Readers’ State Hospital ideas: Sports complex, incubator
I’m glad many people in the Allentown area are interested in what is built on the site of the former Allentown State Hospital.
My recent column offering my thoughts on what should happen there, based on scenarios suggested in a city report, drew a lot of feedback when I asked readers for their ideas.
The 195-acre site is the largest development opportunity in Allentown.
It’s important to choose wisely what happens there. The city’s feasibility study suggested three scenarios — with combinations of housing, businesses, industry and open space.
Several readers agreed with me that a school and transit hub should be part of the plan, while a slew of apartments shouldn’t be. There were mixed opinions about whether industrial development belongs there.
LoriAnn Wukitsch said, “This site is a jewel, and the city and residents need to demand a compelling case to hold on to the beautiful elements of the property that gives the community the familiar identity of the past while marrying the future and laying the foundation for sustainable economic development to which the city needs more of, yesterday.”
She grew up in east Allentown. She walked the hospital property with her family and took sled rides there. Relatives worked there.
Wukitsch, a historic preservationist and managing director of Historic Bethlehem, suggested the redevelopment include “a community center that would pay tribute to the architecture of the original main building where residents could gather.”
Of the three scenarios offered in the city feasibility study, Wukitsch prefers the “Town Square” plan. It includes a school, and a central green square where the main hospital building stood. It has the largest preserved area, with no industrial development.
Daniel Nickischer also prefers the Town Square concept. He worked at the hospital.
“I also would like to see a school developed in that area. It’s just the ideal place for an academy, along with some businesses and some homes.”
He is impressed with the proposals that were offered in the city’s report, including open space that would be managed by Wildlands Conservancy.
The sloping, forested section overlooking the Lehigh River is home to a large deer herd and would be a great hiking and mountain biking area, said Nickischer, of Lehigh Township.
Another former employee, Rudy Savelli of Bethlehem, suggested creating a complex to house the homeless. It could be staffed with volunteers, and partner with local employers to provide jobs.
“It would be a beacon for humanity the whole country would be in awe of,” Savelli said.
“We have a wonderful mixture of people in the Lehigh Valley that cares about others. This would be a real showing of just how much we care about our fellow man and woman.”
Gary Lader, who lives not far from the property in west Bethlehem, said the redevelopment shouldn’t focus solely on economics and return on the dollar.
“Creating livable and sustainable communities should also be part of the vision,” he said, advocating for affordable housing and home ownership instead of apartments.
He doesn’t believe industrial businesses would be appropriate, considering the potential truck traffic.
“One would have to assume that it would impact Hanover Road and surrounding residential neighborhoods,” Lader said.
“The proposal that includes a school surrounded by housing, with a smaller percentage of business and retail use, makes the most sense,” he said. “I also agree that a new transportation hub to support LANTA would make sense.
“The school could serve as a community center that is adjacent to a public transportation hub.”
Paulette Kish told me the hospital would be an excellent site to build a youth sports complex similar to the Spooky Nook complex in Lancaster County.
“We need land for our children,” said Kish, a retired physical education teacher at Dieruff High School who lives in east Allentown.
She said Spooky Nook draws people from out of town. And with Allentown’s proximity to New Jersey and New York, a facility there could do the same.
Some readers urged that the redevelopment of the hospital land be considered as part of a bigger picture of the future of the local community and the broader region.
“This large tract of land is close to the development proposed on the Lehigh River, less than two miles away,” Wukitsch said. “Has there been any consideration to multi-model transportation to build into the plan along with the restoration and urban revitalization of the corridor on Hanover Avenue?
“We need big, out-of-the-box thinking for this very large tract of land.”
Charlie Versaggi of Allentown suggested an emphasis on light industry and business incubation.
“I would love to see this develop as a science hub for the Valley,” he said. “In the interest of generating local tax revenue, perhaps this location could provide a campus for for-profit educational and/or skill development organizations.”
Mark Minetola, who grew up a block from the hospital, suggested a portion of the property be set aside for part of bypass connecting Allentown and Bethlehem. He envisions it running along the railroad tracks and river and through the Bethlehem Steel property, connecting with Interstate 78 at each end.
He said that would provide easy access to not only the hospital development, but south Allentown, downtown Bethlehem, Lehigh University and the SteelStacks casino complex.
“What a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Minetola said. “President Biden has Pennsylvania ties, let’s get him onboard. I see new road construction in every state I travel — New York, New Jersey, Delaware, South Carolina, Florida — why not here?”
If you have other thoughts, send them my way.