Community Benefits District On Hold

Bethlehem City Council wants to wait until next year before deciding on whether to create a business improvement district for the city's South Side.

That's according to the Express-Times, which says council members think there isn't enough time to consider the Community Benefit District before the end of the year. 

The story quotes Council President Eric Evans, who said the timeline for approving the district puts the vote in December, when the city will be working on its budget. The budget, Evans said, needs to come first.

The CBD would charge commercial and residential property owners a yearly fee in exchange for things like neighborhood "ambassadors" similar to the ones used in downtown Easton, as well as new trash and recycling bins, bike racks, planters, banners and signs.

Residential property owners would pay a flat fee of $100 a year. Commercial property owners would pay $6.80 a month for every $1,000 of their assessed property value. 

The district would include the commercial areas around Third and Fourth streets from Wyandotte to Hayes, along with the area around the Hill to Hill Bridge area, 5 Points, Lehigh University’s Campus Square, and the area around the Third Street/Founders Way intersection.