The property pictured above at 330 Linden Avenue in Hellertown will be the subject of a zoning hearing board appeal Feb. 19.
Update: Per Hellertown zoning and codes enforcement officer Kris Russo the applicant for 330 Linden Avenue has withdrawn his Zoning Hearing Board appeal. “He will not be on the agenda this evening,” Russo told Saucon Source. “He is looking to meet with borough staff in the near future to discuss a more acceptable use of the site.” The Zoning Hearing Board will still be meeting to discuss an appeal for 1618 Main Street.
Citing parking concerns, the members of Hellertown Borough Council unanimously voted to oppose a proposal to convert a former commercial dry cleaning facility located at 330 Linden Avenue into a 10-unit apartment building.
The matter is scheduled to come before the borough’s zoning hearing board at their meeting Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. at Hellertown Borough Hall; a meeting that is open to the public.
Councilman Phil Weber said he will attend the meeting in order to voice council’s opposition to the plan before the zoning hearing board, which is also scheduled to hear an appeal related to a proposed apartment conversion at 1618 Main Street.
Weber told his colleagues Tuesday that the borough’s planning commission–on which he also serves–voted last week to oppose the plan for 330 Linden Avenue, which has been submitted by Sean Burke, D.B.A. as Stella Cadente Investments LLC of Bethlehem.
The property is owned by Zelden LLC, according to Northampton County property records.
“Basically the biggest problem (with the plan) was the parking,” Weber said.
He said there isn’t enough room to add the necessary amount of parking on the lot, and adding parking in the alley next to the building isn’t feasible because of its width and the requirement for snow plows to be able to pass through it.
Approving the plan as presented would result in additional vehicles being parked on the street in that area, which could negatively impact neighbors, Weber said.
Borough manager Cathy Hartranft also noted that the density of the housing Burke is proposing would be “double what is permitted” under the borough’s zoning.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” said council president Tom Rieger of the plan.
Council approved a motion to support the planning commission’s letter opposing the proposal by a vote of 7-0.
Borough engineer Bryan Smith, of Barry Isett & Associates, noted in his report at the council meeting that he has been busy reviewing numerous development proposals in Hellertown of late.
“The borough is extremely active in new proposals,” he said.
