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.