Zoning Hearing Board Denies Appeal on Greenlea Group Residence

The Moon Township zoning hearing board has rejected an attempt to repeal an occupancy permit  issued for a group home for mentally ill residents on Greenlea Drive. 

Venus Thompson, who lives next door to the proposed group home, the permit issued by the township to . The Homestead-based agency sought the permit in order to open and operate a residence for four men with mental illnesses in a single-family home at 162 Greenlea Drive. 

The board issued its ruling Thursday night after an executive session and a contentious three-hour meeting. Its ruling may be appealed to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.

Neither Thompson nor Transitional Services CEO Sharon Alberts was on hand following the meeting's executive session to hear the ruling. Board members did not comment further on their ruling at the meeting. 

The organization purchased the home in October with the intent of using it as a Fairweather lodge, a group residence for people with mental illnesses. The residents would live independently with intermittent supervision and guidance. Many Greenlea Drive residents, however, have been outspoken in their  

"I still think it's a fair-housing issue," Alberts said. "I can just tell the neighbors [on Greenlea Drive] that we want to be good neighbors." 

Board chairman R. Douglas DeNardo stopped the hearing several times to quiet members of the audience who had filled the township meeting room.

“I would just ask that you rescind [the occupancy permit],” said Greenlea resident Christine Herle during the public-comment part of the hearing. “As a simple, middle-class woman who lives in a neighborhood that is about to be shaken to its core and lose her property value, I beg you, please.”

Thompson's attorney, Marc Taiani, issued a subpoena for Alberts to testify at the hearing. In his questioning, he sought to prove that the home would function as a medical facility, rather than a shared residence.

Board solicitor Isobel Storch repeatedly warned Taiani to stay on-topic during his questioning of Alberts. Taiani's questions  ranged from the specifics of medical treatment for residents to Transitional Services'  sources of income. 

Alberts said no live-in staff would be needed for the home's occupants, who generally will have been diagnosed with severe depression, anxiety or schizophrenia. She said a lodge coordinator will visit the house daily to counsel and monitor residents. 

She also testified that residents of the house would be employed by Patterson Cleaning Services of McKeesport.

"The individuals will work together toward self-sufficiency," Alberts said. "They are far enough along in their recovery that they understand their illness and what medications they need to take." 

Taiani attempted to categorize testimony from Thompson, who works as a nurse for Cigna Group Insurance, as an expert opinion on mental health care. The board, however, would not accept that testimony.

Thompson became emotional while addressing the board, saying that the home’s residents could pose a safety risk to her two children and adversely affect the value of her home.

“My clients are very emotionally attached to this issue, as well they should be,” Taiani said. “We believe [that this hearing] provided us with some additional transparency on the home. We just want what’s best for my clients and we want them and the township to be safe.” 

Taiani said Thompson may consider appealing the case to Common Pleas Court. 

Township Planning Director Adam McGurk and Lawrence Demase, president of the nonprofit group Our Own Home, which helped secure funding for the home, also testified at the hearing. 

Alberts said the home would open in the coming months. Transitional Services is making repairs to the home and interviewing potential residents.