Bethlehem City Council has approved plans for a seven-story apartment building near the heart of the city’s downtown, at the site of the former Walnut Street garage.
Council members, by a 5-1 vote, approved the plans for Ironside Lofts, a 108-unit residential building.
The property is located in the city’s Northside Historic District, which is why the construction requires City Council’s approval. The city’s Historic Architecture Review Board recommended the plans this month.
Developers Larken Associates first applied for historic district approval in August; board members praised the building’s proposed architectural details but raised concerns about the building’s height.
The first five stories of Ironside Lofts would have a brick facade with large windows, with gray vertical fiber cement panels on the sixth and seventh floors, which Stuart Johnson, principal architect with Minno Wasko, who represented Larken Associates, said at the time is designed to minimize the perceived height of the building. The seventh floor would be set back 8 to 10 feet, which also would minimize the building’s perceived height.
The building would contain 108 apartments — including 60 one-bedroom and 48 two-bedroom units — as well as storefronts on the first floor for retail or restaurants and a “boutique hotel-style lobby” for residents. It would be constructed in a U-shape, creating a private courtyard for the building’s residents.
To appease the historic board’s concerns, developers proposed further setting back the top two floors of the building to minimize its perceived height.
The building would neighbor the new Walnut Street parking garage, which completed construction last year.
Construction of the new garage was controversial — council members opted to override a recommendation from the architecture review board, which asked them to deny the building’s certificate of approval based on concerns that it is too tall for the historic district.
Council members who voted in favor of Ironside Lofts said the new building’s architecture would match that of the surrounding district, and lauded the developers for responding to feedback from HARB members as well as the community.
Developers met with neighbors and owners of businesses adjacent to the property to gather feedback.
“I think this is a great example, in the mayor’s office, of a public-private relationship, and seeing what happens when a private entity like Larken Associates and the city get together, and the HARB, and seeing something that will be a really great project that looks great and fits downtown,” Council member Justin Amann said.
The city issued a request for proposals asking developers to submit plans for the remaining land not covered by the new Walnut Street garage, and selected Larken Associates following a competitive bidding process.
Critics of the plan, which included several members of the public who spoke during public comment, said they believe the building is still too tall for the historic district, despite efforts to minimize its perceived height.
“Make no mistake about it, a seven-story apartment building immediately behind Main Street businesses will irrevocably detract from the Main Street ambiance,” Bethlehem resident Bill Scheirer said.
Reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at Liweber@mcall.com.