BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Bethlehem Historic Architectural Review Board on Wednesday approved plans for Ironside Lofts, a mixed-use apartment building proposed for 33 W. Walnut St.
Adjacent to a new parking garage on West Walnut Street, the predominantly masonry, brick-veneer structure will include luxury one- and two-bedroom apartments, structured parking and ground-floor retail fronting Walnut Street. Parking for the building will be provided within the new garage.
“It’s a beautiful building,” said HARB Chair Connie Postupack.
Wednesday’s meeting marked one of several presentations by developer Larken Associates, with designs by Minno & Wasko Architects and Planners. The Bethlehem Parking Authority is listed as the property owner on the submitted documents.
The building’s size has long been a point of contention for the board. At its December meeting, the architect was directed to further address the massing at the west end of the seven-story building. While they’d previously stepped the seventh floor back, the architect further modified the building’s face to show a reduced and stepped-back sixth- and seventh-floor levels as viewed from West Walnut Street and Main Street.
The sixth-floor setback allows for the creation of two screened apartment terraces, the applicant said.
Updated renderings show 107 apartment units, a figure that has fluctuated between 105 and 108 during the review process. The latest layout includes 56 one-bedroom and 51 two-bedroom units. One-bedroom apartments range from 780 to 900 square feet, while two-bedroom units range from 1,000 to 1,300 square feet.
The amount of retail space was reduced by 1,000 square feet to a total of 2,900 square feet.
View looking east from West Walnut Street.
Board members questioned the applicant about window coatings, lighting and façade materials, including color choices.
“I want to hear you say that (the project) is going to be in harmony with the color palette,” said HARB member Nik Nikolov.
The applicant said previously approved materials — including buff-colored, light tan and khaki tones — would be used and would not “pop out.”
The applicant also said there were no changes to the building’s footprint or overall square footage. At its highest point, the building will reach 88 feet, according to plans submitted to the city.
In a 4-1 vote, the board granted the Certificate of Appropriateness to the project with conditions that the color palette and finish materials match those previously reviewed. Any retail signage must return to the board for future review, and exterior fixtures must be submitted to the city for administrative approval.
This was approved with Vice Chair Diana Hodgson casting the lone dissenting vote.
View looking east from West Walnut Street.
Central Moravian Church
Also Wednesday, the board approved Central Moravian Church’s request to replace shingles, gutters and downspouts at 400 Main St.
Church representatives proposed replacing existing slate shingles with new slate shingles in kind, along with replacing existing copper gutters and downspouts. The proposal includes increasing gutter size to meet industry standards, replacing snow guards, installing new metal roofing on four flat eyebrow roofs to match the original roofs, and replacing horizontal wood siding in kind at the base of the belfry from the clock level to the roofline, according to city documents.