BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The city Planning Commission on Thursday unanimously approved development plans for two new warehouses just east of Route 412.
The project, on 26 acres at 2141 Commerce Center Blvd., would include:
- Lot A — a 216,000-square-foot warehouse with 32 loading docks, 31 trailer storage spaces and 107 vehicle parking spaces on an 18-acre parcel.
- Lot B — a 101,000-square-foot warehouse with 27 loading docks, and 50 vehicle parking spaces on an 8-acre parcel.
Developer JERC Partners XCII, LLC — an entity of J.G. Petrucci Co. — and Lehigh Valley Industrial Park also agreed Thursday to continue developing its plans around site landscaping, traffic, firetruck access and planting street trees.
'Our best foot forward'
When the proposal was before the city Zoning Hearing Board in October, officials said there was a local cold storage tenant lined up for the larger of the two buildings.
No details were shared Thursday on what would occupy the smaller facility.
Located within the city’s Industrial Redevelopment district, the proposed project would have Saucon Creek to the north, Hellertown Road to the west, a main entryway at Commerce Center Boulevard to the south and a rail line to the east.
“We want to do our best to present our best foot forward here for the site."Matt Chartrand of Bohler Engineering
The site on former Bethlehem Steel land is in for a new Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Association bus shelter location, as well as a rain garden between the facilities.
As it sits along a 100-year floodplain, the site's stormwater discharges right into Saucon Creek; inlet filters are planned to be installed along a buffer zone approaching the creek.
“We want to do our best to present our best foot forward here for the site,” Matt Chartrand of Bohler Engineering said on behalf of the development team.
Along Bethlehem's eastern gateway
Planner Robert Melosky said the Lehigh Valley has a "trigger" word: warehouse.
But he said Bethlehem is properly located for such a use, considering its highway system.
Planner Joy Cohen said further attention to site aesthetic would bode well for the site.
“I would, in my opinion, recommend that additional landscaping be provided on the southwest corner of Lot B to screen the retaining wall, and the applicant would work with the city to accomplish that."Bethlehem Planning Commission member Joy Cohen
“I would, in my opinion, recommend that additional landscaping be provided on the southwest corner of Lot B to screen the retaining wall, and the applicant would work with the city to accomplish that,” Cohen said.
Nearly a decade ago, the area in question was proposed for a Walmart Supercenter, though plans never panned out.
Walmart currently operates two of its distribution centers nearby.
In October, LVIP CEO Kerry Wrobel said officials years ago had “greatly overestimated” the demand for such parcels along Route 412.
