L. MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. - The Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission on Tuesday reviewed a sketch plan for a proposed 22,000-square-foot Sprouts Farmers Market grocery store at 2550 Route 100 in the township.
Sprouts, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, describes itself as "one of the largest and fastest growing specialty retailers of fresh, natural and organic food" in the U.S. The company says it employs approximately 35,000 team members and operates more than 440 stores in 24 states nationwide.
The plan presented Tuesday for Lower Macungie would be the first for the Lehigh Valley. The lot is shared with St. Luke's medical office building to the west and features stormwater retention basins in the middle. The site is part of the Spring Creek property settlement subdivision, according to Brent Tucker, the project engineer.
According to the presentation made by Tucker, the 14-acre site will feature two access points: one from the Sauerkraut Lane extension, which is not yet complete, and a secondary access drive that will connect to both the Shady Road intersection and the Sauerkraut Lane intersection, which is intended to help with truck circulation.
Truck deliveries are expected to be minimal, with only one semi-truck per day accessing the back of the building.
"We're only anticipating maybe one truck a day," Tucker said. "It's not a big user for semis."
The project proposes integrating three existing stormwater basins in the area with ongoing stormwater management for the Spring Creek property subdivision.
Additionally, stormwater from the entire 14-acre tract will be discharged into a new stormwater facility designed for this development.
The plan includes 211 parking spaces, exceeding the required 94 spaces, with the primary parking area situated on the north side of the building.
Planners sought clarification on design and operational details of the project, including lighting and signage placement. Chair Wesley Barrett expressed concerns about potential impacts on neighboring properties due to parking lot headlights.
"I do get concerned about the headlights on the parking platform and neighboring properties to the north," Barrett said. "Is there any buffering plan for that?"
Tucker acknowledged these concerns, stating that balancing visibility for Sprouts with buffering plans would be considered as part of the design process.
"It's a balancing act, too, because that visibility of the Sprouts, it's important to them — a piece of access coming into the site. So a balancing act will definitely take that into consideration," Tucker said.
Luke Jaindl of Jaindl Land Co. estimated that it would take approximately 24 to 36 months for the grocery store to open once construction begins.
With feedback from the planning commission regarding design and operational details, the project will return to Lower Macungie Township Land Planning and Projects director for further review as part of its preliminary plan submission.
According to Sprouts' website, most of its stores are in California, Florida, Texas and Arizona. The company already has five locations in Pennsylvania, including three in Philadelphia with another expected to open at Festival Pier this June, one in Montgomery County, and one in York.
Sprouts also says its stores feature an "open layout with fresh produce at the heart of the store" and "wholesome, innovative products made with lifestyle-friendly ingredients such as organic, plant-based and gluten-free."