Shaler commissioners table Mt. Alvernia development discussions amid community concerns

After a more than two-hour meeting with extensive public engagement, Shaler commissioners voted March 11 to table a zoning ordinance that would have advanced a plan to redevelop the Mt. Alvernia property.

The property, which straddles the border of Shaler and Millvale, was once the campus of the Sisters of St. Francis, a Catholic women’s religious order. The property’s large main building, the Motherhouse, served as a convent and Catholic girls’ high school until 2011.

In 2019, the sisters sold the property, which also includes a chapel and residence halls. Aside from the currently operating Mt. Alvernia Day Care and Learning Center, the campus has remained vacant for more than five years.

Q Development, a Pittsburgh-based firm specializing in renewing historic buildings, has since acquired the property with the goal of placing several hundred apartments and townhomes on the campus.

At the meeting, Q Development representative Rick Belloli sought the approval of the commissioners for an ordinance that would have rezoned Shaler’s portion of the property into the proposed Mt. Alvernia Overlay District. This would have allowed the developer to place up to 250 units on the Shaler side of the campus.

In addition to the large Motherhouse, Belloli said his company is considering units in St. Clare Hall and the campus chapel. The nearby cemetery remains the property of the sisters.

In November, Millvale voted in favor of a similar overlay district. Though the borough’s side does not have a cap for the amount of potential units, Belloli said he expected that number to be around 125.

In the end, he said the developer’s goal is 280 to 300 total units at the site.

But Charles Perego, a lawyer representing a coalition of residents living near Hawthorne Road, said the property’s neighbors have concerns about traffic and parking congestion and the character of their neighborhood, which primarily consists of single-family homes.

“We’re not opposed to the ordinance, we’re just opposed to some of the details on the developer’s side,” he said.

Though he said the nearby residents would like to see the area redeveloped, Perego said there was “simply no room” for the number of cars that potentially would occupy the site.

In the end, commissioners voted to table the ordinance, encouraging Belloli to revise the plan after more discussions with the public. Shaler Manager Chris Lovato said if the changes are significant enough, the developer may have to reappear before the county and the township’s planning commission, setting back the project further.

The dialogue so far, Belloli said after the meeting, has been “good and productive.” He said he was not surprised by the tabling.

“We’re not all the way there but almost,” he said.

The whole campus, he said, is federally registered as a national historic district, making certain aspects of plans “quirky.” Though the tabled ordinance would allow more units, Belloli said his company is only seeking to place about 200 on the Shaler side. However, he said the higher cap of 250 gave the firm “flexibility” before more detailed plans are drawn up.

According to Belloli, Q Development already has spent $7 million on the project, and he said it could end up being a $100 million redevelopment.

Frank Iozzo, who represents Shaler’s first ward where the site is located, said he was happy the community had the chance to share their support and misgivings at the meeting, which he said was fairly orderly.

The commissioner said there seemed to be universal support for the development. But at this point, he said it was simply a matter of finding a suitable number of units that works for residents and the developer alike.

Lovato said the timeline for the ordinance is unclear, but it could appear on the agenda as soon as next month.

“The town commissioners always take input seriously,” Lovato said. “They will be well informed and take comments into consideration.”

After an ordinance is passed, Q Development would create a preliminary land development plan, which will include a traffic study and more concrete details about unit numbers and other goals for the site for discussion by residents and the township.

The next meeting of the Shaler commissioners will take place April 8.