BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A site along Third Street and the South Bethlehem Greenway previously approved for an eight-story residential building could instead become the future home of a 141-room hotel.
Plans call for a Tempo by Hilton hotel with a ground-level restaurant and bar, rooftop bar and expanded fitness center, with improvements to come later for the Greenway nearby. The building is planned to be 96 feet tall.
There has been no official action taken just yet on the project, as the Historic Conservation Commission on Monday just reviewed an amended plan. For now, developers are going to take a broader look at the plan’s finishes and finer details before resubmitting to the city.
A busy corner of town
Just across from Lehigh Pizza and neighboring a six-story multi-use building to the east, the structure in question at 14-36 W. Third St. once had a business use on the ground floor with residential spaces in the upper two levels.
The land, targeted by High Hotels Limited out of Lancaster, has five parcels and comes with an abandoned apartment building and paved parking lot. The developer plans to consolidate that space once the land deal closes, or even before, according to the plans.
“We take a lot of pride in what we build, and we try to get it right. If you know anything about us and how we build and how we operate, we’re there for the long haul.”Tony Seitz, vice president of development with High Associates Ltd.
The structure — designed by South Bethlehem architect A.W. Leh in a late Italianate styling — dates back to the turn of the 20th century, once being central to a whole block of structures constructed between 1885 and 1910, according to the board’s Historic Officer Jeffrey Long.
It stands adjacent to the Gateway at Greenway Park — a six-story, multi-use building at the corner of Third and New streets, which is home to a St. Luke’s medical office, eateries and a shared workspace. That corner building also is attached to the New Street Parking Garage.
'We're there for the long haul'
Tony Seitz, vice president of development with High Associates Ltd., said his company has owned, operated and developed primarily select service hotels for 35 years. The group put up the Springhill Suites in Center Valley.
“We take a lot of pride in what we build, and we try to get it right,” Seitz said. “If you know anything about us and how we build and how we operate, we’re there for the long haul.”
The Tempo by Hilton brand was introduced in 2022, with four locations open elsewhere in the country and around 60 others signed up right now, Seitz said. Other locations include Times Square, Manhattan, New York City; Nashville, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; and Raleigh, North Carolina.
“We’re pleased to be able to work with this organization, and I think it’s really key that we have the opportunity for another hotel on the South Side."Darlene Heller, Bethlehem planning and zoning director
“We’re pleased to be able to work with this organization, and I think it’s really key that we have the opportunity for another hotel on the South Side,” said Darlene Heller, city planning and zoning director.
“ … We will be moving ahead with completion of that portion of the greenway as this construction draws to completion. So it’s really going to finish off that block in just a wonderful way.”
In 2021, HCC recommended to deny South Pointe Flats — a separate proposal to demolish the existing structure in question and replace it with an 88-foot-tall multifamily residential building.
City Council ultimately overruled that decision from HCC.
