Zoning Hearing Board Meeting - November 18th, 2024
The Harrisburg Zoning Hearing Board approved key special exceptions and variances, including a 24/7 supportive housing facility for transition-age foster youth, an urban infill basement apartment conversion to create sub-$1,000 rental housing, and standardized digital communication signage across multiple school district campuses.
This meeting highlights how local zoning exceptions and density rules are leveraged to expand affordable housing options, manage commercial signage in urban corridors, and transition underutilized real estate to serve vulnerable demographics.
Section summaries
Meeting Setup and Technical Delay
skipThis section consists of dead air, setup delays, and technical adjustments prior to the official start of the zoning board hearing.
This section contains no spoken content, presentations, or business activity.
Application 2588 - 2743 N. Front St.
watchThe board hears an application for a special exception to establish a 24/7 supportive housing facility for foster care youth. Representatives from Thrive Housing Services discuss licensing, staffing ratios, and partnerships with Dauphin County.
It details important administrative, staffing, and regulatory steps for operating transitional youth housing programs.
Application 2590 - 1100 N. 6th St.
optionalThe board considers an expansion of a legally non-conforming freestanding sign to improve visibility and direct traffic near the Broad Street Market. The applicant details the setback requirements and parking arrangements.
It is mainly relevant to local signage ordinances and the visibility problems of this specific property.
Application 2591 - School Signage (N. 5th St.)
optionalThe board reviews the Harrisburg School District's application to install an internally illuminated freestanding sign. Discussion covers sign height, size, and potential light spillover to neighboring houses.
This is a standard school district sign variance request with typical light pollution evaluations.
Application 2592 - School Signage (N. 6th St.)
optionalThe Harrisburg School District presents plans for three large internally illuminated wall signs at the Hamilton School. The planning bureau discusses neighborhood context, vacant properties, and aesthetic alignment.
It repeats the general arguments regarding standardized school branding and neighborhood safety information.
Application 2593 - School Signage (State St.)
optionalThe board discusses installing five internally illuminated wall signs on the former school board office block. A debate centers on limiting the school to a single electronic message center board instead of two to avoid visual clutter.
It outlines the compromise reached to reduce municipal light clutter while allowing essential school district messaging.
Application 2594 - 262 North St.
watchThe board hears an application to construct a fourth residential unit in an existing multi-family building's basement. Developers address safety egresses, target rental pricing under $1,000, and off-street parking availability.
This section provides essential insights into urban density planning, historic preservation triggers, and affordable infill development.
Board Deliberation and Vote
watchThe board members vote and formally approve the various special exception and variance requests with the conditions outlined by the planning commission.
It contains the final legal determinations and administrative outcomes for all applications heard during the meeting.
Key points
- Foster Care Transitional Housing Approval — The board approved a special exception for Thrive Housing Services at 2743 North Front Street to establish a 24/7 supportive housing facility for up to eight youth aged 18-24 transitioning out of foster care, occupying the former offices of the Alternative Rehabilitation Center.
- Infill Housing Creation via Density Exceptions — At 262 North Street, developers secured a special exception to add a fourth apartment unit inside a semi-aboveground basement, bypassing strict density rules that would otherwise require a full variance because the building was already classified as legally non-conforming.
- School District Communication Standardization — The board granted multiple signage variances to the Harrisburg School District for properties on North Fifth Street, North Sixth Street, and State Street to construct internally illuminated and electronic message boards to keep families informed of safety issues and community programs.
“the proposed use seeks to address a vulnerable population and provide them with Services which enable personal growth and self-sufficiency allowing them to thrive after their time at the facility” — Zoning Officer / Planning Representative
“this is a case of every additional unit in the city helps to to meet the needs and and provide options to somebody because this is likely you know going to be priced considerably cheaper” — Planning Representative
AI-generated from the transcript. May contain errors.
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e e
apologize for the L
you
first
a
we also
okay yep uh Michael O Conor the first
one is uh continued from uh old business
application
2588 and uh it's 27 43 North Front
Street and I'll read in the uh
exhibits so we got uh B1 is the proof of
publication in The Patriot news B2 is
applicants uh notification letters to
required neighbors B3 is the
application uh with attachments at add
business plan photos of exterior and
interior of the property B4 is a d to
the property establishing applicants
standing to pursue uh the application B5
is the planning case report B6 is the uh
Harrisburg Planning Commission
resolution B7 is a letter sent from the
planning director to the applicant
notifying of the hearing and B8 is the
hearing notice posting uh that was
posted on the property so with that we
got B1 through B8 previously we had A's
one and two as they were continuance
requests so
I
do uh yes so the uh case before uh the
board tonight uh for 2588 uh is a
special exception request uh the
applicant is proposing to establish a
Supportive Housing facility use on site
uh the proposal requires zhb approval of
a special exception uh per section
73057 of the zoning code uh so the
applicant um uh that what existed
previously on site was essentially very
similar use um it was the offices uh for
um I believe uh Arc alternative
Rehabilitation Center I believe is what
it was called um and they managed a
similar population to that of uh what
the applicants are proposing um it was
just an office use so occupied during
the day as opposed to occupied um um 247
uh so the current proposal is for a
facility for um youth that are exiting
the foster care system um and 18 to 24
year olds I believe uh and the
applicants uh organization works with
such individuals to help prepare them um
for life on their own uh teaching them
Services helping them get uh things like
geds um and basically providing a place
for for them to live while they uh get
on their feet um as noted the uh
proposal is very similar to the existing
use um or to the previous use on site so
the it's anticipated that the uh impacts
from the proposed use will be similar uh
and will not have adverse impacts on the
surrounding neighborhood um with that
being said the Planning Commission
recommended that the zoning hearing
board approve the request with the
following conditions uh the applicant
will provide the planning Bureau with
all federal state and County licenses of
the facility operator to ensure that
they that the proposed uses in
conformance with the applicable specific
criteria in the zoning code um the
Planning Commission recommends that the
zoning hearing board approve the request
for the following reasons propos will be
similar to that of the previous business
on site which operated for 23 years and
will accommodate the same population
groups as such impacts should be similar
in nature and uh the proposed use seeks
to address a vulnerable population and
provide them with Services which enable
personal growth and self-sufficiency
allowing them to thrive after their time
at the facility
so David cus um 3510 Road Pennsylvania
owner of the
building
excuse D Allen Thrive Housing Services
I'm the executive director uh 2601
Walnut Street Harrisburg C
1713 and
yes yes so appreciate that very much so
one of the things that's
been we do fix flips but we want to
really for
I but so KN that had already been AAR
there no aders back previously one of
things we did also we did list and have
a meeting withing Comm we have multiple
members from the come and they all
support which we thought was awesome
we approve what we're doing as well um
but that's
what
so the license requires a 24hour staff
and we'll be working with Dolphin County
and the state to provide the services um
the license is from the Department of
Human Services from the state um but the
county is the overseer of the referrals
so they would be referring um kids to
the program but the requirements of the
license is that we have to have the
24hour
St and what and what will be the St in
the 247 like how many people you know
need to be there what type or that Tye
you know what what is necessary um the
license requires a 1 to six at night and
a two to eight during the day um so we
will comply with that but we will have
um additional staff because um our
agency requires two staff um in the
facility at all times since there only
be eight kids um there it's a small
number of kids but we will have two
staff on site at all times okay so it is
like 1 to six staff at Night 2 to 8
during the day right and it is up to8 or
will be eight right whatever but that's
it okay
excent I see the only thing is you know
look through all the exception does look
like we check every single was happy to
see that you for sure
no you
can is there one uh is there a condition
is there just one condition just the one
condition basically about satisfying the
specific criteria got it
okay and the Planning
Commission second
I okay so what
is uh right
2590 right okay
all right so it's application
2590 uh 1100 North 6
Street and the exhibits are B1 proof of
publication Patriot news um November 3rd
and November 10th 2024 B2 is a letter
sent from the planning director to the
applicant notifying of tonight's hearing
B3 hearing notice uh posted on the
property uh before applicants notif
ification letters to required neighbors
B5 is the application with attached uh
photos um and plans B6 is a deed uh to
the property establishing applicant
owner standing to pursue the zoning
relief B7 planning Bureau case report
and B8 is the uh city of Harrisburg
Planning Commission resolution so B1
through
B8 uh yes so uh case number 259
um as noted involves a special exception
uh and that is because the existing free
standing sign itself is legally
non-conforming uh because such signage
is not permitted by right in the RM
District in which the property is
located um so in
evaluating um uh what Z relief would be
necessary um you know we just looked at
as a special exception because the signs
existing as a non-conformance and as an
expansion of that non-conforming aspect
um with respect
uh to the actual proposal uh in the
request uh we had indicated that they're
increasing the signage height from 42
feet to 6 feet it appears that actually
um uh to 7 and 1 12 ft um 90 in and the
size from 7 to 12 squ fet uh the size of
the signage face is actually 24 Square F
feet uh our initial review of the
project was based upon the applicant
statements that would be similar to um
their existing sign and to a nearby sign
for Cumberland Court Apartments and that
was how we had kind of determined that
but we got additional documentation from
the applicant after the Planning
Commission meeting that uh clarified
what their uh new uh signage was going
to look like um so the applicants are uh
basically uh looking for signage uh or
increased signage because their existing
sign is not really visible uh if you've
ever driven down Sixth Street there um
you know in addition uh to uh the large
setback and kind of the small sign where
it's located uh the corridor itself is
fairly busy um and there's a number of
different um uh activities going on
whether it's Broad Street Market or uh
the school the Ben Franklin School right
there and then there's offices and
apartment building that's directly
across the street from this property um
it does make it a little bit diff
difficult to um Identify the property to
to read it uh to determine you know that
it's maybe what you're looking for um
with the existing sign and um I think a
lot of the same uh regulation or a lot
of the same considerations that appli to
the school district's uh signage
proposal for uh across the street at
1012 North 6 Street uh apply here um the
conditions are obviously similar in that
case the zoning District was uh
institutional and not RM so uh although
it was uh less restrictive um again the
same issues with visibility
identification um and conveyance of
information uh apply here in this uh
scenario uh so with that being said uh
um and the applicants are proposing to
relocate the sign uh from its existing
position kind of right near the building
and the uh pedestrian access up a short
flight of stairs uh closer to the
vehicular access uh they have a parking
lot that's uh kind of shared with the
Cumberland Court departments and access
from six Street uh and this sign will be
located closer to that vular entrance uh
and in addition to kind of better
identifying where the parking lot for
the for the facility is um it's less uh
obstructed by trees uh this location so
it will be much more visible uh and uh
you know definitely clear for the
public that being said the Planning
Commission has recommended that the
zoning hearing board approve the request
with the following conditions uh the
applicant will ensure that the sign must
be installed at least 5T from the
property line along North 6 Street uh in
the uh attached rendering I think it
looks like it's probably a little bit um
closer than that so they'll just have to
uh move it a little bit you know kind of
into the site and it looks like
sufficient room to do so uh per the uh
rendering um to ensure that it's 5T
outside of the uh setback uh and then
the Planning Commission recommended that
the zoning hearing board approve the
request for the following reasons uh the
applicant has met their burden of proof
demonstrating the special exception
request should be approved by the zoning
hearing board although the existing sign
is legally non-conforming its height and
size are similar to regulatory
allowances for other types of signs in
the RM district and the proposed sign
does not differ significantly or does
not significantly increase these aspects
uh given the context of the installation
site with the proposed sign located
along a large Frontage and across the
street from a large internally
illuminated freestanding sign that was
approved earlier this year at the Ben
Franklin School it is reasonable to
conclude that the Propst sign will not
create adverse impacts on surrounding
Properties or be contrary to the general
character of the neighborhood uh and the
proposed sign will be more conspicuous
and better identify both the applicant's
location as well as the vehicular entry
point helping to provide safer traffic
circulation for visitors and the General
Public
uh Gary Brinton 105 Holly Hills Drive
Harrisburg Pennsylvania and I
do
I um I don't have much to add except I
hope um we can clearly establish where
the setback should be in working with
our
we'll do that as well make sure that
that occurs and
um I just hope that uh we can get
approval so we can proceed and then
it'll be more attractive and easily to
get to have a lot of people saying we
can't find
you right
and it's mainly just for the planning so
je this one that was in the the uh
exhibit so this would have been
with the application probably later you
know submitt or added that was just
showing you is showing you what these
numbers add up to what I think it is
such as has
24 uh Square ft the total uh it's like
4X six right and it looks to be 7 and
1/2 ft in height so that seems to be
what I'm looking at in this packet seems
to be what what it is so um yeah
and just to make sure that you're okay
as far as with the just that one
condition with it being five five feet
right that's just uh uh right that
that's okay with the applicant as well
just that one thing yep
okay with condition
office from the S the condition stated
in the resolution y
second
I okay
okay so we have 20 application
2591 uh 2537 North fth
Street um and the exhibits are B1 proof
of
publication B2 is a letter sent from the
planning director to the applicant
notifying of the hearing B3 is the
hearing notice posted on the property B4
applicants notification letters to uh
the neighbors B5
application uh with a attachments plans
photos that type of thing B6 is a d to
the property establishing applicant
owners standing to pursue the zoning
relief B7 planning Bureau case report
and B8 city of Harrisburg Planning
Commission resolution so B1 through
ba8 sure uh so the the following three
cases uh although um uh listed
separately as 2591 2592 and 2593 all
involve the uh same applicant the
Harrisburg School District and roughly
the uh similar Sage proposals um and uh
these are relatively similar to uh the
science proposals that as referenced in
the last case uh the boards reviewed and
approved earlier this year uh with
respect to the signage for 2537 North
Fifth Street uh the applicant is
proposing to install a new internally
illuminated freestanding sign which
requires relief from three aspects of
the signage regulations regarding size
height and illumination The Proposal
requires approval of three variances for
a sign larger uh than permitted by W and
that's 33.3 s ft by um versus by right
is 8 square feet sign taller than
permitted by right that's 7.3 feet uh
versus the permitted height of 4 feet
and an internally illuminated sign um
you know I think uh this is very similar
to uh the case for 301 hail Avenue uh
that was reviewed um and is similar in
that the existing um building and the
existing site did not include any uh
signage um or minimal signage both
identifying the property for what it was
and being able to commute uh communicate
information to the to the public uh and
to parents and students um there's
obviously a large uh setback on this
property um with a fenc in yard at the
front and then there's a uh good bit of
space between the sidewalk and that
fencing in which the proposed sign will
be installed um the sign is going to be
facing uh perpendicular to the roadway
so there were some concerns referenced
at the Planning Commission meeting about
potential light spill over onto adjacent
properties um because of the way the uh
sign will be configured uh there will be
no light whatsoever pointed at the um
adjacent properties across North Fifth
Street um um and in fact uh the
illumination created by the signs is
relatively minimal if the um sign at
1012 nor six street is anything to go by
um it's there's not a lot of glare it's
generally pretty contained uh within the
signage face um and so you know we do
not anticipate any adverse impacts like
a internally illuminated light box sign
or something like that that uh that
there would be on adjacent uh
properties that being said uh the
planning
commission is recommending the zoning
hear board approv the request for the
following reasons uh an electronic any
electronic messages displayed on the
proposed sign will conform to the
regulations in section 7-325
.11 of the zoning code regarding light
and glare and prohibited electronically
changing messages uh and then the
applicant will ensure that the sign must
be installed at least 5 feet from the
property line along North Fifth Street
uh planning Bureau uh Planning
Commission recommends that the loing
hearing board approve the request for
the following reason reasons the signage
is consistent with the size height and
illumination of existing of signage
existing at or proposed for other
facilities owned by the Harrisburg
School District ensuring consistency in
messaging across all
properties the signage will be situated
to face Northbound traffic on North
Fifth Street and configured to minimize
or eliminate any potential impacts on
adjacent Residential Properties and
finally the property currently features
no exterior signage which allows the
school district to convey information to
the general public parents and children
the proposed sign will be able to convey
more information about educational and
Community programs activities and
services and enhanced communication
between the school district and the
general
public hi John REI I'm the chief of
operations for the Harrisburg School
District I'm uh Mike Schultz with RPM
signs
you raise your right
hand I
do that's
it yeah really not much more to add uh
but the Harrisburg School District is in
the process of uh wanting to communicate
more to the community we found that the
electronic signs is just another piece
of being able to do that uh being a
important information you know recognize
our students and uh for safety reasons
as well in terms of communicating that
of information
at covered I don't have anything now
uh it's not to my knowledge the school
building itself may be listed on the
national register but the property is
not on any um municipal or national or
nationally eligible historic
districts good thank you
okay
conditions y the conditions of the
planning
second
I thank you all right so
2592 is 1701 North 6th Street
so we got B1 proof of publication B2
letter from the planning director to the
applicant B3 hearing notice posted on
the property B4 applicant notification
letters to neighbors
B5 application with attached plans
photos B6 D to the property B7 planning
Bureau case report B8 is the city of
Harrisburg Planning Commission
resolution B1 through
B8 uh yes so case
2592 um is again a proposal by the uh
Harrisburg School District uh to install
signage uh requiring uh three different
variances uh now this signage is a
little bit different from the last one
uh in that it's uh three wall signs uh
being proposed um and that's probably
necessitated by the fact there is no
front yard uh in which to install any
freestanding signs um and uh the three
variances are are for more signs than
permitted by right and that's three uh
signs proposed versus one permitted by
right uh signs larger than permitted by
right um and that's 88.7 squ ft 103.6 ft
and 105 Square ft and the by signage
area is 10 Square F feet and internally
illuminated signs um so this uh proposal
is for the Hamilton school um and um as
you're probably aware uh having driven
by it um there's very minimal signage
existing there's like very small kind of
light box sign I'm not even sure if the
internal illumination works or not and
then they have a few uh two projecting
banners on either side of the um Central
Courtyard uh that provides access to the
building um and as the applicants have
uh noted in their testimony for the last
case uh their uh intent is really to
standardize their signage across all of
their facilities um and to you know have
The Branding of the of the cougar uh
Academy branding um on their buildings
uh and then the the electronically
changing sign allows them to provide uh
you know information uh to the public um
in uh kind of a differentiation from the
last uh application uh the surrounding
context is of this property is very
different um there are a couple of I
believe vacant buildings directly across
the street and otherwise um surrounding
blocks are are largely vacant um there's
obviously been some recent institutional
developments along the Sixth Street
Corridor um both the uh PA state
archives and the federal courthouse um
and you know they all have um fairly
expansive signage or at least the the
archives does um that you know would not
conform to the zoning code nor would
they have to as as being the federal
government the state government um and
so uh the proposed signage I think will
be in keeping from a size perspective
with other uh properties um in the
corridor uh additionally as the corridor
is developed into the future and there
have already been uh some projects um
both uh proposed approved and uh pending
uh for uh for the Sixth Street Corridor
uh the need for uh more prominent
conspicuous signage advertising the
property and identifying the property
and then conveying information to uh to
drivers um or to people um traveling
down the corridor uh will be made
necessary uh so with that being said the
Planning Commission is recommending that
the zoning hearing board approve the
request with the following conditions
any electronic messages displayed on the
proposed sign will conform to the
regulations in section 7- 32511 of the
zoning code regarding light and glare
and prohibited electronically changing
messages the Planning Commission uh is
recommending the zoning hearing board
approve the request for the following
reasons uh given a lack of any existing
signage on site is reasonable to install
signage larger more numerous and more
conspicuous to identify the site and
communicate with the public uh the
context of the installation site with
the wall signs facing vacant lots and
buildings mitigates potential impacts on
the surrounding Community due to the
internal illumination and finally the
property currently features Obsolete and
insufficient signage for the school
district to convey information to the
general public parents and children the
proposed sign will be able to convey
more information about educational and
Community programs activities and
services and enhance the and enhanced
communication between the school
district and the general
public I have nothing further to that it
was a good
summary is that a real simple question
so with the three signs um I I know the
one is with the push through letters so
the cloud sign just means it's just the
graphic of the sign just that's
illuminated okay all right thank you
no we we were just planning on Sixth
Street as the the Main Street to get the
communication that way out front
might want to do
that the public
right the conditions with the Planning
Commission
y
second
I thank you okay so now 25
93601 State Street
uh exhibits in think B1 proof of
publication B2 letter sent from planning
director to applicant B3 hearing notice
posted on a property B4 applicants
notification letters to neighbors B5
application with attachments the plans
and photos B6 D to the property B7
planning Bureau case report and B8 city
of Harrisburg Planning Commission
resolution okay uh case number 2593
uh so this proposal is um a bit more uh
intensive than uh even the last proposal
um in this case the applicant is
proposing to install uh five new
internally illuminated wall signs uh
which requires uh relief from three
aspects of the signs regulations
regarding number size and elimination uh
proposal requires approval of variances
for more signs than permitted by right
and that's five proposed versus one
permitted by right uh signs larger than
permitted by right um that's 26.5 Square
ft 72.3 Square ft 132.0 ft and two at 36
squ fet uh when the permitted signage
area is 10 Square F feet and internally
illuminated signs uh so this proposal is
um similar to the last one in that both
are uh uh buildings that occupy the
entirety of a block um and so it has
frontages on um multiple rights Subway
um however compared and contrasted to uh
the um case number
2592 uh the applicants in this case are
uh proposing were originally proposing
uh electronic electronically changing
message signs on both uh the North 17th
Street Frontage and the State Street
Frontage and then three different signs
uh advertising the school and the cougar
Academy um in addition to those two uh
the context of the is a little bit
different than a normal building pH or
than a normal sign it's not like a front
yard that's going to be accommoda a
freestanding sign it's kind of a cutout
Notch of the building there um and so
the I think signage um U platforms and
stuff will be a little bit different it
won't just be affixed I think directly
to the wall it'll in fact one of their
signs is like a threedimensional sign so
that'll kind of be coming out and have a
framework behind it um but uh while the
appointing Bureau was supportive of
pretty much all the signs we felt that
only one electronically changing sign
was necessary um for the site um if
that's you know our kind of reasoning
was if it's good enough for the other s
the other school district sites it's uh
sufficient for this site um additionally
uh we were supportive of the other uh
size and design of the other signage
that they're proposing so the issue of
identification uh wouldn't be changed it
would be more of an issue of just
conveyance of information to the to the
general public uh and during the
Planning Commission um uh review the
applicants had um expressed uh uh
concurrence with um the planning
bureau's uh recommendation um but that
still shows up here as a condition uh so
with that being said uh the Zone uh
Planning Commission is recommending that
zon hearing board approve the request
with the following conditions uh any
electronic messages displayed on the
proposed sign will conformed to the
regulations in section 7-325 point11 of
the zoning code regarding light and GL
air and prohibited electronically
changing messages the applicant will
only install one of the proposed
electronic message center boards uh the
planet Bureau notes that the proposed
signage uh significantly exceeds the
allowances for permitted signage in the
ins district and and that there is no
justification for two such signs and
that the signage proposal for a similar
Corner property on a major route at 1701
nor6 Street and again that was case
2592 uh only includes one such sign uh
the Planning Commission uh recommends
the zoning her board to approve the
request for the following reasons given
the lack of any existing signage on site
and the recent establishment or
expansion of an educational campus not
just offices uh so the school district
did move their offices out of that
building um to their new facility on 7th
Street uh it is reasonable to install
signage larger more numerous and more
conspicuous to identify the site and
communicate with the public uh the
context of the installation site with
the wall signs facing a church and a
former charter school and the nearest
resident sitting approximately 200 ft
away diagonally across a large
intersection mitigates potential impacts
on the surrounding Community due to the
internal illumination and finally the
property currently features no exterior
signage which allows the school district
to convey information to the general
public parents and children the post
sign will be able to convey more
information about educational Community
programs activities and services and
enhanced communication between the
school district and the general
public uh really nothing not much
further to add however we did change the
design and now it is there is electron
sign
correct yeah I just trying to make sure
I understood I'm looking at the RPM uh
layouts uh showing the different signs
so it's there's five signs correct there
are five proposed um but we're
recommending that they only have one of
the message board signs instead of
two okay so these
other okay so I just consider one okay
got you okay that was the only question
I had thank you
anybody
second all
right thank you
yep
okay okay so we have right application
2594 26 2 North
Street and the exhibits are B1 proof of
publication Patriot
News November 3rd November 10th 2024 B2
is a letter uh sent from the planning
director to applicant notifying of the
hearing B3 is a hearing notice posted on
the property B4 applicants notification
letters to the neighbors B5 application
with photos of the interior of the
property and the plans for the proposal
B6 is a d to the property
establishing standing B7 planning Bureau
case report B8 is the city of Harrisburg
Planning Commission resolution so we got
B1 through
B8 yes uh so for case number
2594 uh the applicant is proposing to
expand the existing three unit multif
family dwelling through the
establishment of a fourth unit in the
basement uh because the property is
legal non-conforming with respect to the
density a special exception is required
to expand this non-conforming aspect per
section 7-
[Music]
321.com neighborhood zoning District uh
which requires 1,200 sare feet of lot
area per dwelling unit and the uh lot is
actually 111 square feet short of um
doing a bught accommodation of the three
units uh so um it's legally
non-conforming with respect to the
density and because this proposal
um uh or this project proposes to expand
the density um uh non-conformity it
requires a special exception uh had the
structure been um conforming with
respect to the density I think they
would have required a variance and I
think the applicant would have had a
harder uh case to make um for getting a
proposal uh or getting a fourth unit in
the basement uh permitted by right um
however because it is a special
exception that obviously changes in the
criteria and the um standard of proof
that the applicant needs to meet um to
receive approval from the zoning hearing
board uh the property is located um on
the 200 block of North 6 Street besides
mqu um right down the street from um
Elementary uh coffee uh if you're
familiar with uh the property there's
also um a surface parking lot in the
back of this um R buildings and that
surface parking lot is actually on um
part of this property so uh it's both
this row house and the the lot behind it
um and at the uh November 6th Planning
Commission uh meeting uh they testified
that they did have um two um unassigned
spaces uh within that lot uh to
accommodate um the uh any parking needs
from a future tenant of this space uh I
believe they noted that two of the three
um units are occupied by tenants that do
not have vehicles um so there's no
guarantee that a future tenant would
even have a vehicle
um but uh that being said um you know
there's a variety of different uses uh
in the surrounding neighborhood and in
fact a variety of different uh multi
family dwelling um uh buildings um right
across the street I believe there's
eight nine in some of those buildings
and then there's single family row homes
directly adjacent to this property so uh
there are a variety abuses and a variety
intenses of of intensities of
residential development uh in the
neighborhood um um so the proposed uh
installation of a um basement unit um so
long as it's code compliant U building
code compliant should be uh have a
negligible impact on the neighborhood uh
with that being said the Planning
Commission uh recommends the zoning
hearing board approve the request for
the following reasons uh the applicant
must coordinate with the codes Bureau on
any building code requirements such as
sprinkling the basement unit or
providing two code compliant exterior
egresses uh so there is one egress out
the back and I believe the applicants
have indicated their intention to
install a second one like a window well
kind of crawl out from the basement um
if not they could still meet the
building code requirements by sprinkling
uh the basement space if necessary um
and then any proposed exterior
alterations must be submitted to the
planning Bureau for review to ascertain
whether they require harb approval of a
certificate of appropriateness
application uh the Planning Commission
recommends that the zoning hearing board
approved the request for the following
reasons the pl Bureau notes that if the
property were slightly larger the
proposal would require HB approval of a
variance request and that it is unlikely
such a request would be justifiable
however because the existing three unit
configuration is legally non-conforming
the establishment of additional unit
only requires a special exception and uh
because the neighborhood features a
variety of uses including commercial
institutional and the residential units
and residential units of varying
intensity the proposed additional unit
will likely have a negligible impact on
the community
here my name is Conrad Rudy I'm a
partner with seven real estate owner of
the north 262 North uh address is 2939
Maple Road Camp Pennsylvania
71 I
do um so this project was uh born out of
viewing what we saw as just wasted space
um the the basement currently which is
halfway above ground um and has a walk
out basement or a walk out eress in the
back of the property uh is currently
being used for storage and when we walk
through it with the high ceilings that
were available we thought um this is an
opportunity for us to create some uh
affordable and safe
housing um that combined with the uh
parking lot that's attached to the the
property we didn't see any NE negligible
impact in the neighborhood
um we talked to all the neighbors the
adjacent neighbors um personally and uh
they they seem to support the the
project um and if there is any more
concern about the uh the parking there
is also a 24 space parking lot on brid
street that that we share a property
manager with made arrangements if
necessary to
yeah I just had a a general question um
I know you did mention with the uh
development of the unit that there would
be some type of I guess additional I
guess exit point for the the property I
was just wondering are there any other I
guess restrictions um for units that are
considered to be in the basement as
opposed to the above ground um you know
nothing I'm familiar with I'm sure there
are some other building code uh
considerations um otherwise I think it's
probably a personal preference that
whether somebody would choose to live
there or not and uh you know I think um
this is a case of every additional unit
in the city helps uh to to meet uh the
needs and and to provide options to
somebody because this is likely you know
going to be priced considerably cheaper
than the fifth floor of a you know
converted office building for example so
it gives people opportunities to to find
something uh within the community to
continue living
thank
you we're we're looking for fair market
value which is going to be sub 1,000 so
it's 8 to 900 um whatever the market
pairs at that
certain
absolutely
yeah uh what they've they've already
been doing work on the project uh that
we've approved and and for the most part
um all their work is in kind uh
Replacements or um either minimally
visible or not visible from the public
right away for the of some HVAC units um
but if they're proposing I mean the most
conspicuous part of the property is the
front property along North Street I
don't anticipate there being any changes
there that wouldn't be where um any new
egress point from the basement would be
they have kind of a light well in the
back of the building where they'd be
able to install that and that's probably
the extent of the of the major exterior
changes be something like
that uh yeah so uh
with regard to um least the deed that
was provided list a Titania real estate
what is your connection with them that's
a uh that's an LLC that belongs to seven
the the partner group okay so that it's
it's part of the seven it's it's owned
by seven it's owned by seven that's what
I okay
MH yeah yep
m
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
e e
yes I would like to make a motion uh to
accept application
2594 um with the conditions set forth by
the Planning
Commission
I all
right announc will be our
last hopefully
definitely
More transcripts
Explore other videos transcribed with YouTLDR.

التوازن الإيجاري والعقارات الشاغرة ⁉️
شركة خُلد العقارية · English

Decode Smart Money Positions Using Next-Gen Algorithms || #nifty #optionstrading #sensex #banknifty
Derivatives Indicators · English

Harrisburg City Council - Legislative Session November 26th 2024
The City of Harrisburg - WHBG20 · English

Harrisburg City Council Work Session 11/19/2024
The City of Harrisburg - WHBG20 · English

2025 Proposed Budget Hearing 11/7/2024
The City of Harrisburg - WHBG20 · English

Harrisburg City Planning Commission Meeting - November 6th, 2024
The City of Harrisburg - WHBG20 · English

Harrisburg City Council Legislative Session - October 22nd, 2024
The City of Harrisburg - WHBG20 · English

Harrisburg City Zoning Hearing Board Meeting - October 21st, 2024
The City of Harrisburg - WHBG20 · English

Harrisburg City Council Work Session - October 15th, 2024
The City of Harrisburg - WHBG20 · English

Harrisburg City Council - Legislative Session - October 8th 2024
The City of Harrisburg - WHBG20 · English

Harrisburg City Planning Commission Meeting - October 2, 2024
The City of Harrisburg - WHBG20 · English

Harrisburg City Council Work Session - October 1, 2024
The City of Harrisburg - WHBG20 · English
Get the TLDR of any YouTube video
Transcribe, summarize, and repurpose videos in 125+ languages — free, no signup required.