Local Government TV

Friday, July 15, 2011

Big Box Warehouse Coming to Commerce Center Boulevard

A 1,350,000 sq. ft. warehouse, sitting on 107 acres at 2785 Commerce Center Boulevard, might very well be the site of the largest warehouse in the U.S., eclipsing the Coleman Distribution Center in Kansas. That's just a paltry 1 million square feet. That possibility took a step closer to reality on July 14 when Bethlehem planners unanimously approved plans for Liberty Trust property.
The Commerce Center Boulevard site is the largest re-use to date on lands formerly owned by Bethlehem Steel. Plans include 406 parking spaces, as well as room for 695 tractor trailers, which Liberty agreed to phase in gradually.

But when they build it, who will come?

Liberty Senior VP Bob Kiel was coy about a tenant. "I can't be specific about anyone occupying the property," he stated, but warned that "we need to get moving."

In other business, real estate developer Domenic Villani was grudgingly given 60 days to come up with revised plans for 2011 Eaton Avenue. Villani had proposed a nine unit townhouse development on a 0.8 acre tract, but never responded to Planning Department concerns, memorialized in a letter sent to him 25 months ago. Stormwater controls, lane widths and emergency vehicle access, all fail to meet City requirements.

Exasperated at a request for a 30-day extension, planner Steve Thode asked Villani, "What's going to happen in the next 30 days that hasn't happened in the last 25 months?"

Claiming he wants to do a "first class job," Villani told planners, "I just need more time because everything is so expensive."

He also agreed to meet with a parade of concerned neighbors, which appeared to mollify planners.
Correction 11:00 AM: I mistakenly called the Villani townhouse development a 22-unit condo. I have corrected that error, thanks to my astute readers, who are smarter than me I. (See what I mean? One of my readers pointed that out, too.)

40 comments:

  1. The Callahan connection will work wonders on this one.

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  2. real estate developer? there's a lot of names for him but bo will just delete my thoughts anyway

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  3. VILLANI LAND DEVELOPMENT PLAN

    1210 Eaton Avenue,Ward 13, Zoned RG
    Plans dated April 30, 2009.
    Submission Date: 05-28-11
    Expiration Date: 12-31-11

    This development proposes to construct a nine-unit townhouse development with 24 parking spaces on a 0.8 acre lot.

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  4. Let the snarking begin...Being a friend of the family and all parties involved I will tell you unequivocally that anything having to do with them is scrutinized at a higher level than anything for anyone else. There is no way that anything that could even have any appearance of impropriety would occur. It's almost unfair, but necessary. Mayor Callahan is well aware of the rhetoric that occurs anytime a family members issues come up and would never allow anything to happen bith because of his ethics and the fact that he has his career to think of too.

    Seamus

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  5. I think one of the biggest thing people have missed in the redevelopment of the steel lands is the Casino, Arts quest and such is a very small piece of the overall property. There are many areas for corporate uses such as this warehouse and hopefully more manufacturing sites.

    Seamus

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  6. I'm hearing that it's Majestic.

    Seeing as I was an idiot 17 year old Morning Call paperboy when this debate was going on, was it always assumed that the eastern part of the property would be warehouse and suburban-style office parks? Bethlehem really sold its birthright for a mess of pottage by not zoning for high-density office towers over there.

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  7. Maybe that's because they don't want any more high density office towers that are...

    VACANT!

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  8. Yeah, high density office towers are doing very well in this area. Local police departments are using these vacant buildings to conduct K-9 training and handler certifications. Let's build more.

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  9. They could use more of those high rise office buildings in Brooklyn, where Geeting lives!

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  10. 8:02,

    Thank God for my readers! I just fixed my factual error, and will correct my story.

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  11. Seamus:

    Callahan, ethics in same sentence, that's a real oxymoron.

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  12. Anon 11:00 I know the man much better than you, I guarantee. He is not only ethical but caring and loyal to a fault. Don't believe the hype you hear. None of us are perfect, we all make mistakes daily they just don't make it into the newspaper.

    Seamus

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  13. Bernie:

    Grammatical suggestion -

    "I have corrected that error, thanks to my astute readers, who are smarter than me."

    Should be: "I have corrected that error, thanks to my astute readers, who are [much] smarter than I."

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  14. "smarter than me" is correct. "Smarter than I" is not correct.

    I is the first person singular subject pronoun, which refers to the person performing the action of a verb.

    I like to go to the gym every day.
    That is the one I need.
    Megan and I went to high school together.

    Me is an object pronoun, that refers to the person that the action of a verb is being done to.

    My doctor told me not to go to the gym.
    The student needed to speak to me.
    If you ask me, I think it is a bad idea.

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  15. To SmartAss Anon 1:31 PM:

    I hope you are not an English teacher.

    Follow this:

    Grammar Girl here, or actually for this episode I should say, “'Tis I, Grammar Girl, here to help you understand when to use the words I and me.”.
    So this week, Jodie wanted to know which is correct: It is I or It is me. She says that when she answers the phone and the person asks, "Is Jodie there?" she usually responds by saying, "This is she." But one of her friends says this is incorrect, and now they have a $5 bet on the question.
    Wow! Ryan, David, Jane, and Iljitsch also asked this question, but they don't have money riding on the answer.The short answer is that Jodie wins. The traditional grammar rule states when a pronoun follows a linking verb, such as is, it should be in the subject case. That means it is correct to say, “It is I,” and “It was he who dropped the phone in shock when Jodie answered, 'This is she.'”

    What are Linking Verbs?
    Linking verbs are words like is, was, were, appear, and seem, which don't describe an action so much as describe a state of being. When pronouns follow these non-action verbs, you use the subject pronouns such as I, she, he, they, and we.
    Here are some more correct examples:
    Who called Jodie? It was he.
    Who told you about it? It was I.
    Who had the phone conversation? It must have been they.
    Who cares? It is we.
    Now the problem is that 90 percent of you are almost certainly thinking, “Well, that all sounds really weird. Is she serious?”

    Cont'd in next post!

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  16. To SmartAss Anon 1:31 PM: Cont'd

    I hope you are not an English teacher.

    Follow this:

    Well, yes, I'm serious, and that is the traditional rule, but fortunately most grammarians forgive you for not following the rule. In her aptly titled book Woe Is I, Patricia O'Connor notes that almost everyone says, “It is me,” and that the “It is I” construction is almost extinct (1). Most other grammarians agree that unless you're answering the phone for the English department at the University of Chicago or responding to a Supreme Court judge, it's OK to use what sounds right and therefore, “That's me” is an acceptable answer (2, 3, 4, 5). So even though Jodie is technically correct, it would probably be more fair for her and her friend to take the $5 and go get a cold beverage together.

    Rather You Than Me Versus Rather You Than I

    On a related note, a listener named Jane wanted to know whether it is correct to say, “Rather you than me,” or “Rather you than I,” and the answer is similar to the “it is I” situation.
    Traditional grammar rules state that you use the subject pronoun, I, after words such as than and as. So the correct answer is that when Jane's friends are in trouble, she can say, “Rather you than I.” On the other hand, using the object pronoun, me, is so common that most grammarians also accept “Rather you than me.”
    I hate it when language is in flux like this because it's easy to get confused. But a lot of people have asked me these questions, and in the end, I believe it's best to know the traditional rules and then if you decide to break them you can do so knowingly and with conviction. So until next time, it is I, Grammar Girl, who thank you for listening.

    Taken from:
    http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/

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  17. Anon 3:43, time to get a life or get laid. Maybe both!

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  18. Alrighty then. I think both uses are probably acceptable, It depends on whether one is a conjunctionist (I) or a prepositionist (me).

    Because the conjunctionist use has been longer, I'll stanqd corrected.

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  19. Anon 2:19, I do not believe this Villani is related to Callahan, except distantly. If he is closely related, I would say it did him no good.

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  20. close,very,very close

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  21. Well, I saw absolutely no evidence of favoritism. In fact, the Planning Department as all for giving this guy the heave ho.

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  22. Me thinks. Therefore, me is.



    Sincerely,

    Winston tastes good like/as a cigarette should.

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  23. Geeting:

    "Seeing as I was an idiot 17 year old Morning Call paperboy when this debate was going on . . ."

    You are still an idiot only you are older and live in Brooklyn and your voice in this or any other local debate reflects your residency.

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  24. Bernie, anon 9:46 just personally attacked Mr. Geeting. By your own rules he should be deleted. If you delete annon's for telling the truth about Chris Miller's hypocritical stand on public pensions, then Mr. anon 9:49 should be deleted for anonymously attacking Mr Geeting.

    Whats good for the bagger is good for the liberal? or is it???


    Jesus wants to know!

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  25. Anon called Geeting an idiot, a charge admitted to by Geeting in the quotation cited.

    It's difficult to see the truth with a scrotum in your eyes.

    Sincerely,

    Anderson Cooper Vanderbilt

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  26. all villanis are closely related - it's call inbreeding

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  27. Bernie O'Hare is a hypocrite. His "truth" and "rules" are a joke!

    The World Knows

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  28. This cant be correct. Aren't Charlie Dent and his fellow Republican job creators some how responsible for the 500 jobs to be created?

    The ones opposed to the bond money infrastructure improvements. You know that marxist intervention of government.

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  29. I opposed the 2001 bond, in court and out. That was supposed to create 30,000 high quality jobs. Ten years later, it's safe to say it is.a complete bust. Yet you are now taking credit for 500 warehouse jobs. Callahan will likely crown himself, too.

    A few points. One, there is no tenant, so it's premature to be patting yourself on the back. Second, warehouse jobs are lousy jobs, hardly the high tech jobs that were supposed to be created. Third, these big box warehouses are a public safety nightmare, as evidenced by what is going on with Amazon in Lehigh County. Numerous fire and police calls. Just what Bethlehem needs.

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  30. BO -0 you see all the chinks from NY that cheat and get arrested at the sands. they are worse than the ricans. stop the trash from the buses.

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  31. Hey O'Hare if the entire bond was a bust. Add to that the fact you and Angle attacked everyone involved as inept and evil, why does Ron Angle attend every groundbreaking they have over that way.

    Could the ode of hypocrisy be wafting through the air?

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  32. The reason Angle attends ground-breakings is because he is an elected member of County Council and is usually invited to be there. He may oppose the project, but once it comes to pass, it comes to pass, and he is being courteous to those who invite him. You can scream at his hosts if you like. Maybe you should adopt an Ordinance banning any person who opposed a project from being present at the ground breaking. You sound petty and childish, and like someone who pays way too much attention to Ron.

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  33. "white boy" is no doubt a Dem hack who is trying very hard to make the commenters on this blog look like bigots.

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  34. all dems are bigots - look at johnny casinos' bought council. look at ur self bo look at dolan you can not deny the truth no matter how you try to twist it

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  35. but you are a self professed bigot bo - u hate everyone except yourself

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  36. That's not true. I hate myself, too.

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  37. No one twists Angle's arm to go to these events. He is their to get his mug in the news picture and on TV. He doesn't give a rodents rear end about the hosts. He wants the publicity. Ron Angle like you is a big old hypocrite.

    Damn the projects but suck up the publicity. What a political whore.

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  38. Nobody twists his arm. He is invited. If you have a problem with that, you should speak to the people who invite him and tell them to stop. Unlike you, they apparently do not harbor ill feelings, and understand it is a matter of courtesy and respect.

    Angle is from Region 4 in the slate belt. Going to a Bethlehem dedication does not really help him but he does it. Sure, probably some of it is ego, but he does consider it a matter of respect and courtesy. He might oppose corporate welfare to a place like the Sands. He does not gamble. But he has nothing against the business.

    Angle opposed the bond, but also appeared at the courthouse rededication. He is a member of Council. It is a matter of respect and courtesy.

    If he did not go, it would be called sour grapes.

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  39. Respect and Loyalty are words only you would use when describing Ron Angle. He is the most discourteous and disloyal elected official in the Lehigh Valley.

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