Gadfly #2 Bill Scheirer does the math (probably a 1000 new apartment units on line) and makes us wonder if there is a conscious policy to change the character of our town.
In the approaching Christmas season during which we all will be watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” again (and again), Bill makes Gadfly #00 think of Bethlehem as Bedford Falls and reminds him of the resident in public comment at Council a year or so ago who spoke of the “Capra-esque” quality of our town.
We do have that kind of charm.
Are we in danger of losing it?
- “We have constructed or proposed or in various stages of approval 12 apartment projects in the City of Bethlehem, 5 on the Southside, 4 on the West Side, and 3 on the Northside.”
- “Let’s say 30 variances were requested, 2 were rejected.”
- “That’s a 90% approval rate when a developer appears before the Zoning Hearing Board.”
- “It would seem that the Zoning Hearing Board has a desire to see Bethlehem change, change its character.”
- “And it’s up to us to decide if that’s what we want Bethlehem to become.”
- “Do we want it to become a more dynamic and more busy and more congested and more noisy and become like many other small cities with pretensions.”