Lehigh Valley Academy prepares to make new school pitch

The Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School is moving forward with plans to build a school in Bethlehem Township, filing sketch plans with the township last week.

The school, which comes with a preliminary $50 million price tag and would house kindergarten through 12th grade, was originally planned for Hanover Township, Northampton County, but Lehigh Valley Academy nixed that plan because of “insurmountable zoning issues.” It won’t face that problem at the 58.7-acre Bethlehem Township tract along Hecktown Road, north of Route 22. That’s because the land, owned by the estate of Fred Jaindl, is zoned agricultural and a school is among the permitted uses.

Barring the pursuit of any zoning variances, Lehigh Valley Academy will only have the township’s planning commission and Board of Commissioners to contend with. The plans are slated for discussion at the Aug. 26 Bethlehem Township Planning Commission meeting.

Last month, the LVA board of trustees approved the footprint of the building. The board also approved hiring Bethlehem’s Terraform Engineering for services for the facility at a cost of $310,500, plus $8,500 of reimbursable expenses. D’huy Engineering of Bethlehem was hired for up to $1.3 million to provide construction management services.

LVA previously said the school would cost $45 million$50 million. CEO Susan Mauser said last week that $50 million was “an early estimate,” but did not say what the new cost was.

Because LVA is a regional charter school, it needs permission of both Bethlehem Area and Saucon Valley school districts. As of last week, LVA had not filed a formal request with Bethlehem Area, Superintendent Joseph Roy said. Most of LVA’s 1,700 students come from the Bethlehem region.

The sketch plans on file in Bethlehem Township indicate the building could support 1,950 students. The plans show athletic fields at the rear of the building, behind a 326-space parking lot and bus dropoff area. Two parking lots, each with 75 spaces, are in front of the building.

Currently LVA leases 154,800 square feet across four facilities at 1550, 1560, 1640 and 1650 Valley Center Parkway in Upper Saucon Township. The new school would consolidate the campus.

Officials also determined that owning their own facility would be economically beneficial. Rent costs the school about $2.5 million annually.

LVA has been operating for 17 years and follows the International Baccalaureate curriculum, a globally focused program that requires students take a series of demanding tests to receive an optional IB diploma.