BETHLEHEM, Pa. — With the old IQE facility at 119 Technology Drive now unoccupied after a failed attempt to rezone the property for 240 apartments, equitable owner Serfass Development & Acquisitions is back with a similar plan, plus some additions it thinks will sweeten the deal this time around.
Amid some confusion Tuesday over the legality of the re-petition, City Council voted 6-1 to schedule a public hearing on the rezoning request for 7 p.m. Nov. 19 at Bethlehem City Hall. There were no other official votes beyond that.
Lone dissenter Councilman Bryan Callahan cited how similar the project was to the last one that was shot down.
The plan for The Emery 2.0 would call for, similar to last time, “240+” apartments, including onsite parking and amenities “that will rival our larger metropolitan neighbors,” Serfass wrote in an Aug. 28 letter to officials.
But here are a few differences from the first go-around:
- 10% of the units would be designated as affordable, meaning tenants would pay no more than 30% of their gross income on housing costs
- Work-from-home professionals would be the target market
- The site would feature a free art and creative space open to the public, part of “actively promoting and enriching the arts district”
- Residents would be part of a Good Neighbor Program, in which exclusive deals and events would connect tenants with local businesses
The land, at one point used by Bethlehem Steel, sits near the Lehigh River in South Bethlehem, just east of the Fahy Bridge and not far north of the Third Street corridor.
Former tenant IQE, a U.K.-based global supplier of semiconductors, moved its operations to North Carolina and was off the property by the end of 2024.
“At that time Council determined it was best to see if there was another user that could occupy the building as-is. Since our first filing in February of 2023, that time has come and gone, with no users coming to fruition and has left a vacant hole in the Southside.”Serfass Development & Acquisitions
The initial plan to rezone the nearly four-acre lot from Industrial Redevelopment to Central Business and make way for a six-story, 240-unit building was before City Council more than a year ago.
“At that time Council determined it was best to see if there was another user that could occupy the building as-is,” Serfass wrote.
“Since our first filing in February of 2023, that time has come and gone, with no users coming to fruition and has left a vacant hole in the Southside.”
The building now faces roof leaks and “deferred maintenance becoming visible to the public.”
“This problem will only get worse,” Serfass said.
'Very atypical circumstance'
City Council President Michael Colón called it a “very atypical circumstance,” with the applicant reapplying more than a year after being denied.
Council solicitor Stephanie Steward said she would continue to research the topic, but scheduling the hearing, for now, was an appropriate course of action.
“There’s really nothing in the Municipalities Planning Code, nor in case law, that I’ve researched thus far, that really goes to how many bites of the apple does an applicant get,” Steward said.
“But certainly it would seem that if the same applicant is coming back for the same relief, that there might be parameters around that.”
“I think we certainly want to not get into that position where we have people continually re-petitioning for something that we’ve already made a decision on because we have so much business that we have to attend to, and it’s just not the most proficient use of time.”Bethlehem City Councilwoman Grace Cramspie Smith
And even though Northampton County property records show IQE still owns the property, the planning code defines a landowner also to include an equitable owner under contract, Steward said. In this case, that’s Serfass.
“I think we certainly want to not get into that position where we have people continually re-petitioning for something that we’ve already made a decision on because we have so much business that we have to attend to, and it’s just not the most proficient use of time,” Councilwoman Grace Cramspie Smith said.
Crampsie Smith said it was an instance in government “where things don’t always make sense,” but she’d vote in favor of scheduling the hearing to give Steward a chance to write a broader legal opinion on the matter.
“I think from my vantage point, there’s a number of different potential opportunities for that site, probably even more so than the last time we were here before Council with this question.”Bethlehem Community and Economic Development Director Laura Collins
Councilwoman Hillary Kwiatek said that though she personally felt being considered a property owner should go beyond just having an agreement of sale on standby, it would be best for City Council to follow legal procedure as the solicitor sees fit and plan to schedule the public hearing anyway.
Jobs or apartments?
Community and Economic Development Director Laura Collins said she was “surprised” to see the matter back before council.
“I think from my vantage point, there’s a number of different potential opportunities for that site, probably even more so than the last time we were here before council with this question,” Collins said.
City resident Mary Jo Makoul told the panel to “think carefully” about the proposal in front of them and remember their previous decision.
“Disturbing the ground could pose detrimental environmental issues to the Lehigh River, which is already in an unhealthy condition,” she said.
“I feel jobs are more important than another big-box apartment building.”Francine Spivak, Bethlehem resident
Francine Spivak, who lives near the property, said she wants a suitable business to take ownership of the property instead of a developer with intentions to put up apartments.
“I feel jobs are more important than another big-box apartment building,” Spivak said.
One online ad shows the 48,000-square-foot property still for sale at $6.95 million.
IQE bought the property in 2007 for $3.5 million.
