Former Pottsville Convent to Become Apartments

The former St. Patrick’s Sisters of St. Joseph Convent – now a rundown relic on Mahantongo St. in Pottsville – will become an apartment building.

Pottsville’s Zoning Hearing Board voted unanimously on Thursday night to approve a plan from a York-based investor to transform the historic convent into a 24-unit apartment building.

Ras Dean, of Dean’s List Realty, sought a zoning variance to transform the property into a multi-family dwelling. Dean’s List Realty purchased the property in February 2024 from Gillingham Charter School Foundation for $115,000.

Based on Dean’s description and photos of the property on real estate listings, the former convent has definitely seen better days … much better days.

Dean expects to invest about a half-million dollars into the property and create 24 one- and two-bedroom apartments. He told Zoning Hearing Board members that his goal is to have the project completed in about a year.

Each apartment would likely be between 600-700 square feet. Dean said he expects to charge between $800-1,000 for units in this building.

At that price, Dean expects he “will probably fill them quickly.” He also told board members that he viewed apartments across the street from his building and saw “pink tiles and green tubs” and “It’s unbelievable what they’re getting” in rent prices.

Board members asked Dean if he’ll pursue Section 8 tenants in this building once the apartments are complete.

“We haven’t typically used Section 8,” Dean said.

But will there be parking?

We all know nothing gets approved in Pottsville unless there’s parking to accompany any new project.

The purchase of the former convent also came with a parking lot. Dean said he’ll reconfigure the parking lot to accommodate 26 spaces.

The Zoning Hearing Board’s approval of this project was contingent on several factors:

Dean must maintain the historical look of the building’s facade. He said he has no plans to change that.

He must also maintain the non-dead trees to the east of the building. And his parking lot must adhere to the Pottsville Shade Tree ordinance that requires a tree for every 5 spots in the lot.

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