BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A couple of dinosaur suits, robots, Minecraft characters, princesses and the like.
A trunk-or-treat celebration at Bethlehem’s Northeast Community Center on Fritz Drive drew a few hundred people on Thursday evening.
But among the free food, candy and raffles was quite a spread of information, both in English and Spanish, available for families related to a major neighborhood redesign in the works.
A two-year community-driven planning process has led to a “build-first” proposal to replace the aging Pembroke Village public housing development and its 196 units with a variety of mixed-income offerings.
Plans up to this point were made possible through a half-million-dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Choice Neighborhoods program.
The 19.5-acre New Deal-era Pembroke Village public housing project in Northeast Bethlehem, home to a national historic district, was built in 1941 and is operated by Bethlehem Housing Authority.
'A beautiful idea'
A community board at the event with more than a dozen sticky notes showed some positive feedback for the plans:
“A true blessing to the community.” “It’s cute.” “Enhancing and addressing community needs.”
Fritz Drive resident Aidalis Martinez, who was spending the evening with her youngest daughter and their friends, said she just wants safety to remain a priority as part of the new, multi-phase project — one she said for which she may not be in town by the time it ultimately comes to fruition.
Some of the nearby amenities, such as the park space, have seen better days following long periods of misuse, Martinez said.
“I’m wondering how they’re going to make sure that people are not causing damages, causing mayhem, because it’s a nice community, but there is a lot of chaos as well."Fritz Drive resident Aidalis Martinez
“I’m wondering how they’re going to make sure that people are not causing damages, causing mayhem, because it’s a nice community, but there is a lot of chaos, as well,” Martinez said.
Martinez, who said she grew up in the neighborhood, moved away and made her way back, has lived in the area now the past seven years.
She called the new plans "a beautiful idea."
She said a community pool would go a long way for the neighborhood.
“It’s not easy to go out and get tickets to go to a pool somewhere else; they’ve been upping the prices everywhere,” Martinez said.
'What is possible'
New neighborhood plans now show 456 new living units at an 80%-to-20% mix of affordable and market rate.
Project drawings show two-story townhomes, two- and three-story walk-up apartments and two four-story buildings with elevators and balconies for seniors and tenants with disabilities.
Here’s a deeper look at what’s proposed.
As for next steps, officials plan to apply for up to $50 million in a Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant whenever that’s next available. The build is expected to take five to seven years.
Without those funds, the project is estimated to take 15 years, as officials would have to pursue funding using the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and other means.
“It’s been amazing to watch this community-driven process come together, and you can just feel the excitement and the pride here in the neighborhood, about what is possible."Bethlehem Mayor Mayor J. William Reynolds
“It’s been amazing to watch this community-driven process come together, and you can just feel the excitement and the pride here in the neighborhood, about what is possible,” Mayor J. William Reynolds said.
Bethlehem City Councilwoman Hillary Kwiatek, who served on the Choice Neighborhood project steering committee, said the plans go beyond just housing.
It's also “connecting people to training, workforce development, lifelong learning, better transportation, education, health care and job training,” Kwiatek said.
New neighborhood drawings show a new central community resource center for supplementing operations at Northeast Community Center.
A central lawn nearby features a performance space, playground and could end up with a splash pad.
Improvements for safer routes to local schools such as Marvine and Lincoln Elementary are in the works, officials have said.
Workforce training opportunities could be offered through Northampton Community College, Lehigh Valley Health Network, St. Luke’s University Health Network and other local employers, according to plans.
