BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Bethlehem Parking Authority, in a partnership with city officials, will bring on a Harrisburg-based firm to develop land adjacent to the planned new Walnut Street Garage.
The authority approved the agreement with Ironside Urban Renewal LLC through a memorandum of understanding at its May 30 board meeting.
“This selection marks the initial stages of the project, and we look forward to sharing more details as they are made available in the coming months,” BPA Executive Director Steven Fernstrom said.
The garage, to be built on the edge of the city’s Historic District, ultimately will take up about 60% of the former footprint to make room for development next door, officials have reported.
Back in January, city and parking officials said the adjoining property to the west of the new garage could:
- Be five to seven stories and an estimated 50-85 feet high. The old garage was 71 feet high on its far western end;
- Have 42-177 residential units;
- Have 2,500-25,000 square feet of first-floor commercial space.
No details were immediately revealed on how Ironside Urban Renewal would look to use the property.
A look back
City Council signed off on the old garage’s demolition last October, overruling recommendations from the city’s Historical Architectural Review Board.
The structure’s razing began at the turn of the year.
Council in February approved the new parking deck design to be taller and offer 243 fewer spaces than its nearly 50-year-old predecessor.
Later in February, a “partial collapse” at the demolition site caused a support beam to fall on a nearby building, causing “mild damage” to a corner condominium, according to the city’s Chief Code Officer Mike Simonson.
No injuries were reported, and demolition procedures were halted for a short time to address safety measures on site.
