Zoning board approves 469‑unit conditioned storage redevelopment with limits on outdoor RV/boat parking

The Allentown Zoning Hearing Board approved an application from Saint Elmo Development LLC to redevelop the former concrete‑batch plant at 301 South Elmo Street into a consolidated, conditioned self‑storage facility totaling up to 469 units, but the board added a set of conditions intended to limit neighborhood impacts.

The applicant, represented by Abraham (Abe) Attia, said the new plan replaces a dated layout of many scattered drive‑up units with three larger, 12,000‑square‑foot interior, climate‑controlled buildings and related parking and site improvements. "It was a property that got out of control. It was like I personally mismanaged it. I'm being honest with you," Attia told the board while acknowledging prior site problems and describing recent cleanup efforts.

Architect Gene Berg and site engineers explained the layout and environmental constraints. Berg said all new buildings will be sited outside the 150‑foot riparian buffer that the applicant’s engineers identified as applicable under state environmental rules. He told the board the proposed plan actually reduces impervious surface slightly: "There is 3.59 acres of impervious coverage proposed on the new plan. There is 3.63 acres of impervious coverage presently on the site," he said, adding that the redevelopment would remove roughly 0.04 acres of paving and create additional green buffers.

The board heard objection…