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SOS In The News
Editorial From The Morning Call -- September 19, 2004
Original design for former steel property still should be the touchstone
It was good news last week that New York investors have bought the former Bethlehem Steel
property in Bethlehem. It is a step forward to have the 120 acres under new ownership after
seven years of uncertainty with International Steel Group, the company that acquired the
former steelmaker. ISG isn't a land developer.
That uncertainty forced the various players with interests in Bethlehem redevelopment — and
in the prosperity of the wider Lehigh Valley — to keep a precarious balance. They wanted to
forcefully state their wishes, and yet it wasn't clear with whom to make their case. That
matter, at least, has been cleared up.
The new owners call themselves BethWorks Now, and include principals in the New York firm
Newmark. This is a global operation that says it handles real estate transactions covering
15 million square feet valued at $4.5 billion annually. It manages or leases 50 million
square feet of commercial space annually, and is among the largest independent real estate
companies in the United States. The Bethlehem acquisition, however, is believed to be its
first in Pennsylvania.
The BethWorks Now principals have assured Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan that they intend to
stick to the general plans already in place for the South Bethlehem property. That would
mean a combination of retail, residential and cultural uses for the land. Chief among those
hoping to be included is the National Museum of Industrial History and a consortium of arts
and education organizations hoping to create an ''arts park'' on the land. Mayor Callahan
believes that everyone still is at the table.
There is no reason to doubt that, but one day after the land sale was disclosed,
representatives of the new owners traveled to Harrisburg to talk about putting a
free-standing slot machine parlor in South Bethlehem. How this fits with the original vision
for developing Bethlehem Works has yet to be explained.
Presumably, 25 or 30 acres of the land could be turned over to a big-name casino developer
for a high price. The BethNow owners, who paid more than $4.1 million for the land, have not
been bashful about wanting top prices for pieces of it, nor should they. As a piece of
business, it would make sense for them to say a slots casino will enable them to bring all
of those other good things to the property — a museum, arts and desirable development.
As the discussion goes forward, this should be the Lehigh Valley's position: Now that slot
machines are legal in this state, the region ought to be able to benefit from them. However,
a slots parlor plan that replaces the cultural and historical designs for the former steel
property is not a plan worth having. On the other hand, if a casino makes those original
goals more doable — we're listening.
Copyright © 2004, The Morning Call
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