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A rendering of one of the buildings in the proposed River Pointe industrial park.

A rendering of one of the buildings in the proposed River Pointe industrial park.

U. MOUNT BETHEL TWP., Pa. - A significant piece of a former coal power plant in the Slate Belt is gone for good, making way for new development.

An affiliate of River Pointe Logistics has dismantled a 55-ton coal conveyor at the abandoned GenOn site in Upper Mount Bethel Township. It's part of a plan to remove about 700,000 square feet of old construction, including two 480-foot-tall smokestacks.

The plant is next to River Pointe Commerce Park, Lou Pektor's proposed industrial development that will cover about 800 acres.

River Pointe affiliate RPL East removed the coal ramp. Most of the material from the demolition will be used as scrap metal.

The abandoned coal plant "stood as a testament to our post-industrial past," Pektor, president of RPL East, said in a statement. "While we still have a long way to go before the site is ready for the next phases of redevelopment, the demolition of the conveyor is a significant and noteworthy achievement."

The River Pointe project is permitted by Upper Mount Bethel's zoning ordinance, but it has attracted criticism because of its size and potential impact on the township's rural quality of life.

A group of opponents has attended government meetings to speak against it, objecting to pollution and traffic. There is also support for the plan where it matters most: on the township's board of supervisors.

Martin Pinter, chairman of the board, told the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission last month that the township and the Bangor Area School District needs a bigger tax base and more jobs. River Pointe is projected to create thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue.

The commission looked at a preliminary proposal for 12 industrial buildings covering 5.9 million square feet on 804 acres near the Delaware River.

Pinter said the Slate Belt needs the economic boost. Beyond that, Pektor owns the land and the zoning is for industry. As Pinter said at a meeting in 2020, "The facts are, we can't stop Lou from building."

Pektor said removing the coal conveyor is a step toward creating an "employment hub" in the Lehigh Valley. He has said earlier that the land near Route 80 is too valuable for use only as warehouses.

River Pointe has not disclosed the identity of companies it is trying to attract, but Pektor has identified food-processing and manufacturing companies as potential tenants.

RPL East is accepting bids from construction companies for dismantling the rest of the site. Land may be in shape for development as early as the third quarter of 2023, according to the RPL statement.

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The trestle north of Lou Pektor's industrial development in Upper Mount Bethel Township is 13 feet, eight inches above the road and is often cited by critics as a disaster waiting to happen.

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