ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A local developer is working to breathe new life into a long-vacant Allentown building.
A proposed charter school that wants to open in an Allentown industrial area also pleaded its case to Allentown Planning Commission on Tuesday.
Nat Hyman, who runs the Hyman Group, got authorization to move forward with his proposal to convert the building at 366 W. Allen St. into 66 apartments.
- Developer Nat Hyman is proposing a 66-unit apartment building at 366 W. Allen St.
- Rents for units in the building, to be known as Allen Flats, will range from $800 to $1,200, Hyman said
- He said he hopes the building's first residents move in by the end of 2023
But planners sent a proposal from Lehigh Valley Steam Academy Charter School to Allentown City Council without a recommendation.
Hyman said the new housing complex, which would be called Allen Flats, would include studios and apartments with one and two bedrooms.
Each “modern, contemporary loft-type apartment” would have 700-800 square feet of space, he said.
The three-story building along Jordan Creek would have a gym, laundry room, game room and storage for tenants, while apartments would feature hardwood floors, granite or quartz countertops and stainless steel appliances, he said.
Rents would range from about $800 to about $1,200, Hyman said. He called the apartments “affordable relative to any other new apartments being built now.”
“They are among the least expensive in Allentown, particularly for what [residents] are getting,” he said.
Building was 'beyond blighted'
The developer was seeking the planning commission’s permission to convert the building because it’s currently zoned for industrial, and not residential, uses.
“The project makes infinite sense, particularly for a building that was so blighted and so bad.”Developer Nat Hyman
Hyman said the “beyond blighted” building last was used about 15 years ago and was filled with trash when he bought it late last year. He called it a “Herculean process” during which about 130 Dumpsters were filled with garbage.
“This building was a mess,” Hyman said.
If it had sat vacant for “a few more years, it would probably have to be demolished,” he said. “That's how bad it was.”
Hyman said he thinks “the project makes infinite sense, particularly for a building that was so blighted and so bad.”
“Cleaning this up will only help the neighborhood,” Hyman said. He said he’s confident the complex would improve property values in the area.
He said he hopes to clear all of the city’s planning and zoning hurdles and see residents move into Allen Flats by the end of 2023.
Charter vs. public
Executives from Lehigh Valley Steam Academy Charter School asked planning officials to consider amending the city’s zoning ordinances to let a school operate in an area zoned for industrial uses.
Allentown’s zoning ordinances allow schools to operate in residential and business zones but not areas zoned for industrial or governmental uses.
The charter school filed an application last year to open in Allentown School District, but the school board unanimously denied that application in February.
“The goal is to have the building ready so that staff can be hired and students can be recruited."Charles Smail, vice president of Shelter Structures
The school had planned to open in August 2023, but those plans have been pushed back after the denial, according to Charles Smail, vice president of Shelter Structures.
Smail spoke on behalf of the charter school at the planning commission’s meeting.
The Lehigh Valley Steam Academy Charter School is appealing the denial of its application with the Allentown school board and could appeal to the state’s board if it’s denied again, Smail said.
Despite the setback, the school still is pushing to open its facility, he said.
“The goal is to have the building ready so that staff can be hired and students can be recruited,” Smail said.
The school is looking to open in a 40-year-old, four-story vacant office building at 2268 S. 12th St., he told the commission.
The building can't be used as a school without approval from zoning and planning officials, and the property now is being used as a parking lot for trucks.
Charter school officials asked the planning commission Tuesday to consider an amendment that would allow schools to operate on industrial properties in the city that are adjacent to a residential zone and another institutional building.
School district opposes proposal
Allentown School District officials “don’t think it’s appropriate” to send students into industrial zones for school, said Marc Davis, who told planners he was working for Allentown School District solicitor’s office.
Davis accused the charter school of trying to “spot-zone” the property with an overly specific amendment.
The state Department of Community and Economic Development defines spot-zoning as “a singling out of one lot or a small area for different treatment from that accorded to similar surrounding land indistinguishable from it in character, for the economic benefit [or detriment] of the owner."
Pennsylvania courts have ruled spot-zoning is unconstitutional.
Smail said the proposed amendment would apply to about seven properties in Allentown.
“I ask, why would the city of Allentown want to allow children to be located in an industrial environment, increase already heavy traffic and lose potential manufacturing employment space by allowing a school?”Allentown School District Facilities Director Thomas Smith
Allentown School District Facilities Director Thomas Smith read a statement to the planning commission in which he listed a series of businesses that can operate in industrial zones, such as chemical manufacturers, factories and power plants.
Approving the proposed amendment also would take away some of Allentown’s industrial space and cause traffic issues, Smith said.
“I ask, why would the city of Allentown want to allow children to be located in an industrial environment, increase already heavy traffic and lose potential manufacturing employment space by allowing a school?” Smith said.
The planning commissioners didn't make a recommendation on the proposed zoning amendment before sending it on to the City Council.
