Bethlehem Zoning Board of Adjustment rejected a special exceptio

After a 3-hour public hearing on Tuesday, the Bethlehem Zoning Board of Adjustment rejected a special exception for a 32-unit senior housing project proposed for the back of the Sinclair Lot, prompting the developer on Wednesday to formally withdraw the remaining applications. The board concluded that the 3-story building proposed by Housing Initiatives of New England Corp. on 2.36 acres adjacent to the existing 20-unit senior Hillview Apartments owned by HINEC was not compatible with the neighborhood’s character. What would have been one of the larger senior housing projects in the area in some years met with a cool reception from abutters and residents during a conceptual before the planning board on Oct. 9, with concerns that included the 48-foot height of a building they said is too tall for the neighborhood and impacts to abutters, traffic, and parking.