Bethlehem Township’s Comprehensive Plan Committee to Meet Wednesday

March 3, 2026

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

Bethlehem Township’s Comprehensive Plan Committee will meet Wednesday to lay out steps toward setting a new 10-year plan.

Comprehensive Plans are updated every 10 years. The township’s last plan was set in 2017. The plans look at land use, housing, demographics and everything else that makes Bethlehem Township what it is today.

There is a lot to be done, according to this note from the township website:

“The township’s population at the 2020 census was 25,861. The majority of lands within the township are developed or planned for development. With that in mind, the 2027 Comprehensive Plan will focus on carrying a mature community through the next 10 years via realistic determinations about where the township is now and where it’s going through concrete, actionable goals and objectives. The township’s recently-adopted Active Transportation Plan will be considered and incorporated – as applicable and necessary – into the 2027 Comprehensive Plan. The township’s Parks Master Planning Study and Stormwater Capital Improvement Plan will also be considered. The comprehensive plan will also generally comply with the FutureLV, the region’s comprehensive plan.”

Note the above, that township land is mostly developed or planned for development. One township official estimated that 90% has been developed.

The next Comprehensive Plan will look toward the year 2037, which seems far away right now but consider that 10 years ago, the township was a much different place, with more open space and less development along Freemansburg Avenue and other main roads.

One thing is consistent, the intersection of Farmersville Road and Freemansburg Avenue has not been improved yet.

Here’s the agenda for tomorrow:

Bethlehem Township
Comprehensive Plan Preparation
Wednesday, March 4, 2026

5pm-6pm
Bethlehem Township
Municipal Meeting Room
Meeting Agenda #1

1. Participation Timeline and Roles
2. Defining priorities, goals and key issues for the group
3. Discussion for Demographics Analysis
4. Next Steps

Bethlehem Township’s Comprehensive Plan Committee will meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, at the municipal meeting room, 4225 Easton Ave. The meeting is open to the public.