BETHLEHEM, Pa. — With a conflict looming between the city and developers of a proposed 317-unit apartment complex straddling the city’s border with Allentown, the Bethlehem Zoning Hearing Board postponed a hearing on the project Wednesday.
- The Bethlehem Zoning Hearing Board postponed a hearing on a proposed 317-unit apartment complex along the Allentown and Bethlehem border
- Developers working on the project are set to go before Bethlehem’s planning commission on March 9
- The zoning hearing was rescheduled for April 12
More than a dozen city residents came to the hearing. Many were sworn in to speak before the meeting was rescheduled.
Lawyer Matthew Deschler also joined the hearing to represent the City of Bethlehem.
The lawyer representing developer BAHX LLC, Jim Preston, took issue with Deschler representing the city in the hearing while serving as solicitor for the Planning Commission, which did not oppose the proposal at a meeting last week.
“Somehow I ended up at a hearing with the Planning Commission's solicitor taking a position that I believe is adverse to the planning commission,” Preston said.
Preston asked for the delay in order to nail down the Planning Commission's stance, he said.
“Somehow I ended up at a hearing with the Planning Commission's solicitor taking a position that I believe is adverse to the planning commission."Jim Preston, attorney representing developer BAHX LLC
In similar situations, the hearing board typically receives a letter from the planning commission spelling out its perspective on the proposal.
Such a letter for the project has yet to be finalized, Planning Director Darlene Heller said.
The developer will go before the planning commission again on March 9. The new zoning hearing is set for April 12.
At a planning commission meeting last week, several city residents who live near the proposed development spoke in opposition to the project.
317 new apartments
The proposed development would include 317 units spread across four buildings. Most of the planned buildings are five stories tall, with parking built underneath.
All of the proposed apartment buildings exceed the zone’s maximum building length. The longest building proposed is 110 feet longer than zoning restrictions allow.
City codes also require retail space on the ground floor in part of the development instead of parking as planned.
To proceed, developer BAHX needs a variance from the Bethlehem Zoning Hearing Board. In filings for the variance, the company’s representatives argued that the irregular shape of the lot and “unsuitable soils” qualify the project for an exception.
In addition to apartments, a preliminary sketch of the complex also includes courtyard space, a pool, a clubhouse and a dog park. Most of the complex would sit in Bethlehem, with about a third in Allentown.
Because the development would be in both Bethlehem and Allentown, the project will need approval from both cities.
The lot previously held the Bennett Toyota dealership, which was demolished years after the company moved to a new location. Now, it’s essentially a large concrete pad.
