Business News

City planners meet at 5 p.m. Thursday at Bethlehem Town Hall, 10 E. Church St. The proposal for the former Wells Fargo is listed fourth on an agenda of five items.

Lehigh Valley residents attended a state Public Utility Commission hearing on Tuesday to oppose a proposed rate increase by PPL Electric Utilities. It would be the first rate increase in almost a decade.

Testimony began Monday in hearings that could decide what sort of businesses are allowed at homes throughout North Whitehall Township — and whether one resident’s long-running car repair business can keep operating.

The developer behind a proposed 37-story skyscraper in Allentown asked planning officials for another delay.

Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners approved a $36.7 million budget for 2026 Monday. Several residents attended the meeting to oppose the real estate tax increase, the first in the township since 2019.

The Allentown Parking Authority, state Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh/Northampton, and the City of Allentown have opened a request for proposals for the redevelopment of the 100 block of North Seventh Street.

Northampton County Council passed its $503 million budget for 2026 Thursday night, keeping taxes stable for the eighth year in a row.

General real estate taxes will stay flat in South Whitehall Township next year, its fire tax will rise 0.28 of a mill and residents will see a new 0.1% income tax to fund open space preservation.

The Lehigh Valley is projected to have significant increases in employment and population up to 2050.

After more than a year of meetings, plan review and expert testimony, Easton Planning Commission on Wednesday denied an application for a million-square-foot warehouse at 1525 Wood Ave.

A Lehigh County judge threw out a lawsuit accusing B. Braun of emitting dangerous amounts of ethylene oxide, ruling it did not meet the legal requirements for a class action.

The developer behind the Easton Commerce Park project and Wilson Borough have filed a lawsuit against Easton's planning commission after it rejected its plans for a 1-million-square-foot warehouse on Wood Avenue.

Developers have announced a $67 million, 216-unit apartment complex is headed to Palmer Township, offering residents what they say is a wealth of amenities in close proximity to local metro areas.

Lower Macungie Township's planning commission voted Tuesday to recommend approving a 55,000-square-foot light manufacturing facility near Schoeneck and Alburtis roads.

Google listings as of Tuesday showed both locations as “temporarily closed,” indicating at least a temporary halt in operations. Hours for the Bethlehem location were erased from online search results on Monday.

Bethlehem Planning Commission said it wasn't comfortable giving the green light, as the property owner, Nicholas Bozakis, and his team submitted elevations and architectural details from a different, yet mostly similar, project from across town.

The project would consist of a Lehigh Valley Health Network medical facility and 190 residential units near Lehigh Street and MacArthur Road.

A Lehigh County judge has denied an appeal that sought to clear the way for Nexus 78, a 501,000-square-foot warehouse proposed for North Whitehall Township. The ruling is unlikely to be the last word in the fight over the warehouse's fate.

A new addition at Steel Ice Center will house the facility's now third 200-by-85-foot ice rink, along with a new fitness center, stretch-and-recovery lab and other amenities.

Easton's Winter Market returns to the city this weekend, offering visitors over 25 vendors, including rotating guests, as well as educational opportunities and special events through April.

A spokesperson for The Giant Company said the supermarket chain is transitioning to store-based fulfillment and discontinuing centralized fulfillment at its Giant Direct centers. The company is closing five centers in Pennsylvania, including one in Coopersburg, by April.

Easton's Planning Commission recommended the Zoning Hearing Board approve a subdivision of the Hooper House and Timothy House lot at their Wednesday meeting.