Donora board denies zoning request for recovery house

Kelly Macheska of Country Community Living was hoping to put it in a residential neighborhood.

The Donora zoning board announced Monday that it has denied a variance request for a proposed drug rehabilitation facility in a residential neighborhood.

The decision follows a Nov. 17 hearing where the board heard concerns from several Donora residents. Chairman John Conger and board member Jon Bellamy recused themselves because they had contact with a neighbor of the property, which left board members Barry Hickman and Dale Shawley to make the decision.

The request, made by Kelly Macheska of Country Community Living, would have changed 423 Second St. from an R2 two-family residential district to an R3 multiple-family dwelling. Macheska also runs the substance recovery unit at Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital.

“After deliberation, the remaining voting members on the Zoning Board of Appeals regrets to advise you that the Variance and use by Special Exception are hereby DENIED according to the Borough of Donora Zoning Ordinance,” read a letter from the board to Macheska, “specifically under Articles VII, VIII, and XIV pertaining to R2 Two Family Districts, R3 Multiple Family Districts, and the Automobile Parking Space Requirement, respectively.”

The variance would have only been for that property, which technically has two homes, and would possibly be contingent on being rezoned. The current property owner is Tony Vincent, who resides in Morgantown, W.Va.

Zoning officer John Wankulitz said R2 zoning represents two families residing in a residence with about five residents, and R3 is for multiple families where they are related.

Hickman stated last week that the property could be an example of spot zoning, which is an illegal practice in Pennsylvania of rezoning a single parcel of land for a use that is different from the surrounding properties, often conflicting with the community’s overall master plan.

The zoning board advised Macheska that an appeal of the decision can be filed with the Washington County Court of Common Pleas within 30 days, starting Monday.

Macheska explained to the board last week that the location was expected to be a supervised rehabilitation program for recovery housing, which she stated was not a halfway house.

She added that the program would operate under the Department of Health and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, and would be funded by Washington County. The intent was to house a maximum of seven males ages 18 and older who are in a program and have 30 days of recovery time remaining.

“The plan is to integrate and get them into a stable housing complex, and what we will offer is this licensed home to get folks to their next destination of recovery,” Macheska said at the hearing. “It will offer meetings, education and programming to better themselves, to get them integrated into vocational centers, getting them working, getting them established.”

Several residents expressed concerns about the location and its proximity to several bars and children in the area.

Some residents recommended that the facility be placed in downtown Donora, where it could be close to first responders and other services.