A charter school’s plan to open a new brick-and-mortar location in Bethlehem was reviewed by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Tuesday.
The proposal from Commonwealth Charter Academy was one of the items on a lengthy agenda for the LVPC’s Comprehensive Planning Committee.
The charter school, based in Harrisburg, wants to convert a 46,670-square-foot building at 2200 W. Broad St. into office space for teachers and staff.
According to property records, the 5.1-acre parcel was purchased from Erie Insurance in December 2024 for $3.45 million.
The existing building will remain on the property. There will be a full interior renovation along with structural repairs to the exterior. Also, the plans call for surrounding parking improvements.
The brief LVPC review recommends that the school incorporate environmentally sensitive building and landscape design, such as green roofs or solar panels.
“This would increase the cost-effectiveness of building operation and further academic endeavors related to these technologies, while enhancing the campus setting, demonstrating environmental leadership within the region, and reducing climate change impacts through mitigation and adaptation,” the review reads.
The Commonwealth Charter Academy already has what it calls a Family Service Center at 1501 Lehigh St. in Allentown. Bethlehem is listed as a “future site” on its website. There are more than two dozen current or future CCA locations across Pennsylvania.
CCA is an online public school located serving grades K-12. In June, it announced its largest graduating class in school history, with more than 4,400 students.
CCA graduated its first senior class in 2009.