East Cocalico Township will witness the construction of a wholesale food facility, according to Denver Wholesale Foods' announced plans.
The East Cocalico Board of Supervisors met on September 4 to discuss the proposed plan by Denver Wholesale Foods to build a new 200,000-square-foot warehouse in the township. The land for the new warehouse is split-zoned between light industrial and general commercial.
Denver Wholesale Foods, a company that buys and distributes excess, closeout, and distressed food products to local grocers, is seeking a text amendment for the land that has 40 acres and has lot frontage that has access to an arterial major collector road.
The latest design of the building, which will be used for dry storage, has a modern look with a lot of glass and wood grain paneling on the sides visible to motorists on Route 272 and at the entrance. Supervisor Daniel Burton suggested placing retail space in the 800-foot-long space between Route 272 and the warehouse.
However, the board is not in favor of more warehouses in the township but appreciates the design of the proposed building. Chair Lorenzo Bonura does not favor more warehouses in the township but likes the design of the proposed building. Vice Chair Jeffrey Mitchell suggested a compromise between commercial and warehouse uses.
The board previously requested Denver Wholesale to return with a more visually-appealing building plan and to provide for commercial uses as well. Yoder, a board member, echoed this sentiment, stating that developers would never get approval from the state Department of Transportation for more than one exit. Martin, another board member, expressed concerns about mingling car and truck traffic into and out of the site.
Denver Wholesale Foods currently has a 130,000 square-foot building in Ephrata Township. The company's current building was designed for frozen foods but also stores dry foods due to lack of space. The applicant has promised to tweak the plan and come back with a revised submission.
In other news, the board still has two openings on the Recreation Board. Interested individuals should contact Rich Howett, township manager. The next meeting of the East Cocalico Board of Supervisors will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 18 at the township building.
The board members thanked the applicant for the feedback received and called it "extremely helpful." Yoder, in particular, expressed his gratitude for the board's input. The negotiations between the East Cocalico Board of Supervisors and Denver Wholesale Foods regarding the text amendment are ongoing, with further discussions planned to address zoning and community concerns.
For those interested in staying updated on township news, various newsletters are available, including one for breaking news, senior rebates, medical breakthroughs, and financial benefits for seniors born between 1939-1979. Stay tuned for more updates on the Denver Wholesale Foods project.
