Bethlehem Township Manager Jon Hammer told me "nothing is off the table." The township does receive a $1,500 impact fee for every residence built, although in some cases, developers donate green space. "We're pretty built out," he conceded, acknowledging there won't be much in the way of impact fees. But Hammer noted hopefully that the township has recently received a fifty-seven acre tract of land, devised by the Housenick estate. How that land is used is up to Bethlehem Township residents.
Located off Christian Spring Road, the Housenick parcel includes the mansion of Archibald Johnson, Bethlehem's first mayor. In 1919, as Bethlehem Steel prepared for a strike, Johnson armed mounted police with nightsticks and barred assembly by more than three persons.
Ahhh, the good 'ol days. Instead of dog parks, Johnson seemed more intent on creating pens for people.
