Decision Makes Fecera's a 'Yes' Parking Zone

Wednesday night's zoning hearing board meeting was among the speediest I have ever attended and they got down to the heart of the matter right away.

In two unanimous decisions, the three zoning hearing board members approved parking and sign variances for the Fecera's project.

For those of you who have been sleeping for the past three years, that project seeks to convert the slowly crumbling former Fecera's Furniture warehouse at Beech and North Evans Streets, into apartments for artists.

It will also (hopefully) be the new home of Pottstown's signature art school and gallery, ArtFusion 19464.

A rendering of what a finished Fecera's, now called

Beech Street Factory, would look like.

The hearing was necessary because despite meeting previous parking requirements through the pending purchase and razing of two buildings for more parking, borough council adopted new more expanded parking rules.

Had the board failed to grant the variances, the project would have died after three years of work and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees, plans and bureaucracy.

The sign variance will allow two new painted signs on the building. Even though they are larger than allowed in zoning, they are smaller than the signs on the building now.

Now it must still get land development approval from the Pottstown Planning Commission, final approval from borough council, and building permits and the like.

The board also dealt with two other smaller matters, granting a variance for siding to be put around a brick home on State Street and denying a request to allow Chestnut Street widow to rent two of rooms in her house for extra income.

Here are the Tweets from the meeting.