Sewickley Herald

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Vol. 87 No. 41®
The Sewickley
Herald
16 Safeway Press Newspapers SUBURBAN PITTSBURGH'S LARGEST CIRCULATION
Wednesday, October 10, 1990
50*
Aleppo ACT spells action
New citizens group appeals
permit decision
Pepsi building
By Mike May
Herald editor
Bucco fever!
SEWICKLEY RESIDENT Christine Stolzenbach, 87 years young,'leads the local cheering squad as the Pittsburgh Pirates battle the Cincinnati Reds lor National League supremacy. Miss Stolzenbachhas few rivals when it comes to knowledge of the beloved Dues. Her observations? The Bucs will win if they are not the first to get on the scoreboard. As for Oakland? “Frankly, I don’t think anybody is going to beat them.”
(Photo by Doug Kaup)
- ACT has begun to act.
The first act of the newly formed Aleppo Citizens for Tomorrow is a protest appeal, which the group filed last week with the Aleppo Zoning Board. ACT.is asking the board to reconsider a building permit that was" issued for the Pepsi distribution center in 1-79 Industrial Park.
Construction already has begun on the new building, off Deer Run Road, but ACT contends that the building permit issued by the township commissioners does not meet Alep-po zoning ordinance requirements.
The next act of Aleppo Citizens for Tomorrow will be a town meeting on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in the school hall of St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
Bill Gillespie, one of seven founding members of ACT, describes the group as an organization for residents of Aleppo who are concerned about “environmental and quality-of-life” issues in the township.
“We’re a watchdog group, not political,” he said. “Everyone is invited to join.”
Gillespie, a Merriman Road resident who lives close to the
Future of old Monte Asti building weighed
By Chris Torockio
Staff writer
The old Monte Asti building at Broad and Centennial is falling down, and Sewickley Planning Commission wants to find a new use for the property,
Robert Rosecrans, the son of the current owner, attended the' planning commission meeting last week to address concerns.
“My main objective is just to see where you all (planning commission) stand on this Whole thing,” said Rosecrans.
His mother now owns the site. His father, who purchased the property in 1986, died in 1988.
Rosecrans told the commission that his father had considered developing the land on his own, perhaps into multifamily housing, before his death.
Now, Rosecrans has taken a slightly different approach. He said he would like to develop the property into something that would provide him the
THE OLD Monte-Asti building is waiting for a new use.
highest return, but he is willing to consider the advice of the commission as to what would best suit the community.
The building itself, which last was an Integrity Isuzu dealership after serving by the Asti Buick dealership, occupies the largest piece of developable land in the borough, and it is situated on the border of the residential area and the business district.
’ Rosecrans, who said he does not want to sell the property,
estimated its current market value at $410,000 to $420,000.
One problem with developing the property is lack of parking. Parking space already is limited in Sewickley, and Rosecrans says he wants to make sure that the lack of parking does not negatively influence use of whatever he choses to put on the land,
Parking is such a factor, in fact, that Rosecrans has even considered demolishing the
new distribution center, says ACT already has “plenty of support,” because of residents’ worries over the center. A crowd turned^ out at the September meetings of the township commissioners and planning commission to voice opposition to the new building.
Concerns were raised about the safety of Pepsi trucks’ using Deer Run Road, the aesthetics of parking trucks at the center, and runoff.
“Just read the signs along Deer Run Road,” Gillespie asked. “They say ‘Travel at Own Risk’ and ‘Slippery When Wet.’
The Aleppo commissioners said they would not Issue a building permit until their con- ‘ cerns about safety and other had been satisfied. Earlier this month, a grading permit was issued followed by the building permit.
Pete Russo, chairman of the Aleppo Board of Commissioners, said the problems with Pepsi had been resolved to the commissioners’ satisfaction.
That’s not the way ACT feels, according to Gillepsie. He insists that a “professional” traffic study be done, preferably .under the auspices of PennDOT. He1 also feels that the issue of the truck parking ----------Continued on page 2
Inside
current building and making the property a public parking lot or garage.
But commission chairman Jonathan Showe would like to avoid that option. “There are higher and better uses than that (turning the property into a parking lot),” he said,
Showe offered some “higher” uses for the property?
“The most logical,” Showe said, “would be medical of* ----------Continued on page 2

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