Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, recently adopted comprehensive plan and

Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, recently adopted comprehensive plan and zoning amendments that will allow a town center, a traditional neighborhood development (TND), and a hospital district influenced by smart growth principles to move forward. The amendments include a town center district, a mixed-use overlay, and a commercial enhancement overlay on parcels that were mostly zoned for conventional commercial or light-industrial/office uses. While not a form-based code per se, the amended zoning ordinance contains language and design guidelines that support New Urbanism. Thomas Comitta Associates drafted the amendments with Calthorpe Associates, which is creating the plan for the 150-acre town center. The developers are Forest City of Cleveland, Ohio, and Bayer Properties of Birmingham, Alabama. The TND was designed by Martin Architectural Group for developer Wagner Enterprises. Bethlehem Township is a suburban and rural municipality of 21,000 residents east of the City of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.