The operator of a dog food manufacturing and distribution facility near in a residential Wilkes-Barre neighborhood are seeking zoning approval to add meat to the list of ingredients.
Northern Pet PA, a limited liability company, has requested a special exception to include the manufacturing and warehousing of dog treat meat products along with the existing manufacturing and warehousing of dog treat sweet potato products for its facility at 180 Darling St., according to the zoning hearing board agenda for Wednesday.
City code officials had shut down the facility on Nov. 3 during a neighborhood visit in which they were checking for quality of life ordinance violations.
Officials discovered that the facility was used to store pet food derived from meat, although it was only authorized to store pet food derived from sweet potatoes, and shut it down, city council Chairwoman Jessica McClay, whose district includes the Darling Street neighborhood, said at the time.
Mayor George C. Brown had said that even though he didn’t detect an odor outside the building, city officials “did find some things, so we felt we had to go in.”
Officials determined that ventilation in the building needed to be improved, Brown had said.
Brown had said the building would remain shut down until an occupancy permit inspection was conducted. He added that the state Department of Environmental Protection had inspected the facility and that he expected the state Department of Agriculture to complete a site visit as well.
City officials inspected the facility again on Nov. 20 and approved the reissuance of an occupancy permit within five business days.
OTHER BUSINESS
Also on the hearing board’s agenda are requests from:
- Jamie Smith, for a a special exception to establish a community perennial flower garden/outdoor youth education space on a vacant parcel of land at 64 W. Ross St., a variance to waive 24 parking spaces, and variances to waive side-yard and rear-yard setbacks, reducing them from five feet and 20 feet, respectively, to 2.5 feet for the construction of a 25-by-25-foot storage/pavilion structure.
- Our Lady of Hope Church for a variance to install a 4-by-5-foot electronic message center wall sign on the front of the church at 40 Park Ave.
- Samuel Ramirez a variance to waive the minimum lot area per dwelling unit, decreasing it from 3,500 square feet per unit to 2,275 square feet per unit, to convert a single-family home at 64 Terrace St. into a two-unit dwelling.
- Andrews Auto Repair for a special exception to change the nonconforming use of a property at 342 E. Northampton St. from an auto repair business with no body work nor spray painting, state inspection services and auto vehicle sales to include the retail sale of tires.
- Henry Mendoza for a special exception to change a nonconforming use of a property at 200-208 Carey Ave. from a restaurant inside a building containing an auto sales, service and repair business (including body work) to a building containing a downsized restaurant with 28 seats, three apartments and two commercial storefronts while keeping the auto sales, service and repair business.
- Imperium Automotive Group for a special exception to change the nonconforming use of 305-307 Carey Ave./6 Corlear St. from an auto repair business and auto-body shop with no body work nor spray painting and offering state inspection services and detailing to include tints and wraps and an auto vehicle sales business.
- Multi Services Latino for a special exception to change the nonconforming use of a property at 140 Lehigh St. from a window cleaning service business to a multi-service office business.
- Anton Kiblytskyi for variances to establish a nonconforming lot from a proposed subdivision for a property at 263 Andover St. to build a single-family home. Variances would waive the required 50-foot lot width, reducing it to 23 feet; side yards setbacks, reducing them from the required 8 feet and 12 feet to 3 feet and 1.5 feet, respectively; the front yard setback, reducing it from 25 feet, to 20 feet; and one side yard setback, reducing it from the required 8 feet to 1.7 feet because of the proposed subdivision.
There also will be a continued hearing for Jazmin Villanueva, who is requesting a variance to waive the minimum lot area per dwelling unit, reducing it from 3,500 square feet per unit to 1,929 square feet per unit to convert a single-family home at 70 Academy St. into a two-unit dwelling, along with a special exception and a variance permitting the joint use of parking at 120 Academy St. to lease four parking spaces for residential use.
The board will meet at 4:30 p.m. on the fourth floor of City Hall, 40 E. Market St., Wilkes-Barre.