Upper Macungie Township Planning Commissioners approved last night the preliminary plans for 11 flex-office buildings to be built near 3140 Tilghman Street.

That parcel includes 15 acres where the Georgia Pacific facility is also located.

The plan calls for carving 4 acres from that land at Snowdrift Road and Tilgman Street into a subdivision for 11 small warehouse-type buildings. Each building would have two units of about 1,500 square feet each.

The project is being developed by Compass Business Center, LLC. Owner/Manager George Busch said the smaller-sized units would fulfill the need of smaller businesses that do not require the much larger warehouse spaces generally available in the area.

“These facilities are often built as rows of six, eight, ten or more units with the end unit being more desirable by businesses” Busch said. “By building them as twins, we give every business and end unit and a greater sense of identity.”

The new subdivision’s storm water and sewer would tie into the existing Iron Run system, said Dean Haas, the township representative from Kesystone Consulting Engineers.

The commissioners unanimously approved the preliminary plans with the conditions that all permits, including traffic counts and PennDOT approval, be obtained.

Approval by the planners is only the first step in a long process that ends with a vote by the Township supervisors. Busch said he had no estimated date of completion.