Developers present 8-townhouse sketch plan for Luzerne Place; commission flags access, utilities, hydrant

The Planning Commission heard an informal sketch-plan presentation April 22 for a residential project called Luzerne Place that would combine five parcels along Luzerne Street to build eight attached townhouses.

Jerome Skrinkowski, planning consultant, said the sketch covers roughly 20,500 square feet of building area across five parcels and that the applicant submitted architectural renderings. "The applicant is proposing to utilize those properties to construct like 1-family attached dwellings or townhouse units on all the property," Skrinkowski said.

Skrinkowski and staff identified several access and infrastructure constraints that the applicant must resolve before a preliminary plan: the project proposes to use an existing 15-foot-wide alley for rear parking access, and the alley condition and whether it provides lawful ingress/egress to Luzerne or must rely on Lackawanna Street must be clarified. Public works must verify existing curb, sidewalks and ramps and determine the applicant’s responsibility for improvements. The fire department has preliminarily determined a fire hydrant is required on this segment of Zern Street, and the applicant must coordinate hydrant placement with the water authority (Rawloff).

The plan appears to require sanitary sewer reconnection for the eight new units; Skrinkowski said a planning module will likely be required and must be approved by the city and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Stormwater and erosion-control plans and a municipal improvements agreement will also be required.

Applicant Joel Avada and engineer/representative Tom Ludgate told the commission the townhouses would be sold as individual homes (not rental apartments). "They're gonna be individual homes," Avada said. Tom Ludgate said the design envisions parking in the rear along the alley and that the project team is still checking whether a city right-of-way exists that might allow a looped connection that avoids a PennDOT HOP permit.

Commissioners pressed on parking depth and alley width. Staff suggested deeper parking stall depths so vehicles do not hang into the alley given the proposed 15-foot alley width; one commissioner recommended a 20-foot stall depth rather than the more-common 18 feet to accommodate larger pickup trucks. Commissioners also discussed the possibility of consolidating parcels into a single lot then subdividing into eight individual lots to facilitate clear deeds for homeowners; Avada said consolidation and subdivision are options and that the team will address lot-line strategy during preliminary review.

Because the submission was a sketch plan, the commission provided direction and did not take action. Staff encouraged the applicant to address the access, alley improvement, hydrant and sewer-planning issues before a formal preliminary/final submission.