Bethel Park Council approves zoning ordinance changes
Bethel Park Municipal Council approved May 11 two changes to its zoning ordinance. One addresses senior living apartment buildings and the other concerns cellular communication towers.
Bethel Park’s zoning law previously treated all apartments the same, but a developer for a proposed senior living complex asked the municipality to treat housing for older adults differently, since the impact on the surrounding neighborhood would be less, due in part to lighter vehicle traffic.
To define senior housing, Bethel Park will use the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition, which requires that 80 percent of a senior living facility’s residents are age 55 or older.
Under the zoning amendment, buildings that fit that criteria will be permitted in R4 zones, which are intended for multi-family housing. Senior housing will be a conditional use for C4 zones, which are primarily meant for offices and other commercial buildings.
Clover-Lancaster Group wants to build a 130-unit, independent senior living facility on Limestone and McMurrary roads. The area is zoned C4, so the developer will have to obtain additional approval from the zoning hearing board.
The other zoning amendment updates 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. 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.
Bethel Park plans to use the right-of-way on some of the major roads in the municipality as permitted locations for these antennas and towers.
In another matter, the board approved a subdivision of Cool Springs Golf Center’s property on Baptist Road. The company wants to split its lot and use a portion of its property for a possible residential development.
Cool Springs operates a driving range, miniature golf course and indoor sports facility and the company has tackled a massive renovation of its facilities in recent years.