The Sewickley Zoning Hearing Board will rule in January on whether a local development company will receive variances to build a four-story, upscale condominium complex along Beaver Street.
Early Wednesday morning, zoning hearing board Chairman Michael Lyons told lawyers representing Sewickley-based Thorn Creek Development Corp. and residents opposed to the variances the board will make its decision at its Jan. 7 meeting.
That capped more than four-and-a-half hours of testimony by representatives of the developer and opponents, beginning Tuesday night and dragging into yesterday morning.
The proposal calls for two buildings to be constructed at the intersection of Beaver and Peebles streets. Among the thorniest of four variances sought by Thorn Creek is one to have the buildings stand 48 feet high, 10 feet higher than allowed under zoning law.
A standing-room-only crowd initially filled council chambers, but by 12:30 a.m., just 20 people were left. Save for three or four residents, nearly all were opposed to the development.
Other variances sought by Thorn Creek:
Resident Fred Sharp, of Beaver Street, contended that the buildings, because of their height, would destroy the neighborhood's "idyllic" character and would cause property values to drop.
"It's very important for historic purposes that a town doesn't lose its look," said Mary Beth Pastorius, of Beaver Street, who served on the borough's Historic Review Commission.
Thorn Hill's development, she said, would be "an affront" to Beaver Street and would destroy the "streetscape."
The developers' request for extra dwellings per acre wouldn't be out of step with current practice,
argued attorney Edward A. Schenk, who represents Thorn Creek, and Monroe "Rody" Nash, the company's vice president and secretary. Apartment buildings on the property where the condominiums are planned currently house 39 units.
Those structures were built before Sewickley enacted the 1997 ordinance restricting the number of dwellings per acre.
