{"id":3800,"date":"2025-10-16T10:11:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T10:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/3800\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T10:11:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T10:11:17","slug":"bethlehem-gets-800k-to-turn-blighted-property-into-affordable-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/3800\/","title":{"rendered":"Bethlehem gets $800k to turn blighted property into affordable housing"},"content":{"rendered":"

BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 An affordable housing project that would rehabilitate a blighted property in Bethlehem has gotten an $800,000 grant.<\/p>\n

Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority’s remediation project at 401-403 and 405 E. 4th St. was the only Lehigh Valley project to get funding from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s Community Revitalization Fund Program. <\/p>\n

Only six other projects in the state got money from $4.7 million distributed in the latest round of funding.<\/p>\n

“The combination of housing and commercial space meets important community needs and can provide a beneficial spark to business activity.”<\/p>\n

PHFA Executive Director Robin Wiessmann<\/p>\n

The PHFA describes its funding program as<\/a> one that “seeks to expand or rehabilitate affordable housing coupled with retail\/commercial space to promote community revitalization, especially in those parts of the state that are struggling economically.” <\/p>\n

Only two other projects got $800,000 \u2014 one in Venango County and another in Centre County.<\/p>\n

“We anticipate the projects funded today will produce 62 new or rehabilitated residential units and 18,065 square feet of commercial-retail space,” PHFA Executive Director Robin Wiessmann said in a news release.<\/p>\n

“Four of the seven projects receiving funding are located in third-class cities, where they can play a major role in stimulating economic growth and revitalization. <\/p>\n

“The combination of housing and commercial space meets important community needs and can provide a beneficial spark to business activity.”<\/p>\n

‘Large step to realizing the future’<\/p>\n

Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds, in a news release from the redevelopment authority, called the grant “a large step toward realizing the future of this corner property.”<\/p>\n

\"IMG_7152.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Makenzie Christman<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

LehighValleyNews.com<\/p>\n

401 E. Fourth Street in Bethlehem sits on a corner street, with 403 and 405 E. Fourth Street to its right — all buildings that will undergo a remediation project to bring more affordable housing units to Bethlehem.<\/p>\n

Plans show the Fourth Street building will become four apartments, ranging from one- to three-bedroom units and a first-floor commercial space, the release says. <\/p>\n

That means at least three units will be considered affordable to individuals “earning at or below 80% of the area income.” <\/p>\n

“I applaud the Redevelopment Authority in continuing to pursue vital restoration efforts in Southside Bethlehem.”<\/p>\n

Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds<\/p>\n

In Bethlehem, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2025 income limit defines that as $65,150 for an individual and $80,150 for a family.<\/p>\n

“I applaud the Redevelopment Authority in continuing to pursue vital restoration efforts in Southside Bethlehem,” Williams said. <\/p>\n

The Fourth Street building project is expected to cost $2.4 million. The CRFP grant will bring funding for the project to a total of $1.27 million.<\/p>\n

‘Highest neighborhood priorities’<\/p>\n

RDA Executive Director Sean Ziller shared thanks to the public and private contributors to awards such as those disbursed through the CRFP.<\/p>\n

“Through its rehabilitation, we’ll be able to, again, contribute to the affordable housing supply, while bringing a commercial space back online that can contribute to and service the neighborhood,” Ziller said.<\/p>\n

“The RDA remains committed to the South Side neighborhood and in seeking to secure the remainder of the funding to make this project possible.”<\/p>\n

“This project will expand housing opportunities for South Side families while revitalizing a key block in the Fourth Street small business district.”<\/p>\n

Anna Smith, director of Community Action Development Bethlehem<\/p>\n

The RDA news release says it works closely with Community Action Lehigh Valley and Community Action Development Bethlehem.<\/p>\n

Anna Smith, director of Community Action Development Bethlehem, said the organization is “thrilled” to see the project continue to move forward with more funding.<\/p>\n

“Our South Side community members have identified the creation of affordable housing through the rehabilitation of blighted properties as one of the highest neighborhood priorities,” Smith said.<\/p>\n

“And this project will expand housing opportunities for South Side families while revitalizing a key block in the Fourth Street small business district.<\/p>\n

“This award reinforces our shared commitment to neighborhood revitalization through community-driven planning processes, and we are grateful for the leadership of the City of Bethlehem and Redevelopment Authority on this project.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 An affordable housing project that would rehabilitate a blighted property in Bethlehem has gotten an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3801,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[3447,3448,3449,153,3452,155,154,3450,3451,3453,3454,3455,3456],"class_list":["post-3800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-401-e-4th-street-bethlehem","tag-403-e-4th-street-bethlehem","tag-405-e-4th-street-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-affordable-housing","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-bethlehem-redevelopment-authority","tag-bethlehem-south-side-neighborhood","tag-community-action-development-bethlehem","tag-community-revitalization-fund-program","tag-fourth-street-property-bethlehem","tag-lehigh-valley-affordable-housing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3800","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=3800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3800\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}