The deal, announced today by Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez, is for $322,000. This allows Bethlehem's Redevelopment Authority to purchase the property from the Commonwealth for the agreed upon price of $272,000 – with the preservation covenant – and utilizing the $50,000 premium over the purchase price to recover expenses involved in the planning and development process.
It is anticipated that closing will take place in 2017.
The Peron team includes Boyle Construction, USA Architects and Noble Preservation Services. The Peron proposal provides for the development of 70 to 76 apartment units and depending upon the final zoning and planning approvals the creation of mixed-use commercial tech space in the former drill hall. The project is projected to cost approximately $10 million.
What I love is that this property will be developed with no tax abatement, no public subsidies, no CRIZ, no NIZ, no TIF, no Fed Ed and no help whatsoever by Senator Pat Browne. A property that is currently tax-exempt will turn into a $10 Million tax-ratable for the City of Bethlehem, Bethlehem Area School District and County of Lehigh.
The state was willing to convey the property so long as it remained subject to an historic preservation covenant approved by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
“The City of Bethlehem has a long history in preserving important elements of our local history, and the Bethlehem Armory will be no exception,” said Mayor Donchez. He called the Armory a "pivotal gateway to West Bethlehem."
Bethlehem sure has a lot of gateways.
Blogger's Note: I was unable to attend this announcement because I was sitting in on Drug Court. I have relied on information supplied by Bethlehem and its redevelopment Authority.
7 comments:
pure dem inbreeding
does this mean we can get rid of the not so hidden Hirko tax? When is the Cunningham landfill fiasco paid off? How's all those contributions working out?
I have lived on Prospect Ave my whole life and a lot of the properties nearby have become run down. Give this thing a chance. How the hell can you argue with turning a abandoned ugly building, into a new place where people will work and live. Sometimes you just can't save people from themselves. Everybody complains but if you don't try to change, how will things ever get better?
The RDA seems to do a really good job in Bethlehem. From the Steelstacks campus on the Southside to this project they are really a bright spot for Bethlehem government. Is this a mandated authority and who are they anyway. I know I love going to the Levitt Pavilion.
The quiet man at the RDA helm is Tony Hanna, who has navigated the RDA through the shoals of red tape and made Bethlehem a better place. He is one of the Lehigh Valley's pioneers, right up there with Jeff Parks and Alan Jennings, but prefers being in the background. His fingerprints are on just about every success Bethlehem has achieved in the last 15 or so years. Don't take my word for it. Ask Mayor Donchez, Callahan and Cunningham.
Tony Hana, Tony Hana, evety8ng is about the old Callahan guy. I guess there are no members of the authority or anyone else that does anything at all.
Wow!
It's Hanna. When you can't even spell someone's name, I question your observations about him.
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