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Zoning board treats Northridge slopes as man‑made, allows City Center to disturb steep areas for school parcel
Summary
The Allentown Zoning Hearing Board on Aug. 11 interpreted steep slopes on the former Allentown State Hospital (Northridge) site as man‑made and approved disturbance tied to a school parcel and related road improvements.
The Allentown City Zoning Hearing Board on Aug. 11 approved an interpretation that large portions of steep slopes on the former Allentown State Hospital property (the Northridge site) are man‑made and therefore not regulated in the same way as natural slopes, clearing the way for limited disturbance tied to a school and related infrastructure.
Dennis McCarthy, counsel for City Center Investment Corp., told the board the company seeks variances from sections 6.60–6.63(e)(1) and (e)(2) of the zoning ordinance to permit: disturbance of about 15,802 square feet of slopes between 25% and 35% (within a 36.35‑acre NPDES boundary) and disturbance of about 10,892 square feet of slopes greater than 35%. City Center plans to create a 16.65‑acre parcel for a public elementary school and to construct on‑ and off‑site improvements tied to that parcel.
Witnesses for the applicant included Jack Riley, senior…
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