Sheetz Gets Liquor License, Coldwell Banker Site to Become Apartment Building

Hellertown Borough Council approved a request by Sheetz to transfer a liquor license to its new store on Main Street, green-lit the conditional development of a five-unit apartment building at 186 Main Street and began a study of borough parking. 

Sheetz Gets Its Liquor License

Council unanimously approved a court-ordered consent agreement with Sheetz, ending a dispute over the company’s bid to transfer a liquor license from a former business in Lower Saucon Township to its Hellertown location, which is expected to open this spring.​ Sheetz has recently opened several new stores in the area that sell beer, including one in South Bethlehem.

Borough solicitor Michael Corriere said Sheetz applied for the transfer in November. Council denied it over concerns that alcohol sales could open the door to outdoor entertainment such as block parties. Sheetz then appealed the denial to the state Liquor Control Board.​

After negotiations, Sheetz agreed to a permanent prohibition on any outdoor events at the Hellertown location. Corriere was blunt with council, noting if this went to full litigation, the borough would likely lose and wouldn’t get this concession at all.​

Councilwoman Gail Nolf said she wasn’t thrilled with the license, but acknowledged the deal was the best the borough was going to get, and casting what she called a “reluctant” vote in favor of the transfer. 

Coldwell Banker Site to Become 5-Unit Apartment Building

Council conditionally approved a plan to tear down the Coldwell Banker building at 186 Main Street and replace it with a five-unit apartment building, reusing the existing parking lot and driveway access.​

The developer needs to satisfy conditions specified in the borough engineer’s review letter, secure a PennDOT highway occupancy permit, get a DEP sewage planning module waiver, install emergency services signage on the southwest corner of the property and keep the existing on-street parking space on Main Street intact.​

Borough’s First Parking Study Since 2008 is Coming 

It’s been nearly two decades since Hellertown took a hard look at its parking situation, and council member Larry O’Donnell wants that to change.​

The push to review the current state of parking came out of a recent community and chamber roundtable, where parking issues were a top concern for business owners and residents alike. O’Donnell noted that Main Street’s business mix has shifted significantly since a 2008 study by Barry Isett & Associates (BIA).

Add in walkability initiatives, new crosswalk layouts and a brutal winter that buried already limited spots under snow piles, and O’Donnell said there was a strong case for a new assessment.

Council unanimously approved a motion to get a cost estimate from BIA for the study, which will include Main and Front streets.​

Plastic Bag Ban?

Hellertown resident Tim Murphy returned to the podium–two years after his first pitch–to again ask council to consider a single-use plastic bag ban ordinance. He pointed to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Lower Merion Township and Narberth as municipalities that have already gone this route and offered to send council a PowerPoint breaking down the comparisons.​

Murphy acknowledged that not everyone’s on board with the idea. He said a local business owner told him two years ago the idea was “crazy,” arguing that “75 percent of your car is plastic.”

Murphy’s counter was that bags are “low-hanging fruit,” and that microplastics associated with the pollution of single-use plastics are showing up in drinking water. O’Donnell suggested looping in Terri Fadem, who previously orchestrated a similar effort through an environmental advisory council. 

Council asked Murphy to send over his materials. 

The next Hellertown Borough Council Meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 6 at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall.