Allentown Zoning Board OKs variances for 44‑unit apartment at 405 West Walnut

The Allentown City Zoning Hearing Board on May 11 approved variances needed for a proposed seven‑story, 44‑unit residential building at 405 West Walnut Street, allowing a structural support to sit within the intersection’s clear sight triangle and endorsing a legal interpretation that the site’s steep slopes are not regulated by the ordinance as applied here.

Stephanie Coble, attorney for the applicant, identified the applicant as ANR Development Company and introduced exhibits including a redacted purchase agreement and the city planning review that conditionally approved the project.

Monte Kalsi, president of ANR Development Company, said the project is an infill development and will include 44 apartments and 30 parking spaces. "We're planning to construct a 7 story residential building with 44 apartments and parking for 30 spots," Kalsi said.

Christopher William Geary, a licensed professional engineer with Acela Architects and Engineers, described the engineering design and why the team seeks relief. Geary said the first floor is set back to avoid wall encroachment on the clear sight triangle but that a structural beam or column supporting the second floor must sit partially within the triangle for elevator, stair and life‑safety needs. "The first floor of the building is set back... the second floor is gonna come back out over top of that area... and we need to put a support pillar down inside that clear sight triangle," Geary said. He added that sidewalks, pedestrian countdown signals and accessible push buttons are part of the plan.

Board members questioned whether the encroaching column would block sight lines and whether granting the relief would create traffic or pedestrian hazards; Geary testified it would not. The board also debated the ordinance’s steep‑slope provisions. A board member argued the slopes were created historically when the adjacent road was built, and moved to adopt a favorable interpretation that the site’s slopes are not regulated by the steep‑slope rules in this case.

After discussion, a board member moved to approve the clear‑sight‑triangle variance and to adopt the favorable interpretation on the steep‑slope question; the motion was seconded and the board recorded affirmative votes. The motion passed. The board chair said a written decision will follow and noted the applicable appeal period before permits may be sought.

The board’s approval does not itself grant building permits; the applicant must wait for the written decision and then apply to the city’s permitting process. The board also acknowledged that under the city’s new zoning code downtown redevelopment in the GXD district would likely have been allowed by right, but because this application was filed under the prior code the variances were necessary.