— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
The look of historic Main Street in Bethlehem may change.
Developer Lou Pektor proposes adding two stories at the front, and three to the rear, to the Woolworth Building at 555 Main St.
Compare to this view as it is now:
That would allow space for 27 apartments, 21 1-bedroom units and six with two bedrooms. The addition would include an elevator, and additional space for a first-floor restaurant. The plans mark an existing cafe, also on the first floor. The plan says little about parking.
The brick parapet above the former Woolworth would remain. Part of the rear addition to the building will be visible from the Colonial Industrial Quarter, the old Moravian part of Bethlehem that received UNESCO World Heritage status this year.
The building was until recently home to the local Social Security office. That has since moved to Hanover Township.
The proposal will go before the city’s Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB) at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4. HARB will meet in Town Hall. The meeting will also be livestreamed. See the link to the meeting for the agenda and other information.
HARB does not approve projects. It is an advisory body that rules on whether construction is appropriate for the historic area. The city’s Planning Commission and Zoning Commission review new projects, and if a zoning change is sought, City Council has the final vote.
Meeting agendas are subject to change.
Again, click here for the plans, with photographs, and here for the application.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 