Apr 21, 2011 By Amy Revak 4 min read

?A special exception request before the Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board Wednesday that would, if approved, move the county veterans clinic from Main Street in Uniontown to North Union Township was met with opposition from veterans and others.

Robert I. Glimcher is proposing to renovate the former Hollywood Video at Fayette Plaza on Route 51 to house the veterans clinic that has been located in Uniontown for nearly five years.

Attorney Jeff Wilhelm said the site would act as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs primary care office and would make referrals to the Pittsburgh veterans clinic.

Brandon Blatt of Sterling Medical, which operates the clinic, said the site is an outpatient clinic only and provides primary care and social counseling to certain veterans ruled eligible by the federal government for treatment.

Blatt said Sterling Medical has a contract with the federal government for five years that will expire, and the new site in North Union Township has been approved as the new location. The former Hollywood Video site contains 6,880 square feet of space and is zoned B-1, general business.

Blatt said the change is being made as a result of comments and concerns by the VA office relating to the current location, which is housed in a building owned by Carmelina and Edward J. Gulino Sr.

Blatt said Sterling Medical presented proposals to the VA for both sites, but the North Union location was chosen about a month ago. The company was required to obtain a special exception to operate a medical clinic at the new location because of a change that was made earlier this year to the county zoning ordinance.

Blatt said he worked with the Gulinos to remedy concerns, which included an unlevel parking lot, not enough parking and traffic congestion.

While veterans advocate Joe T. Joseph of Uniontown expressed concerns that no veterans had an opportunity to object to moving the site of the clinic, zoning board solicitor Gretchen Mundorff said the purview of the board is simply to decide if the applicant meets the criteria to have a special exception for a medical clinic.

Mundorff suggested that if veterans are unhappy, they can contact the VA.

Joseph said moving the clinic out on Route 51 is “getting closer to Pittsburgh.” He also mentioned that a methadone clinic is in the area and the proposed site is next door to a liquor store.

The methadone clinic is located on Route 51, but is about a half-mile north.

Mundorff said her father is a World War II veteran and she understands the veterans’ concerns, but said those issues are not ones that can be addressed by the zoning board.

Richard Briggs, who works for Lutes and Meyers, the general contractor for the North Union Township location, said the site meets the parking, fire and code requirements. He said there are 798 total parking spaces at the plaza. The operational hours would be 8?a.m. to 4:30?p.m. Monday through Friday, with potential Saturday hours of 8?a.m. to 1?p.m.

While Wilhelm argued that he didn’t think the site required a special exception because it wasn’t for the general public and is also could be considered a social service agency, which would be permitted uses, Mundorff said that argument wasn’t being accepted.

Wilhelm then said he believes the applicant has met all the requirements in the ordinance to receive a special exception.

Mundorff suggested that the veterans’ representatives could have 30 days to speak with the VA regarding the decision to move the site.

Blatt said the decision on which site to chose was not an open process, it was made behind closed doors by the VA.

Ralph Mazza, an 86-year-old veteran of World War II, said he didn’t like change and wanted to know if the site would be moved again in five years. That decision, he was told, rests in the hands of the VA.

Zoning board member Paul Bortz Sr.,who said he has a relative related to Gulino, recused himself from voting on the matter.

Bortz said he feels bad because it doesn’t sound like vets are getting the information they need.

Board members Jim Burns and Neil Brown then voted to rule on the special exception request within 45 days, and also agreed to give the veterans’ representative 30 days to submit any relevant information regarding the proposal.