BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Bethlehem City Council is divided nearly straight down the middle following a discussion Tuesday night on rezoning land targeted for a 240-unit apartment complex.
- Council voted 5-2, deferring further discussion to the Community Development Committee
- Some spoke of increased foot traffic and small business support, while others had concerns about loss of jobs and environmental threats
- A change in zoning could open the door for the development of a six-story, 240-unit apartment building
Council ultimately stopped short of deciding and voted 5-2 to defer additional discussion to its community development committee.
That meeting will be scheduled and announced to the public soon.
Councilwomen Wandalyn Enix and Grace Crampsie Smith, who both oppose the rezoning, voted against the motion.
Following committee discussion, council would meet again for the rezoning vote for 119 Technology Drive, near the Fahy Bridge.
The vote would determine allowable uses for the property — one currently zoned as Industrial Redevelopment and up for a potential switch to Central Business.
Council comments
Council President Michael Colón said he wasn’t in favor of the rezoning, though he appreciated the interest in potential investment from the developers.
And while council has voted in support of other similar development projects in South Bethlehem, he said this situation doesn’t go hand-in-hand with those.
“Those were not taking industrial or job creators and turning them into residential units. In my assessment, those were taking existing commercial buildings or existing residential buildings, making some taller and adding units to our housing stock.”City Council President Michael Colón
“Those were not taking industrial or job creators and turning them into residential units,” Colón said. “In my assessment, those were taking existing commercial buildings or existing residential buildings, making some taller and adding units to our housing stock.”
Councilwoman Kiera Wilhelm said she supported the rezoning.
After consulting with some South Side business owners and others in the area, she said, they mostly had one thing in mind for community benefit: more residents and places to live.
“People who are actually living on the South Side appreciate its vibrancy and take the time to explore and support small businesses,” Wilhelm said.
The location near the Fahy Bridge makes the city more accessible for those who walk and bike to both ends of town, she added. The four-acre property now is occupied by IQE, a U.K.-based semiconductor supplier that is moving its operations to North Carolina.
Wilhelm also cited the decades-long history of builder Serfass Development's work in the Lehigh Valley. It plans for a six-story apartment building.
The IQE building on old Bethlehem Steel property was built in the 1990s using city and county taxpayer money, Councilwoman Grace Crampsie Smith said.
She added the property was earmarked as a “tech, life and science area,” that cost about $1,000 per square foot.
“So, we’re looking at a very specifically designed tech building that was built with taxpayer money at great expense."Councilwoman Grace Crampsie Smith
“So, we’re looking at a very specifically designed tech building that was built with taxpayer money at great expense,” Smith said.
The potential environmental impacts brought on by a construction site of this size is something to note, she said during her disapproval.
“My concern is what demolition and the construction of another building — especially if it’s a five, six-story building — is going to have on the environment, especially that is so close to the [Lehigh] River, who we now know is in danger,” Smith said, referring to the waterway's placement on an endangered listby an environmental group.
Maintaining a small-town feel among rising development was a concern for Councilwoman Wandalyn Enix, as she explained her disapproval for the rezoning.
“We’re very precious. We’re the gem of the Lehigh Valley, and we want it to stay that way — not have a big-city feel.”Councilwoman Wandalyn Enix
“We’re very precious,” Enix said. “We’re the gem of the Lehigh Valley, and we want it to stay that way — not have a big-city feel.”
Also, she said, Gov. Josh Shapiro was recently in Bethlehem for the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. meeting, calling for greater investment in the technology circuit.
Turning the property into a residential space would take away newer, higher-paying job opportunities, Enix said.
“I think we need to stick with the technological emphasis that this 119 Technology Drive was built for,” Enix said. “And we have a city that has some very interesting history, and we can make history in the technological field.
“I feel that we need to give it more time.”
Councilwoman Paige Van Wirt said the rezoning consideration is the “intersection of capitalism and zoning.”
And considering the surrounding area and what’s going on in other parts of town, the market isn't calling for business or industrial use at 119 Technology Drive.
“I really think that the rest of the Southside Riverfront — especially stimulated by the construction of a new ArtsQuest building — is going to be much more or a residential arts associated neighborhood,” Van Wirt said. “And I think we have to respect those forces of capitalism.
“And, in fact, I think we need to harness them.”
She also said that while the heritage of Bethlehem being an old steel town is important, times are changing along with the market demand.
She referenced the development of the Wind Creek casino, the surrounding SteelStacks campus and how those developments tie into a broader picture of Bethlehem’s future.
“The city that we actually love having today is because people were able to take chances and make a decision based on the fact that things change,” she said.
Councilwoman Rachel Leon said the situation made for an “absolutely complicated” rezoning decision.
“Although we’ve had quite a bit of time to think about it, I haven’t had enough conversations with residents to put my mind at ease either way — and I am just torn on it,” Leon said.
Councilwoman Hillary Kwiatek said there are “pluses and minuses on both sides.”
She said the market is calling for fresh rental options, which would create foot traffic through South Bethlehem and around its small businesses and other offerings.
“I have been leaning towards wanting to give this site more time to find a conforming use to the current zoning,” Kwiatek said. “But at this moment, I’m not there anymore.”
She said she would appreciate additional discussion surrounding the topic.
More from the developer
Before the deferral, Kevin Serfass — vice president of Serfass Development and Acquisitions — said he’s a landowner, investor and prior business owner in Bethlehem.
As a result, he wanted to put himself in the shoes of a current business owner or resident of the surrounding area near 119 Technology Drive.
He said he felt that many residents would be “supportive of new residents’ feet on the street.”
“If somebody told me there was going to be 300 new residents a block and a half, a block away, I would have rolled out the red carpet for them,” Serfass said. “I would ask city council to roll out the red carpet for them."
Other business
Bethlehem plans to administer next-of-kin interviews on behalf of the Northampton County Overdose Fatality Review Team, according to Laura Collins, director of the city's Department of Community and Economic Development.
And council voted unanimously to approve a $7,000 contract for Speak Up for Ben Inc. to complete the interviews.
The group is based in Bethlehem, providing education, support, comfort and healing to those dealing with a substance abuse-related loss.
Council also unanimously approved a use permit agreement for the 2023 SteelStacks Gated Summer Concert Series.
The event would take place from noon to midnight on June 1 and June 11, with any additional dates added by amendment from council.
The shows would take place at First Street to the eastern terminus, as well as Founders Way between First and Second streets.
