A Grassroots Effort
Development is closing in. Let's protect our open land.
We're neighbors working to protect Lehigh Township's farms, woodlands, and water. We want land preservation placed on the ballot so township residents can decide.
Current Status of the Vote
Not yet.
The Board of Supervisors decided not to place the question on the public ballot. That means township residents are being prevented from voting Yes or No.
Open Space is defined as any undeveloped land such as forests, meadows, wetlands, floodplains, farmlands, etc. An open space land preservation program is that which actively advocates for and administers the permanent preservation of open space lands. Through the actions of a land preservation program, preserved open space properties would be protected from unfavorable development both now and in the future. Our goal is to establish a Lehigh Township-based program in order to maintain our rural character and community, and to protect the places that our future generations will call home!
In order to get this program underway, our supervisors would need to place a referendum (a vote) on an upcoming election ballot so every Lehigh Township resident can cast their decision on the matter. If a simple majority (greater than 50%) votes “yes” to the creation of the program, the program and preservation efforts begin. If a simple majority votes “no”, no further action is taken.
We are here to urge our supervisors to allow the creation of this program and for the future of Lehigh Township be put to a citizens vote!
The story so far
- January 2025
Residents brought forward an idea
A group of concerned Lehigh Township residents proposed a local program to protect farms and other open space at the township level.
- Since then
The community talked
Public meetings welcomed residents on all sides to learn how the proposal could work, ask questions, and share their views.
- July 2025
The Board supported a public vote
The Board of Supervisors initially supported putting the land preservation question on the ballot for township voters to decide.
- Yes:
- Sheats, Jones, Pritchard
- No:
- Hess
- Absent:
- Miller
- December 2025
The board put the public vote on halt
For reasons unknown, the Board decided not to take the next step to place the question on the ballot. Township residents are being prevented from voting on this matter.
- Now
Residents are asking for a vote
This group is sharing facts, answering questions, and continuing to ask the Board to let voters decide. If voters approve it, willing landowners could use a local program to protect their land permanently.
What's at stake
What happens if the land isn't preserved?
Some development is expected and can be good for a community. But as the Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton areas fill in, more building pressure is moving toward Lehigh Township. Too much development can permanently change our rural way of life.
Farms and open spaces become subdivisions
Once a working farm or open space is sold to a developer, it almost never comes back. The Lehigh Valley has been losing farmland, forests, and open spaces steadily for decades.
Taxes go up, not down
For every $1.00 in tax from a residential property, the township spends about $1.16 on services like schools, roads, and emergency response. Open land costs just $0.37. More residential development means more taxes.
Water gets strained
Paved surfaces shed rain instead of absorbing it. Losing fields and forests means more runoff, more flooding risk, and dirtier creeks.
The township changes
More traffic, more sprawl, less quiet. The rural character that drew people to Lehigh Township is hard to protect and virtually impossible to rebuild.
Why it matters
Protecting our Community and Way of Life
Four things make Lehigh Township the place we chose to live. Protecting them is the only way to keep it that way.
Working farms
Our fields feed the valley. Preserving them keeps farm families in business and open land safe from development pressure.
Woodlands
Our forests shelter wildlife, hold the hillsides, and give the township its quiet. Once cleared, they almost never come back.
Clean water
Open land soaks up rain and keeps our streams clear. Fields and forests are our watershed's first filter.
Our character
A rural township stays livable and small in scale when open land is protected. That's the character we grew up in.
Get involved
Help bring the question to voters
Join the newsletter, sign the pledge, show up to a meeting, or tell the supervisors directly. Every one of these keeps the effort moving.
Join the newsletter
This keeps you informed. Get plain-language updates on the preservation effort: where the vote stands, meeting dates, and what you can do next. Just a few emails a year, and we never share your address.
Take the pledge
"I support giving Lehigh Township residents a public vote on land preservation. If voters approve it, I support this voluntary local program that helps willing landowners protect their land."
This is a show of support: your name goes on a private list that counts how many neighbors stand behind preservation. We don't publish names, and we won't email you unless you also join the newsletter.
Contact the supervisors
A short, respectful note to the Board of Supervisors goes a long way. Ask them to place a referendum for land preservation on the next ballot so the Lehigh Township residents can decide.
Talking points: preserved land costs less in services than residential development; preservation is voluntary, parcel by parcel; many neighboring townships already do this successfully.
Email the townshipTownship meetings to attend
Board of Supervisors meeting
Township municipal building, public comment open
Check township calendarLook for the "BOS" (Board of Supervisors) meetings on the Township page
Planning Commission meeting
Where land-use decisions take shape
Community preservation gathering
Organizing session for supporters, details by email
Coming this fall
Dates change; confirm with the official township calendar before going.