Plans call for Bower Hill School to become childhood learning center
The old Bower Hill School is a step closer toward reuse.
Peters Township’s Zoning Hearing Board voted Nov. 21 to grant a special exception for a school in a low-density residential district, along with three variances pertaining to minimum lot size, front buffer and building setback.
Plans call for a 30-by-80-foot addition to the existing 30-by-40-foot structure to create space for what is proposed as Bower’s School House Preschool and Learning Center.
“We’re not changing the character of the building,” Mary Robinson, who would own and operate the preschool, told the board. “We’re matching the brick. We’re matching the window sets. We’re matching every detail to keep the historical value.”
Her father-in-law, Thomas Robinson, purchased the .64-acre property along Bower Hill Road from the township in January. He previously renovated another of Peters’ one-room schoolhouses, on Camp Lane, that now operates as a restaurant.
The next step for the Robinsons and project architect Victor-Wetzel Associates of Sewickley is to submit final site plans, plus plans addressing items such as landscaping and stormwater management, to the Peters planning commission, which then would make a recommendation to township council.
Despite chairman John Thacik’s concerns about the size of the addition, the zoning hearing board’s vote was unanimous. Variances were sought with regard to these minimum requirements as per the zoning ordinance:
- Two acres for a school. The size of the lot is .64 acres.
- Setback of 100 feet for a building. The addition would be less than 20 feet from neighboring property.
- Front buffer of 20 feet. A 10-foot buffer is proposed.
Plans call for a 21-vehicle parking lot, exceeding the township minimum of 18, and traffic would flow into and out of a separate entrance and exit. The latter is to be located close to the new all-way stop at Bower Hill and Snyder roads.
A resident who lives near the site, Michael Grasso of Walnut Drive, expressed concern to the board about the number of motorists who already use Bower Hill.
“People are flying in and out of that road,” he said. “There’s a high level of traffic.
Mary Robinson said that students would arrive at and leave the preschool on a staggered basis throughout the day, which would be unlikely to cause congestion.
“When parents drop their children off, it’s in a matter of minutes,” she explained. “So the rotation of vehicles through there is very fast. Nobody is parked there for a long period of time.”
The school would be licensed by the state Department of Education and Department of Human Services, and accommodate up to 113 students.
The original building was constructed in 1908, according to Thomas Robinson, and the property has been a site for schools since the 1830s. After its use as a residential structure and subsequent deterioration, the building was purchased by Peters Township in 2013.
On receiving a low bid for necessary repairs of $125,300 in October 2016, council voted to sell the property. Robinson, who owns T.A. Robinson Asphalt Paving in Bridgeville, bought it in January for $25,000 as the lone bidder.