Hellertown Zoners Reject Proposed Business at Former Church

In a brief meeting that was a continuation of a lengthy July hearing, members of the Hellertown zoning hearing board Wednesday voted to reject a proposal by Mountainview Family Center LLC to convert the former Mountainview Moravian Church into an ice cream shop and event venue.

The board’s solicitor began the meeting by instructing board members to consider whether the proposed use of the building would be a continuation of its prior nonconforming use as a church; something the LLC’s attorney attempted to establish at the July hearing. The board then voted 5-0 that the proposed use would not be a continuation of that nonconforming use.

The solicitor then explained that under the borough’s zoning ordinance, a nonconforming use shall only be changed to a conforming use, with an exception for uses that are more restrictive and determined to be beneficial to the neighborhood.

In its appeal, Mountainview Family Center LLC had requested a favorable interpretation of the zoning ordinance that would allow for the “continued use of the property as a lawful, pre-existing and non-conforming use.”

The board voted 5-0 to deny a change the property’s zoning to a conforming use.

The board’s third unanimous vote was to deny a requested use variance, and its fourth and final vote at the meeting was 5-0 to deny a requested variance for parking.

At the five-hour July meeting, numerous residents voiced opposition to the proposed business, which would have occupied a prominent site within the residential Mountainview neighborhood. Among the issues neighbors raised were concerns about noise, traffic and the facility’s potential affect on the character of the area. Borough council ultimately sided with the concerned residents, with council members voting earlier this month to recommend that zoners deny the appeal.

Sara Heintzelman, who was identified as the managing member of Mountainview Family Center LLC, and the business’s attorney previously told the zoning board that there was a pending agreement of sale to purchase the church.

Mountainview Moravian Church was founded in the late 1940s. The church closed its doors in November 2024 after the congregation voted to dissolve due to dwindling membership.