Planning Commission reaffirms Berkshire building land-development plan; asks for zoning clarification on parking

The Planning Commission on Jan. 28 reaffirmed the recorded land-development plan for the Berkshire building and included a condition that the applicant obtain clarification from the zoning solicitor on whether the Zoning Hearing Board’s decision and the testimony referencing student tenants affects the granted parking relief.

Emily explained that the recorded plan had lacked planning-commission signatures after an earlier approval; the applicant engaged a new contractor and the current owner has made substantial progress in finishing the adaptive-reuse project. Planning staff said the Zoning Hearing Board decision referenced testimony that the building would primarily serve Alvernia and foreign-exchange students, and commissioners asked whether that testimony limited the scope of permitted occupancy or the parking relief.

Emily said she consulted the zoning solicitor, who advised that the type of tenants does not, by itself, change the scope of the recorded approval. Commissioners nevertheless requested a clarification from the zoning solicitor about parking relief language referenced in the decision letter; the applicant said it is pursuing off-site parking leases for about 80 spaces as an additional mitigation measure and that first-floor commercial/mixed uses remain planned. The commission’s motion reaffirmed the plan with the condition that the applicant receive clarification from the Zoning Hearing Board solicitor.