Franklin plans sent to commission
WAYNESBURG – Franklin Township supervisors voted Monday to refer to the township planning commission plans for the construction of a new efficiency motel next to the Holiday Motel on East High Street.
Nikita Lodging LLC, owner of the Holiday Motel, proposed building a four-story, 31-unit motel on 0.57 of an acre of land east of the existing motel.
The plans initially were reviewed last month by the planning commission, which recommended they not be approved because of concerns regarding the parking space size and the width of the parking aisle.
The property is in a C-1 commercial zone in which a motel is a permitted use. However, the company proposed a parking space size smaller than that required by township ordinance.
The company proposed parking spaces each 9 feet by 18 feet in size, while the ordinance requires a space of 10 feet by 20 feet. Since the plan was rejected, Nikita has made revisions and the plan now meets the township’s requirements for the size of the parking spaces as well as the parking aisle, township code enforcement officer Steve Coss said.
The supervisors at their last meeting tabled action on the plan because of the planning commission’s decision to recommend it not be approved. The supervisors Monday voted to send it back to the planning commission to reconsider the plan in light of the revisions.
Several conditions still must be met before the project is ready for approval, Coss said. The road entrance permit, for example, still must be reviewed by the state Department of Transportation, he said.
The plans also were reviewed by the township zoning hearing board, which granted the project variances on setback requirements.
The ordinance requires the building be at least 100 feet from a roadway and 50 feet from the property line. The building will be about 70 feet from the roadway and 5 feet from the property line.
Though the ordinance requires a 50-foot setback for a motel, the normal setback for any other businesses in a C-1 zone is 5 feet, Coss said.