Developer seeks LERDA tax incentive for 360‑acre abandoned‑mine site; board and residents press for mine remediation details

Attorney Favolo, speaking for Goldman Properties, asked the Hazleton Area School District Board to approve a LERDA arrangement for roughly 360 acres in Hazle Township that the developer described as abandoned‑mine property that must be reclaimed before building can begin. The developer said a contractor experienced in mine reclamation will perform the work and that environmental permits have been submitted.

The developer told the board the proposal includes a $499,000 payment to the district on or before June 30 if the LERDA is approved. The presentation also described additional, staged payments tied to building permits; presenters said the aggregate district payments over the course of four planned buildings would be “close to $1.9 million.” (The transcript contains inconsistent renderings of the total; see clarifying details.)

Board members and residents pressed the developers on technical issues they said must be resolved before approval. Questions included whether ponds on the site are wetlands or seasonal depressions, how pits and silt basins will be handled, whether historic mine workings under building pads will be stabilized and by what method, and where heavy‑truck traffic would access the site. A developer representative said mines within 40 feet of building pads would be backfilled or grouted and that a geotechnical engineer and mining specialist had surveyed the property. The developer also said the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (BAMR) guidelines would guide mitigation work.

“Kilgens has done this before,” Attorney Favolo told the board, describing the contractor’s experience with mine reclamation and the need for compliance with environmental standards before construction could proceed.

Board members sought clarity about timing and the tax‑exemption process. A Goldman representative said exemptions would be applied for after occupancy and that the developer had requested a 10‑year application window but agreed to an eight‑year period for submitting building applications. The company said they anticipate building permits for the first buildings within roughly a year after approvals, though permitting and occupancy would determine when tax exemptions take effect.

Several residents raised safety concerns about trespassing, ATV use, and hazardous coal‑wash piles on the property; the developer said development would remediate those hazards. The developer also confirmed that proposed tenants had not yet been identified, but that the firm maintains networks of potential renters and buyers.

What happens next: the board discussed the item in the meeting; any formal action (vote to approve a LERDA or to move the item to a future agenda) was not recorded in the available transcript excerpt. If the board places the proposal on an action agenda, the district will need to confirm the detailed reclamation plan, permit status with BAMR and the final incentive schedule before approving tax‑exempt status for any structures.