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Newsmaker Q&A: Sunny Ghai, Upper Macungie resident turned planner

Sarah M. Wojcik

Sat Dec 10 2016 22:58:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Sunny Ghai, 54, is a procurement director for a flexible packaging company in Bucks County who took a familiar path in attending his first municipal meeting in 2014 — opposition to a controversial warehouse proposed near his Upper Macungie Township home. But his interest didn't end with that project. The Parkland High School grad used the opportunity to catapult onto the township Planning Commission. Ghai is the subject of this week's Q&A.

Sunny Ghai, 54, is a procurement director for a flexible packaging company in Bucks County who took a familiar path in attending his first municipal meeting in 2014 — opposition to a controversial warehouse proposed near his Upper Macungie Township home. But his interest didn't end with that project. The Parkland High School grad used the opportunity to catapult onto the township Planning Commission. Ghai is the subject of this week's Q&A.

Q: What are the things about the Parkland area you enjoy?

A: I love the area's rural character, low cost-of-living, great schools and proximity to major cities.

Q: Were there things that concerned you?

A: We need a mixed economy that is not heavily dependent on warehousing/distribution. Until then, we must find a better balance between the economic benefits of the industry and quality of life issues for the residents.

Q: When did you first get involved with municipal government and why?

A: About two years ago when Old Dominion Freight Lines was seeking to build a trucking terminal near my home. Terminals are not permitted in an LI zone. The developer and ODFL were claiming that it was a warehouse, but my neighbors and I were convinced that it was a cross-docking terminal. The use was going to be very intense. We rallied neighboring developments to get involved; raised funds for an attorney and quickly learned our way around the township's land development process.

Q: What did you try to accomplish?

A: Our goal was to simply stop the terminal. Many experts told me that our chances were slim. The Zoning Hearing Board had already ruled in ODFL's favor; our only option was to appeal in Lehigh County Court.

Q: Did you succeed?

A: We accomplished a lot. The developer, seeing widespread opposition, graciously stopped the project. We convinced the township to pass a text amendment that clarified the definition of a trucking terminal. This not only benefited my neighbors but it protected all residents with a cleaner ordinance. Ultimately, the neighbors formed a tighter unity.

Q: After that, your involvement with the community deepened. How and why?

A: It happened in stages. After Old Dominion, residents from several communities approached me for assistance with their own issues. A lot of their concerns had to do with land development projects or truck traffic woes. Remembering how confusing the process was for me, I guided them through the township's procedures. I joined the planning commission about a year ago and this July started working with the chief of police on his efforts to form the Good Neighbor Coalition.

Q: Do you have a vision for the township? What does it look like?

A: I have been accused of being idealistic, but I believe in big goals: expanded rail service to reduce truck traffic; preserved farmland to reduce sprawl; good-paying high-tech and pharma business growth.

Q: Do you imagine serving the township in other ways?

A: Many residents have encouraged me serve on the Board of Supervisors but I have not decided to make a run.

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