A Lehighton business has been granted an extension for its relocation plan.

Borough council unanimously granted a 60-day extension last week to the Ford relocation plan.

In October 2024, Adam Brobst, general manager of Lehighton Ford, confirmed that the company was purchasing the former Snyder Tire property along Route 443.

At that time, Brobst said the company had entered into a contract to purchase the property along Route 443 from Robert Snyder and was in the process of doing its due diligence on the property.

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

The borough approved the request in August. Council, at that time, authorized borough solicitor Jim Nanovic to make changes to the current ordinance to address the school board’s questions and concerns.

However, borough Manager Dane DeWire said at the time that Lehighton Area School District and Carbon County would have to approve the program for it to work.

Neither the school district nor the county has voted as of yet.

DeWire and Mayor Ryan Saunders met with Lehighton Area School Board and the superintendent to discuss the program after the school district had some questions and concerns.

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.

In April 2024, the borough adopted an ordinance for a LERTA program designation. The 6-1 vote designated the entire borough as a LERTA district, effective May 6, 2024. Councilman John Kreitz opposed.

Prior to the vote in February 2024, council agreed to advertise an ordinance for a LERTA program, which included a fee for when someone submits an application to participate.

At that meeting, Brobst read a statement from Matt Millen, owner of Lehighton Ford.

Millen encouraged the borough in his letter to join the dealership in its development and redevelopment plan.

In May 2024, Dennis Blocker of Lehighton spoke to the Carbon County commissioners about Lehighton’s ordinance regarding the creation of a LERTA zone.

Blocker spoke about the ordinance in regards to 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.

In 2023, Brobst told the borough council that “the tax deferment is probably the only way” he would be able to stay afloat with Ford’s policy to upgrade its facility for electric vehicles.