Bethlehem council adopts UDC changes, approves rezoning for specialty food market with accessory fuel pumps

The Bethlehem Town Council voted to adopt amendments to the Unified Development Code (UDC) and approved a rezoning and related variances for an LJA Engineering development that will be a boutique specialty food market with accessory fuel pumps.

Planner Sarah Quaid of CPL presented the staff recommendation that the rezoning and variances be approved as consistent with the town’s comprehensive plan and labeled the project a creative redevelopment of an awkward corner lot at West Star and Christmas avenues. The council discussed supplemental standards that define a “specialty food store” and how many of the listed criteria an applicant must meet.

The council adopted changes to the UDC that add a special-use category for specialty food stores in the C-1 (neighborhood commercial) district and insert supplemental standards and notice clarifications that align rezoning notices with the state’s 15-day public-notice requirement. Council discussion focused on whether applicants should be held to 4-of-7 specialty-market criteria or a lower threshold; the council added language allowing the council or special-exception process to grant variances and agreed to permit a one-time 3-of-7 qualification for the current applicant.

Applicant representatives presented renderings for a proposed 9,000-square-foot Acorn-branded boutique grocery with integrated butcher/deli services, a small walking trail and gazebo, and parking and canopy design. The applicants asked that certain products (tobacco and lottery) be permitted under limited, controlled conditions — behind counters or in locked cabinetry — and noted that some vendor contracts can require carrying packaged tobacco or related products.

Staff’s recommended conditions for approval — which the council adopted as part of the motion on the rezoning — include: development generally consistent with the LJA conceptual plan (project no. 2025-017, dated 03/10/26) subject to engineering review; submission and platting of the subject parcels as a single unified lot prior to issuance of any building permit; limitation of the primary permitted use to a specialty food store with accessory fuel pumps (no standalone fuel-only operation without additional approvals); architectural integration of canopies with the primary building and photometric plans to limit off-site glare; enclosure and screening of refuse; and final canopy design to be reviewed by the planning department.

The application’s site plan shows five fuel pump islands; staff noted that the UDC’s default limit is four pumps and that applicants may request an additional variance. On the rezoning vote the council approved the application and the associated variances by voice vote.

The council and applicant discussed operational specifics — including canopy height, night-sky–friendly lighting, and the level of local sourcing to be required of the specialty-market inventory — and staff and the applicant agreed to refine those details during final development review.

Next steps: the applicant must plat the parcels as a single lot and submit final engineering and permit-level plans for planning-department review; material changes to site layout, access or building footprint may trigger additional council review.