Politics & Government

Rare Coin Shop Proposal Wins Planners' Approval

A variance by the Hellertown Zoning Hearing Board is still required before owners Karony and Kerry Borger can open the business on East High Street.

Correction: There will NOT be a Hellertown Zoning Hearing Board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 21. An earlier published version of this story stated that there would be a meeting on that date. The East High Street coin shop variance will be on the ZHB's January 2012 meeting agenda.

won the unanimous approval of the Hellertown Planning Commission Dec. 13, but applicants Karony and Kerry Borger must still seek a non-conforming use variance from the Hellertown Zoning Hearing Board before they can open their business at 227 East High Street.

The matter will be voted upon at the Zoning Hearing Board's next meeting, which will be held Jan. 18, 2012 at 6:30pm in .

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Planning commission engineer Bryan Smith explained that a variance is needed because the business would be located in what is otherwise a residential area, at the intersection of East High and Courtright streets.

The building that would house the coin shop was at one time a corner grocery store, but that was so many years ago that the special use exception that would have allowed another business to open without a variance has expired, Smith explained.

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Zoning Officer Joe Chernaskey told the planning commission that it's been at least 27 years since the grocery store, which was known as Meterko's, closed for good.

The Borgers, who live in Lower Saucon Township, said they have been collecting coins for many years and expect the 430-square-foot coin shop to be a secondary business for them.

Their primary business is a conveyor system installation business, Karony said.

She added that both she and her husband are "licensed through the county to buy and sell precious metals."

"We don't expect a lot of traffic, which is why I thought this (location) would be ideal, because it's not an expensive place to have," she said.

Planning commission member Joe Pampanin agreed that the shop is not likely to result in heavy traffic, and called it a "niche" business suitable for the area.

For that reason, he said, "I'd be inclined to support something like this."

Member Phil Weber said the "building's been vacant for a long, long time" and that he would rather see the coin business occupy the space than have it remain vacant.

Smith noted that because of the building's location at the top end of a "T" intersection, there is no on-street parking available directly in front of it.

Underneath the building is a built-in garage, and behind that is a driveway large enough to accommodate two parking spaces, he said.

"However, they're all back-to-back," he noted.

Smith recommended that the Borgers seek a variance for "that type of parking configuration" or for adding parking in the back, since he said there is an off-street parking requirement for the business.

Karony said the business's hours of operation would likely be Monday through Friday, from 10am to 6pm, and Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.

Six o'clock "would be the absolute latest that we would be open," she said.

She added that she will be the person primarily responsible for running the shop, and said she expects to receive some assistance from her "older children."

"We just want to have a little bit of everything there," she said.

The Borgers will be renting the building from owner Michael Birk, it was noted.


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