Neighbors complain about proposed apartments
Neighbors of the Easter Seals building on Oakland Avenue oppose the owner’s plan to rent out five apartments in the North Union Township structure. Building owner James E. Stambaugh II, who acquired the property at 141 Oakland Ave. in February, plans to rent out the apartments in addition to the space still being rented by the Easter Seals.
Stambaugh’s plans, and the opposition to them, were aired Wednesday during a hearing before the Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board, which has 45 days to make a ruling on Stambaugh’s plan.
Stambaugh is seeking a special exception for the residential zone that would allow for multiple-family dwellings.
He said he has made tens of thousands of dollars worth of improvements to the building, including installing a new roof and painting the exterior. He said he began the rehabilitation and then learned that the zoning was improper for apartments, despite the fact that apartments were rented in the past.
The 2.89-acre plot includes a 30-car paved parking lot, and he plans to have three upstairs apartments and two downstairs apartments.
In response to concerns from neighbors, Stambaugh said his plans would not disrupt the quiet neighborhood. The building is in North Union Township, but neighbors across the street live in the city of Uniontown.
Stambaugh said there is a “dire need for professional people to have quality places to live,” noting that he carefully screens all applicants and rents only to professionals.
Rosemary Mehal, speaking on behalf of herself and her mother, who lives across the street, said nobody in the neighborhood wants public housing, and nobody knew what was going on at the property.
Stambaugh said he received all the proper permits and would have answered any questions people had if they would have asked him. He said the building was an eyesore for years and he bought the property after it was on the market for two years.
“I think it’s an asset,” he said.
Oakland Avenue resident Janet Hall said she is concerned about the availability of sewer service and increased traffic.
Stambaugh presented the ZHB with a letter from the North Township Municipal Sewage Authority saying there is enough capacity for the apartments.
When Stambaugh quoted rental amounts as between $375 and $500, Hall said those figures sound like “HUD amounts.” She added that Stambaugh will have a hard time convincing a doctor, teacher or attorney to live in an apartment with a family.
“The whole picture is not clear enough,” Hall said.
Stambaugh said what draws professional people is not the price, but the quality of the apartment. He said he has no intention to provide Section 8 housing and would agree to a conditional approval stating that he cannot do so. He added that he didn’t put in custom cherry cabinets “to have somebody carve them out.”
Another neighbor, Denise Robinson, presented a petition with 48 names opposed to the proposal. Claiming that Stambaugh’s plans will only add to a high-traffic area, Robinson said residents don’t want their neighborhood to turn into another South Mount Vernon Avenue or Gallatin Avenue.
“We want to keep it a single-family neighborhood,” Robinson said.
Stambaugh said parking shouldn’t be a problem because the tenants likely will use the parking lot instead of parking on the street. He anticipated that at most, an additional 10 cars will be at the building.