A new school could be coming to the west side of Bethlehem, sort of.

Commonwealth Charter Academy, which conducts its classes online, wants to convert a former insurance office building at 2200 W. Broad St. into office space for teachers and staff. The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Committee reviewed that plan and others during Tuesday’s virtual meeting.

The application proposes renovating the 46,670-square-foot building, keeping its exterior mostly intact with parking improvements. The interior will be fully rebuilt.

The committee voted to send the plan to the full commission, which meets Thursday.

LVPC Regional Planner Joseph Dotta said the project aligns with the commission’s master plan — FutureLV — as it “serves to ‘expand access to education and job training.” He added that the addition of bicycle parking supports a “safe, healthy inclusive and livable community” and the location has direct access to LANTA with a pair of bus stops.

Commonwealth Charter purchased the building in December for $3.4 million, according to Lehigh County real estate records. Erie Insurance was the previous owner, purchasing it in 1984 for $670,000. The structure was built in 1937.

In other business, the committee also moved forward a report on the Riverside Drive extension from Allentown to Whitehall Township.

The plans for the final stretch of construction, running from Furnace Street to the city limits, have also been approved by Allentown and Whitehall planners.

The road along the Lehigh River is already complete along Buck Boyle Park and the first phase of The Waterfront, a mixed-use project that will take up 29 acres. The final section will run alongside a newly constructed section of the D&L Trail, which will fill a gap in that network. The $55.6 million project is being funded by a mixture of government and private funding. It is expected to be completed in 2029.

LVPC Transportation Planner Evan Gardi and Chief Community and Regional Planner Jill Seitz noted that revisions have been made to the plan since the commission last reviewed it at the May 2024 meeting.

Among the changes were the addition of speed humps in Whitehall to keep drivers within a posted 25 mph speed limit, especially since Riverside Drive will be straighter than originally planned.

https://www.mcall.com/2025/08/26/cybercharter-school-looks-to-expand-lehigh-valley-presence/