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Council committee recommends preliminary approval for 8-townhouse project at 210214 West Washington with waivers
Summary
Applicant Axel Square LLC proposed consolidating three parcels and building eight townhouses; the committee recommended preliminary approval while noting three engineering and sight-triangle waivers and resident concerns about stormwater, parking, and displacement of long-term occupants.
The Smart Growth Committee recommended approval of a preliminary land development resolution for 210214 West Washington Street, a proposal by Axel Square LLC to demolish existing structures on three parcels, consolidate them and build eight single-family townhouse units.
Sally Domenico, the boroughDirector of Building, Housing and Codes Enforcement, said the project would reduce impervious cover on the consolidated site from a nonconforming 88.6% to a conforming 44.1% and manage stormwater on-site via underground filtration beds. The developer requested three waivers: relief from SALDO sight-triangle requirements (Section 97-27(f)(7) and (f)(8)) at Birds Eye Alley and Patton Alley; and a waiver from the borough stormwater management code (Section 90-4-310(b)) to permit an 8-inch stormwater outlet pipe in lieu of the 15-inch diameter the ordinance specifies.
Scott Skwazanski, civil engineer for owner Mike Zavatelli, described revisions made after Planning Commission feedback, including breaking one larger internal parking area into separate driveways to increase rear green space and converting two-car garages to one-car garages to reduce impervious area. Jim Cherry of the Planning Commission said the commission viewed the revised plan favorably and recommended approval, noting reduced coverage, scale consistent with historic parcel layouts, and successful outreach to a small number of neighbors.
Residents and committee members raised concerns about stormwater capacity in the block, sight lines at alley intersections and long-term residents who will be displaced from aging rental units on the site. Engineers said the proposed infiltration beds reduce runoff volume and rate; the 8-inch outlet pipe was described as a cost-effective method to restrict outflow from the beds to the borough inlet system and meet peak-rate stormwater requirements, while the existing public storm system downstream includes larger pipes (15-, 24- and 36-inch segments) that connect to the inlet.
The motion before the committee was to approve the resolution for preliminary land development at 210214 West Washington Street. The committee recorded the action as approved; the vote tally reported in the meeting was 2 yes, 1 no. The applicant will proceed to finalize technical details for final plan submission, including a revised building-height calculation, refined stormwater outlet design and further parking clarification.
