The artist’s image shows the building to replace the Boyd Theatre, with two retail spaces, 205 apartments and 25,000 square feet of amenities for Bethlehem residents. (Rick Kinzel/Good Morning)
As of October 2022, Bethlehem has approved 3,272 building permits, with a total construction investment of over $197 million. Several major changes in the planning process, some due to open or begin in 2023, could change the city.
Several residential projects will help address the housing shortage in the city and the wider Lehigh Valley. According to a study by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, the region’s population is expected to grow by 100,000 over the next 30 years.
The developer has received several key approvals to redevelop the former Martin House site into a large mixed-use development.
Owners Lewis Ronk and Norton Herrick’s plans include two three-story Lehigh Valley Health Network office buildings, a grocery store, restaurants, a 130-room hotel and more than 300 apartments at the former Bethlehem Steel Company headquarters.
The complex will include a nature trail and green space, and walking paths will connect it to the Monocacy Way Trail and Burnside Colonial Farm.
The developer plans to divide the property into three lots. In October, they received permission from the City Planning Commission to build two of the three buildings, including two medical buildings and parking spaces.
The 21-story Martin Building, which housed Bethlehem Steel’s offices, was demolished in 2019.
Bethlehem Steel, once the second largest steelmaker in the United States, making steel for everything from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Empire State Building, was once the iconic building for Bethlehem Steel, whose former headquarters, the Martin Building, exploded in 2019. The image on the left shows a sinking building, while the image on the right shows an empty sky in the same location today. (Monica Cabrera/Good morning)
The developer has not released a timetable for the project, but needs to get city approval for a third site and submit a revised master plan before construction can begin.
Developer Rafael Palomino is expected to begin construction on a large mid-rise apartment building on South New Street early in the new year.
Palomino and business partner Jeffrey Quinn received city approval to demolish four buildings between 317 and 327 S. New St. to make way for an eight-story building with 47 apartments and a public food court on the ground floor. This development caused controversy in Bethlehem, with some city officials and residents arguing that the building was too tall for the south side.
Palomino said he would dedicate 10 percent of units to affordable housing when more units were offered in the building, but later told The Morning Call he was “looking at the numbers” and could not confirm whether he would move forward with the project. plan.
Palomino also said he plans to soon begin adaptive reuse development on the site of the former Holy Infancy School on East Fourth Street, which he plans to convert into 24 apartments.
Early next year, Wind Creek Bethlehem will unveil a $160 million expansion that will include three ballrooms for weddings and events, 276 hotel rooms and amenities such as a refurbished lobby and on-site spa.
The largest ballroom is the 23,000-square-foot Foundry Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 2,000 guests and is divided into nine rooms.
Wind Creek spokeswoman Julia Corwin told The Morning Call that the expansion will help Wind Creek stay competitive with casinos in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York. The new ballroom will also allow more conferences and trade shows to be held in the Lehigh Valley.
The new lobby and main ballroom can be seen during the press tour of the expanded Wind Creek Bethlehem Hotel and Convention Center on October 27. (Amy Shortell / Morning Call)
The food co-op, founded in 2011 by Jaime Karpovich and a group of neighbors, will be the anchor tenant of a new four-story mixed-use complex at 250 E. Broad St. In May, officials held a groundbreaking ceremony.
According to its website, the food co-op will become a popular source of affordable groceries in the North Bethlehem community. The co-op has around 1,200 members who will own and operate the store.
Behind the construction is Peron Development, the top three floors of the building will house 42 apartments.
In early December, state and city officials laid the groundwork for a ceremony to renovate and expand the Goodman Building, a long-abandoned building also located in southern Bethlehem.
The Goodman Building was built in 1912 and stood empty for decades. The city announced that the building, which was once a furniture store and flea market, was vandalized in 2016. Now, thanks to a public-private partnership, the building at 20-23 E 3rd Street will be repurposed.
The Goodman Building will receive over $2 million in public funding as a mixed-use development. The original building will serve as retail space and a 5,200-square-foot addition will be built on the adjacent lot, which will include retail space on the ground floor and 12 residential units on the second and third floors.
The former Goodman Furniture store will be converted into commercial and residential premises. (April Gamiz / Good Morning)
“The Goodman Building was in disrepair for decades before the city intervened,” Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds said at a news conference. A vision to see what is possible in this building and C3′s willingness to believe in the vision that has brought us here today.”
Also in the East Third Street corridor, developer Plamen Aivozov has 55 apartments behind a six-story mixed-use building at 128, Third E, while Peron Development plans a five-story building with 44 apartments. Both buildings will have retail and restaurant space on the ground floor, with construction to begin in 2023.
In October, officials laid the groundwork for a residential development to replace the historic Boyd Theater in Bethlehem.
The six-story building will have 205 apartments, two retail spaces, and 25,000 square feet of amenities for residents, including a pool, recreation center, gardens, and a movie theater.
Demolition of the former theater began in February and officials say construction will be completed in about 16 months.
Aivazov, CEO of Monocacy General Contracting and developer of the project, said he would keep Boyd’s name in honor of the theater’s history in Bethlehem.
The Boyd Theatre, once a showpiece for Bethlehem’s performing arts, stood empty after severe weather damage in 2011. The store next to the theater was once home to edible arrangements and Ruby’s flower factory, but was convicted in 2015 of worsening Boyd’s condition.