BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A plan that would put 1,085 apartments in five buildings plus a hotel and medical offices on the former site of Bethlehem Steel's Martin Tower got approval from the city Planning Commission on Thursday.
That's more than double the number of apartment units proposed in a 2019 master plan that never was fully approved.
- A new plan for 1,085 apartments — twice the number proposed in 2019 for the former Martin Tower site got approval from Bethlehem Planning Commission on Thursday
- The plans also would include a hotel and medical offices, but not immediately retail space
- Approval of the master plan is the first step toward developing the site
The new plan was approved by a vote of 4-0. Reviewing the new master plan is the first step toward developing the rest of the site.
Most of the proposed apartment buildings would be five stories, with parking underneath.
The development also is slated to include a larger 200-room hotel. Two buildings totaling 100,000 square feet of medical office space, approved by the city last year, remain in the plan.
Missing from the update is retail space. The 2019 plan included more than 45,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, all of which has been replaced.
The site used to be the site of Martin Tower, once the headquarters of Bethlehem Steel and the tallest building in the Lehigh Valley.
After the company’s 2001 bankruptcy, it went through a few tenants before sitting vacant from 2007 until 2019. Shortly after its redevelopment plan was revealed, Martin Tower was imploded.
One large section of the site would be left open for future development, for which the planning commission asked for more detail.
Under current zoning rules, it could be used for commercial or office space.
