LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Possible industrial development is facing loud opposition from residents in one Luzerne County community.
On a walk through her neighborhood in Plains Township, Sara Woolard talks about how carefree life is on this dead-end street.
"Our kids have literally played, growing up, they rode their bikes and scooters, so to go from so little traffic, you don't have to worry about kids going playing on the road to constant tractor-trailer traffic is crazy."
That's the reality Woolard fears if supervisors in neighboring Jenkins Township approve a zoning change.
Motus Capital wants to buy this wooded area and use the land to build three warehouses. But first, Jenkins Township has to change the zoning from residential to industrial.
Woolard fears that an industrial park would bring hundreds and hundreds of tractor-trailers and other vehicles onto her dead-end street every 24 hours.
"We would never be able to leave our house or come in. I mean,the traffic is probably going to be backed up on both sides with tractor-trailers under that small bridge. I mean, there are so many other places that they can build that are already suited for commercial development."
Folks who live near this proposed zoning change tell Newswatch 16 they would have no issues if a developer came in and decided to build residential properties. It's the changes and the traffic and the impact that come along with an industrial project that worries them.
"If you took two tractor-trailers, which are about eight and a half feet wide, and add space in between, there wouldn't be enough room for an emergency vehicle to pass. God forbid if there was a fire or somebody needed an ambulance here," Woolard said. "Safety and quality of life are my two main concerns."
A Jenkins Township supervisor tells Newswatch 16 this will be voted on at Wednesday night's meeting.
"They're hard to read. Our Plains Township, they are very against it, and they've spoken out their opposition to the project as a whole."
Newswatch 16 reached out to Motus Capital for comment, but we did not hear back.
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