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Zoning board denies storage variance for 1325 Penn Avenue after neighbor complaints
Summary
Robert Jones sought a variance to use 1325 Penn Avenue for personal storage; the board denied the request 5–0 after staff and neighbors described outdoor materials and equipment as unpermitted and inconsistent with a residential lot.
The Scranton Zoning Hearing Board denied a request to allow outdoor storage at 1325 Penn Avenue, ruling that the lot lacks a principal residential use to which storage could be accessory and that much of the material on the site appears to meet the building code’s definition of junk.
Applicant Robert Jones told the board the items are personal property and said he uses equipment on the lot for gardening and other household needs. Jones said he had removed a trailer and put some belongings into a shed. Neighbors and board members described the lot as cluttered with pallets, lumber and older equipment; one board member said the lot looked "like a junkyard," and staff said many items were not permitted and that no permits had been issued for newer structures.
City staff explained storage is accessory to a principal use on the same lot and that the property currently has no principal use on site; accordingly the board concluded a variance was not appropriate and denied the request by a 5–0 vote. Staff told Jones the city will issue a letter explaining required cleanup steps and that he may return to the board with a compliant application if he wants a permitted accessory structure in the future.
The board emphasized materials should be stored inside or properly screened, and staff offered to meet with Jones to walk the property and explain compliance steps.
