Bethlehem Planning Commission Chairman Jim Fiorentino canceled a meeting scheduled for Dec. 7 to review and recommend amendments to a controversial new zoning ordinance at the sprawling 53-acre Martin Tower development.

His decision is based on documents obtained through the Right-to-Know law, which were first disclosed in The Bethlehem Press last week. Fiorentino asserts that the planning commission was “misled regarding the involvement of the owner/developer in the drafting of this ordinance.”

Documents produced by the city reveal a seven-month dialogue between city planners and Martin Tower developer Lewis Ronca, including seven different versions of the new ordinance. They reveal that, even as the first public hearing was taking place, Ronca was sending text messages to Community and Economic Development Director Alicia Karner, seeking updates.

Ronca never actually appeared at any of the public meetings, and told city officials he “needed to avoid reporters.”

This troubles Fiorentino.

“It is difficult to escape the fact that much of our work was performed in the dark because of behind the scenes negotiations between the developer and the administration,” Fiorentino said in a letter to Mayor Bob Donchez. “The process of rezoning this significant and historic tract should and would have been done in the light of day.”

Fiorentino has invited Donchez and Karner to January’s meeting of the planning commission to disclose the “exact nature” of their discussions with Ronca.

City planners have stated they’ve engaged all interested parties, including merchants opposed to the new zoning.

Amendments to the Office Mixed Use Ordinance, proposed by Eric Evans, would still permit nearly 380,000 square feet of destination retail development at the Martin Tower site. This is roughly twice the size of the shopping district in Historic downtown Bethlehem, according to Hotel Bethlehem Managing Partner Bruce Haines.

This would be publicly subsidized as well. The Martin Tower development is part of Bethlehem’s City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ). Developer Lewis Ronca can use state sales and other taxes to help fund the cost of the project. He can also tap into a $9 million state grant to recoup the costs of demolishing the 21-story iconic Martin Tower.

On Nov. 19, a divided Lehigh Valley Planning Commission recommended these amendments in a 12-7 vote, but called it a matter of “regional planning significance” and wants an impact study done once development plans are filed.

Haines calls Fiorentino’s letter a “public warning,” but City Clerk Louise Kelchner stated as of deadline time that city council would go on with its public hearing, scheduled for Tuesday night, despite the absence of a report from the planning commission.