Developer seeks CS zoning for Eighth Avenue site; planning commission and LVPC recommend conditions

Attorney Dennis Benner, representing a private owner group, asked Bethlehem City Council at an informational public hearing to amend the city zoning map and rezone two parcels at Eighth Avenue and Martin Court from the Mixed Use Commercial District (CMU) to the Shopping Center District (CS).

Benner told the council the rezoning would allow more automobile-oriented uses than the existing CMU zone, specifically naming an “upscale car wash” operator and restaurants that commonly require drive-through service. “CMU does not permit a drive through. CS does,” Benner said during his presentation. He said he had spoken with prospective operators, including a car-wash company called Cloud 10, and that no land plan was being proposed with the rezoning request.

Assistant Planning and Zoning Director Craig Pfeiffer said the CMU district was established in 2006 for lighter, neighborhood-scale commercial uses and that CS across the street permits more vehicle-intensive uses. Pfeiffer told council staff recommended approval and that the city planning commission had voted 4–0 to recommend approval.

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s (LVPC) March 18 letter supported rezoning the site as a logical extension of the CS district but “strongly recommends requiring a subdivision of the primary property and lot line adjustment with the adjacent parcel to avoid split zoning,” the LVPC memo said. Council members pressed the applicant about whether a subdivision or lot-line adjustment had been completed; Benner said converting the property’s condominium-form ownership would disrupt the existing condominium regime and that he had provided a plot plan and metes-and-bounds description so review bodies would understand the proposal.

Council members asked about traffic, pedestrian access, and how the proposed change would affect the neighborhood’s walkability. Pfeiffer and Benner said any specific development would require subsequent review, including planning commission review and traffic studies at the land development phase. Benner said drive-through service is often required by restaurants considering new locations and that he sought flexibility. He also said Cloud 10’s proposed car wash would use water reuse and reduced-chemical processes.

The hearing was purely informational; council did not vote. Council President said an ordinance would be placed on the council agenda for first reading on April 15, 2025. Members of the public in attendance offered mainly neutral-to-supportive comments about parking and traffic so long as impacts are mitigated.