Recap of Community Development Activities Meeting at 3634 Penn Ave
On Thursday, December 14th, at 6:30 PM, Lawrenceville United and Lawrenceville Corporation hosted the Community Development Activities Meetings at New Alliance Federal Credit Union (3709 Butler St). The CDAM focused on proposed development at 3634 Penn Ave. The proposed plan calls for 50 rental units (townhome and apartment style) at the site.
The meeting opened with LU and LC giving introductions and explaining the ground rules of the meeting. The teams then passed the mic to Craig Riegelnegg and Philip Wilkinson of AE7 who are responsible for the design and architecture of the project, along with the developer of this project, Eric Jester of New Burgh Real Estate.
They discussed the following in their presentation:
- New Burgh Real Estate and AE7 will be developing 50 unit at 3634 Penn Ave.
- All 50 units will be rentals and in various styles (townhome and apartment).
- There will be car and bike parking on site.
- The building will be open air within the center of the development to decrease environmental/climate impact.
- Facade of the building will be designed to fit in with the neighborhood
- Plan to have a curb cut on Penn Avenue to enter into a garage.
- The zoning for this site is Local Neighborhood Commercial, but is impacted by the Single-Unit Attached High Residential zone also being nearby to the property. Will be requesting a zoning variance related to the height of portions of the building.
- New Burgh Real Estate will comply with IZ requirements that at least 10% of the units (5 units for this property) will be affordable to households at 50% or below AMI. The developer says they will accept Housing Choice Vouchers.
- Following this community meeting and the feedback they receive, New Burgh Real Estate and AE7 are open to having a follow up meeting with the community.
Following the presentation, a Community Q&A was opened up. Public safety was of top concern for the community and many community members offered important feedback and examples of how to improve particularly the parking garage’s safety. Further discussion around the parking garage entrance and safety on Penn will be discussed moving forward as a result. For more detailed notes, those questions and answers can be found transcribed within the “Meeting notes” link below.
Please use the links below to review the project more fully and provide feedback for the developers. If you have any further questions, please contact LU at 412-802-7220 or info@lunited.org.
UPDATE 3/12/24
A Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing for this project is scheduled for Thursday 3/14 at 10:20 AM. As New Burgh Real Estate shared in the community meeting, the zoning relief being sought is for a variance for the accessory surface parking spots across Woolslayer Way, as well as a special exception for residential compatibility standards related to the height of the building. The overall project hasn’t changed significantly from what was presented at the community meeting. As part of follow up conversations with LU and LC and community members related to issues that were raised in the December community meeting, New Burgh Real Estate has committed to the following:
- All eligible housing units, and minimally, all inclusionary units, will accept Housing Choice Vouchers
- The developer will work with LU, LC, and the community as designs get further developed to prioritize pedestrian safety along Penn Avenue by instituting pedestrian safety measures, especially as it relates to the interaction between the sidewalk and the driveway to the garage.
- The developer will incorporate other traffic calming and safety measures in the public realm, including bump outs or speed tables, if approved by DOMI.
LU and LC are issuing a joint letter to the Zoning Board offering support for the project based on these commitments and requesting that these commitments be attached as conditions of any zoning approval. You can find a copy of our joint letter here.
More information about how to participate in the zoning hearing can be found here. If you have any questions or need any support to testify, please reach out to us at 412-802-7220 or info@LUnited.org.
