The East Allen Township Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to grant conditional use approval to BrightFarms for its 1.5 million-square-foot greenhouse complex. Supervisor Frank Kostecky was absent from the vote.
The project must still go through the township's land development process before construction can begin.
BrightFarms' website states its hydroponic growing methods do not use pesticides and the locally-grown produce can reach store shelves within hours of being harvested, as opposed to products from California that spend up to five days on a truck.
The development is proposed on two parcels totaling 112 acres at the northeast corner of Locust and Arrowhead roads in East Allen Township. The property currently is used for agricultural uses, according to the conditional use application. The land is in the Agricultural/Rural Residential zoning district where greenhouses are permitted by right. However, uses deemed to be "intensive agricultural land development," as per the township's zoning ordinance, require a conditional use hearing. The plan is to construct four greenhouses totaling 1.5 million square feet with two headhouses, or work center, buildings totaling 318,000 square feet.
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