself down."

Nowhere Coffee Co. co-owner Lauren Vargas

The Vargases said critical equipment, including espresso machines and coffee grinders, was affected.

“It will be some time before we can reopen Emmaus,” Juan Vargas said via text message Thursday night.

He said the loss of the espresso machines will top $20,000, while the three grinders lost are $2,000 each.

Other products were ruined as well, including coffee and tea, and everything in the cafe is wood — including bar tops, counter tops and flooring — so they're also on the lookout for mold.

"It makes us very sad," Lauren Vargas said Friday morning, adding that "2024 needs to calm itself down."

Hosting the president

On Jan. 12, Nowhere Coffee Co. hosted Biden and a number of state and local dignitaries.

Accompanying Biden on the visit were Gov. Josh Shapiro, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Administrator Isabel Guzman of the U.S. Small Business Administration

The Vargases had a chance to take the president on a whirlwind tour of Emmaus, where he also visited the Emmaus Run Inn and South Mountain Cycle, owned by Emmaus Borough Councilman Chad Balliet and his wife, Heather.

"Anybody want a coffee? It's on me."

President Joe Biden during a stop at Nowhere Coffee Co. in Emmaus

One of Biden’s final stops was at Nowhere Coffee Co., which opened in Emmaus in 2022, about six months after it opened its first location in South Whitehall Township.

"Anybody want a coffee? It's on me," the president said.

Biden took selfies with people at the coffee company and paid cash for a smoothie. He also made his way around the cafe and chatted with about a dozen people — some of them local business owners — before sitting down for a private conversation with the Vargases.

Much of Biden’s visit was featured on White House social media in the weeks after.

Water damage follows Upper Macungie permit denial

In early February, the Vargases were denied a permit for the business' planned roastery at 1115 Trexlertown Road.

The couple said they already signed a lease on the property and bought a $50,000 roaster.

The township determined that the roastery is classified under “manufactur[ing] and/or bulk processing” of food products, which is not allowed in the Neighborhood Commercial zoning district of the property.

This is all "a bit overwhelming. Now that it's hitting me."

Nowhere Coffee Co. co-owner Juan Vargas

“You gave no guidance. You ask no clarifying questions,” Lauren Vargas said at zoning meeting. “You did not find the exact word roasting in your zoning code.

"And you were permitted to make a unilateral assessment of my business and reject our application with zero visibility into how or why.”

A week ago, the Vargases said they hoped to open their planned roastery in the Allentown area, though an update on a location has yet to be announced.

This is all "a bit overwhelming," Juan Vargas said Friday. "Now that it's hitting me."

EMMAUS, Pa. — No, Let's Play Books is not closing its doors, owner Kirsten Hess says.

But it may be transforming.

This weekend, the Emmaus children's bookstore celebrates its 10th anniversary with events, sales and even cake.

The anniversary comes as some word spread that the store would be closing.

That's not the full story, owner Kirsten Hess said.

"We are not closing — we are exploring options."

Let's Play Books owner Kirsten Hess

As the business celebrates a decade in operation, owners will ask the community what shape its Emmaus location should take as it considers a tough decision about how best to move forward — be it staying as its is, focusing on certain efforts, or finding a new location.

"We are not closing — we are exploring options," Hess said.

"I think the bottom line is post-COVID, in the new world of point-and-click and immediate gratification, that we have to determine what physical spaces matter.

"And I have to make this matter, otherwise there's no point in having a retail rent. It just doesn't make any sense at all."

Small bookstores are struggling

Across the country, small independent bookstores such as Let's Play Books struggled in recent years because of e-commerce pressure and a lack of retail sales during the coronavirus pandemic.

But those at Let's Play Books were not deterred, and opened a second location in South Whitehall Township last year, focused on books for adults, titled The End.

The new location already has been host to popular author events, such as humorist David Sedaris, and offers a single-floor open retail experience.

The store also operates the Lehigh Valley Book Festival, which started in 2019.

Hess said comparatively, Let's Play Books is seeing less success as a standard retail operation, but has every intention of figuring out how best to support the location going forward.

"It's just been eye-opening by opening The End, that The End is becoming so successful, that it makes us question what should we be doing with Let's Play Books. That's all — that's a good problem."<br/>

Kristen Hess

"It's just been eye-opening by opening The End, that The End is becoming so successful, that it makes us question what should we be doing with Let's Play Books," Hess said.

"That's all — that's a good problem.

"Because the world constantly changes and we need to stay relevant and we need to figure out how to sustain ourselves. And that is what good business does."

Seeking a new future

Let's Play Books' business as a whole was up 31% in sales between its two locations and online operation — but the majority was web sales and at The End, Hess said.

About 78% of customers from Let's Play Books now are choosing the new location as their primary store, something Hess said "has completely thrown us."

"I'm exploring a lot of options. Everything from creating a nonprofit [to run the Lehigh Valley Book Festival], to opening a lending library and an after-school location, to an art center."

Let's Play Books owner Kirsten Hess

Hess said she thinks the Emmaus location, currently focused on children's books and more intimate events, still adds value — but she's not sure what it looks like going forward.

"I'm exploring a lot of options," she said. "Everything from creating a nonprofit [to run the Lehigh Valley Book Festival], to opening a lending library and an after-school location, to an art center.

"There's so many options, but I want community input to see what we kind of need and what people may value because what I do know is that the three floors of that building is challenging to run as a retail store."

Hess said she did not realize the challenge until The End opened — such as the challenge of cleaning and maintenance, loss from theft and limitations to accessibility that the three-floor operation creates.

She also mentioned the possibility of finding a new one-floor location as a result of those difficulties.

She said a decision about the future of Let's Play Books would be made in early May at the earliest, following community conversations — starting this weekend at their 10th-anniversary celebrations.

10th anniversary event

The weekend will be hold a 10% off sale (20% for members) Saturday and Sunday, and a silent auction of bookish items — such as a signed special edition of Stephen King's "Joyland" and signed first edition Michael Connelly novels.

The bookstore will celebrate with two “toasts” to community members at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., with the latter also including cake.

"I have children that I've seen grow up over 10 years in my store, and it makes me emotional thinking about it."

Let's Play Books owner Kirsten Hess

Hess said she and her family would be there in an effort to connect with community members about shared memories, and also have what could be tough conversations on how they can best serve the community where the bookstore got its start.

"I have children that I've seen grow up over 10 years in my store, and it makes me emotional thinking about it," Hess said.

She said it felt like just a year ago when it held its grand opening on Main Street in Emmaus in 2014, then in 2016 moved to its current location at 244 Main St.

"Then it slowly morphed into working with schools and librarians and then working with national author tours, and it just kept getting bigger and bigger yet," Hess said.

"I want to remember why we started which is connection, which is putting a kid on your lap and reading a book and what that symbolizes because that's so much greater than literacy."

Upcoming author events by the company include:

EMMAUS, Pa. — Following a monthlong survey seeking community input on establishing a nighttime "quiet zone" in response to residents' complaints about train noise, borough council shared results this week.

Of the more than 966 participants who responded, only 142 stated that they would be willing to pay an estimated $274 to $350 in extra taxes that the borough estimates would be needed to establish a quiet zone, based on information provided by Norfolk Southern. Sixty-eight percent of all respondents stated they were not interested in establishing a quiet zone, with the remaining 32% being asked further if they supported the proposal with estimated added costs. Only 14.7% of residents were in favor of establishing a tax to create the zone.

Borough manager Shane Pepe said given the municipality's demographics of approximately 11,400 people, and surveys being considered statistically accurate and representative, it would need to have a response from 5% of the borough, or approximately 570 residents.

Given the response rate, the survey can be considered an accurate reflection of the opinion of the borough's residents, officials said.

Sixty-four percent of the respondents said they had lived in the borough for over 10 years, and the majority (66.9%) said they live within five blocks of the railroad tracks. Thirty-nine percent of respondents live within two blocks of the tracks.

According to the borough, there would be "significant capital costs" involved in upgrading each rail intersection, costing between $1.9 million and $2.3 million for work on six intersections. The survey states that no grants are available for projects.

A somewhat humorous aside in the survey notes that "surprisingly, 120 respondents stated that they were not aware that there were railroad tracks here when they moved here."

Emmaus is a hub of freight rail traffic and averages about 80 trains per day through town.

The survey concluded automatically and counted as not supportive when respondents either stated they would not support it based on additional knowledge of the proposal, such as cost and tax burden, and was restricted by IP address.

For example, 134 of the remaining 299 respondents stated they would no longer be interested when informed of the estimated cost.

Residents weighted from 1 to 10 — with 1 being not and all and 10 being unbearable — how the train noise affects them. The average score was 3.4.

"There was no appetite to recommend to council for a change," said Councilman John Hart, who discussed the action as part of the public safety committee. "Two million is better spent on other more important issues, like our roads, sewer, and water."

Council did not pursue a vote or further action on the issue based on the results of the survey.