Boo-humbug: North Huntingdon haunted house shut down over zoning issues
A Halloween attraction in North Huntingdon that was set to open this weekend was halted because it would violate the township’s zoning ordinance.
The Springwood Manor home haunt at 1738 Pickford St. was shut down Thursday because operating a haunted house — a commercial enterprise — would violate the township’s zoning ordinance in that residential neighborhood, township manager Jeff Silka said.
Township zoning officer Thomas McGuire notified homeowner Justin Niedzwecki, 39, and his girlfriend, Colleen Murtha, 39, that they could not open.
In order to comply with the zoning ordinance, the homeowner would have to be granted a variance, Silka said. But a zoning board hearing for variance could not be scheduled until November, and typically a same-day decision is not rendered.
“I am going to fight it,” Murtha said Friday, explaining she will plead her case before the township commissioners at the board’s Oct. 14 special meeting. She hopes they can operate it on the final two weekends of the month.
Murtha said she was told by township officials that police would patrol the neighborhood to ensure they do not have patrons.
Murtha said she believes they would not be in violation of the zoning ordinance if they do not charge an entry fee and instead accept donations. The couple had sold tickets online for $12 per person, with some proceeds going to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Murtha said.
But no type of amusement venue is permitted in that residential neighborhood, regardless of whether the operators charge a fee, Silka said.
Springwood Manor was to feature a 3½-minute “dark ride” around the 2,000-square-foot basement of the house. It was to be open the remaining Friday and Saturday nights this month, plus Halloween.
To create the dark ride, a welding company in McKeesport fabricated a steel track that a “cart” — powered by a wheelchair motor — would move.
The couple had been planning the home haunt since January and invested almost $10,000 in it, she said.
“We live Halloween. We love it,” Murtha said before the township’s decision.
“We want to create memories for the kids,” Murtha added, referring to her and Niedzwecki’s children.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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