A former accounting office on Main Street in Royersford will be converted into a residential unit after the borough's zoning hearing board approved variances for the property.
The board voted Wednesday to grant relief to Shaker Investments LLC for the property at 566-568 Main Street, allowing the owner to convert a commercial office into a second residential unit. The approval carries a condition that the owner contract with a professional lawn service to maintain grass and weeds for a period of five years.
Emily Shaker, sole owner of Shaker Investments LLC, told the board she sought the variances to return the 568 side of the building to residential use. She said a recent property appraisal found that the best use of that side of the building was residential rather than commercial.
The property, roughly 0.23 acres, sits in the R-2 residential district and holds a three-story mixed-use building. The 566 side operates as a five-bedroom residential unit that Shaker mentioned has been rented to the same tenant for more than 10 years. The 568 side had been used as a commercial accounting office under a variance granted in 1999. Before that, Shaker said, the space was residential.
Shaker noted the building was originally constructed as twin-home units, and each side is approximately 1,700 square feet. The lot measures a little under 10,000 square feet and has 58 feet of frontage. Shaker said both dimensions fall short of the applicable requirements, prompting the need for variances from Section 475-40A for minimum lot area and lot width per dwelling unit.
Converting the office back to a residence will require plumbing work in the kitchen and removal of drywall covering a shower, Shaker said. The building has a parking lot behind it that holds 10 to 12 vehicles, which the owner plans to keep. She said the lot should provide enough parking that the additional residence would not affect street parking.
Shaker said a second five-bedroom home would fit the neighborhood, citing the nearby Royersford Commons apartments and other twin residences on the block laid out similarly.
Royersford Borough Council did not take a stance on granting the relief but submitted a letter to the zoning hearing board raising concerns about outdoor maintenance and suggesting a landscaping condition. Shaker said weeds had gotten out of hand during a recent family medical emergency, and that the landscaping had since been addressed. She noted she and her family live nearby and had planned to maintain the property themselves.
The hearing officer said a letter confirming the relief would be issued within the next two days, with a formal written decision to follow within 45 days.
