Bethel Park to take action on zoning changes
Bethel Park may treat senior housing differently than other apartment buildings under a proposed change to the zoning ordinance, which council discussed at a hearing April 27.
Municipal council will take action on two proposed changes to the zoning ordinance at its meeting May 11. The other change concerns the regulation of wireless communication antennas and towers.
Bethel Park does not differentiate between apartment buildings marketed to the general public with those intended primarily for people 55 and older. A developer who plans to build a 130-unit, independent senior living facility on Limestone and McMurrary Roads, thinks that should change.
“It has a separate us than a typical multi unit building. A senior living facility will have less traffic and will have less of an impact on the neighborhood,” said Brock McCandless, an attorney for developer Clover-Landcaster Group.
Council will consider treating senior housing as an accepted use in R4 and R5 zones, which are intended for multi-family housing, and as a conditional use in C-4 zones, which are primarily for office buildings and other commercial buildings.
The proposed site for Clover-Lancaster’s senior housing building is in a C-4 zone, so the developer will still need to obtain conditional use approval from the municipal zoning hearing board before it can begin construction. Kurt Meeske, senior real estate developer for Clover Group, said he hoped to break ground some time next year.
“We’re looking forward to being part of Bethel Park,” he said.
Clover, which is based in Buffalo, N.Y., manages senior living facilities in Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. He said the average age of residents living in his company’s buildings is 78. Most buildings offer a variety of activities for retired people, as well as transportation to shopping districts and doctors’ appointments.
Another zoning change would update the municipality’s laws concerning cellular towers. The current ordinance was written with the large, traditional towers in mind. Those towers can be over 200 feet high, but many communication companies are using smaller antennas and towers to strengthen their broadband networks.
The proposed ordinance change will modernize the law to keep pace with the new technology, said Natausha Horton, an attorney with Cohen Law Group of Pittsburgh. The ordinance will require companies to adhere to stealth requirements so that the antenna or tower blends in with the neighborhood. Bethel Park will examine and determine if these antennas and towers blend in with the neighborhood as part of the zoning approval process.