Special zoning requested for complex
FARRELL, Pa. -- The city planning commission has recommended that a zoning district be created for the proposed Hope VI rebuilding of the Steel City Terrace housing complex on Spearman Avenue.
The Mercer County Housing Authority and developer Ralph Falbo of Pittsburgh are behind the $28 million project, which will involve razing the old 100-unit barracks-style complex and replacing it with 135 units built to fit into a traditional neighborhood.
Rather than stacking apartments in a few buildings, the Hope VI project, named after a federal housing development program that is putting up about $9 million for the project, will build the new units in duplexes and triplexes.
It will also expand into the surrounding neighborhood and not be confined to the Steel City Terrace area.
The housing authority and Falbo requested the zoning, called a traditional neighborhood district, as a way to make the development easier.
Reason for request: Mark Yerskey, city health and code enforcement officer, said the district will be an overlay on zoning for the area, which includes single-family, multifamily and light industrial districts.
The overlay will allow the developers flexibility in what they want to design and build and will avoid the need for a string of requests for zoning variances, special exceptions or conditional uses for portions of the project that might not fit regulations, Yerskey said.
That doesn't mean the developers will have a free hand to do what they want. They must submit a development plan that spells out the project in terms of building locations and uses, and city council must approve that plan before construction can begin, Yerskey said.
The planning commission recommendation now goes to city council.