Located on 2.2 wooded acres in west Bethlehem, Elliott Avenue LLC plans to replace a 2 1/2 story brick building with 4 buildings containing between 4 and 6 condo units. But according to 16th Avenue resident Keith German (pictured left), the site is only thirty yards from a major freight railroad line, fill of engines idling as cars are coupled and decoupled, emitting diesel fumes. "You can't breathe there sometimes," he complained. "You're ruining and overcrowding the City."
Echoing German's concerns, Mount Airy Avenue resident Carmella Monaghan claimed that the increased traffic will make life "a little more dangerous" for neighborhood children. "There's a lot of wildlife back there," she added, mentioning deer, foxes, turkeys and hawks. She accused Keystone Consulting Engineer Kevin Horvath of "ruining something that's really nice. I don't know how you sleep at night."
Martha Christine, of Mt. Airy Avenue, told planners that, in addition to the smell, the crashing noises made by coupling train cars is unbearable. "All conversation has to stop," she claimed, noting it shakes her home's foundation.
Questioned about the possibility of a concrete sound buffer, Horvath told planners it would be prohibitively expensive. He added that the condo itself might block railroad sounds as effectively as the wooded lot, and added that there would be a buffer of evergreens and deciduous trees. He also agreed to a traffic study and to pay for any stop signs that are recommended by the City. "It is not in anyone's interest to have a development that's not going to be marketable," he concluded.
Although sympathetic to neighborhood concerns, Planning Chair Jim Fiorentino noted that their concerns are really with the railroad, not the development. "We can't make Mr. Horvath do anything about the railroad."
Echoing German's concerns, Mount Airy Avenue resident Carmella Monaghan claimed that the increased traffic will make life "a little more dangerous" for neighborhood children. "There's a lot of wildlife back there," she added, mentioning deer, foxes, turkeys and hawks. She accused Keystone Consulting Engineer Kevin Horvath of "ruining something that's really nice. I don't know how you sleep at night."
Martha Christine, of Mt. Airy Avenue, told planners that, in addition to the smell, the crashing noises made by coupling train cars is unbearable. "All conversation has to stop," she claimed, noting it shakes her home's foundation.
Questioned about the possibility of a concrete sound buffer, Horvath told planners it would be prohibitively expensive. He added that the condo itself might block railroad sounds as effectively as the wooded lot, and added that there would be a buffer of evergreens and deciduous trees. He also agreed to a traffic study and to pay for any stop signs that are recommended by the City. "It is not in anyone's interest to have a development that's not going to be marketable," he concluded.
Although sympathetic to neighborhood concerns, Planning Chair Jim Fiorentino noted that their concerns are really with the railroad, not the development. "We can't make Mr. Horvath do anything about the railroad."
10 comments:
bunch of winnie pants nosey do gooders - probably union also
Zorn - who are the "winne pants nosey do gooders?"
Club soda is helpful in removing winnie from pants.
N.i.m.b.y strikes again.
The Planning Board is just like the Zoning Board "NO REGARD FOR THE RISIDENTS"! AMEN
Planning Chair Jim Fiorentino thinks he's the new God in town. Job has gone to his head.
Bethlehem Planning and Zoning Boards sold out the residents and taxpayers of Bethlehem years ago. Like the City Administration, the homeowners are the least of their worries. No money there.
Although I have the greatest sympathy for these neighbors and agree that the developer is hoping to unload these condos on unsuspecting people, I do not think there anything the Planning Commission could do.
Probably, the remedy, as someone told me, would have been to have created a conservation district for parcels like these.
I shall return to my soap box, and state that the real issue here is not the location, but the whole condo scam itself. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania continues to fail to provide any oversight for condo owners/dwellers. When someone -- like a "condominium association" -- has its hands in your pocket, both for setting and collecting fees, and for maintenance that affects your unit's value, and the whole shebang is hi-jacked by a self-interested clique, as is *so* easy to do the way the law is written, there is no recourse other than to hire a lawyer. Many people, especially the elderly who are prime targets of condominium marketing, cannot afford to do so.
bo is a whore for whoever is his current mancrush or whichever dem who turns on his questionable sexual urges - read dolan
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