Bethlehem council postpones SALDO vote after residents raise alarms about demolitions, trees and flooding

City Council on Tuesday postponed final adoption of a rewrite of the city's subdivision and land development ordinance (SALDO) until its Sept. 2 meeting after residents and advisory-committee members raised questions about how the changes would affect demolitions, trees and neighborhood character.

The council's vote to delay came after more than an hour of public comment from residents worried that demolition of single-family homes to make way for multi-unit rental buildings is accelerating and harming neighborhood stability. Councilwoman Laird moved to postpone the final reading; Councilwoman Leon seconded. The motion passed unanimously, 7-0.

The SALDO rewrite is intended to bring the city's land-development rules into alignment with the city's climate action goals and other planning priorities. But several speakers said the draft left open too many discretionary standards and that developers already can use existing zoning and variance procedures to approve projects that neighbors say will overwhelm small lots.

Nicole Bancic, a school teacher and owner of a home on Eighth Avenue, described a neighboring lot where she says a developer bought a small ranch home and proposes a three-story, six-bedroom building. "This apartment…