Bethel Park school officials have received clearance to build a high school on a disputed plot of land.
Municipal Council voted unanimously last night to approve the school project, a little more than a week after Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Joseph M. James overturned the Zoning and Hearing Board's rejection of the plan.
James said the school district should be granted a variance to construct the building on school grounds. The campus is zoned a conservation district, which forbids new construction.
Councilman Paul Dixon, who chairs the planning and zoning committee, said council was not necessarily agreeing with the need for a new high school, but agreeing the plans met all legal requirements. Rejecting the plans would have led to another court fight.
"We wouldn't have a legal leg to stand on," Dixon said.
Council also voted 6-2 to approve a third driveway access to the campus from Church Road. Council members Don Harrison and Paul Martin voted against the access.
Earlier in the evening, the school board passed its own measures, approving two state-mandated measures setting costs and design for the $98.8 million building.
