Last week, I shared Lucy Lennon's claim that Bethlehem Mayor Willie Reynolds has interfered in an effort by the Lutheran Church to sell off some of its churches and a parking lot so it could use the proceeds to build one consolidated church. According to Lennon, Reynolds told both her and the church leadership that he wished to build a homeless shelter at St. John's Windish Evangelical Lutheran Church. (He really wanted the parking lot for affordable housing). He also allegedly warned off developers who expressed an interest in the property, apparently reminding them that the City could impede their development plans. Three bids were submitted, including a bid by the City. The City lost. It responded by having the Bethlehem Parking Authority send a letter declaring that it planned to take the property by eminent domain,
Although Reynolds apparently told the church he wanted to build a homeless shelter, Lennon believes that he really wants the property for an affordable housing project. The way that works in Bethlehem is that a developer is pretty much given carte blanche to charge outrageous rents so long as he sets aside a few apartments for "affordable" housing. This practice just leads to more and more unaffordable housing.
The City certainly wants to sound the right chords, bit really has no interest in affordable housing. If it really cared, it would not have raised taxes for 5 of the past 6 years. Those tax increases are passed right in to tenants. If the City cared, it would adopt zoning that permitted tiny house overlays in all residential districts. It would encourage its Housing Authority and Redevelopment Authority to start tiny home development now.
That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Willie the worm needs to be taught a lesson. Did you ever hear of the woman who fought off the government in Atlantic City when they wanted to take her home by eminent domain and the city lost. Those days of condemning someones property just so you can take it for some crazy program is over. You go to court and willie the worm will lose.
ReplyDeleteA..greed
ReplyDeleteNo. A progressive playground for the new limousine liberals and the hungry pols looking to the next level. The old guard that cared about the city is long gone and this new crew have no connection with the middle class that built and has sustained the city.
ReplyDeleteReynolds is a diester. One of his role models is Callhan so this should not be a surprise. His solicitor is pure Callahan clan through and through. City council is not better. They as well as the economic department have been selling the city off to the highest bidder for years. Check out all the exemptions given to these guys for parking and affordable units, it's sickening.
Bethlehem officials have been flailing for a few years now with their affordable housing incentives for contractors. They failed to understand the economics of construction and finance incentives, they admittedly guessed and predictably missed the target. One should have less confidence that the current crowd can moderate the problem by getting into the housing business and building affordable housing. If they do, it's likely that the input costs will be excessive and long term cost burdens on the city's budget will be inordinate. Bethlehem citizens, beware their plans for the homeless.
ReplyDeleteFUCK the Parking Authority!
ReplyDeleteAnother mismanaged department
DeleteWith so many properties around the city that are vacant and or in need of some care, why not purchase and remodel? Why buy and build new? There has to be incentives I'm assuming, all at the cost of the tax payer.
ReplyDeleteCorruption: Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery. Should someone dig deeper?
ReplyDeleteThe party in charge made these rules and is simply following them. I'm struggling to see the problem here.
ReplyDeleteAffordable housing is like when the factories had to have labor close to the work place. So they built factory houses. Willies problem will be if is what he does,
ReplyDeletenobody would go to work and they wouldn’t have any. NJ. Relatives squatting in the middle of that beautiful historic city with relatives that got in . That will happen , in Easton after Mayor take HUD . Subsidized housing should not be air conditioned and heating should be at 65 like MY HOUSE . I pay taxes,and didn’t have too many kids ,I’m not from NY. I pay on time and lived 20 years on Each check . Worked 3 jobs 25 years had nothing. Screw affordable housing unless they are a work force for people that pay taxes. And I f#3n sign My name here . Because I can.
You and your word-salad comments are a joke. You're proud of having to work 3 jobs to make ends meet?! Wake up. Your labor had been exploited and you've been gaslit into believing it's the poor souls even less fortunate than you are at fault. Meanwhile the people who actually don't pay taxes are the Trumps and Bezos of the world. But keep shilling
DeleteHaven’t you heard? These days you’re a fool if you work hard and take care of yourself. The government should provide you a middle class life just because you exist.
DeleteDon’t mind me, just popping my head in here to count how many people are still blaming poor people for being poor, and that you should “pull yourselves up by your bootstraps” and just figure it out, and how they aggressively want accountability of their taxes, but turn the other cheek when millions of corporate PPP loans went unpaid.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, blame affordable housing and proposed community health centers for the woes of your community.
You conservatives are brainwashed beyond redemption.
Feel free to move to Russia or China.
DeleteNobody blames people for being poor. My problem is some of those same people live way beyond their means. Big car payments, eating out, shopping ect. Wracking up debt then crying about it. Right now is a great opportunity for people who made mistakes in their 20s to get a career going due to the labor shortage. Sitting on your couch crying isn’t going to help. We should help people help themselves not just give them free stuff. Our poverty programs now seem to trap people instead of having a goal of trying to make them self sufficient.
DeleteCouple funny things about Republicans, Russia and China. Pretty sure those are the only two foreign countries they know by name. It's the only two places you ever hear them tell others to move to if they don't like it here. Yet their boy Orange Julius tRump was in a hot and heavy bromance with the leaders of both countries.
DeleteThere is more than an over abundance of homeless people in the city. I believe for one, it will draw more and more of them and for two, this is all for future political gains.
ReplyDeleteOne of the city's favored developers has there site on this property acquisition paid 2cents on a dollar.
ReplyDeleteHeller sold her soul years ago
ReplyDelete"Don’t mind me, just popping my head in here to count how many people are still blaming poor people for being poor,"
ReplyDeleteAs a poor person myself, I certainly understand that there are many reasons why someone can be impoverished, and that they are often beyond the control of the person in question. My problem with Bethlehem's threatened use of eminent domain is that it has no real plan to provide affordable housing. What it does now (making developers set aside a small percentage of affordable units) actually makes housing more unaffordable in the long run. Throwing money at a problem without a plan is foolish. Why doesn't Bethlehem start encouraging tiny home development with special overlay districts and different construction codes for the small homes? The City could do this and provide housing that would be very attractive to people who want to rent or run. Instead of using the alphabet soup of nonprofits looking for an admin cut, the City could administer itself via its BHA. This is not rocket science. It just requires creative thinking I have never seen by local pols.
Funny I've never seen you suggest any other municipality rezone for small housing with overlay districts as an answer to local affordable housing. In fact, you praised Nat Hyman for converting the abandoned Lincoln Textile Factory in Nazareth into residential apartments that included
ReplyDeletea couple of affordable units in exchange for for all kinds of fiscal breaks for a guy who is already very wealthy. Nothing against Hyman; I don't even know the guy. But just like you said, that made my housing less affordable. I could no longer afford to live comfortably across the street from the Lincoln Building after my landlord realized he could command many $100s more in monthly rental rates next door to a cool old brick factory turned into hip Gen X commuter housing. I think your small home overlay district suggestion is a good one. And I love it that the old Lincoln Textile Building continues to survive. But that's cold comfort for my neighbors and I who had to leave the neighborhood for more affordable housing in other nearby towns. Affordable housing in the Lehigh Valley--or the lack thereof--is only going to get worse. I recently read where a developer is proposing renral housing in the Slate Belt for what's promised to be exorbitant rental rates.
"Funny I've never seen you suggest any other municipality rezone for small housing with overlay districts as an answer to local affordable housing. In fact, you praised Nat Hyman for converting the abandoned Lincoln Textile Factory in Nazareth into residential apartments that included
ReplyDeletea couple of affordable units in exchange for for all kinds of fiscal breaks for a guy who is already very wealthy. Nothing against Hyman;"
I am suggesting that ALL municipalities have tiny home overlays. I also completely support the conversion of dilapidated factories to provide affordable housing and that is precisely what Hyman does, and without any "fiscal" breaks. Unlike most developers and housing nonprofits, he does not have his hand out for $ and does provide affordable housing. His rents are what blue collars can afford, and are neither higher nor lower than the rents charged by other landlords in Nazareth. So I don't know what you're talking about and doubt that you know either.
You're such a dick, O'Hare.
DeleteBest part of a man.
ReplyDelete