Former LH fitness center proposed for housing
LOCK HAVEN, PA – Once a supermarket, then a tool business and most recently a fitness center, a vacant Bellefonte Avenue structure has been proposed as the site for six apartments to house the qualifying homeless.
The one-story building at 426 Bellefonte Avenue would be converted into “Susquehanna Suites” housing, based on a proposal from the Clinton County Housing Coalition. CCHC officials last week received the okay from the Lock Haven Zoning Hearing Board.
The board last Thursday approved the request for a zoning variance to develop residential apartments in a general commercial zone. The okay came at the end of a one-hour hearing, after a presentation from Jeff Rich, Executive Director of the Clinton County Housing Authority, with supporting testimony from Gabriel Hutchinson, current property owner.
Two S. Fairview St. residents presented some concerns about whether the project was cost effective and whether Rich’s testimony met the threshold for granting a zoning variance. A representative from the nearby Dunkin’ Donuts expressed concern that project backers were not proposing a “halfway house,” citing safety concerns for employees and customers. Rich later told The Record he explained the demographic of potential tenants to her satisfaction.
The Housing Coalition has proposed the six “generously sized” one-bedroom apartments, with a shared common space containing a kitchenette, a restroom, storage space and two offices. According to the coalition, the exterior of the building will be updated “to provide a welcoming, low-maintenance façade with attractive outdoor canopies and windows, and the brick facing will complement the surrounding structures.”
For zoning purposes, last week’s hearing board okay was the final approval. There is a 30-day appeal window. Project developers estimate it will take 20 to 24 months to complete, the total project cost is $1 million. The Housing Coalition in February learned that HUD had approved $816,000 to develop five new affordable housing units. Rich said of that amount, some $750,000 will be used for rehabilitation of the Bellefonte Avenue structure.
Rich told the board there are currently 30 households in Clinton County that meet HUD’s definition of literally homeless. He noted that in 2022 the Clinton County Housing Coalition’s Life Center and Merit House provided shelter for 63 households, including two-parent, single-parent and single member families. He said those who are homeless will get preference.
