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Commission approves modified plan for affordable housing at 2100 North 3rd Street after parking and unit-size debate
Summary
Planning commissioners approved zoning relief for a conversion of 2100 North 3rd Street into affordable housing but reduced the project from 13 to 12 countable rental units, designating one small unit as grant-funded services space; commissioners and developers debated parking, unit size and grant dependence before voting.
The Harrisburg Planning Commission approved zoning relief on Monday for a proposed affordable housing conversion at 2100 North 3rd Street, but only after the developer and commissioners agreed to a modification that reduces the countable residential units from 13 to 12 by designating one small unit as a services or program space.
Planning bureau staff presented the case report recommending conditional approval and urged against permitting an accessory parking lot at nearby 327 and 329 Maclay Street, saying those parcels are better saved for future housing. Staff described the principal parcel as a 3-story, 9,063-square-foot structure built in 1910 and noted the project would create 13 affordable units (two studios and 11 one-bedroom units) targeted to households at 60 80% of area median income.
Attorney Ash McCombe (McNeese, Wallace & Nurick) and Michael White (Brennaman Group) told the commission the project is financially marginal at 13 units and will require grant funding to be viable; McCombe said the team was pursuing grants "over $1,000,000," and the team later referenced an estimated funding gap of about $1,300,000 to support the 13-unit plan. They said they owned the two small Maclay Street lots and had hoped to use them for parking, but acknowledged planning staffs preference to reserve those lots for housing.
Commissioners pressed on parking demand and unit sizes. Staff calculated the parking requirement at roughly 6.5 spaces (to be rounded to a whole number) and identified nearby on-street parking and larger surface lots as alternatives to a new accessory parking lot. Commissioner McKenzie and others expressed concern about very small studio sizes and suggested one small unit be used for services (laundry, case management or program space) rather than leased rent.
After negotiation, the developer and commissioners agreed to condition the approval on a reduction of countable rental units to 12, with unit I to be used for supportive services pursuant to grant funding or to be otherwise codified; counsel clarified that the modification was intended to preserve the projects financial viability while addressing commissionerssized and parking concerns. A motion to approve the project with the revised conditions was seconded and approved by voice vote.
Next steps include filing a land-development plan, securing required grants and resolving any outstanding code or parking documentation as part of subsequent city-level approvals.
