Zoning board grants dimensional variance to Downtown Metro LLC for site-triangle at N. Eleventh and Court streets

The Zoning Hearing Board of Allentown City on June 30 approved a dimensional variance allowing Downtown Metro LLC to eliminate a required site‑clearance triangle at the corner of North Eleventh and Court streets, clearing the way for a five‑story, 43‑unit apartment building with about 1,026 square feet of ground‑floor retail.

The applicant, represented by attorney Dennis McCarthy, asked the board for a dimensional variance from "section 6 sixty‑thirty 7 A" of the zoning ordinance (described in the record as the ordinance provision on site clearance near intersections) to remove the required sight‑triangle at the southeast corner of North Eleventh and Court Street. McCarthy and witnesses told the board the triangle would remove roughly 15 feet of the building’s street frontage and materially reduce retail frontage at the corner.

McCarthy called two witnesses: Joe Colaswano, manager of the applicant, who described the two lots being reconfigured into an 8,283‑square‑foot parcel and outlined the proposed building program; and Brian Sailor, a project manager at Phillips and Donovan Architects, who testified about the corner configuration, nearby fire hydrant location, existing handicap parking adjacent to the corner, sidewalk widths and pedestrian visibility. Sailor said the geometry, existing hydrant setback and the fact Court Street is one‑way eastbound reduced the public‑safety rationale for the site‑triangle in this location.

The applicant introduced a packet of exhibits that included the notice of appeal, site plans, project renderings, site information plans and photographs. Colaswano testified the assembled site has limited frontage (about 60 feet on North Eleventh, with roughly 40 feet of retail frontage) so enforcing the triangular setback would remove about 25% of the building’s Eleventh Street frontage and about 40% of retail frontage. Sailor reviewed photographs of the intersection and other nearby corners and told the board that the proposed storefront would be largely glass and that sidewalks would be widened, which he said improved pedestrian conditions.

Board members discussed the frequency of site‑triangle appeals in the district and the text of the upcoming zoning ordinance update, noting the new ordinance will give more flexibility in central business areas. During deliberations members said the narrow lot, the intersection geometry and the one‑way direction of Court Street lessened the safety need that the site‑triangle was intended to address. The board stated that the parcel’s configuration posed a unique hardship and that the impact on neighborhood character would be minimal.

A motion to approve the dimensional variance was made and seconded. The board voted in favor; the motion carried (the board recorded approval during the meeting). Exhibits shown by the applicant were admitted into the record.