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Zoning board denies tiny prefabricated business at 725 Mulkey Avenue over parking and runoff concerns
Summary
The board unanimously denied a request to place a prefabricated tiny building at 725 Mulkey Avenue to operate a skin‑care business, citing R8 residential zoning, inadequate parking, steep slopes and neighbor concerns about runoff and neighborhood character.
The Scranton Zoning Hearing Board voted 4‑0 to deny an application from Marie Santiago Hernandez to place a prefabricated structure at 725 Mulkey Avenue and operate a small skin‑care business there.
Marie Santiago Hernandez told the board she owns the adjacent lot at 725 Mulkey Avenue and planned a small structure smaller than the 12x10 option initially listed; she asked to amend the application to a 20x20 building. “I already been selling my own organic skin care products for 1 year and a half now,” Hernandez said, explaining she wanted separate space for customers and intended three on‑site parking spaces.
Multiple neighbors opposed the project at the hearing. Vanessa Mehl, who lives at 1028 Mulkey Avenue, asked how runoff would be controlled, how utilities and deliveries would be handled and what the business hours would be, saying, “I didn't move to Mulkey Avenue to live in a business district.” Cheryl Johnson Petrovsky and Ronald Allongi cited the steep slope, runoff, loss of on‑street parking and tight turning conditions at the block as reasons the structure would not fit the residential character.
The zoning officer and board members noted the property is in an R8 residential zone and that the uses Hernandez proposed are not permitted in that district. After discussion, the board denied the application unanimously, saying the lot and street configuration, parking shortages and neighborhood fit weigh against granting the variance for a standalone business in that location.
