BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A developer is seeking approval to build a six-story, 240-unit apartment complex in South Side Bethlehem, near the SteelStacks campus.
- Lehigh County-based Serfass Construction is seeking to build a 240-unit apartment building on Bethlehem’s South Side
- The developers asked City Council to change the site's zoning from Industrial Redevelopment to Central Business
- A public hearing on the proposed change is scheduled for March 21.
The building, at 119 Technology Drive, would be at the Northeast corner of 2nd Street and Fahy Memorial Bridge, bordered to the north by the Lehigh River.
At the beginning of Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, council President Michael Colon announced an unexpected addition to the agenda: a request to change the city’s zoning map.
Serfass Development, based in North Whitehall Twp., asked the city to change the property's designated use from industrial redevelopment to central business, clearing the way for the proposed apartments.
Residences built in the Central Business zone must include commercial space, such as retail or a restaurant, on the first floor, per zoning regulations.
The site now is occupied by a 48,000-square-foot “industrial research and development facility,” according to a listing for the property.
Listed for just under $7 million as of January, it includes office, clean room and warehouse space.
City Council voted 7-0 to schedule a public hearing on the proposed rezoning for March 21.