Zoning Board Rejects Request to House Federal Prisoners in Park Place
I attended the Wilkinsburg borough zoning board meeting tonight where they announced their unanimous decision to reject the requests from Abraxas Cornell to change the use of the building located at 306 Penn Avenue.
Currently the facility has a variance and non-conforming use granted, allowing them to house female juvenal offenders, while providing them programs for schooling, life skills, and substance abuse programs. The facility has operated, largely unknown and unnoticed by local residents, for the last 10 years.
The company had recently requested permission to change the non-conforming use in such a way as to allow the housing of adult, co-ed felons in the last months of their sentences. Additionally, they requested an accompanying variance to increase the permitted number of housed offenders.
The borough solicitor had argued against the granting of the requests, and submitted legal briefs to support the rejection. Many in the local community had attended previous hearings and also urged the board to reject the request.