Residents Pack Hearing on Drug Treatment Centers

A controversial plan to open two drug and alcohol treatment centers in Bethlehem draws about 65 residents to the Zoning Hearing Board meeting Wednesday.

At least half of the approximately 65 residents who showed up for a Bethlehem zoning hearing Wednesday night were sworn in en masse to testify regarding plans to build two drug and alcohol treatment centers. But they never got the chance. Most of the hearing, which ran intermittently from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., was spent with a representative of developer Abraham Atiyeh outlining the proposals for the facilities. Residents and a passle of lawyers who object to the centers are expected to have their say when the hearings resume at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16 and again Thursday, Oct. 18.  David Harte, vice president of Atiyeh's company, Pennsylvania Venture Capital, said one of the treatment centers would be a 28-bed facility in a new building on …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (2)

Zoners to Hear More Drug Treatment Center Proposals

Developer Abe Atiyeh revives plans to build new treatment centers at Center & Dewberry and at former Moose & Bug Flower Shop.

  The Bethlehem Zoning Hearing Board has scheduled yet another hearing exclusively devoted to projects proposed by controversial developer Abraham Atiyeh, who is still trying to build substance abuse treatment centers in the city. The applications under consideration would mean a treatment center in a new building at 2110 Center St. at the corner of Dewberry Avenue and the former Moose & Bug Flower Shop at 2349 Linden St. The hearings have been scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the second-floor meeting room of the Bethlehem Area Public Library. Town Hall is unavailable because City Council is also scheduled to meet that night. The Express-Times is reporting that these applications will be considered under the city’s old zoning law…

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Carmen

5:10 pm on Friday, September 14, 2012

He has decided that there is more money to be had from the government by opening these treatment centers.   more ›

City Planners Reject Atiyeh Apartment Complex

Commission notes multiple deficiencies with proposal; residents express frustration with controversial developer; Atiyeh and his representatives are a no show.

  The frustration of Bethlehem residents was voiced yet again over a proposal by developer Abraham Atiyeh to build an apartment complex at the southeast corner of Center Street and Dewberry Avenue. The latest plan, a scaled-down version of a previous proposal that was denied by zoners, was turned down by the city’s planning commission Thursday because of a number of deficiencies. But neighborhood opposition to the project went unheard by the developer, as neither Atiyeh, nor a representative of his Bethlehem Mews company, attended the meeting to speak about the proposal. The current plan calls for four, three-story apartment buildings on a 5-acre site at 1838 Center St., with 85 dwelling units and 165 parking spaces. Traffic from the …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Crime News

Former Apartment Manager Charged With Forgery

Former manager of Abraham Atiyeh's Silk Mill Apartments is accused of forging signatures on receipts of paid rent.

  The former building manager of a Bethlehem apartment complex was charged with felony forgery for allegedly falsifying a receipt to show that she had provided a tenant’s rent to the building’s owner when it is alleged she had not, according to court records. The charge against Ines Laracuente has its roots in October 2010 while she was managing the Silk Mill Apartments at 238 W. Goepp St. on behalf of Brookside Commercial Construction Co., a development company owned by Abraham Atiyeh. According to the charges filed by Bethlehem police: Laracuente, 46, formerly of Bethlehem, but who now lives in Celebration, Fla., was arraigned on Friday before District Judge Roy Manwaring and released on unsecured bail.

• Photos (1)

Zoners Shoot Down Electronic Billboard for Rt. 378

Developer Abraham Atiyeh wanted to put up a 625-square-foot electronic billboard along city highway, but Zoning Hearing Board denies size and height variances.

  The Bethlehem Zoning Hearing Board unanimously denied variances Wednesday night that would have allowed developer Abraham Atiyeh to put up a large electronic billboard along Route 378 at 12th Avenue. Board members appeared to be concerned that the proposed billboard could prove to be a dangerous distraction to drivers. The city zoning law does permit a billboard in the proposed location – 825 12th Ave., the site of an old thread mill in a neighborhood zoned for light industrial use. However, the zoning code only allows billboards of 100 square feet or less at heights of up to 25 feet. Atiyeh’s Pennsylvania Venture Capital Inc. was looking to build an electronic advertising sign 25 feet wide by 25 feet tall – 625 square feet – at a height…

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Atiyeh, City Might Agree on Treatment Center Site

Controversial developer Abraham Atiyeh and city administrators may be on the verge of an agreement to bring drug and alcohol treatment center to non-residential location.

  Controversial developer Abraham Atiyeh may soon withdraw his applications with and lawsuits against Bethlehem to try to bring a drug and alcohol treatment center to the city. The city may be on the verge of an agreement with Atiyeh in which he would be allowed to develop a treatment center on a property zoned for industrial use, according to The Morning Call. The newspaper quotes both Atiyeh and Joe Kelly, the city’s director of Community and Economic Development, who confirmed that negotiations for an industrial location are under way. In the last two years, Atiyeh has tried to obtain approvals to develop a treatment center on vacant land at Center Street and Dewberry Avenue; across the street at the former Calvary Baptist Church; 2110 …

• Photos (1)

Zoners to Consider Treatment Center at Silk Mill

Latest proposal by Abraham Atiyeh would mean 100 inpatient beds for drug rehabilitation at former Bethlehem Silk Mill.

  Yet another of developer Abraham Atiyeh’s controversial development plans has landed on the schedule of the city Zoning Hearing Board. The board has scheduled a special hearing next week to consider Atiyeh’s proposal to turn the old Bethlehem Silk Mill at 238 W. Goepp St. into a 100-bed inpatient voluntary drug treatment center. The building is currently at least partially occupied by residential apartments. Atiyeh is requesting a special exception from the board, which will convene at in Town Hall at 6 p.m. on May 9. In the meantime, City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday night to commit its own resources to opposing this plan and two other Atiyeh proposals for treatment facilities in Bethlehem, according to The Express Times. Council has …

• Photos (1)

Tonight's Zoning Hearing Board Postponed

Developer Abraham Atiyeh asks for delay on hearings for proposed drug rehabilitation centers.

  A city Zoning Hearing Board scheduled for tonight has been postponed until a date to be determined at the request of developer Abraham Atiyeh, according to The Express Times. Tonight’s hearing was to be on two controversial Atiyeh proposals to build drug rehabilitation centers – one for 28 beds at the corner Center and Dewberry streets and another for 47 beds at the former Moose & Bug Flower Shop at 2349 Linden St. Atiyeh told the newspaper that he intends to go forward with his plans but needs another four weeks to prepare for the hearing.

• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor

Protest Atiyeh's Development Plans in Bethlehem

City resident urges others to show up at Zoning Hearing Board Monday night to protest developer's plans for drug rehabilitation centers.

  Citizens of Bethlehem, and those who love the city and want to preserve it: Developer Abe Atiyeh has proposed building a series of drug rehab centers, juvenile detention centers, and prison work release facilities all within the confines of Bethlehem which taken together, have the potential to make him rich at the expense of the integrity of our neighborhoods, our safety, our property values, and our community.   Atiyeh's vision for the city of Bethlehem is to use Bethlehem as his host town for his privately owned drug rehab, mental illness, and prison-related centers for treating social disorders. Once operational, he has the potential to transform Bethlehem to an available resource for New York, Philadelphia, Reading, and other …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Atiyeh Proposes More Drug Treatment Centers

Two proposals submitted to city planning department; one is across the street from where previous plan had been rejected.

  Developer Abraham Atiyeh is a persistent man. With a rejection of his plans to put an inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in a vacant church next to Bethlehem Catholic High School still fresh, he has proposed two new plans to build smaller inpatient rehabilitation clinics, according to this story in The Morning Call. One of the proposed clinics is across the street from the former Calvary Baptist Church, the same building that the Zoning Hearing Board just ruled against being used for that purpose. The $2 million clinic would be built at 2110 Center St. and have 28 beds. Atiyeh has also proposed putting a $4 million 47-bed clinic at the former Moose & Bug flower shop, 2349 Linden St. City Community Development Director …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (1)