Many residents of Kidder Township in the northern part of Carbon County are upset by large truck terminals, a.k.a. distribution centers, which have been built or have been approved by the Kidder Township Board of Supervisors. The terminals are huge, ugly, noisy, environmentally destructive, and completely inappropriate for an area that has recreation as its main source of revenue. I’ve been to a number of township meetings to oppose the warehouses, and I’ve attended a fundraiser to fight them.
There are two main reasons these distribution centers are being constructed in addition to the greed of the landowners and investors. One is that under Pennsylvania law, every municipality must zone for every use. There are some exceptions; for example the tiny borough of Weissport cannot physically host an airport. However, if there is space in the municipality, the land use plan must permit that use. When I was on the Towamensing Township Planning Commission, I was surprised to learn that the township, traditionally rural and agricultural, had to provide space for heavy industry. It’s on the zoning map. Nobody wanted it, but it is state law.
The second reason the truck terminals are being built is because people no longer go to stores to buy things. They order goods on line. My message to people is simple: Don’t buy goods on-line. You have agency. You have power. Don’t patronize Amazon or its ilk. Make it your policy not to order things on-line unless you really like truck terminals.
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