Church Hill & Queen—

Borough Retail/Office Proposal

Slated For Hearing

By Andrew Gorosko

A proposal to redevelop the prominent corner of Church Hill Road and Queen Street in the borough with a mixed-use, three-building commercial complex, including retail and office space, is scheduled for a public hearing next week.

The Borough Zoning Commission is slated to hold a public hearing at Town Hall South on Wednesday, April 14, on Church Hill & Queen, LLC’s, construction proposal. The commission’s meeting is scheduled to start at 7 pm; the public hearing is slated to begin at 7:30.

The public hearing will address three aspects of the developer’s construction proposal: a site development plan, a special exception to the borough zoning regulations, and a Village District zoning approval.

Late last month, the Economic Development Commission (EDC), endorsed the Church Hill & Queen project, following a presentation from developer Peter Wiehl.

The EDC also endorsed a set of proposed zoning rule changes, which Church Hill & Queen has submitted to the borough zoners, in connection with its proposed commercial complex. Those rule changes concern sidewalk placement, parking requirements, and signage, among other matters.

In March, after making some planning recommendations, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members endorsed the proposal for the vacant southwest corner of Church Hill Road and Queen Street.

In January, the Police Commission, serving as the local traffic authority, endorsed the project with some recommended traffic-flow changes.

Church Hill & Queen, LLC, wants to build a retail/office complex on a 2.1-acre site at 14-18 Church Hill Road. The complex would stand at the site of the former Village Texaco gas station and the White Birch Inn. Both the service station and tavern were long ago demolished. The site in the town center has stood vacant for years.

Church Hill & Queen’s application for the complex is one of the first projects to be subject to the new Village District zoning regulations, which seek to have new commercial construction in the borough be in “aesthetic harmony” with existing architecture.

The development proposal calls for 17,154 square feet of commercial space.

A one-story 6,338-square-foot building would be built at 14 Church Hill Road, in the area where Village Texaco formerly stood.

Two two-story buildings, each of which would contain 5,408 square feet of space, would flank the southwest corner of Church Hill Road and Queen Street, in the area where the White Birch Inn formerly was located. Each of the two two-story buildings would have only a partial second story. Overall, the complex would contain 13,986 square feet of retail space and 3,168 square feet of office space.

The ground-level spaces would have a general retail use. The second stories would be reserved for offices. The structures would be built in a modern version of the Colonial style.

The project would be served by a common parking lot located behind the three buildings, which would have space for 86 vehicles.