Newberry townhouses to go back to zoning hearing board
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The developer of a proposed 100-plus townhouse build in the City of Williamsport will go back before the Williamsport Zoning Hearing Board for another hearing, a city official said.
LGN Management, part of the family of companies under Hutchinson Real Estate, 333 Rose St., wants to start by building 32 townhomes and increase that by up to 104 dwellings, but was originally denied a variance by the zoning hearing board and the project in Newberry was put on hold.
A judge in Common Pleas Court ruled the matter must go back to the zoning hearing board for another review, according to Gary Knarr, city zoning officer.
Attempts to reach LGN Management have been unsuccessful.
The land is clear-cut, and the loop road in the proposed housing development is visible from the air.
Originally, the vote by the board was 3-1, with one member absent, putting the townhouse project on hold.
Voting in favor of granting the variance was William Miele, a former chief public defender in Lycoming County. Voting against granting the variance were members Michele Frey, Richard Carlson and Scott Cauley. Board member Janet McDermott was absent.
The company required a variance to construct the multi-family dwellings. The property had been in three different zoning districts. Part of the property is zoned, R-3, a residential area that would not require a variance for townhouses. However, the larger portion is in a light-manufacturing zone (ML), and commercial district (CC).
In light-manufacturing and commercial districts, townhomes are considered to be multi-family and LGN Management needed to be granted a use-variance to put townhomes in.