BETHLEHEM, Pa. — In the next few months, a process to revamp the Pembroke/Stefko neighborhood in northeast Bethlehem will be centered around listening to and learning more about the residents' needs, officials said Wednesday.
Beyond the planned demolition and one-to-one replacement of the 196 units in Pembroke Village, the proposed area for broader community improvements will affect 4,208 residents, project officials said.
City and project consulting experts met with community members on Wednesday at the Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem to discuss the project's first steps.
The next two-year planning phase will consist of listening and learning, visioning for the future as well as an “early action project,” developing strategies and programs through community connections.
That will help prioritize essential neighborhood elements before a final draft plan is refined and ultimately submitted late in 2025 for project grants.
Officials have their eyes set on local, state and national funding, likely to include submitting an application for a Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant for up to $50 million.
Any kind of new-home construction wouldn’t begin for at least five years, officials said.
Bethlehem was among 14 communities around the country to get a federal implementation grant. Others are Philadelphia; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Canton, Ohio; Daytona Beach, Gainesville and Orlando, Florida; Hagerstown, Maryland; Kansas City, Missouri; New Haven, Connecticut; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Selma, Alabama; and Peoria, Illinois.
The incoming process
Adam Rosa and his consulting firm, COLLABO Planning + Design, worked alongside Bethlehem Housing Authority to apply for and eventually get a $500,000 Choice Neighborhoods grant from the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development in September.
And COLLABO has experience in developing such projects nationwide, including its work with a recent Choice Neighborhoods project in Easton.
The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative prioritizes housing, the neighborhood and the most important factor: the community’s people.
Rosa compared the process to the “three legs of a stool.”
“The goal will be to create and really transform the Pembroke Village housing site into a brand-new, high-quality, mixed-income development,” Rosa said.
“So it will no longer only be public housing, but it would be housing for people of all income ranges.”
From that broader idea comes work to not only improve the housing but also broaden possibilities around the neighborhood, including supporting area businesses, as well as honing transit options and livening local parks, he said.
And last but not least, a community is nothing without its residents — and it takes a village.
“And people [are] going to be all about education, jobs, health and safety,” Rosa said. “So we’re all going to come together to create a plan that really connects all three of these circles.”
Broader improvements, project to come
The Stefko/Pembroke neighborhood includes a number of large public and assisted low-income housing communities, including Marvine Homes, Fairmount Homes, Pfiefle Homes and Bayard Homes.
“These BHA neighbors will also be engaged in and benefit from the planning process, through new education, training, and health projects, as well as physical neighborhood improvements,” one event document reads.
The geographic focus area for the work includes the area south and east of Stefko Boulevard, west of Livingstone Street and the city limits, north of the Lehigh River and north of Pembroke Road.
“We’re going to be working to improve this entire footprint, not just Pembroke Village. This will be a community-led plan; that’s really the center of everything we do.”Adam Rosa, founder of COLLABO Planning + Design
And even though Pembroke Village was targeted as part of the grant application process, the city aims to also bolster the area beyond that.
“We’re going to be working to improve this entire footprint, not just Pembroke Village,” Rosa said. “This will be a community-led plan; that’s really the center of everything we do.”
Rosa said the area surrounding the village already is in good shape for some level of success considering its following features and amenities:
- Job opportunities
- Northeast Community Center with its food pantry and more
- Playgrounds and ball fields
- Educational resources and schools
- Full-scale grocery store
- Pharmacy
- Police substation
COLLABO wants to help residents find ways to improve their skills and be their best so they can take full advantage of not only the opportunities currently available but also those to come, Rosa said.
Part of that process would include reimagining vacant area green space and unused buildings, as well.
All residents in the proposed improvement area will get a survey, and COLLABO aims for a 70% response rate from Pembroke Village residents.
About $150,000 is set aside from the original half-million-dollar grant to identify and complete an “early action project” during summer 2024.
Rosa said some community members have mentioned the potential to make broader use of the space behind the Boys & Girls Club or to hire an artist to complete a community mural or other work.
With similar funding, Rosa said other neighborhood projects nationwide have opened a community space, set up free “little” libraries, offered free Wi-Fi at one site and planted a community garden that came with employment opportunities.
Units demolished; 1-to-1 replacement
Built in 1941, Pembroke Village currently offers 196 units on 19.5 acres. And though all of those homes are planned to come down, officials said a one-to-one replacement would be part of the process and would include a phased approach.
“We have to bring back all of those units at the same income level for the same residents, and then build additional units on top of that,” Rosa said.
City Deputy Director of Community Development Sara Satullo later said the housing replacement process isn’t yet set in stone, but similar projects across the country have included completing the construction of new homes on vacant land before any old homes are demolished.
“We’re gonna take the citywide strategy that’s been under development over the last year and then really focus it down to this neighborhood, and have a better understanding of what the market demand and supply looks like over the next five years."Adam Rosa, foudner of COLLABO Planning + Design
Officials said the moving process would be overseen by a Bethlehem Housing Authority case manager assigned to each affected family.
Rosa said the housing process has “a lot of moving pieces” to it, but the ultimate goal is to provide more housing for a broader income range and, most specifically, the “very low-income” and workforce range of pricing.
“We’re gonna take the citywide strategy that’s been under development over the last year and then really focus it down to this neighborhood, and have a better understanding of what the market demand and supply looks like over the next five years,” Rosa said.
“And then we really need to look at the waiting list and see what types of family sizes are on the waiting list versus what we want to build.”
He said those homes could go up on original Pembroke Village land, anywhere in the entire project footprint or even within other areas of opportunity around the city.
But because of certain threshold requirements, officials likely would look to use the original village footprint, he said.
Community input
Those attending the meeting agreed that the neighborhood is strong in diversity, bonds between neighbors, multi-generational families, schools, amenities and safety.
They also agreed that the community needs more street parking, affordable housing, senior-specific opportunities, public transit access, chances to learn a trade and more.
Sheila Rosario, a Pembroke Village resident for the past decade, lives with her three children.
“If I have to move to Southside, my kids wouldn’t be able to attend Liberty. And I’m not for Freedom [High] because I want them to be where I am, working. I get pride in crossing the kids that are from the neighborhood.”Sheila Rosario, Pembroke Village resident and local school crossing guard
Rosario’s also a crossing guard, serving the students of Liberty High and William Penn Elementary. Two of her children also attend those schools.
She said she’s excited for the community overhaul, but the possibility of moving neighborhoods makes her nervous for her kids’ sake.
“If I have to move to Southside, my kids wouldn’t be able to attend Liberty,” Rosario said. “And I’m not for Freedom [High] because I want them to be where I am, working.
“I get pride in crossing the kids that are from the neighborhood.”
Yolanda Saldaña, another resident of the village, said she’s advocating for more support for the neighborhood’s senior citizens, emphasizing the need for single residential units for that demographic.
“They got us in a village with families,” Saldaña said. “Some of us don’t have no kids, some of us about to die."
“They got us in a village with families. Some of us don’t have no kids, some of us about to die."Yolanda Saldaña, Pembroke Village resident
Saldaña has lived in the city for over two decades, but she’s originally from the U.S. Virgin Islands.
With that time spent living at the village, she now is voicing concern for what she says the community lacks. Some of that includes the need for more case workers to help those dealing with mental illness, addiction support groups and more units with handicap access, she said.
Getting involved
If you have questions, the city encourages you to contact Satullo at (610) 419-9003, or email ssatullo@bethlehem-pa.gov.
More details also are available at the project website: bethlehemchoice.com.
Officials look to hire a few paid, temporary community ambassadors to begin work with the planning team come Jan. 1 of the new year.
The role would involve 10-15 hours of work a month, including outreach efforts, surveying, compiling data, organizing meetings with residents and more.
