BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Plans for a walk-up ice cream shop on Bethlehem's west side, across the street from Calypso Elementary School, were approved Wednesday by Bethlehem Zoning Hearing Board.
- Bethlehem's Zoning Hearing Board voted to allow a new ice cream parlor across the street from Calypso Elementary School
- The site previously housed The Clip Joint, a pet groomer
- Owner John Labriola said he plans to call it Memory Lane Jane's
Because the building, at 1001 Spring St., is in a residential zone, owner John Labriola needed the zoning board to grant a special exception before he could set up shop.
The first-floor space previously housed the Clip Joint, a dog grooming salon, with a one-bedroom apartment on the second floor.
Labriola said he remembers the site as a beer distributor starting in the 1960s, and a paint store before it housed the Clip Joint.
Before unanimously approving his request, the five-member board attached conditions limiting the store’s hours and requiring that customers are not allowed inside.
“I’m going to name it after my mother. It’s called Memory Lane Jane’s Ice Cream Parlor.”Owner John Labriola
Much of the discussion Wednesday revolved around the site’s lack of parking.
Because the shop will serve only walk-up customers through a window, and Labriola said a small portion of his customers would arrive in cars, the body concluded parking wasn’t a reason to block the project.
The business still needs the usual city permits, such as a license from the Health Department, required to open a new foodservice business.
“I’m going to name it after my mother,” Labriola told the board after it approved his request. “It’s called Memory Lane Jane’s Ice Cream Parlor.”
