City council voted to approve a decision Feb. 17 that few may have heard about.

After years of deliberation and development, they accepted the recommendation of the Historic Architectural and Review Board to permit the construction of a seven-story structure downtown.

Placed adjacent to the just-completed Walnut-Street Garage, the building proposed by Larkin Associates and called “Ironside Lofts” will feature businesses on the first floor and 107 dwelling units above. The landowner is the Bethlehem Parking Authority, which will offer spaces in the garage for residents’ use.

City Director of Community and Economic Development Laura Collins told council the project had undergone an unusual amount of discussion between owners, HARB and the public. “We had talked years ago about an RFP, finding a trusted and qualified developer… having those conversations and being engaged with the community was a pretty critical aspect of who we wanted to do the project.”

She said discussions between developer and community began about two years ago. Public meetings began in August 2025. HARB asked that the design brings the eyeline down, making seven stories seem shorter for neighbors, and developers were very responsive.

The board upon motion by Michael Simonson and seconded by Joseph McGavin adopted the proposal that city council issue a Certificate of Appropriateness for the construction of a seven-story mixed-use building in accordance with the revised Application and drawings dated 1/05/2026. The building’s first floor will contain commercial, retail, restaurant, and/or personal service spaces and the upper floors will house 107 dwelling units, with the following conditions. 1. Applicable permits shall be secured by the Applicant prior to any work taking place. 2. All Building materials and colors shall be as submitted in the previous Application dated 3/19/2025. 3. Signage for retail tenants shall be submitted for review by HARB at a later date, as/when tenants are secured. 4. Exterior lighting fixture cuts shall be submitted to the City for administrative review and approval by the Chief Building Code Official and Historic Officer prior to installation.

The vote was split 4 to 1 in favor of construction of a seven-story mixed-use building in accordance with the revised Application and drawings dated 1/05/2026. The building’s first floor will contain commercial, retail, restaurant, and/or personal service spaces and the upper floors will house 107 dwelling units, as per the motion. The result of the vote is as follows: Joseph McGavin: Yes Connie Postupack: Yes Diana Hodgson: No Michael Simonson: Yes Nik Nikolov: Yes