St. Luke’s finalizing plans for new campus

St. Luke’s University Health Network is finalizing its plans for the future $80 million campus in Carbon County.

On Tuesday, the Carbon County Planning Commission recommended conditional plan approval for a subdivision at the intersection of North Harrity Road and Reber Street in Franklin Township. The land is the site of the future hospital that will replace the Gnaden Huetten and Palmerton campuses.

The plans call for subdividing 63.99 acres into two lots — a 16.91-acre lot where the hospital will be constructed and a 47.08-acre lot, which will include stormwater management systems.

The commission found a few minor areas of noncompliance with Franklin’s land development ordinance, but nothing significant.

In November, Franklin Township Supervisors signed off on the plans for St. Luke’s Carbon Campus, a month after the health network held its groundbreaking ceremony at the site.

Once completed, the hospital will provide area residents local access to a range of specialty services in a full-service, three-story, 155,000-square-foot hospital.

The St. Luke’s Carbon Campus will be equipped with 80 beds, 20 emergency department exam rooms, three operating rooms and two OR procedure rooms. Specialty services will include trauma, cardiology, neurology and radiology, among others.

St. Luke’s hopes to open the facility in 2021.

Other business

In other matters, the planning commission made the following recommendations on plans:

• Lake Harmony Property Owners Association filed two proposed plans at 88 Wood St., Lake Harmony, Kidder Township. The first plan called for combining three lots to create a new 1.11-acre lot. That plan received conditional plan approval. The second plan, which calls for the construction of a 3,040-square-foot pavilion with restroom facilities at the site, received no recommendation since it used several figures associated with the lots prior to the first lot line revision and precludes any recommendation for approval. Comments for both plans will be sent to Kidder Township Planning Commission, Kidder Township Supervisors and the engineer for the project.

• Ronald J. Sr. and Jeanette M. Smith received plan approval for a lot line revision at 125 Sunrise Lane, Hemlock Forest Section Block “M” Holiday Poconos, Kidder Township. The plans call for combining two lots to create a 1.37-acre lot.

• Edgar and Georgina Getz received plan approval for a proposed subdivision at the north side of 86 Bridle Path Road, Lausanne Township. The plans call for subdividing a 17.484-acre lot into two lots. The land is part of the Clean and Green program, but under the guidelines, one subdivision is allowed on the property.