ALLENTOWN, Pa. — City officials are trying to sell the Allentown Police Department’s secondary station in a package deal that could see a condo replace it.
Allentown City Council is considering a measure allowing administration officials to sell the city’s property at the northwest corner of 10th and Hamilton streets to the Allentown Parking Authority, which owns an adjacent lot.
“This building is very old; this building is very antiquated. This building will likely have to come down for any type of development that happens.”Vicky Kistler, director of community and economic development
Under the terms of the city’s conditional sale to the parking authority, that agency would bundle both properties for resale to a developer, parking authority board Chairman Ted Zeller said.
Vicky Kistler, who leads Allentown’s department of community and economic development, said the proposed deal to combine both properties gives the city “a much better chance at a (successful) development process.”
'Not good city planning'
The police patrol station’s real estate value “is extremely limited,” she said.
“This building is very old; this building is very antiquated,” Kistler said. “This building will likely have to come down for any type of development that happens.”
“The parking authority really has no interest in purchasing the police station and rehabbing it. It’s not one of our goals in any way, shape or form.”Ted Zeller, Allentown Parking Authority board chairman
Zeller confirmed the police patrol station’s likely demolition.
“The parking authority really has no interest in purchasing the police station and rehabbing it,” he said. “It’s not one of our goals in any way, shape or form.”
And maintaining a small parking lot on Hamilton Street — the city’s main business corridor — doesn’t make sense, Zeller said, calling it “so bizarre.”
“Quite frankly, that’s not good city planning,” he said.
Kistler said the proposed deal with the parking authority includes “a very lucrative compensation package for the city.”
Allentown paid about $750,000 for the property and would be guaranteed to at least recoup that amount in any sale to a developer, she said.
But the city could earn much more. The Allentown Parking Authority has agreed to give the city the first $1.5 million from any sale, with the two entities to split any proceeds above that figure.
The parking authority’s “sole interest” in the deal is to “retain parking on the site somehow” for neighborhood residents and visitors, Zeller said.
“It's a great opportunity to get this back on the tax rolls, as well. With both properties being municipal, we're not collecting a nickel (for) the city.”Santo Napoli, Allentown City Council
If council approves the property’s conditional sale to the parking authority, that agency would issue a request for proposals and establish a committee — that would include council members — to select a preferred developer for the property.
Assistant DCED Director Mark Hartney told council that it would take about a year before any work is done on the property at 10th and Hamilton streets.
Parking authority officials would solicit requests for proposals for up to three months with a goal of selecting a preferred bidder within six months of council’s approving the conditional sale.
Councilman Santo Napoli, who also serves on the parking authority’s board, praised the potential sale of the property.
“It's a great opportunity to get this back on the tax rolls, as well,” Napoli said. “With both properties being municipal, we're not collecting a nickel (for) the city.”
Officials said residents will have opportunities to weigh in on potential projects during the city's land-development process.
Plans for a new police station
Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca has long been calling for an overhaul of the department’s headquarters at 425 W. Hamilton St. as part of a plan to bring all officers back under one roof.
That plan includes closing the patrol station at 10th and Hamilton.
The patrol station “has been a problem since we moved in,” Roca told council members last year.
The city has spent significant money to repair numerous issues there, including a roof that still leaks, Roca said.
Redevelopment in that area — including a planned boutique hotel across 10th Street — is also causing parking issues for officers, he said.
The best long-term solution for the Allentown Police Department — according to Roca and a six-month study conducted by architects from Alloy5 — would be to expand the current police headquarters by more than 75%.
The study calls for substantial renovations at the 28,900-square-foot station, with a 22,500-square-foot addition placed closer to Hamilton Street. That project could cost about $37 million, according to the study.
