- An Allentown organization wants to convert a medical-office building into a cyber school and community center
- Zoning officials rejected the proposal, but nonprofit leaders are expected to return soon with a more robust plan
- Officials said they want to see more details about parking and student drop-off locations
ALLENTOWN, PA — Allentown zoning officials denied a local service organization’s bid to convert a former medical-office building into a new cyber school and part-time community center.
But Norka Morales of Casa Jeanette Christian Ministries said she remains confident the building at 1730 Chew St. will soon be a “great, great asset” for residents in West Allentown.
Casa Jeanette, which runs a child-care facility on North Fourth Street in Allentown, wants to reopen the three-story building as a place for cyber-school students to take classes, Morales said.
The organization also hopes to use the space to help new mothers, Morales said Monday night.
Casa Jeanette must now find more than a dozen new parking spaces to support its plans. Morales said she is working to secure agreements for spaces at the Allentown Fairgrounds directly across Chew Street.
“I think you’ll get farther by putting the ducks in a row first."Stephen Davies, Allentown Zoning Hearing Board member
Realtor Janice Benner told zoning officials she is confident about those agreements because the building’s previous owner, Lehigh Valley Health Network, rented 20 spaces in the fairgrounds lot.
Several LVHN-affiliated doctors ran their offices out of the building before the network sold the property, according to Adam Clark and Ruby Meyer, who now own the building with Meyer’s father.
Clark and Meyer’s Kaad Commercial bought the property in 2021 for $400,000, according to online property records.
The three-story building features more than 11,000 square feet across its three floors, with multiple lobbies, kitchens and conference rooms, as well as 25 offices/exam rooms, according to property listings.
Those listings advertise that the property comes with 20 off-street parking spaces, but zoning officials want to see that in writing before approving the plans.
Zoning hearing board members said they also want to know how cyber-school students will be transported into and out of the building before signing off on the proposal.
Morales asked officials to approve the plans on the condition that Casa Jeanette provide that documentation soon, but board Chairman Alan Salinger said he was “not ready to do that.”
“I want to see it all laid out,” he said.
“I think you’ll get farther by putting the ducks in a row first,” member Stephen Davies said.
Cyber-school location
Casa Jeanette hopes to open the building to cyber school students by January, Morales said Monday.
The organization wants to launch the facility for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, with plans to add another grade each year as those students age.
The facility would initially serve as a learning space for about 60 students, though enrollment could climb closer to 100 students as grades are added, she said.
Casa Jeanette plans to knock down many of the building’s interior walls to convert dozens of small medical-exam rooms into classrooms.
Though cyber school students can theoretically take their classes from anywhere, many can’t stay home alone throughout the day and need a dedicated place to learn, Morales said.
Current plans show students would be in the building from about 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays. On Saturdays, Casa Jeanette plans to host a program to help new mothers.
The nonprofit is also eyeing after-school programs for students, including students at William Allen High School a few blocks away, and a program to teach English to non-native speakers, Morales said.
Deed restriction
Clark and Meyer on Monday night asked zoning officials to grant special exceptions for Casa Jeanette’s plans because previous efforts to offload the property were unsuccessful.
The building could easily be turned into a new doctor’s office, but Lehigh Valley Health Network placed a restriction on the property’s deed that forbids it from being used as medical offices in the future, Clark said.
“It’s not the most community-minded thing Lehigh Valley Hospital has ever done."Stephen Davies, Allentown Zoning Hearing Board member
That deed restriction has caused several potential buyers to back away from the property, he said.
Clark and Meyer said they believe LVHN restricted the deed because it did not want any competitors to open doctors’ offices a block from its hospital.
“It’s not the most community-minded thing Lehigh Valley Hospital has ever done,” Davies said, acknowledging the restriction has created issues for the new owners.
Zoning officials encouraged Morales to come back after securing parking.
Morales asked the Allentown Zoning Hearing Board to re-evaluate Casa Jeanette’s proposals in a few weeks, but public-notice advertising requirements mean the proposal will not be back on the board’s agenda for more than a month.
