Nanticoke housing project vote delayed until May 23

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NANTICOKE — Voting on a new city housing project was delayed until May 23 following Wednesday’s monthly zoning hearing at which the board expressed the need for a more detailed application from the developer, Housing Visions.

The hearing will be continued more than a month from now in order to give the applicant enough time to prepare and submit a new plan to the zoning officer.

Since the board announced the date and time of the next meeting, no further advertisement for the meeting will be required.

The audience was packed with residents, many of whom planned to voice their opinions about the project, but the board decided to hold off on pubic comments until the next meeting.

The potential housing development would consist of four 12-unit apartment buildings in a wooded area in the Hanover section of the city at the intersection of Espy and Bliss streets.

There would be a maintenance shop, community building, playground and 97 parking spaces.

Chairman Michael Jezewski said the application submitted “did not appear to be together” and it lacked crucial information such as building dimensions as well as the entrances and exits to and from the property.

“I think we need a better submission than this,” Jezewski said, which was met with applause from the audience.

The chairman further clarified that the board did not need a land development plan, but they should “at least be looking at schematics.”

Attorney Sean Logsdon, representing Housing Visions, said his client did not want to put extensive costs into the project until they were approved for the use variance, but he would “be happy to get as much information as the board needs.”

A March 19 post on the city’s Facebook page announcing the project and its potential tax benefits was met with much opposition from residents.

A petition opposing the development project has since circulated online, with residents raising concerns about the impact on property values, traffic congestion, noise pollution and more.

Handmade signs urging the board to vote no to the project also popped up near the property site.

The city responded to many of the questions raised by residents regarding the project in a followup post, calling the new development “workforce housing catered to individual and families that are currently paying a disproportionate share of their income towards housing costs.”

Income restrictions for the apartments are at 50-60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), the post read.

Monthly costs for the apartments were listed as: $637-$770 for a one-bedroom, $ 758-$935 for a two-bedroom and $870-$1,074 for a three-bedroom.

The city further stated that Housing Visions would own and manage the property, with an on-site staff including at least a full-time property manager and maintenance technician.

According to the post, the trees would not all be cut down and the House of Prayer Church would not be demolished.

The May 23 meeting will be held at 6 p.m. inside the Nanticoke Municipal building, 15 E. Ridge St.