Planning commission closes hearing on conditional use for parking lot at 5608 William Penn Highway

The Murrysville Planning Commission closed a Jan. 14 public hearing on a conditional‑use application to use an adjacent gravel area at 5608 William Penn Highway as overflow parking and for a screened roll‑off dumpster.

The application, filed as Conditional Use 1‑25, would allow up to 10 parking spaces on a 0.662‑acre parcel in the borough's B (Business) zoning district, according to attorney Brian Almeter, representing the property owner. "The proposed improvements consist of minor regrading, top dressing of the current gravel area, for 10 vehicles, along with ... the board on board screen fence," Almeter said during the hearing.

The commission took the item under discussion because staff raised a question about whether the proposed gravel surface complies with the borough's off‑street parking surfacing rules. "One of the concerns we had was relating to the parking ... it's going to remain as a gravel lot," said Mr. Nestico, planning staff. The code language cited in the hearing (zoning ordinance §220‑68) requires parking areas to be graded for drainage and to provide "an impervious surface such as concrete or bituminous concrete or a pervious surface that provides a parking surface similar to concrete or bituminous concrete." Staff asked the municipal engineer to determine whether the existing gravel, which has been in place for decades, meets that standard.

Almeter and the applicant described the proposal as a reuse of a historic gravel pad and concrete slab, not a significant expansion of paved area. The plan includes a board‑on‑board fence to screen a roll‑off dumpster, an extension of existing landscape islands near the office building, and no proposed lighting. Almeter said the parking would be for employees and daytime use only.

During discussion commissioners asked whether the zoning or stormwater definitions control how gravel is counted for impervious‑surface calculations; staff said the two ordinances are separate and recommended consulting the municipal engineer and comparing definitions with the stormwater code. The commission did not vote on the conditional‑use request itself.

A motion to close the public hearing carried unanimously. The commission directed staff and the applicant to coordinate with the municipal engineer to determine whether the gravel surface satisfies the borough's standards and to return with the additional information at a future meeting.

No formal recommendation or final approval was made at the Jan. 14 meeting; further action will await the engineer's determination and any required permit or waiver requests.

Details at a glance: parcel 5608 William Penn Highway; proposed use: up to 10 employee parking spaces and screened roll‑off dumpster; parcel area: 0.662 acres; zoning: B Business District; surfacing: existing gravel (applicant proposes top dressing; no paving proposed).