Bethlehem Township shopping center anchored by Giant grocery store gets new name, renovations

A Bethlehem Township shopping center that is in the middle of booming residential development is getting a new name and new tenants.

The Shops at Bethlehem at 2920 Easton Ave. is the new name for the old Easton Commons. Anchor tenant Giant Foods has renewed its lease and renovated the interior of the store, according to NAI Summit, which handles leasing at the 166,000-square-foot shopping center.

The shopping center is in the middle of a developing area east of the intersection of Easton Avenue and Stefko Boulevard. Across the street, on the City of Bethlehem side of Easton Avenue, 54 apartments are planned for the vacant lot that was once Kospia's Nursery. To the east, in the township, 220 units are in the works at the former Bethlehem Drive-In.

Not too far away, Kay Builders has presented plans for 166 homes on agricultural land on Farmersville Road.

"We felt the name of the shopping center should be more representative of the community it serves," Sarah Finney Miller, vice president at NAI Summit, said in a statement.

Current tenants include MAXX Fitness Center, Dairy Queen, Unity Bank, Vic's Bagels, Sports Clips, Allstate Insurance and others. There is a vacant site toward the front that NAI said would become home to "a nationally recognized coffee franchise." That may be Starbucks, according to comments made at a Bethlehem Township municipal meeting.

On the way are new tenants, including Active Learning Centers, a daycare business, and home furnishings company Dave's Department Store.

"Our goal has been to attract a wide variety of businesses that serve the local community," said Jennifer Kennedy, an associate broker with NAI Summit.

A 33,000-square-foot "junior anchor" space remains available, according to NAI, and renovations continue, with facade updates, new lighting, new columns and new signs.

The Shops at Bethlehem is in a prime spot, according to NAI, with nearly 26,000 households and a population of more than 66,000 people within a three-mile radius, according to NAI.