Developer Taking Second Shot at Zoning Variances for Former Pottsville Catholic School Building

A Brooklyn developer who previously applied for a zoning variance to transform the former St. Joseph’s school on Mahantongo St. in Pottsville into a dozen luxury apartments appears ready to try again.

A hearing before Pottsville’s Zoning Hearing Board has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 24, City Hall. That’s when Sinan Ozbeyl and a co-applicant known as Keystone Landmark Developer Corp. will ask for zoning variances that would allow plans to move forward to renovate the former school building.

However, it appears Ozbeyl has changed plans considerably since his visit before the board on July 18 last year.

Rather than transforming the vacant and deteriorating building into luxury apartments, Ozbeyl now wants to create a 12-unit group home/elder care facility. He’s seeking variances that would allow him to construct such a facility and relief from the city’s off-street parking regulations.

It was parking concerns that seemed to weigh heavily on the Zoning Hearing Board’s decision last year to deny Ozbeyl a variance to move ahead with the luxury apartment plans.

Zoners also expressed their worries about Ozbeyl’s seemingly wishy-washy plans for the property, which included a possible rooftop terrace and a commercial coffee shop on the first floor.

Following the denial, Ozbeyl briefly placed the property back on the market but it’s since been removed. He purchased the 10,000-square foot property in 2022 for $155,000.

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