BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 What once was a long-vacant, deteriorating building on East Third Street is being reimagined as a mixed-use anchor in South Side\u2019s ongoing revival.<\/p>\n
Now dubbed The Emerald on Third, the three-story property at 13-15 E. Third St. has undergone a near-total reconstruction by local real estate agent Neel Shah and his partner, contractor and investor Emmanuel Patricio.<\/p>\n
The pair describe the effort as a full gut renovation of roughly 17,000 square feet, transforming a structure that had sat largely abandoned into a flexible commercial and residential space in the heart of Bethlehem\u2019s Southside Historic Conservation District.<\/p>\n
The property now is up for sale<\/a> or lease<\/a>. Zoning approval for five residential units would transfer with the sale.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we first saw it, you didn’t see much potential because it was almost destroyed,\u201d Shah said during a recent walkthrough.<\/p>\n \u201cBut then you start putting things together \u2014 what can be done, what the area needs, and whether it makes sense financially.\u201d<\/p>\n That calculation led to an eight- to nine-month construction effort that began last summer.<\/p>\n Stripped to the studs<\/p>\n Inside the building, virtually everything was stripped to the studs. Floors were leveled after crews discovered severe structural sloping.<\/p>\n Walls and ceilings were removed to expose original brick and beams, features the developers ultimately chose to highlight rather than conceal.<\/p>\n “I like to take the last bad property on the block and make it really nice.\u201d<\/p>\n Emmanuel Patricio <\/p>\n The building\u2019s condition at purchase underscored the scale of the undertaking. Broken windows let people enter freely, and debris filled much of the interior.<\/p>\n \u201cOne day we walked in after we bought it, and there was just a couch sitting inside,\u201d Shah said.<\/p>\n Patricio said the property stood out not just for its condition, but for its location.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was like the last abandoned building in the neighborhood,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople would walk by and it was an eyesore compared to everything else. I like to take the last bad property on the block and make it really nice.\u201d<\/p>\n Adaptive reuse shapes city’s next growth phase<\/p>\n Bethlehem Economic Development Director Sean Ziller said projects such as The Emerald on Third represent the city\u2019s next phase of redevelopment, as available land for new construction becomes increasingly scarce.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause there is a limited amount of available space left citywide, you\u2019re seeing a lot of these adaptive reuse projects,\u201d Ziller said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really drills down into a good relationship between these developers and property owners and the city to more readily address blight.”<\/p>\n Sean Ziller<\/p>\n Rather than building outward, Bethlehem\u2019s growth is increasingly coming through the rehabilitation of aging and underutilized structures \u2014 a shift Ziller said requires stronger collaboration between developers and city officials.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really drills down into a good relationship between these developers and property owners and the city to more readily address blight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n That collaboration often begins before a redevelopment plan is finalized.<\/p>\n Ziller said developers increasingly are approaching the city and Bethlehem Economic Development Corp. early in the process to discuss what uses make sense for a site, what the market can support and what neighborhood needs remain unmet.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat would you like to see and what does the market bear?\u201d Ziller said developers now regularly ask.<\/p>\n For a project of this scale, he said, the city\u2019s role is less about dictating outcomes and more about offering market analysis, trend data and insight into what types of uses have succeeded \u2014 or struggled \u2014 in similar spaces.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could offer these suggestions, and it\u2019s up to whoever owns the property to say, \u2018No, I\u2019m gonna go down this route,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \n 1 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 2 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 3 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 4 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 5 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 6 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 7 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 8 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 9 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 10 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 11 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 12 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 13 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 14 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 15 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 16 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n \n 17 of 17 Before and after photos of ‘The Emerald on Third,’ a mixed-use property now available for sale\/lease in the South Side Historic District.<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n The right fit for a prominent South Side site<\/p>\n Current plans for the property call for about 14,000 square feet of commercial space on the lower levels, with the potential for four or five residential units above.<\/p>\n A second-floor terrace and possible rooftop space could add to its appeal, whether as apartments or a destination business, developers said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re open to a lot of different uses,\u201d Shah said. \u201cRestaurant, gym, even a marketplace concept \u2014 something that fits the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n But Ziller said the building\u2019s size presents unique leasing challenges compared with more traditional storefronts along Third Street.<\/p>\n Those larger commercial footprints require more due diligence, he said, particularly when evaluating whether the space is best suited for one major tenant, multiple businesses or a hybrid concept.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very large space,\u201d Ziller said. \u201cThose are a bit more of a lift \u2026 versus maybe a smaller mom-and-pop space.\u201d<\/p>\n The project also arrives as Bethlehem continues evaluating the future of its South Side Arts District, where officials are developing a strategic plan through a state Main Street Matters grant.<\/p>\n Ziller said that planning effort is intended to help guide redevelopment by identifying what residents, businesses and visitors want to see in the corridor.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s as much a plan for that program as it is for that district,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Housing still part of conversation<\/p>\n
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