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.

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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 …

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Planned Detox Center Location Questioned

Glenn Eckhart says Salisbury Township site could be hard to access in an emergency.

Lehigh County is proceeding with a plan to build a drug and alcohol detoxification/rehabilitation center in Salisbury Township but one commissioner says it’s going in the wrong location. At Wednesday’s meeting, County Commissioner Glenn Eckhart, who lives in Salisbury, said the plan to put a $4.4 million detox/rehab facility on Riverside Drive next to the county work release prison for low-risk offenders is a bad choice. “There’s only one way in,” Eckhart said. “It’s a two-mile road that pretty much dead ends.” The 31-bed, 15,510 square-foot facility is to be built along the Lehigh River – a remote spot the county chose after exploring other locations over the years that drew objections from neighbors. “It doesn’t seem to have ever been a …

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Drug Rehabilitation Center Set to Open Next Year

Lehigh County to start construction in January on $4.4 million facility in Salisbury Township.

Lehigh County residents with drug and alcohol problems will no longer have to leave the county for rehab starting in late 2012 if a proposal to build a detox and rehab center in Salisbury Township goes according to plan. The county hopes to break ground on the 31-bed, 15,510 square- foot facility next to the county work release prison on Riverside Drive in January and have it completed by the fall. The $4,428,000 price tag will be paid by state funds the county accrued from the Health Choices Reinvestment fund. No county property tax revenue will be used to pay for it, County Commissioner Percy Dougherty said at Wednesday’s commissioners meeting. Tom Muller, county director of administration, said county officials and health care …

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