Harrisburg planning commission approves multiple after‑the‑fact residential conversions, delays several applications

Harrisburg Planning Commission members on an evening meeting approved several zoning relief requests — including after‑the‑fact conversions of older houses into multifamily units — while continuing others to the April 26 meeting and debating how to tighten coordination between the planning and codes bureaus.

Planning staff presented a special‑exception for a place of worship at 1100 North 17th Street and recommended approval with conditions, including limiting proposed wall signage to four square feet. The applicant’s representative, Abdul Lar, identified himself as the project director and confirmed acceptance of the condition. The commission moved, seconded and approved the request by voice vote.

The commission also approved after‑the‑fact conversions submitted by HBG Rents LLC. Staff described 514 Emerald Street as a circa‑1900 structure that had been converted to two units and recommended approval on condition that the codes bureau perform a comprehensive inspection and that the owner obtain all required city permits before a certificate of occupancy is issued. Robert Shokes Jr., who identified himself as the sole member of HBG Rents LLC, told commissioners he accepted the condition.

A separate after‑the‑fact application for 1923 State Street, also filed by HBG Rents LLC, was approved with similar conditions after staff noted the property’s conversion history and recommended inspections and permit approvals; staff also flagged an eviction notice that had been posted on Feb. 23, 2026. For both HBG Rents cases, staff emphasized that approval was tied to corrective inspections and permitting rather than retroactive endorsement of the conversions.

Cass Group LLC’s proposal to consolidate 1637 and 1637½ North Third Street into a mixed‑use project with three apartments, a bakery and artisans’ studio space won approval with conditions. Carla Harrison, managing director for Cass Group, said prospective tenants are already lined up and described daytime bakery hours ‘‘something like 8:00 a.m. to 2 to 3 p.m.’’ Staff required parcel consolidation, a certificate of appropriateness to the local historic review board for exterior changes, codes inspections and efforts to secure leased parking nearby.

Several other cases were continued: the 1320 Fston Street and 40 North 17th Street items were moved to the end of the agenda and continued if applicants did not appear; large conversions including 923 North 18th Street and a mixed‑use project at 1301 Barry Hill Street were continued to the April 26 meeting at the applicants’ request.

Commissioners and staff spent the meeting’s closing period discussing administrative backlogs and technical problems. Planning staff acknowledged week‑long IT failures that delayed preparation of comparative zoning documents and said staff would ‘‘do a better job’’ preparing materials for future meetings. The commission and the solicitor discussed persistent coordination issues between the planning and codes bureaus, understaffing in codes inspections and possible process or digital fixes to prevent unpermitted conversions from slipping through.

The commission approved each project by voice vote or carried motions as recorded; when conditions were attached, staff explained that permits and inspections must be completed before certificates of occupancy are issued. Several cases were explicitly continued to the April 26 meeting for further information or because applicants were absent.

Next steps: applicants for continued items will return on April 26 or when documentation is complete; approved projects proceed to the codes bureau for inspections and permitting as required by the conditions attached by the commission.