BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. — Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners on Monday unanimously approved the final land development plans for a St. Luke’s medical office building at Easton Avenue-William Penn Highway and Farmersville Road.
- Bethlehem Twp. commissioners approved final development plans for a new St. Luke's medical office
- The two-story, over 45,000-square-foot facility would sit at Easton Avenue and Farmersville Road
- Following recent storms, residents are concerned about stormwater management in the township
The developer, Tri-State Ventures, is proposing a two-story building with 45,500 square feet of gross floor area, on a 5.3-acre lot at the southwest corner of the Easton Avenue and Farmersville Road intersection.
The lot, in the Planned Commercial Zoning District with both the Commercial Enhancement and Streetscape Enhancement Overlay Districts, would feature the following with completed construction:
- Driveway connections to Easton Avenue and Farmersville Road
- 228 parking spaces
- Three underground detention facilities
- Public water provided by the city of Bethlehem
- Public sewer provided by Bethlehem Township Municipal Authority
Landcore Engineering Consultants, of Philadelphia, worked up the medical office's final land development plan.
A 96-unit apartment complex has been approved for a location nearby.
Before the vote, Tom Keefer, township resident, said the weeds on the roadside of that intersection make for dangerous driving conditions.
“Right there at the corner, you can’t see there; it’s five feet high. Somebody’s going to get killed trying to make a right-hand turn there.”Tom Keefer, nearby resident, speaking about roadside conditions near the Easton Avenue-Farmersville Road intersection
“Right there at the corner, you can’t see there; it’s five feet high,” Keefer said. “Somebody’s going to get killed trying to make a right-hand turn there.”
Officials said they would have public works staff address that overgrowth.
Stormwater concerns
Township Planning Commission member Barry Roth said he could have rented out his backyard for whitewater rafting during the most recent storms.
“It’s scary to watch that at 4:30 in the morning, and it’s pitch black and you don’t see it coming,” Roth said of the stormwater flow in his Chetwin Terrace neighborhood.
Roth said his neighbor’s house also took on water and ended up with basement flooding, and said some extra dirt on their side of a nearby bike path could help with managing the water.
Commission President John Merhottien said the township is aiming to address troublesome spots with $40 million worth of stormwater improvements, and that process will take some time.
Roth answered, saying he’s sitting “in a bull’s-eye,” and is just looking for some help until a broader plan can be implemented in his neighborhood.
Emergency signal project
Also Monday, commissioners unanimously approved submission of an application for a $346,500 Multimodal Transportation Fund grant to help pay for an emergency signal project around Ninth Street and Freemansburg Avenue.
“This is a grant for a light pole down on Ninth Street for Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company. It’s just like what we have down on Nancy Run that will light up when the firetrucks and ambulances come out.”John Merhottien, Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners president
The Commonwealth Financing Authority would authorize the grant funding if the township was approved. The project is estimated to cost $495,000.
“This is a grant for a light pole down on Ninth Street for Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company,” Merhottien said. “It’s just like what we have down on Nancy Run that will light up when the firetrucks and ambulances come out.”
Pedestrian crossings project
The panel also unanimously approved $271,387.50 to complete a pedestrian crossings improvement project on Hecktown and Oakland roads. T. Schiefer Contractors Inc., of Doylestown, Bucks County, is slated to complete the work.
The complete cost will include clearing, grubbing, excavation, pavement work, soil work, erosion control, various signage and warning devices, among other things.
Hecktown and Oakland roads, as well as nearby Dartmouth Drive and Santee Road, run close by to area schools such as Freedom High, East Hills Middle and Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical.
