BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. — A beloved 1850s stone house on the 50-acre Miller cattle farm would have been torn down unless township planning officials hadn’t requested it be preserved as part of plans for a new neighborhood.
Keeping the farmhouse isn’t legally required of the developer and is more of a courtesy, officials said.
The applicant — Kay Farmersville LLC, which shares an address with the equitable property owner, Kay Builders of Allentown — on Wednesday requested dimensional variances that would have let the farmhouse to remain where it stands and not impede on future lots planned nearby.
The township Zoning Hearing Board unanimously denied the specifics of the request.
Keeping the farmhouse isn’t legally required of the developer and is more of a courtesy, township officials said.
Before the vote, David Wilson, geographic discipline lead with Colliers Engineering and Design who spoke on behalf of the builder, testified that a denial of the proposed dimensional variances would “most likely” lead to a demolition of the farmhouse at 3107 Farmersville Road.
But nothing’s set in stone just yet.
The zoning remedy sought only pertained to the farmhouse lot, calling for side yard setback variances of 2.5 feet and 12.5 feet when township code typically requires a minimum 10 feet and 25 feet total on both sides, respectively.
Township code requires an 80-foot lot width at the front yard setback line and 40 feet in width at the street right-of-way.
The lot width now is 26.08 feet at both points, according to the development team.
The builder was looking for variances of 52.92 feet at the front and 13.92 feet at the right-of-way.
The plan so far, and more
Kay Builders’ most recent proposal to build over 100 single-family homes and townhouses on one of the township’s last remaining farms has seen some changes over the years.
It once called for about 40 more units and, at one point, reportedly proposed using the old farmhouse in question as a community center.
But after further research into the home's structural integrity, the development team said that just wasn’t feasible.
“For a commercial use, it would need substantial renovations and rehabilitations for ADA compliance,” Wilson said.
He said it likely would be cheaper to knock down the farmhouse and build a new home on the land, rather than pay to restore the old structure for some other use.
“For a commercial use, it would need substantial renovations and rehabilitations for ADA compliance."David Wilson, geographic discipline lead with Colliers Engineering and Design
The home holds no particular historic registry designation and currently isn't livable or able to be moved elsewhere, Wilson said. He said it mostly would serve as a “memorial” in its current state.
Because of trees and other foliage, the house already is not entirely viewable from Farmersville Road. The developer intends to plant about 50 street trees and similar foliage with the new project.
Those at the meeting discussed whether it made sense to keep the historic building where it stood, even if those interested in seeing it had to go into the proposed subdivision.
If the building remained standing, a future homeowners association within the proposed development would own the old home, maintain it and also require monthly payments from the neighborhood for its upkeep, Wilson said.
The home sits on an open-space lot, totaling about 14 acres, which includes some of the Nancy Run creek and extends to Miller Road.
Four other structures, including a stone barn and wooden sheds, are proposed to be torn down.
The farm sits across from the township park and Community Center.
'It's a piece of history'
Township resident Bruce Peters said he had never before heard of a “30-inch easement.”
He said officials needed a further look at the situation before taking on such a liability from placing a newly built home so close to the farmhouse.
“You’ve got a deteriorated, dilapidated stone building that’s gonna be 30 inches from somebody else’s property line so that the builder can keep two lots and keep the farmhouse,” Peters said.
“But somebody’s gonna have to take over ownership of that house. Who’s gonna keep the kids out? Who’s gonna keep the deterioration from happening? Nature’s gonna take over.”
"Who’s gonna keep the kids out? Who’s gonna keep the deterioration from happening? Nature’s gonna take over.”Bethlehem Township resident Bruce Peters
“If it goes, the history goes,” resident Tom Keefer said of the beloved farmhouse.
“So that’s all it is — it’s a piece of history.”
Resident Paul Wegrzynowicz said the overall plan should go back before the township Planning Commission for a further look at its “reasonableness,” and also considering the vote on Wednesday.
