BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Bethlehem Zoning Hearing Board reviewed several multifamily housing proposals during a four-hour meeting Wednesday night.
Most of the marathon meeting was spent on an application for 122 E. Goepp St., where a three-unit building and a blighted garage currently stand.
Developer ERE Reserves LLC proposed adding five apartments to create two multifamily structures with a total of eight units. To advance the project, the applicant sought a ruling that the site should be considered a single multifamily development, along with several variances for lot width, yard setbacks and a reduced buffer yard.
Board members denied that interpretation and rejected the variances, which included requests for relief on the lot, minimal side and rear yards, and a reduced buffer yard.
The property received a special exception in April 2025 for a residential conversion, according to zoning records.
Applicant Michael Cox told the board he has made significant renovations to the existing building and wants to provide affordable units within the property’s footprint. He said he canvassed neighbors before the hearing, with parking emerging as the main concern.
Cox said the proposal was revised to replace a planned townhouse with additional parking spaces in response to neighborhood input. The final plan included 21 spaces, compared with 13 required by ordinance.
Still, residents voiced concerns about stormwater runoff, affordability, and parking.
Neighbor Elliott Nolter questioned whether tenants would be able to maneuver vehicles on neighboring Pine Street.
“Study that turning radius. I don’t think you’ll have the room to actually do what you’re showing here,” Nolter said.
Resident Michael Smith added that tenant and worker vehicles would worsen an already tight situation.
“Parking is a commodity on East Goepp Street,” Smith said.
Pine Street resident Frances Almodovar echoed Smith’s concerns.
“The street is tight as it is. How’s it going to work? Tell me. There’s no way,” she said.
The board also rejected a separate project at 312 Hanover St. In a case continued from Aug. 27, the developer sought a favorable interpretation to replace the existing building with a three-unit, two-and-a-half-story townhouse. The denial means the project cannot proceed as proposed.
In contrast, the board approved a request to combine two parcels at 737-739 E. Fourth St. and construct a three- to four-story, 13-unit apartment building. Applicants Abraham Dimmitt and Antonio Drew sought seven variances, including for reduced lot size, no rear or side yard setbacks, and 100% building coverage where 80% is permitted.
Drew told the board the properties were in poor condition, with one considered blighted and both condemned, according to the applicants. He said the plan calls for rebuilding 737 E. Fourth St. and combining it with 739 E. Fourth St. A commercial tenant, Puff & More 2 Smoke & Vape, continues operating with a valid license at 739 E. Fourth St., he said.
Parking for the development will be provided through a 20-year lease of 20 spaces at the neighboring Center of Restoration Lily of the Valleys church. The developers said they agreed to pave, paint, and maintain the lot.
The project will include nine two-bedroom apartments and four one-bedroom units. According to Drew, projected rents are $1,600 to $1,750 for two bedrooms and $1,400 to $1,500 for one bedroom. The developers said they purchased the properties for $600,000 and plan to invest $1.9 million to create the 13 apartments and two commercial spaces.
Drew said it was not cost-effective to lease a smaller number of units.
After an executive session, the board granted the requested variances.
A hearing on 250 E. Market St. was continued until Oct. 22 due to the late hour.