Popular northeastern diving site Dutch Springs may close as the Texas-based real-estate development firm Trammell Crow purchases property and looks to construct two warehouses.

Owners of the Pennsylvania scuba haven, Stuart and Jane Wells Schooley, are selling the property and retiring after 40 years of tending to the park. Trammell Crow is under agreement to purchase the 50-acre quarry lake and surrounding land.

Dutch Springs draws tens of thousands of divers per year. The last day the site’s aqua and aerial parks were open was August 20, but scuba diving is still available through November 14 and on New Year’s Eve.

Trammell Crow is seeking approval from the townships of Bethlehem and Lower Nazareth to move forward with its plan to build two 300,000-square-foot buildings on the property. The company already owns several nearby warehouses.

The proposal is facing some local opposition. Northampton County Councilman Kevin Lott, tells local news station WFMZ the increase in big-box buildings is "killing [the area’s] charm.” Councilman Ron Heckman stated losing the quarry would inhibit training for first responders and student, but the Morning Caller reports that Trammell Crow would still allow emergency responders to access the lake.

Divers have also started a Change.org petition in protest of the closure, which has received more than 5,700 signatures to date.

“Without Dutch Springs, the entire Northeast dive community is on the brink of collapse,” the petition reads. “Hundreds of small businesses who are already reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic are faced with the new threat of closing their doors due to this deal.”

The community is also voicing opposition online, taking to platforms like ScubaBoard to say: “Terrible news for the future of diving in this area. Gonna be tough for shops to survive and for new divers to be certified,” and “There really isn't any comparable onshore alternative for quite a distance… It is going to be a real problem for training.”

Divers have been publicly supportive of the Schooleys decision to retire, acknowledging the years of dedicated work the couple has put into maintaining Dutch Springs.

“We’re not trying to stop any sale, but we would like to have access to the lake,” Dave Barnes, owner of Philly dive shop Scubadelphia, tells the Morning Caller. “We’re hoping that some kind of compromise goes on, and we can still use that lake in some way.”

Other divers are pushing for solutions that cut Trammell Crow out of the property altogether, such as turning it into a state or local park and expanding the amenities. But local officials tell the Morning Caller the township doesn’t have enough money to compete with a private buyer. Although they are open to accepting help from the county or state governments, there have been no official conversations about the township taking over ownership.

Trammell Crow’s plan will come before the full Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on August 26, which will pass its recommendation for the site to township planners.