BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The city Zoning Hearing Board on Tuesday approved Bethlehem Fraternal Order of Police's request to turn a restaurant into its new membership hall.
Bethlehem Fraternal Order of Police Star Lodge No. 20, the city department’s main bargaining unit, is under agreement to buy the Adagio Restaurant property.
Zoners voted unanimously to approve a special exception request to allow for the planned private membership club and non-commercial recreational facility.
“A healthier, happier police officer benefits the entire city of Bethlehem."Bethlehem Fraternal Order of Police Star Lodge No. 20 President Robert Nichelson
The only exception included in the approval was there being no alcohol consumption after 2 a.m.
The proposed union hall at 530 Pembroke Road would “support Bethlehem police officers through wellness, training and community service,” FOP President Robert Nichelson said.
“A healthier, happier police officer benefits the entire city of Bethlehem,” Nichelson said.
“I think that we go hand-in-hand in harmony with the neighborhood,” he said.
He said no major changes are planned for the facade and look of the building.
'Good adaptive reuse'
An official statement from the city Zoning Hearing Board reads: “This is a good adaptive reuse of an existing property — a restaurant that would otherwise be shuttered.”
The FOP’s plans for the property include:
- Cutting down the 45-foot-long upstairs bar to about two-thirds the size and open up the room for tables. A liquor license is not included in restaurant purchase; FOP says it stocks its own bar and would not sell alcohol or keep a bartender on site.
- Potentially turning the lower-level banquet room into a meeting and training area.
- Outfitting the current ballroom for training in defensive tactics.
- Removing the lower-level bar to make it a 24/7 gym space.
- Making room for a classroom-style space for professional training, seminars and some member events.
- Updating the roof.
- Continuing an existing agreement with Salvation Army across the street to take on any overflow parking if needed (street parking also available).
'A well-maintained structure'
FOP officials said monthly membership meetings start at 7:30 p.m. every first Monday, and usually last a couple of hours.
Most regular meetings are estimated to bring in about a dozen officers and maybe a few retirees, officials said.
The FOP’s largest meetings are said to include up to 30 people, especially during contract negotiations, which are coming up next year.
But both joining meetings and casting votes online is now an option for the membership, Nichelson said.
The annual Christmas party for officers and their children is the largest event each year for the union, according to FOP Recording Secretary Gregory Yerk.
The current restaurant is a non-conforming use, meaning the property’s current, continued use doesn’t comply with zoning regulations but once did before some sort of change to code.
Officials said a restaurant use has been on site since the 1970s.
As it's “already a well-maintained structure,” Nichelson said, the transition to the membership club would be “comparable or less intensive in impact” to the restaurant — located within the RT-High-Density Residential Zoning District.
The annual Christmas party for officers and their children is the largest event each year for the union, according to FOP Recording Secretary Gregory Yerk.
That usually involves about 40 union members and 80 or so of their children, he said.
“We used to have it at our hall that was above Ripper’s [Pub] there on Broad and Guetter,” Yerk said. “We members have outgrown it over the years.
“We use Northeast Middle School’s gym as our cafeteria currently.”
The FOP represents about 300 police union members, including 138 active officers.
Its current facility is at 77 W. Broad St.
Adagio Restaurant, which opened in 2015 and offers all-you-can-eat crab legs, has not responded to a request for comment on the future of the restaurant and brand.
