Mar 21, 2019 By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 3 min read

A new residential development is planned for property on which a Mt. Lebanon church has been located for 80 years.

The Enclave at Bird Park is proposed as six single-family lots at 1100 Washington Road, home to First Church of Christ, Scientist, of Mt. Lebanon prior to its sale in July to Flash Point Partners LLC. The Colonial Revival-style church building would be demolished to make way for the development.

Matthew Cramer, Flash Point managing member, is seeking preliminary approval from the Mt. Lebanon Planning Board for subdivision and land development plans. Board members discussed the proposal at their March 19 meeting and tabled action until April.

Plans for the 2.7 acres call for a public street, Williams Way, to intersect with Washington Road and end in a cul-de-sac. The six homes all will be on one side of the street, with Bird Park to the rear of each.

Municipal engineer Dan Deiseroth, president of Gateway Engineers, compiled a summary of the project for Mt. Lebanon commissioners in which he calls the initial storm-water management proposal as submitted unacceptable. He includes 12 comments that the developer must address before proceeding, pertaining to issues such as amount of impervious surface and determination of maintenance responsibilities.

“I think it’s a great project for Mt. Lebanon if done correctly,” he said during the planning board meeting.

Suzanne Sieber, who chairs the board, expressed a sense of diligence regarding the project.

“My feeling is, I think it’s a really pretty church, and it’s a shame to have to take it down,” she said. “That’s not under my purview, and I can’t do anything about that. But I can make sure that what is built there is more beautiful and follows all of Mt. Lebanon’s rules.”

Ellsworth Vines, who serves on the vestry and property commission of nearby St. Paul’s Episcopal Church member, spoke at the board meeting about water runoff from the development site.

“That entire area is wet. Water runs from Washington Road all the way down to our property. It is running through that property now, and some of it is running through other adjacent properties to our property,” he said. “We would encourage you to look very, very hard at the storm-water runoff plan.”

Gail Winter, who lives across the street from the property to be developed, expressed similar concerns.

“Depending on his grading plan, if the water flows across Washington Road, it will flow right down my property,” she told the board. “I’m very much in favor of houses there. Don’t get me wrong. I really like this idea. Who knows? If they’re the right design, I may want one. I just am concerned about the water management.”

John Molinda, another Washington Road resident, posed a question.

“What would happen if this got started, the church got torn down and something happened, and it just was ugly for a long time?” he inquired. “That’s the only thing that concerns me when I think about a big construction project across from my house at a time when maybe I’d think about selling the house.”

Deiseroth replied that the municipality would require the developer to post 110 percent of the estimated costs to construct the streets and develop the lots.

“So if the developer walked away,” he explained, “the municipality would come in and take action to finish the street, and be able to take the lots and sell the lots.”