5 years after Martin Tower was demolished, the overgrown site in Bethlehem is being cleared. Here’s what’s going on.

Dirt is finally being turned at the site of the former Martin Tower in Bethlehem.

Men and equipment from Berks County-based Schlouch Inc. have been busy at work, getting the grounds at Eighth and Eaton avenues ready for medical office buildings.

“Our team is hard at work, transforming 8 acres into a space that will enhance healthcare accessibility and services for our community,” Schlouch said in a social media post last week.

The land is owned by Lewis Ronca and Norton Herrick of SWB LR Ltd and 8th and Eaton Holdings LP. The owners received approval on a plan for the site that includes two medical office buildings adding up to 100,000 square feet, and more than 1,000 housing units.

“We are very happy,” said Laura Collins, Bethlehem’s community and economic development director. “It sat dormant for a long time, so we are definitely pleased to see that the developers are moving ahead with this part of the project.

“It will be nice to have those parcels coming back on the tax rolls, bringing jobs and cleaning up that that corner of the site where those two offices will be,” she said.

Martin Tower, which was 21 stories tall and served as headquarters for Bethlehem Steel, was vacated in 2007 and then demolished in 2019 — almost exactly five years ago . The 52-acre plot of land had been overrun with weeds, shrubs, trash and rubble.

Collins said a master site plan for the entire site has been preliminarily reviewed by the Bethlehem Planning Commission.

“But we haven’t seen any formal submissions that can move the remaining components at this point,” Collins said. “All we know for sure is that they’re moving forward with these two medical offices.”