Sewickley Zoning Board Denies Request for 'Pink House' Parking Spaces

Granted approvals relate to parking, driveway widths and property setbacks.

The Sewickley zoning hearing board has granted The Presbyterian Church of Sewickley several permissions while denying a key request involving parking at the historic property known as the "Pink House."  The zoning board unanimously approved its decision last week related to the repurposing 202 Beaver St. into a youth education center, specifically denying requests for 48 parking spaces above the required 43-space minimum. In rendering the decision, James Eichenlaub, zoning chairman, said the church did not attempt to use other allowable provisions in the ordinance, such as bicycle racks or compact car parking. He said this would help further reduce the number of required parking spaces and provide a greater buffer yard in the rear than …

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Sewickley Zoning Board Considers 'Pink House' Requests on Parking, Driveway

Representatives of the Presbyterian Church of Sewickley seek exceptions to the zoning code.

A Sewickley church won't know until early March whether it will be able to proceed with plans for the historic property known as the "Pink House." The Presbyterian Church of Sewickley is seeking the zoning hearing board's permission to make exceptions to zoning code regulations on parking, driveway widths and property setbacks as part of the church's ongoing project to repurpose 202 Beaver St. into a youth education center. Michael Parrish, attorney for the church, brought appeals before the zoning board at a public hearing Tuesday, seeking relief from the borough code. Some of the plans call for shared parking with the church and for a 16-foot driveway, above the 12-feet required by code. The church is also seeking 48 parking spaces, …

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Sewickley Zoning Board Approves Presbyterian Church Appeal

The Presbyterian Church, Sewickley appealed a borough code enforcement decision involving the pink house property.

The Sewickley Zoning Hearing Board unanimously approved an appeal from the Presbyterian Church, Sewickley, involving lot consolidation plans that include the Beaver Street property also known as the “pink house.”  The three-member board ruled Wednesday that the pink structure at 202 Beaver St. should be considered a place of assembly under the borough ordinance, overturning an earlier determination from Nancy Watts, borough code enforcement officer. Michael Parrish, church attorney, made the case that the youth center stands alone as a place of assembly and should be classified as a principal use. The board agreed, ruling that Watts made an error in her determination. In August, Watts ruled that the church's proposed use for a youth center…

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Sewickley Zoning Board to Hear Presbyterian Church Appeal

The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the municipal building.

Sewickley's Zoning Hearing Board will hold a public hearing tonight to consider an appeal from the Presbyterian Church, Sewickley regarding plans involving the pink house property. Michael Parrish, attorney representing the church, filed an appeal to the zoning officer's decision last month, also requesting relief from the borough ordinance. The hearing begins at 7:30 p.m. in the municipal building. Church officials are hoping to proceed with plans to unify two residential-zoned lots between Beaver and Thorn streets for the purpose of either renovating the pink house at 202 Beaver St. or building a new youth center at the site, according to a notice of appeal. Nancy Watts, zoning and code enforcement officer, said the youth center and …

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Sewickley Church Sets Meeting to Discuss 'Pink House' Plans

The meeting at the Presbyterian Church, Sewickley is intended to discuss external plans with neighbors.

Neighbors have been invited next week to a dessert discussion regarding plans for church property at the Presbyterian Church, Sewickley, as a result of the pink house purchase. Landscaping and parking plans will be discussed as well as external property improvements that have been developed for 202 Beaver St., said Joan Murdoch, church spokeswoman. Murdoch said the meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 24 is intended for immediate church neighbors and will take place in the church dining room at 414 Grant St. Many in the community opposed the church's initial plans to demolish the structure and build a new youth and education center on the site. The church's governing body later agreed to renovate the home known as “the pink house” as long as …

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Presbyterian Church, Sewickley Votes to Preserve 'Pink House'

The goal is to reuse the Civil-War era home for a youth education center.

The governing body of the Presbyterian Church, Sewickley has agreed to renovate a home known as “the pink house” as long as funding is available to pay the costs. According to a statement from church leaders, the session came to the decision during a special meeting the evening of Monday, April 23, a week before a set deadline to come up with a solution. “The session voted to state its desire to renovate the house at 202 Beaver Street for future use as a youth and education house for the church, provided that sufficient funds are obtained,” the church said in a statement. The session is made up of 24 members whose job is to make decisions on church construction plans and the future of the house. The Rev. Kevin Long, pastor of the church, …

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PatchCast: Pink House Unveils New Website, Testimony to Save the 911th Airlift & Earth Day Activities

A roundup of local news from Patch for Thursday, April 19.

Here some of the top headlines from the Patch sites in your region.

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Letters to the Editor

The Pink House...Enough Already!

Glen Osborne resident discusses the legal and protective rights of individual property owners in the wake of community efforts to preserve 202 Beaver St. in Sewickley, otherwise known as the "pink house."

Is anyone really considering the legal ramifications of interfering in the absolutely legal sale of private property? If one feels that such properties are worth designating as historical landmarks then I would suggest that potential future prospects be addressed. However, regardless of the courtesies or degree of community influence of petitioners, any presumption that they are endowed with a more cultivated perception of culture and comprehension of historic significance that affirms their right to redefine the rights of private property ownership and transfer is as condescending as it is frankly abusive. They are debating the property as if its sole purpose is to pose background to the broad-stroked painting of their own presence and …

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John Linko

4:59 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012

Jeff, a valid point, but's make something positive of it. Frank Lloyd Wright, who while being a true creative genius, was also a narcissist, womanizer and spendthrift. He is rumored to have said of his own life, "So long as we had the luxuries, the necessities would pretty much take care of themselves". Perhaps in that context we can see the Pink House as a metaphor for the gradual decay of the …   more ›

Community Packs Sewickley Church for 'Pink House' Meeting

Renovating the pink house will cost about $1.5 million and at least $3,000 in monthly operating costs, according to a church official.

Suggestions were proposed during a community meeting Tuesday night at the Presbyterian Church, Sewickley, which also drew criticism over the handling of a project involving a historic pink mansion on Beaver Street. “This process tonight should have started a long time ago,” Sewickley resident and Esmark CEO Jim Bouchard told church leaders, sparking a round of applause from the pews. About 200 people attended the nearly two-hour meeting that church leaders organized as a way to update the community on its reasons for buying the property at 202 Beaver St., also known as the "pink house."  Those who spoke included representatives from Preservation Pennsylvania and the Sewickley Valley Historical Society, with many saying the home was a …

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