- Northampton Community College Spartans Soccer is proposing an expansion of facilities
- If approved by Bethlehem Township zoners, the project would include two turf fields and a 78-foot dome
- NCC representatives on Wednesday will be seeking a height variance for the dome
BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. — The Northampton Community College Spartans soccer program has plans for two new fields — one of them covered by a 78-foot dome — at its campus on Green Pond Road in Bethlehem Township.
NCC representatives will make a case for the new development at Wednesday’s meeting of Bethlehem Township Zoning Hearing Board, seeking a height variance of 38 feet for the "air-supported" dome.
The property is zoned in the Rural Residential with Institutional Overlay district, an area in which the maximum height for a gymnasium is 40 feet.
NCC is proposing to place two synthetic turf soccer fields across 8.5 acres, in the space where a single grass field now sits.
"In order for the air-supported dome to function properly and accommodate soccer games, practice, training and sufficient space around the field perimeter for safety purposes, the dome must be 78’ at its highest point due to the structural design of the dome system."Northampton Community College zoning application
The dome would be installed over one of the fields to allow for use throughout the year.
“In order for the air-supported dome to function properly and accommodate soccer games, practice, training and sufficient space around the field perimeter for safety purposes, the dome must be 78’ at its highest point due to the structural design of the dome system,” the application reads.
Pany & Lentz Engineering Co., of Allentown, is overseeing the project.
The Northampton Community College Spartans soccer program competes in Region 19 of the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Program officials in May announced a return of the women’s soccer team in 2024.
