June 10, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Macada Road is the epitome of a prestigious, stable neighborhood in Bethlehem, but this week, three land-use changes on or near the road will be reviewed.
The road’s name, by the way, comes from the Village of Macada, which in turn supposedly took its name from “macadam,” a new-fangled road material in the 19th century.
Soon, seven new houses and a self-storage facility might be built along Macada.
Tonight, the Bethlehem Zoning Hearing Board will consider a bid for a second dwelling at 867 E. Macada Road, a corner property at the intersection with Altonah Road. The city zoning officer ruled that adding a dwelling in what used to be a garage is not a permitted use.
The zoning board will meet tonight at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Rotunda on Church Street. Here is a link to the agenda, and I’ll paste a version below. Agendas are subject to change. Check the city website closer to the meeting. The meeting will also be shown on the Internet.
On Thursday night, the Planning Commission will consider two plans along Macada.
Six houses are proposed for 505 E. Macada Road, a 2.5-acre property at the Artemis Drive intersection. The single-family homes would be about 2,240 square feet up to 2,498 square feet.
The house and other buildings on the site now would be demolished, and the property cut into six lots.
At the eastern edge of Macada, a self-storage facility is proposed for a commercial property that is already home to a Learning Center, just off the corner of Macada and Linden Street. There is a Community Bank in front of where the self-storage would go, just to the left (facing from Linden) of the Learning Center.
Walgreen’s is right at the corner of Linden and Macada.
The storage facility at 2955 Linden would have five buildings with access via the existing parking lot.
The Bethlehem Planning Commission will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at the City Hall Rotunda. That meeting will also be streamed, and again, note that agendas are subject to change. So check the city website before trudging downtown.
Here’s a cut-and-paste version of the zoning agenda; the planning agenda can be found in the first link in the preceding paragraph.
CITY OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA
ZONING HEARING BOARD – PUBLIC HEARING
City Hall Rotunda
10 E. Church Street, Bethlehem PA
Wednesday, June 10, 2026 @ 6:00 PM
The Meeting will be livestreamed for viewing purposes only on: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4HYHr4C6mVbfhRXhWYXaJw
Applications can be viewed at: https://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/calendar-planning-zoning, or in Bethlehem City Hall.
Notice is hereby given that the Zoning Hearing Board will have a meeting for the purpose of hearing the following appeals:
436 1st Terrace (CONTINUED)
(CID# 204-002203) (PID# P6SE4B 1 12 0204)
Appeal of Austin Siboni on behalf of 436 First Terrace, LLC, for an interpretation that subject property retains a vested nonconforming Student Housing use; alternatively, if the Board determines the nonconforming status has lapsed, applicant seeks a variance to permit a Student Housing use outside of the Student Housing and Student Home Overlay Zoning District.
Applicant further requests special exception approval to expand a non-conforming Student Home in order to accommodate 5 total students; expansion of a lawful non-conforming use requires a special exception for expansions greater than 5% and up to a maximum 50% of the total Floor Area measured in aggregate over the entire life of the non-conformity: 492 SF permitted, 328 SF Proposed. (Sections 1302.48, 1302.131, 1323.03, 1323.04, 1323.06, 1325.05, 1325.06, 1325.07, 1327.01(c) and all associated Variances, Special Exceptions, and Interpretations).
Tract Size: 7200 SF (.1653 AC)
60’ x 120’
867 E Macada Rd
RT-High Density Residential
Zoning District
(CID# 214-017017) (PID# M6SE3 6 22 0204)
Applicants Clifford and Jane Cummings appeal a determination of the Zoning Officer that a proposed second dwelling unit located in a detached accessory structure is not permitted. Alternatively, applicants request a variance to permit a second dwelling unit in a detached accessory building. (Sections 1302.02, 1302.40(a), 1302.41, 1306.01(a)4, 1318.02, 1325.05, 1325.06 and all associated variances, special exceptions and interpretations).
Tract Size: 55,757 SF (1.28 AC) 182’ x 310’
David W. Taylor, Zoning Officer
Bureau of Planning and Zoning
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 