Lehighton Ford is purchasing the former Snyder Tire property along Route 443.

Adam Brobst, general manager, Lehighton Ford, confirmed the purchase of the property.

“Lehighton Ford has entered into a contract to purchase the property along (Route) 443 from Mr. (Robert) Snyder,” Brobst said. “We are currently in the process of doing our due diligence on the property.

“We still have a long road ahead of us to gain the approvals needed. Lehighton Ford is excited for the growth and opportunity that developing a new dealership on this property will bring to Lehighton borough and the surrounding areas.”

Lehighton Ford has applied for the area to become a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance zone to be created so that it could build a new dealership on its site along Route 443.

The borough has approved the request.

Under the regulations, the school district, county and municipality must all vote on whether they would accept this program before it could be utilized. Two of the three entities must approve it to move forward.

Neither the school district or county have voted as of yet.

In May, Dennis Blocker of Lehighton spoke to the Carbon County Commissioners over Lehighton’s ordinance regarding creating a LERTA.

Blocker spoke to the board about the ordinance on naming all of the borough as “economically depressed” to be able to be in the LERTA zone and said that the borough as a whole doesn’t meet the definition set forth in the act to create LERTA zones.

He also said that there were too many questions on how the program would be administered for it to be feasible.

LERTA is a tax assistance incentive program that helps economically depressed communities build business.

Commissioners’ Chairman Michael Sofranko said at that time that he looks forward to having more discussion on the matter with the borough before the county would vote on whether to approve a LERTA zone.