BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Lehigh University's plan for an on-campus restaurant that serves beer and wine got shut off by Bethlehem City Council, which denied a request for a liquor license.
A request to transfer a license failed 4-1, with two members abstaining.
- Bethlehem City Council voted 4-1, with two abstentions, to reject Lehigh University's request to transfer a liquor license
- Lehigh hoped to open a restaurant that served beer and wine in its university center
- Some council members said they feared how the proposed move would affect businesses on Bethlehem's South Side
As Lehigh’s Clayton University Center undergoes major renovations, university leaders saw an opportunity to “fill a gap,” lawyers for the university told council.
To sell alcohol, though, it would first need a license.
The university found a license for sale nearby in Easton. Before it can buy it, council has to sign off, as with all licenses transferred into the city.
Several council members said they worried about possibly harming bars and restaurants on Bethlehem's South Side with the competition.
“I have concerns especially because of how it can adversely affect, I think, the economy of the city as a whole and especially the South Side, especially since we're still looking at businesses that are reeling from COVID,” Councilwoman Grace Crampsie Smith said.
Councilwoman Dr. Paige Van Wirt said, “Our restaurant and bar owners on the South Side don't have deep pockets, and they've had to pay for that same liquor license and compete.”
“While I think it was the best of intentions, I think that we need to safeguard against the worst case scenario.”Bethlehem Councilwoman Rachel Leon
Councilwoman Rachel Leon said she was "concerned about why he would take a step back in all the years of business and economic development on the South Side with trying to pull people away from our central business district.
“While I think it was the best of intentions, I think that we need to safeguard against the worst-case scenario.”
Leon also raised concerns about possible underage drinking, and its impacts on the surrounding community.
Lawyers representing the university said a liquor license in Northampton County usually costs $250,000 to $300,000.
