The construction of new townhouses soon will take place at the former Community United Methodist Church site in Aspinwall.
Council recently approved land development and subdivision plans for the Amena Properties project.
The unanimous vote April 8 helped clear the way for company founder and Aspinwall businessman Tony Pompeo Jr. to build four single-family homes at the corner of Center Avenue and Fourth Street.
“I’m excited and eager to get going,” Pompeo said. “I feel this is one of the last hurdles.”
Borough building and zoning officer Ryan Santelli said he and borough engineer Dan Martone reviewed the plans before council’s vote and they comply with borough regulations.
However, Santelli is waiting on Allegheny County approval and further discussion with the developer before issuing the building permits.
“I think it’s a good thing,” Santelli said about the project. “It’s one of the larger developments that we’ve had in this town since the mid-1980s to early ’90s.
“I feel very comfortable knowing that Tony Pompeo’s company is doing it. They are very thorough. … It’s not like an amateur coming in and doing this. They are handling it in a very professional manner, making sure all the checks and balances are in place.”
Contractors have been grading and preparing the foundation.
Building construction is expected to begin in late May or early June after more detailed drawings are finalized.
The two homes facing Center Avenue will be built first.
They may take about a year to build depending on weather and buyer customization.
The minimum purchase price of each home is about $1.5 million. Estimate tax revenue for the borough is $50,000 per year depending on assessments.
“I think these will be state of the art,” Pompeo said. “I’m building them as if I would be living in it.”
Pompeo’s family business, Marc Anthony Construction, will handle construction.
The church demolition was done by Aliquippa-based Unis Demolition.
Townhome design
Each home includes three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, an elevator, partially covered rear decks, a sauna and a two-car garage.
The two facing Center Avenue homes are projected to be 3,875 square feet while the two facing Fourth Street are projected to be about 3,500 square feet. Measurements do not include garage space.
Pompeo said the buildings will have high-quality block and masonry construction and will fit in well with the borough from an aesthetics, efficiency and structural standpoint.
“I think it ties the zoning district together,” he said. “It brings another residential development into the picture whereas prior (usage) was commercial.”
There were no buyers as of press time.
Not the original plans
Pompeo had been working on the development for more than a year with hopes of building five townhomes on the old church site.
Planning commissioners voted 7-0 on June 15 to push the proposed development onto the zoning hearing board. However, the recommending body moved plans along with a neutral stance and a recommendation of approval.
The zoning hearing board on Sept. 25 denied multiple variance requests made by Pompeo, essentially sending things back to the drawing board.
Front yard, side yard and rear setbacks at the time did not comply with borough ordinances.
There also was a usage variance request. The site is in an AR3 zoned area. Single-family and two-family homes are permitted uses in that zone, according to borough code.
However, townhouses are not. The usage variance was granted.
The plans were reduced to four townhomes, eliminating spatial problems, and ultimately recommended for approval by the planning commission Oct. 22.
“Whenever you get into zoning, it can drag out as it has,” Pompeo said about making the adjustments.
“That’s just the nature of the beast, but we’re that much closer to getting into the construction permit and getting into the vertical construction of these homes.
“I feel working with the borough and trying to be as transparent as possible in all these hearings has paid off and maybe made everyone more at ease.”