Two companies have expressed interest in purchasing the now-defunct club property in Pittsburgh, but could not develop it as planned with the current zoning. An amended zoning ordinance, which will be reviewed at the council’s next meeting, would allow the rezoning of the property as residential in a category that allows four single-family dwellings or 12 townhouses to be built per acre.
A rezoning of the 4.3-acre former Whitehall Country Club property in Pittsburgh could help the owners of the now-defunct swimming hub market the site to potential buyers, the Pittsburgh TribLIVE reported.
“We really don’t feel that it’s going to have any value as it’s currently zoned,” borough Manager James Leventry said.
Whitehall Council, in a 5-0 vote last week, authorized borough Solicitor Irving Firman to draft an amended zoning ordinance that would allow the rezoning of five properties as residential, a category that allows four single-family dwellings or 12 town houses to be built per acre, TribLIVE reported.
The draft ordinance will be presented to council at its next meeting for review, Firman said.
The Whitehall Country Club, complete with a large pool, tennis and volleyball courts, was opened by a group of residents in 1959. A decline in membership led the club to close within the last five years, TribLIVE reported.
Rising Sun Martial Arts Inc. purchased the property in 2009 for $72,000, Allegheny County assessment records show. Former country club manager Charles Hosler said at the time that the plan was to construct an indoor recreational facility on the site for the martial arts school, where he teaches, TribLIVE reported.
But Rising Sun was unable to secure funds to do so, Hosler’s wife, Patty, said earlier this year. The property then was listed for sale. TribLIVE could not reach the Hoslers for comment.
Two companies have expressed interest in purchasing the site but could not develop it as planned with the current zoning, Leventry said. Instead, the vacant property has attracted thieves and vandals, TribLIVE reported.
“They’ve already stolen all of the copper out of it and vandalized it,” Councilman Robert McKown said. “Let’s get this back on the tax roll instead of sitting there and being an eyesore.”
Council in February tasked the Whitehall Planning Commission with reviewing the zoning of the Whitehall Country Club property and determining if a change was needed. Commissioners on June 6 recommended rezoning that property, plus four others in the area, TribLIVE reported.
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