Oakmont zoning board hearing is a nonstarter after series of miscommunications
An Oakmont Zoning Hearing Board public hearing was rescheduled after officials discovered no one had notified the central figure in the situation that the hearing was taking place.
The hearing, as advertised in a published legal ad, was scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. The zoning hearing board was to hear a challenge to the validity of the borough’s newest parking ordinance filed by resident and local restaurant owner John Keefe.
Borough council passed a parking ordinance in March that updates parking requirements in the borough’s commercial district.
Similar to an ordinance passed in January 2024 and later invalidated by the Commonwealth Court, businesses will be able to count available street parking as part of the required number of spots for their business to operate.
After making the changes recommended by the Commonwealth Court, council passed a revised ordinance in March despite threats of legal action from Keefe.
Thursday’s hearing was set to hear testimony in the case.
However, a “miscommunication” led the borough’s lawyer, a court reporter and audience members to be in council chambers at the advertised time of 6 p.m., while members of the zoning hearing board and the zoning board’s attorney didn’t show up until 6:30 p.m. — the time they believed the hearing to be scheduled. Zoning Chair Joseph Luciana and member Charles Fisher were the only zoning hearing board members in attendance.
Shortly after 6:30 p.m., neither Keefe nor his attorneys had arrived. Luciana called Keefe and asked if he knew he “had a hearing tonight.”
After a short conversation, Luciana told the attendees that Keefe claimed to not have received any notice of the hearing. Luciana said Keefe reached out to his attorney, who confirmed their office also had not received a notice.
After a discussion between Alexis Wheeler, solicitor for the zoning hearing board, and borough Solicitor Jacob Leyland, it was discovered that neither the zoning board nor two borough officials had sent notice to Keefe or his attorney, despite the printed legal advertisement.
Wheeler subsequently rescheduled the hearing for June 24 at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers.
Haley Daugherty is a TribLive reporter covering local politics, feature stories and Allegheny County news. A native of Pittsburgh, she lived in Alabama for six years. She joined the Trib in 2022 after graduating from Chatham University. She can be reached at hdaugherty@triblive.com.
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