{"id":33835,"date":"2025-11-14T06:26:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T06:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/33835\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T06:26:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T06:26:07","slug":"bethlehem-planners-advance-proposal-for-light-manufacturing-building-in-lvip-vii-bethlehem-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/33835\/","title":{"rendered":"Bethlehem planners advance proposal for light manufacturing building in LVIP VII | Bethlehem Area"},"content":{"rendered":"

BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2013 After 25 years of development, progress at Lehigh Valley Industrial Park VII<\/a> has reduced its more than 1,000 acres to fewer than 30 remaining parcels.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, LVIP President and CEO Kerry Wrobel sought to develop yet another portion of the site, saying the project aims to meet the region’s growing economic needs.<\/p>\n

Wrobel’s plans include a 49,920-square-foot warehouse and flex-industrial building at 1550 Spillman Drive.<\/p>\n

“It came to our attention that there was a dramatic need for quality industrial space buildings that are sold instead of being leased,” Wrobel said.<\/p>\n

The proposed site covers approximately 220,457 square feet, or about 5 acres, and lies between Spillman Drive to the north, Lynn Avenue to the east, East Fourth Street to the south and property owned by Lehigh Forge Corp. to the west.<\/p>\n

The building will address a gap in the Lehigh Valley’s economic development landscape, Wrobel said. He told planners the intent is to sell the building to a light manufacturer whose operations produce no emissions or odors, and require no outside storage. He said his group was patient enough to find the right buyer.<\/p>\n

The plan includes 57 parking spaces, two loading docks and associated lighting, landscaping, stormwater management, utilities and other site improvements. The property is zoned Industrial Redevelopment.<\/p>\n

The plan was approved in two motions, one of which granted a deferral of the sidewalk requirement on East Fourth Street and Spillman Drive until the neighboring property is developed.<\/p>\n

The Bethlehem Planning Commission<\/a> also reviewed several other development proposals during its meeting on Thursday at Town Hall.<\/p>\n

\"1550<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

LVIP President and CEO Kerry Wrobel said the\u00a0building will address a gap in the Lehigh Valley’s economic development landscape.<\/p>\n

Semi-detached homes<\/p>\n

Planners considered a project at 740 William St. where a developer is proposing three sets of semi-detached homes, totaling six units, in a residential zone. The applicant said the area’s landscaping and slope affect the townhomes’ design. The two-and-a-half-story units will include a basement-level garage, a main living level with a rear exit and three bedrooms.<\/p>\n

A key consideration in the sketch plan is whether the city should amend zoning to allow for development denser than the single-family homes currently permitted.<\/p>\n

Planner Matthew Malozi said he did not have a better idea for using the lot, given its challenging geology. Planner Joy Cohen encouraged the applicant to include sidewalks for potential tenants, noting families may live there.<\/p>\n

Townhouses<\/p>\n

Planners also reviewed a sketch plan for 539 Brighton St., where the applicant proposes demolishing an existing 1950s-era single-family home and building six townhouses with two off-street parking spaces each. The buildings’ fronts would face west, and the two-story units would include basements below grade. Plans also call for flattening the lot’s slope and adding a small retaining wall.<\/p>\n

“The project is in a location where I feel, between the growth city on Southside with St. Luke’s in the area and the Wilbur Apartments, this is a great project to marry well with the area,” commission Chair Rob Melosky said.<\/p>\n

Apartments<\/p>\n

Lastly, planners reviewed a proposal for 128 E. Fairview St., which calls for a three-story, six-unit apartment building with 10 off-street parking spaces and access from Dodge Street.<\/p>\n

Developer Dominic Villani said the project includes four two-bedroom units and two two-bedroom units with dens. He noted that space above a stairwell, called the den, is often used as an office.<\/p>\n

Discussions about the project included stormwater piping material and Americans with Disabilities Act-sidewalk access.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the full commission approved the project contingent on the applicant meeting conditions outlined in the city’s review letter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2013 After 25 years of development, progress at Lehigh Valley Industrial Park VII has reduced its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33836,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,629,21221,21220,21219,21222,21218,4767],"class_list":["post-33835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-bethlehem-planning-commission","tag-dominic-villani","tag-joy-cohen","tag-kerry-wrobel","tag-lvip","tag-matthew-malozi","tag-rob-melosky"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}