Bethlehem council holds public hearing on rezoning for 70‑unit mixed‑use project at West Garrison Street

A public hearing Feb. 24 before the Bethlehem City Council drew neighborhood residents and the petitioner to discuss a privately proposed zoning map amendment that would change 11 and 15 West Garrison Street from high‑density residential (RT) to central business (CB) to allow a 70‑unit apartment building with ground‑floor retail.

The rezoning request was presented by Michael Oshudi of the law firm Cole Visiliades, Friends and Oshudi on behalf of BPG Investments 2 LLC; Gabe Moyer of Bethlehem Property Group LLC and project architect Vince Marucci also spoke. Assistant Planning Director Craig Pfeiffer told council staff and the Planning Commission reviewed the petition and forwarded a 5‑0 recommendation for approval to council.

Why it matters: the petitioner said adding the two West Garrison parcels to seven contiguous CB parcels would let the developer build the same number of units in a more efficient, lower building with more on‑site parking, while opponents said changing the map risks scale and parking impacts in an otherwise residential block.

Developer presentation and staff view

Attorney Michael Oshudi said the filing is a zoning map amendment — not a text change to the zoning ordinance — and called the submitted plan “conceptual.” He said the group owns nine contiguous parcels in the block and that returning 11 and 15 West Garrison to CB would allow a single, combined project rather than a more constrained by‑right building on seven parcels.

Gabe Moyer, principal of Bethlehem Property Group, said rezoning the two Garrison parcels would let the developers build “a better building with lower average height, more parking, and just generally better appearance,” and allow a stepped facade that transitions into the Garrison Street neighborhood. Architect Vince Marucci said the recommended plan would provide about 85 parking spaces compared with roughly 45 spaces under the by‑right design and would be roughly five to six stories, stepping down toward Garrison because of grade changes; the taller by‑right alternative could reach six to seven stories and create “inefficiencies” in parking and layout, he said.

Craig Pfeiffer told council the Planning Commission voted 5‑0 to recommend approval and that city bureaus and the Planning Commission’s review will be followed by a separate land‑development review if the zoning change advances.

Neighborhood concerns

Several neighbors urged the council not to approve the rezoning. Bill Schar, of 1898 Avenue, said he opposed the request and warned it could amount to “spot zoning.” Schar said he believed similar variances in other parts of the city had effectively rezoned parcels over time and predicted the petition could generate litigation. Resident Cindy Toledo, who said she lives across the street from 11 and 15 West Garrison, told council she had only received a mailed notice and said neighbors were concerned about traffic, narrow Garrison Street, and loss of on‑street parking.

Council questions and clarifications

Council members questioned staff and the applicants about height, parking and existing uses. When Councilman Callahan asked whether developers could build the taller by‑right building on the seven CB parcels without council action, Assistant Planning Director Craig Pfeiffer said that was correct and noted the CB district allows much greater height (he said the CB maximum could translate to roughly 12–14 stories depending on floor‑to‑floor heights). Council members pressed how parking would be arranged given Garrison Street’s narrow profile; the applicants said lower‑level parking entries would use the grade change so cars could access two staggered parking levels.

Project details and context

Petitioners said the nine parcels were commercially zoned for decades prior to a 2005 rezoning that converted 11 and 15 West Garrison to RT; 15 West Garrison is about 2,000 square feet and represents roughly 6.9% of the combined site in the applicants’ figures. The developers estimated the completed project would generate roughly $300,000 in new Bethlehem Area School District tax revenue compared with current vacant and underused conditions on the site.

Next steps

The hearing was informational; no vote was taken during the public hearing. Council was told a proposed ordinance to consider the zoning map amendment will be placed on the March 4 council agenda for first reading, and land‑development review would follow any successful rezoning.

Council and applicants indicated additional public input would be accepted during planning and land‑development reviews. No formal approvals were granted at the hearing.