Earlier this year, the Zoning Hearing Board heard the case of 601-699 E. Broad St. Gretchen Rice spoke on behalf of 601 Development Group LLC/VM Development LLC. The site is the former Laros Silk Mill, and includes three parcels, in four zoning districts. Thomas Schleigal, attorney, appeared along with Rice.

The third floor of the building is under construction, 57 apartment units. The LLC wants to do the second floor identical to the third floor, but with two additional apartments. They also plan to have an elevator to the roof, with an enclosed lobby and a rooftop garden.

“The applicant is requesting that the building is more than 3.5 stories and should be exempted from requirements by right,” Schleigal said.

Gretchen Rice showed a photograph of the artist’s rendering of the finished project, by Artefact inc. She said the LLC purchased the building in 2017. They spent 18 months “moving tenants around to other areas of the building so reno could be done on first and third floors.” On the east side is the Lehigh Valley Dual Language Charter School. Building has four wings. Some between wing areas are open, some have roofs. These will become interior terraces, outdoor space for residents.

Other businesses on site include a Health Center, Day Care Center, Lehigh Valley ACT, a gym, a photography studio, and corporate environments storage. There are also three vacant commercial spaces that are not yet renovated. Rice and company have been working with the city on the parking lot and landscape plans. The apartment entrance will be in rear of building. There will be three elevators in building, two for residents, one service elevator. Apartment sizes will include Studios, one bedrooms, one bedrooms with a den, two bedrooms, two bedrooms with den. There will be two townhouse style apartments, one is one bedroom, one is two bedroom. There will be 12 to 14 fret ceilings in every apartment, a d the building will have historic design windows. The property is listed on the register for National Historic Places, and as a State Historic place.

Rice said the third floor is nearly complete. There were “some supply chain issues with building materials, but should be able to open some in August.” The parking lot on North Street will be refinished and restriped. In addition, the Wood Street lot, and some spaces on the parcel the building sits on meets the parking requirement. There are currently 263 spaces, ten more will be added when the loading dock is removed. Rice said “With the exception of the areas that will be cut out for terraces, the roof has been replaced. One of the four elevators will exit into the fourth floor lobby. There will be a 4,000-square-foot roof deck with grills, pergola, for tenants. The lobby will be in the center. Attorney Schleigal asked Rice: “will you need certificate of occupancy for the roof area?” She said “yes.”

This building has three floors and a roof. A roof is never described as an additional floor. The city has looked at this with other developments, and has granted relief on number of units. We would agree with cobbling together the three parcels, but not to the roof being the fourth floor.

Board Chairman William Fitzpatrick asked about the historical accuracy of the windows. Rice explained, “We used old photographs of the building. The windows have to be operational, but they do have the look, number of panes, and width of the originals.” She added there will be a display in the first floor lobby with relics from the Laros Silk Mill. The LLC worked with the Laros Foundation and the Museum of Industrial History.

Scheigal said, “The applicant is asking for an interpretation of building as more than 3.5 stories, (for purpose of occupancy numbers) determining a fourth story would remove the need for relief. If the board would reject that, we would ask relief from 2,500 suareq feet. We wish to claim the three parcels, as one site. We believe this has been used by other properties in the city.”

Board Vice Chair James Schantz asked, “Would you accept the entire facility having to be sold as one piece in the future?”

Rice responded, “Yes, all would be combined in one deed, and deeded to the condominium association, so it could not be sold in pieces.

The board voted to deny the interpretation of four stories. They voted to approve the requests for variances, providing the three lots be deeded along with primary structure and cannot be separated for sale without outside approval.

The Zoning Hearing Board also approved construction of a lighted sign for the Taylor Court Condominiums. The board approved the construction of the freestanding sign with the conditions that the sign not be located in the clear sight triangle, and would comply with all city and state regulations.