CATASAUQUA, Pa. – A building that housed a now-shuttered YMCA branch in the borough of Catasauqua is under new ownership.
The Catasauqua Area School District paid $1.75 million for the site at 880 Walnut Street, according to Lehigh County property records.
The 6.2-acre parcel includes a parking lot and the former Suburban North YMCA building.
The YMCA was a fixture at the site for decades, before dwindling enrollment forced the branch to close in January.
According to property records, the YMCA building went up in 1973. Ownership of the property was transferred to River Crossing YMCA in 2024, when the nonprofit was formed by the merger of Greater Valley YMCA and YMCA of Bucks and Hunterdon Counties.
The property is across the street from Catasauqua Middle School. District Superintendent Christina Lutz-Doemling told 69 News the sale presented a “rare, cost-effective opportunity” to secure strategic real estate.
In the short term, the school district is using it for parking and storage. “For the long term, securing this adjacent land protects our ability to expand near existing facilities, ultimately saving taxpayer dollars by avoiding higher future land costs and preventing the spatial limitations we would face if the property had been bought by another buyer,” Lutz-Doemling said, via email.
The district is working with the Bethlehem-based design firm Alloy5 to explore viable options. “Over the coming months, we look forward to determining the best path forward with a focus on maximizing the long-term educational benefit for our students and community while maintaining fiscal responsibility,” said Lutz-Doemling.