Bethlehem's "Flat Iron" building at 301 Broadway will get a new drive-thru canopy for the Wells Fargo bank that occupies part of the building, if the owner gets his way.

Stowe Eighmy represented the family business, Sycamore Hill Farms LP, at a meeting of the Historic Conservation District at the Banana Factory Jan. 27.

Eighmy said the company wants to keep the existing bank drive-through canopy and redevelop it as a coffee shop such as a Starbucks. He said the plan would cost 10 to 15 parking spaces.

"We're not looking for approval tonight," Eighmy said. "We're looking for your expertise on [appropriate] materials.

Commission member and City of Bethlehem employee Philip Roeder suggested the owners talk to the zoning board before doing any more planning on the project. Commission members decided to table the matter pending a review by the zoning board.

The building's solar heating dish, which drew the ire of members of city council when the dish was first installed, has been temporarily removed, Eighmy said. The dish had been a prototype which will be replaced with a more stable design, he explained.

He said the solar energy collector heats oil which circulates throughout the building warming the offices.

In other business, the owners of the duplex at 202-204 E. Fourth St. had another disappointing session with the commission. They again were seeking a certificate of appropriateness that would allow Louis Inhle and his business partner James Byszewski to replace windows in the building with vinyl windows.

Byszewski repeated arguments he made at commission's last meeting to support the cheaper windows. However, commission members were unwavering in their negative opinion of the durability of vinyl windows.

The commissioners prefer to see wood or fiberglass replacement windows. They did approve, however, a three-option resolution that would include the option to replace some existing vinyl windows with vinyl as they are grand-fathered in the applicable zoning ordinance.

"It sets a bad precedent to approve the use of vinyl windows," Roeder said.