Business View Civil & Municipal l November 2022

123 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 UPPER MACUNGI E , PA one high school, two middle schools, and nine elementary schools, and in the 2020-21 school year, a total of 9,541 students were enrolled. There are also several workforce development programs for residents run by companies in the area, and these companies also collaborate with local educational institutions. In addition. Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation has also started partnering with businesses and institutions to further these initiatives. Infrastructure in the area has lent itself well to assisting with so many businesses choosing to make Upper Macungie Township their home. “Our industrial zones follow our major infrastructure, and our industrial parks center around these routes, which allows trucks to avoid residential zones. We have Boston Beer, which bottles Sam Adams, in one of our industrial parks, a few bottled water companies, and many more,” says Martocci. The township is required by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code to create a comprehensive plan that encompass developments, infrastructure management, government services, as well as projected growth for the area. According to this report, the township is projected to grow steadily over the next decade. Currently, the township has more than 500 approved dwelling units that are yet to be built which are in various phases of construction, as well as several residential land development plans still in the planning process, with no signs of slowing down. Among these are plans which propose apartment units, an identified need throughout not only Upper Macungie, but the entire Lehigh Valley. To encourage this type of development, the township recently passed a Mixed-Use overlay district, allowing residential and commercial uses to exist on one property, frequently through apartments situated above retail and service-related businesses, such as hair salons or dry cleaners.