Brown and White Vol. 133 no. 7

              The Brown and White Vol. 133 No. 7
Friday, September 29, 2017 ‘All the Lehigh News First’
Bethlehem to enforce stricter lease rules
South Side residents react to new parking garage
By EMMA DILLON
B&W Staff
Living off campus is com-mon
among Lehigh juniors and
seniors. With the construction of
more on-campus dorms and the
enforcement of maximum occu-pancy
laws in off-campus houses,
upperclassmen might reconsider
their options.
President John Simon’s Path
to Prominence outlines a series
of initiatives, which includes
increasing enrollment by 1,000
undergraduate students and 500
to 800 full-time graduate students
over the course of seven years.
By OWEN PAN-KITA
B&W Staff
In late 2015, Bethlehem offi-cials
announced the construction
of a six-story multi-use parking
garage and office space on the
South Side.
The 626-spot parking garage
will soon be available to St. Luke’s
University Health Network staff
and Lehigh students, faculty and
visitors.
For some Lehigh students, the
garage is a positive addition to the
South Side.
“I am so excited for the new
parking garage to be done,”
Vanessa Pedraza, ’20, said. “I
spend so much time looking for
parking because there just isn’t
enough. Having this garage will
ensure I’ll always have a place to
In order to bring more students
to campus, the construction of
new residential communities is
necessary.
Ozzie Breiner, the director of
residential services, said approx-imately
65 percent of students
live on campus and 35 percent of
students live off campus.
“The idea is there may be a
small percentage more of students
who live on campus,” he said. “But
we don’t want everyone to live on
campus.”
The ultimate goal is to maintain
the ratio of students on campus to
students off campus that exists
right now.
The blueprints of the new build-ings
illustrate a residential com-munity
solely for upperclassmen
near Broughal Middle School and
Mohler Lab.
Breiner said professional per-sonnel
will oversee the residential
facility, but it will be managed by
the developer, not Lehigh.
“The new buildings look really
nice, I would totally live there,”
Nic Thomson, ’20, said after look-ing
at the blueprint model. “You’d
never have to walk up the hill
again.”
Construction projects will not be
the only changes to housing.
Bethlehem officials are encour- See LEASES Page 3
aging landlords to incorporate
maximum occupancy for guests in
lease agreements.
The Bethlehem Economic
Development Committee met with
Bethlehem police, Mayor Robert
J. Donchez, South Side landlords
and Simon on Monday to discuss
rental regulations.
Campus Hill, a popular rent-al
company among students,
declined to comment on the mat-ter.
Breiner said students might get
fed up with stricter policies, but
park.”
Some South Side residents,
however, are not as happy about
the construction.
Breena Holland, an associate
professor of political science and
South Side resident, and Mary
Foltz, an associate professor of
English, are members of the
South Side Initiative, a program
that aims to foster communi-cation
between the Lehigh and
Bethlehem communities. Both
professors said they are upset
about the new garage and its
impact on South Side residents.
“The garage towers over the
smaller, historic buildings in the
South Side,” Foltz said. “When
you drive over the Fahy (bridge),
See GARAGE Page 3
Maddie Braman/B&W Staff
A six-story parking garage in South Bethlehem is currently under construction. The parking
garage will be used by Lehigh students and St. Luke’s University Health Network staff.
Meihui Chen/B&W Staff
Many apartments and houses are available for rent off campus on East Fifth Street. Bethlehem officials have suggested landlords enforce occupancy regulations in their lease agreements.