BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Retro Burger, once home to TheMint Gastropub for more than a decade, is in for a new kind of garnish.
The Bethlehem City Planning Commission unanimously approved a land development plan for a six-apartment, three-story addition off the back of the burger joint at 1223 W. Broad St.
Developers plan to remove the building’s drive-thru — it was a Bank of America at one point — to make room for the project’s four one-bedroom and two two-bedroom units.
'The right place for this project'
“I believe this was originally a bank building way back — it’s been a number of restaurants,” planner Matthew Malozi said Thursday. “Now it’s becoming mixed use on a primary arterial served by transit, sidewalks everywhere.
“This is the right place for this project, and it’s good to see the investment made into an existing property.”
“This is the right place for this project, and it’s good to see the investment made into an existing property.”Bethlehem Planning Commission member Matthew Malozi
Craig Pfeiffer, city assistant director of planning and zoning, echoed that sentiment, citing the area’s LANTA bus line close by and proper infrastructure for pedestrian and bicycle access.
The property is owned by Juan Carlos Paredes, who also owns and operates nearby Main Street spots such as The Flying Egg and Tapas on Main.
The lot is part of Bethlehem’s Limited Commercial zoning district, sitting on over a half-acre within the Lehigh County portion of the city, about a half-mile from the historic Rose Garden Park.
Some changes this time around
Planners saw an initial project sketch plan back in 2023 that featured “a little bit more modern, more metallic elements” and a rooftop 40-seat seasonal dining area above the existing one-story restaurant that’s no longer part of the design, according to Karen Andrews of BDA Architects.
“It’s all brick now,” Andrews said of the project’s new facade. “It will kind of tie in, again, with the existing restaurant.
“You can see the restaurant itself was painted a dark color and has some red accents due to the new name of the restaurant — so we kind of flip that and have more of a white brick with some black accents, and tied in the red as well.”
