ALLENTOWN-BETHLEHEM-EASTON | Lehigh Valley, PA | Regional Development Thread

[srahman75]

Originally Posted by DMRyan

I was looking at some aerials of Allentown and couldn't help but notice how there was an inordinate amount of green roofs that have been installed on many downtown buildings. Is there some kind of incentive that the city has in place to encourage installation of green roofs?

https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/lehighval...9262695-4f28-50ec-a4a4-0bbcb6eecc70.html

"Their job is to capture rainwater and keep it from running into the storm water system. But that's just the main purpose. They also protect the roof itself, and keep it cooler, thus lowering energy costs a bit."

[DMRyan]

I know what the purpose of a green roof is, I was just wondering how they became so common and if the city was offering incentives to encourage building owners to install them. It's rare for a city of this size to have as many as it does downtown.

[srahman75]

I don't know, I think the city either gives an incentive or the owners want to get a better LEED certification

[Pulkvedis Pods]

http://https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/...outside-philadelphia-and-pittsburgh.html

This June 28/29 article mentions a nearby, albeit different address for this suspiciously similar tower to the proposed building formerly known as The Landmark with the exact same floor count. So, what - two pencil towers in the same neighbourhood? Note that the article does mention the Landmark as being a "similar proposal" for the city's planning board to deal with... or something like that...

[srahman75]

https://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/getattachme...m-Hotel-(2024-08-27).pdf.aspx?lang=en-US

141 room Hilton planned in South Side Bethlehem near Third and New

[PENNSYLVANIAPROGRESS]

its been a while

[srahman75]

Easton Update:

Marquis:
https://www.citycenterallentown.com/properties/construction-cameras The project is almost complete, meeting its expected spring 2025 opening.

Confluence:
After a few years of delay, site work has finally started on the confluence.
https://www.citycenterallentown.com/properties/construction-cameras

Updated rendering:

Here are the renderings of what the Confluence will end up.

Easton Center Square Hotel (Grand Square Hotel):
Site demolition has been completed for the Hotel. However, I don't think construction has broken ground yet until this spring or summer. Here is a rendering of the project.

Watermark:
A complex of two apartment buildings on 45 Larry Holmes Drive. As far as I know one of the buildings is open and the other one is almost done. Here is a link to the.

[srahman75]

Allentown skyline from PA-145 (Donna S. Fisher/Donna Fisher Photography, LLC /For LehighValleyNews.com) taken on 3/17/2025.

[202_Cyclist]

Allentown, Pa., a Former Industrial Town Reborn
Pennsylvania’s fastest-growing city is experiencing a development boom.

NY Times
Aug. 27, 2025
By Jill P. Capuzzo

“This week, more than 200,000 people are expected come to the Allentown Fairgrounds for the 173rd Great Allentown Fair, where they’ll sample fried kielbasa balls, watch livestock competitions or catch live concerts by Heart and Alabama. Most will return home to the suburbs, but a good number will head back to their houses or apartments in Allentown, Pa.

Pennsylvania’s third-largest and fastest-growing city, Allentown, has seen a boom in development. Spurred by state legislation that provided incentives for building in a 130-acre neighborhood improvement zone, developers have invested more than $1 billion in downtown Allentown over the last decade or so, creating 1.3 million square feet of office space, 1,500 apartments, a hockey arena, two hotels, a new science center and a music hall...”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/realestate/real-estate-guide-to-living-in-allentown-pa.html

[chris08876]

Some u/c, wrapping up and recently completed projects in Easton PA. Pics by me this morning.

U/C.





Recently completed on the left.






U/C. Sprawling complex. More on the left side. Some nice units for the area.