(3rd in a series on Martin Tower)
Martin Tower demolition: What readers are saying, Morning Call, February 1, 2019.
These folks got the “move on” memo
Martin Tower “is a proud part of our history, but the reality is we are forced to move on. That building served a purpose in its day, but it is now an anomaly in the market. There have been many efforts over years to repurpose it, but there simply is not a demand for that type of office or residential space. Unless people want an incredibly big museum that stands there empty, it’s time to move on just as we have on the South Side. … We need to build a new economy for this new generation.”
”It was a great part of my life, and I’ll never forget that, but you have to move on.”
“But it’s not going to be redeveloped, and I’m realistic enough to know its time to move on.”
“A lot of us are sad to see it go, but it’s progress.”
“Life goes on.”
Gadfly believes it’s been a half-dozen years since the Martin Tower conundrum’s been in the news.
Gadfly was in another life at that time, but he remembers the gnashing of teeth and the rending of garments.
Are we going down that road again?
Did the developers think that “we” had forgotten?
These folks didn’t get the “move on” memo:
“I think the plans for the removal of the building are a business decision. Having said that, for historical and sentimental reasons, I think it would have been great if the business plan could have included the tower. That was not the case.”
“What could be more sustainable than preserving this iconic building? Are we as a community to just shrug our shoulders and walk away from this gift that Bethlehem Steel gave us?”
“Remove the tower for sure, but how about setting some of those 53 acres aside for future generations to appreciate?”
“Imagine how our downtown would benefit from parkland with some apartments thrown in. Burnside Plantation adjacent to this land could replant some of the land too.”
“We have climate change that is exacerbated by overdevelopment.”
“Future generations will thank the smart planning that saved all this open land.”
“This demolition of Martin Tower is a bad joke against the Lehigh Valley perpetrated by the outsider property owners who recklessly abandoned the property for close to a decade.”
“They then asked Bethlehem City Council for a change of zoning that may allow demolition. This was done after they donated funds to a few of these council members who, for some reason, didn’t recuse themselves as they ought to have done when the vote came to the floor.”
“What resulted was a nearly unanimous vote by council to permit the zoning change despite those who spoke on the public’s behalf just as nearly unanimously opposing the measure.”
“I recommend a total ban on any contracts to be bid on this property until a complete investigation is made into the process that led to the development.”
