The City of Bethlehem received its Elm Street Designation for the neighborhoods to the immediate North and West of the Central Business District after completing an Elm Street Plan. This was the first opportunity in several years, for a comprehensive look at the neighborhoods in the North and West sides of Bethlehem. Through the process, recommendations for those neighborhoods were developed through public meetings and a task force was formed. Recommendations for the neighborhoods were broken down into categories that include the parks, streetscape, circulation, parking, housing, historic preservation, and economic development. These recommendations are a proactive measure to ensure the vitality of the residential neighborhoods surrounding the Central Business District on the Northside.

The plans for the first year $250K grant include planting 250 street trees within the target area, installing pan, tilt, zoom (PTZ) cameras in Fairview and Friendship Parks, starting a movie in the park program called Movies Games & More with 17+ movie nights. The “More” part includes running additional projects at the parks in conjunction with the movies such as Cops-N-Kids, Bike Safety, Health initiatives like Sun Safety and the St. Luke’s Healthstar Van. Other action items include installing 5 bike racks and 20 bike hitches, testing back in angle parking on a block of 2-way traffic, starting a Residential Façade Loan Program and more.