HELLERTOWN, Pa. — Borough Council on Monday signed off on land development plans for Clauser Lofts, a proposal for 59 apartments and 8,750 square feet of commercial space near the border with Bethlehem.
Two buildings are planned to stand five stories tall at 1702 Clauser St., sporting 35 units and 4,500 square feet of commercial space in one, and 24 units and 4,250 square feet of commercial space in the other.
The development would go up on five parcels near Williams Street to the east, Clauser Street to the west and Hemlock Street to the south.Developer of the proposed Clauser Lofts
An existing home on site would be converted into a three-bedroom apartment to make for 60 total units on the property, according to project documents.
That number includes four studios, 23 one-beds, nine one-bed-one-den units, 19 two-beds and five three-beds.
Project drawings also show a gym, multi-purpose room, mail room, bike storage and a dog wash area on site.
The development would go up on five parcels near Williams Street to the east, Clauser Street to the west and Hemlock Street to the south.
The property is in the borough’s Highway Commercial and Flexible Redevelopment Overlay zoning districts, with Interstate 78 running just to the north.
Growing area
The planned site is near the old Champion sparkplug factory property — an old Superfund site at 1770 Main St. currently slated for a new micro-hospital through Lehigh Valley Health Network.
The South Bethlehem Greenway eventually will run to the west of Clauser Lofts. Bethlehem has moved to buy almost 12 acres nearby from Norfolk Southern Railroad, with the intention to later connect almost a mile of path there to join the Greenway and Saucon Rail Trail.
Saucon Pointe apartments, a separate 28-unit complex, is across Clauser Street from the proposed project.
"The plan actually didn’t get to us until December, where at that point in time, there were some concerns raised about the detention basin, and ultimately, the plan was denied."Hellertown borough solicitor Michael Corriere, on the Clauser Lofts plan
The owner of the property at 1702 Clauser is listed in Northampton County property records as Douera 1 LLC of Hellertown.
The Borough Planning Commission approved land development plans and associated waivers in June.
“The plan actually didn’t get to us until December, where at that point in time, there were some concerns raised about the detention basin and, ultimately, the plan was denied,” borough solicitor Michael Corriere said.
After some resulting back-and-forth between the property owner and the borough, the proposal was put back on the agenda, he said.
The applicant must continue cooperating with the borough through the land development process to complete proper prerequisite steps before any official construction.
