The Bethlehem Manor case: field trip!

Bethlehem Manor, Neighborhoods, Serious Issues 1 Minute

(Latest in a series of posts on Bethlehem Manor and Neighborhoods)

So have you been playing along? What decision would you make if you were on the Zoning Hearing Board?

At the historic commissions, planning commission, and zoning board hearings, Gadfly has often thought a field trip would be helpful for the members.

Those bodies work from photos, sketches, design plans, blueprints, verbal testimony, etc. I wonder why video is not used. A laptop set up at the “Mayor’s desk” would make it possible, I think. And maybe it could be helpful at times.

Gadfly was struck by neighbor Anne Lendzinski’s comment that what Bethlehem Manor wanted to do was appropriate at their Saucon Valley Manor facility but not the “homey environment” of Pennsylvania Ave.

So Gadfly decided to get a personal feel for the validity of her point and take a field trip to both locations and take (unfortunately) unprofessional videos.

Here are two short videos on Bethlehem Manor: Bethlehem Manor 1 and Bethlehem Manor 2.

And here are two short videos on another facility owned by the same company, Saucon Valley Manor, Main St., Hellertown: Saucon Valley Manor 1 and Saucon Valley Manor 2.

Does Anne have a point?

Would “being there” help the Board make a decision?

Published by The Bethlehem Gadfly

Edward J. Gallagher, Bethlehem immigrant, retired, nearly 50 years as Professor of American Literature at Lehigh University, known as "Dr. G" and "Conan the Grammarian" to students, whose virtual world avatar "EdwardScholarhands" stares at you here, has reinvented himself as the Bethlehem Gadfly.

Published

2 thoughts on “The Bethlehem Manor case: field trip!”

  1. When I was a member of the HARB, it was expected that we would go to take a look at the site of the proposal before a meeting. Occasionally, when it was controversial or complicated, we would plan an on-site meeting with all of the members attending. To only look at plans, blueprints or conceptual drawings is shortsighted and, I feel, detrimental to trust in the decisions of the board. Holly(Madeline)Sachdev

    On Tue, Aug 20, 2019, 10:30 AM The Bethlehem Gadfly wrote:

    > The Bethlehem Gadfly posted: “(Latest in a series of posts on Bethlehem > Manor and Neighborhoods) So have you been playing along? What decision > would you make if you were on the Zoning Hearing Board? At the historic > commissions, planning commission, and zoning board hearings, Gadfly h” >

  2. I am reminded of the singer Joe South’s song, “Walk a Mile in My Shoes!”

    >

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