The Bethlehem Food Co-Op has signed a lease on a property in the north Bethlehem downtown neighborhood for its proposed full-service, community owned grocery store. The store is projected to open in 2022 and will be open to all shoppers.

At a virtual presentation to its membership March 12, board Chair Kelly R. Allen announced the store location at 250 E. Broad St.

The co-op is partnering with Peron Development and Boyle Construction for the project, and a proposed rendering of the building was shared during the presentation. Plans call for demolition of the existing one-story structure and the construction of a four-story building with the Bethlehem Food Co-Op as the first floor tenant. Residential units will complete the upper stories.

In video remarks made as part of the presentation, Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez noted, “Opening a full-service grocery store in the neighborhood, especially on our north side, is vital to our city as we move forward, especially implementing Northside 2027. This is a perfect fit for the neighborhood, a perfect fit for the north side.”

Peron Development and Boyle Construction issued a statement saying they are excited to partner with the Bethlehem Food Co-Op “to offer a unique space with incredible access, parking and walkability for Bethlehem residents.”

“We saw this as a way of giving back to the Bethlehem community, a place that is convenient and fulfills the fresh grocery needs of downtown residents,” said Mike Perrucci of Peron Development. “The residents living there will love having the co-op below them and the co-op will have a whole bunch of new members.”

A capital campaign, to be launched in the spring, will raise $1.7 million to build and outfit the store. Each of the nine members of the board of directors has signed on with a “Leadership Commitment” to financially support the new store. The funds will be raised from donations, member loans, bank loans, and grants. Sponsorships and naming rights will also be available.

A large banner, “Future Home of the Bethlehem Food Co-Op”, crafted by the Northampton Community College Fab Lab, is now on the site.

Volunteers were on hand from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. for “Curbside with the Co-Op”; those driving by pulled up and picked up co-op marketing items, and those who are not yet members, received membership information.

Initially organized in 2011, the Bethlehem Food Co-op has over 800 member-owners. Its store will be open to all shoppers, and feature healthy, nutritious, locally-sourced products. The organization’s mission also focuses on educational, environmental, and social justice initiatives.

Plans for the store include soliciting local vendors to supply produce and products, as well as the inclusion of bulk bins, a community kitchen, community meeting room, small area for outdoor dining, a bike rack and off-street parking.

For more information, visit bethlehemfood.coop.

Contributed article