Lehigh Valley Airport Taken to Task for Shortcomings

Jay Goldstein of Salisbury Township said the sale would give the airport as much as $30 million, and the city of Allentown could reap tax benefits if a private company redeveloped the parcel. Goldstein, who has offered advice to city officials, said he has identified an ideal new location for Queen City, which he declined to specify.

City officials have long sought to redevelop the 200-acre Queen City property because they say its strategic location near Interstate 78 is attractive to developers. Ed Pawlowski revived the issue in 2005 during his successful bid to become mayor of Allentown.

The Federal Aviation Administration said then it won't approve a proposal to relocate Queen City unless developers first build a comparable replacement.

The airport authority, which has owned Queen City since 2000, has said any proposal to redevelop the property must begin with construction of the replacement airport.

The board took no action Tuesday on air service or the sale of Queen City.

LVIA has about 40 daily nonstop flights to 13 destinations. Last year, 788,511 passengers flew to and from the airport, a 5.2 percent decline from 2005.

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