BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. — An overhead look of proposed apartments for the old V-7 property had one township official reminiscing on Monday.
“[It] does remind me of my military days at Camp Lejeune,” Commissioner President John Merhottein said, drawing some laughs from the room.
“Looks like a bunch of barracks there.”
Chrin V-7 Associates plans to make about 17 acres — some of which is a cornfield — at the southwest corner of Hope Road and William Penn Highway, and just east of Route 33, home to 264 garden apartments, 12 buildings and a 5,700-square-foot amenity structure.
Township commissioners weighed in on the project’s newest iteration, with most concerns centered around access to the development and its potential effects on traffic.
The property once featured a driving range, miniature golf course and restaurant on site.
Accessing the development
The plan proposes two access points, both off of Hope Road to the east.
One of those would act as a kind of extension of nearby Bayard Street, which would straddle both the subject property and township land, while being as far from William Penn Highway as possible, according to the project team.
“Not a very creative site plan,” said Commissioner John Gallagher.
“ … And also it’s rather presumptuous of you to build a roadway on the township property.”
“Not a very creative site plan. … And also it’s rather presumptuous of you to build a roadway on the township property.”Bethlehem Township Commissioner John Gallagher
Real estate attorney Marc Kaplin, speaking on behalf of the developer, described the township’s multifamily dwelling ordinance requirements as “the most difficult” he’s ever experienced in his line of work.
On top of that, the property is classified under three different zonings, he added.
“I don’t know how many drawings we went through to try and comply with your ordinance,” Kaplin said to Gallagher.
“And this is the one that makes the most sense.”
“I don’t know how many drawings we went through to try and comply with your ordinance. And this is the one that makes the most sense.”Real estate attorney Marc Kaplin, representing Chrin V-7 Associates
Gregory Elko, managing principal with Langan Engineering in Doylestown, Bucks County, said that if the township ever wanted to develop its portion of that surrounding land, then some of the V-7 parcel would need to be used as well.
“It is a bit presumptuous of us to put that there,” Elko said.
“But we thought that it would spark a dialogue with the township about the potential improved access on the property that the town can use at some point later.”
Effects on traffic
Commissioner Michael Hudak said he currently didn’t have a problem with the southernmost access point cutting into township property, but was most concerned about having potential improvements at the Hope-William Penn “T” intersection.
“I don’t know if I’m crazy about a right turn out on Hope Road and a right turn in,” Merhottein said of the development’s proposed traffic flow.
“Because then you’re sending all the traffic down to Freemansburg [Avenue] — and that’s a long way away if people want to jump on 33.”
“I don’t know if I’m crazy about a right turn out on Hope Road and a right turn in. Because then you’re sending all the traffic down to Freemansburg [Avenue] — and that’s a long way away if people want to jump on 33.”Bethlehem Township Commissioners President John Merhottein
Kaplin said that was a suggestion from the Planning Commission, and the developer can always rethink its plans.
Township planner Barry Roth said the buildings should gradually get taller the closer they get to the highway.
Also, the traffic in that area is already bad enough now, let alone whenever any proposed development went up, he said.
“It’s not gonna work at all,” Roth said.
Looking back, what's to come
The developer first submitted the project to the township in May 2023, resubmitting with changes last October.
Project officials took an illustrative plan to the Planning Commission before heading to the Zoning Hearing Board in February.
That panel granted the developer two variances involving height and parking: an allowance of 3.5 feet in height over ordinance to allow for a pitched roof (39.5-foot buildings), and permitted two parking spaces per unit instead of the typical 2.5.
A fully engineered plan will be before the township at some point, the project team said Monday.
