Township takes its own zoning hearing board to court
North Strabane Township this week took its own zoning hearing board to Washington County Court to resolve a dispute.
Defendants in the land-use appeal are also Stavro and Helene Semanderes of 34 Kirkwood Drive, Washington, who own approximately 23 acres near the Park Place development along Route 19 North.
The tract includes two homes and woodlands.
According to the appeal the township filed, Semanderes for many years has been using the site to store equipment used for painting, construction vehicles, plus other heavy equipment related to Odyssey Contracting business of Houston.
The township claims Semanderes did not receive approval to have an equipment storage yard in the C-1 Highway Commercial District.
In October 2017, the township code enforcement officer issued a notice to the property owners for tall grass and weeds, and the assistant zoning officer was reviewing “activities occurring on the property” in an attempt to resolve the matter through most of 2018.
Last December, Anthony Asciolla, now planning coordinator, issued a “cease and desist” order about the equipment storage.
The Semandereses, through their attorney, Thomas Lonich, appealed the order to the township’s zoning hearing board, which granted a “nonconforming use” and directed the township to issue a certificate allowing heavy equipment storage in a limited area.
All other heavy equipment and supplies must be removed from any other areas, zoning board chairman W. Patric Boyer wrote.
The township claims the zoning hearing board abused its discretion because the Semandereses never provided testimony or evidence that the township ever permitted them to have a storage yard.
Attempts to reach Andrew Walz, North Strabane Township manager, on Friday were unsuccessful.