June 17, 2025
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Palmer Township property that has been targeted for mobile homes and warehouses, and is now proposed again for housing, has been sold for $11.6 million.
Northampton County records say 1492 Van Buren Road has been acquired by a limited liability corporation based at the Main Street, Bethlehem, office of developer Lou Pektor‘s company, Greystone Capital.
Earlier, Abraham Atiyeh had proposed various uses for the land off Route 33, including warehouses and mobile homes. In February, Pektor told Palmer Township’s Board of Supervisors that he reached an agreement with Atiyeh to buy the land and develop it into apartments and townhouses. Pektor also owns land across Van Buren Road from the former Atiyeh property.
Between the two properties, he plans a total of 412 apartments and townhouses, according to township records. As part of the deal, litigation involving the property was dropped.
From the February meeting minutes:
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Pektor said a few years ago we also acquired a 17-acre parcel on the west side of Van Buren through a settlement. That will have an apartment complex similar to our Sullivan Park community in Forks Township. We shared the same concerns for the parcel across the street and we were able to get a sales agreement with Mr. Atiyeh that includes this settlement agreement. Pektor said, a condition of the settlement agreement includes the termination of all of Mr. Atiyeh’s litigation matters. Pektor went on to present the proposed plan that includes 92 townhouses and 320 apartments with the Schoeneck creek in between the two.
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The plan includes walking and biking trails, and open space.
This is a large project for us and we want to do it right, Pektor said, according to meeting minutes. Minutes are a summary of what is said, not direct quotations.
The sale of 1492 Van Buren Road was completed June 11, according to Northampton County property records.
County records show the last sale of the land was in 2022, for $2.5 million.
Based on the one-half percent (0.5%) realty transfer tax, Palmer Township will get $58,000 from the sale.
See:
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 