Penn Hills bus garage parking lot expansion plans on pause

Plans for an expansion of a Penn Hills bus garage parking lot along Saltsburg Road were put on pause as council considers amending its zoning ordinance.

Krise Transportation has served as Penn Hills School District’s main bus service provider for years.

There are about 170 employees and about 150 buses at the municipal site near the Abby Lee Dance Co. building.

Owner Tim Krise said he wants to expand the parking lot to allow workers and buses more room to move, as well as possibly adding workers and buses. Plans would allow for about 50 more parking spaces on the site.

“It’s not just for tomorrow, it’s for the future,” Krise said. “We’re not looking to add a couple hundred vehicles overnight. We want to plan ahead. We want to make those changes now so should the need arise either with a neighboring school district or Penn Hills. It’s also for an immediate need to increase the number of vehicles we have to service school students.”

Krise Transportation assists with busing for Pittsburgh Public Schools.

“The employees that service Penn Hills and Pittsburgh are living in the Penn Hills community,” Krise said. “It’s just a matter of making it convenient for them to go to and from work … It’s getting crowded there and we just want to make more space and make it safer for everybody coming and going.”

Municipal planning director Chris Blackwell recommended the amendment, which would consolidate three zoning areas into one within Krise’s parcel.

Those areas are R-1 residential, I-1 light industrial and B-2 community business; the amendment would make it all industrial. The matter was to be voted on at the Feb. 21 council meeting.

Mayor Pauline Calabrese said there were traffic concerns among other issues officials wanted to discuss before moving forward with the plans.

“I want to make sure procedurally it was done correctly,” Calabrese said. “I don’t know that all the people in the area received proper notice. I want to know what it’s going to do to our infrastructure. I want to know what it’s going to do with traffic. I love how it’s going to bring jobs into the area.”

Blackwell said he understands people’s concerns about the project.

“Zoning amendments can be difficult,” he said. “Residents rely on zoning to protect their property values and interests. I understand their concerns. It is reasonable that the zoning amendment was tabled for further discussion. I believe that after the public hearing the concerns of the residents will be calmed, and the amendment will prevail.”

Blackwell said the municipality approved a similar zoning amendment for Turner Dairy Farms in 2018 so it would not have to seek a zoning variance every time it wanted to introduce a new flavor or make some modifications to its business.

“There are a lot of areas in Penn Hills where you have whole stretches of all kinds of business that are zoned residential,” Blackwell said. “Any time something new wants to come in there, they have to get a variance.”

He noted Krise’s plans also include stormwater management upgrades as well as about 1,300 feet of sidewalk from the Plum border to Alcoma Drive, a pedestrian safety feature not currently available.

Krise said he or another staffer will be at the next council meeting to answer any questions.

The company already received a highway occupancy permit from PennDOT and site plan approval from the planning commission.

More discussion is expected to take place at the March 14 workshop meeting. A vote to approve the amendment may take place at the March 21 legislative session.

“I think it’s just a formality,” Krise said. “They want to make sure that the citizens that live around there have their concerns addressed.“