ALLENTOWN, Pa. — South Allentown could soon have a new senior living center.
Allentown Planning Commission on Tuesday granted preliminary final approval for construction of a proposed 15,100-square-foot adult day care facility on Lehigh Street.
The facility would be owned and operated by Senior LIFE, a Pennsylvania-based adult care company with a facility in Bethlehem.
“This was an attractive site for us."Robert Sauers, executive director, Senior LIFE, Bethlehem
The applicant, Allentown Property Associates, proposes to demolish the existing bank building at 1415 and 1425 Lehigh St., consolidate the lots and construct a one-story, 15,100-square-foot adult day care facility.
In addition, it would have associated parking for 55 vehicles, including nine transportation vans.
Floor plans show multiple day rooms, offices and amenities, such as kitchen for preparation of meals, social services and rehabilitation and medical facilities.
The day care center initially would serve 70 clients, with a potential for 125 to 150 residents.
Despite the potential for more than doubling its number of residents, the size of the support staff would not grow exponentially, according to Robert Sauers, executive director of Senior LIFE in Bethlehem, an all-inclusive center for the elderly.
“This was an attractive site for us,” Sauers said. “Residential is a place we’d like to be.
"In this community, we’d draw people. The Bethlehem location is more of a Northampton County facility; we’re not drawing much from the Allentown community.”
Popeye’s restaurant gets extension
In other business Tuesday, developers for a proposed Popeye’s restaurant and drive-thru on North 19th Street were granted reinstatement of prior approval and a 12-month timeline extension.
The extension runs until Jan. 23, 2027.
The project previously faced significant delays and opposition from the planning commission and city officials regarding concerns over traffic, design and neighborhood character.
Adam Anderson, project manager from Site Design Concepts, of York, York County, told commissioners the extension was needed as the project awaits two approvals from the state Transportation De4partment regarding the site at 701 N. 19th St.
Those approvals are anticipated by mid-summer, Anderson said.
Completion of the restaurant project is expected to be no more than six months after work begins.
Projects receive extensions
Also Tuesday, two separate land development projects got one-year timeline extensions.
The applicant for both projects is Tiger Den Partners VIII, LLC.
One extension was given to a 146,000-square-foot flex warehouse at 1024 N. Bradford St.
The facility would be one story (60 feet high), with parking spaces for 144 cars and 34 trucks. The property also would have installed lighting and landscaping.
A flex warehouse is a versatile commercial property combining office space with warehouse/light industrial functions such as storage, production and showroom in one adaptable building.
The second project would be a 102,175-square-foot self-storage facility at 1051 American Parkway.
The facility would consist of two buildings — one three stories and 27,125 square feet, the other one story and 21,600 square feet.
