19-06-2025
Hanover zoning board denies proposal seeking to turn auto parts store into 19 apartments
A proposal to turn an auto parts store into 19 apartment units was denied in a zoning hearing on Monday, according to Hanover officials.
The Hanover Zoning Hearing Board voted during a hearing on Monday, June 16, 2025, to deny the request for a variance that was applied for by developer Jordan Ilyes, Hanover Borough manager Margie Lewis confirmed to the Evening Sun.
The applicants had sought a variance for the property, which had suggested the property was facing hardship due to what was described by applicants as a lack of demand for retail space on a side street, according to prior meeting records.
A variance, as requested due to a non-conforming use in the property's zoning district, requires the applicant to show a hardship for the property if the requested use is not allowed.
Lewis shared that the three-member Zoning Hearing Board, in denying the proposal, largely was not convinced that the auto parts store property was facing a hardship, believing that the property could find other uses rather than that which was proposed.
The proposal had sought to redevelop the 21,916-square-foot auto parts store, turning it into a 19-unit apartment building without significantly changing the footprint of the building, according to the schematics presented.
Those plans show that the 11,803-square-foot area of the first floor would have consisted of 10 apartments, and the 10,113-square-foot area of the second floor would consist of nine apartments.
Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for the Evening Sun. Reach him at hjones@
Previously reported: Proposal seeks to turn Hanover auto parts store on Maple Avenue into apartments
This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Developer's plans to convert Hanover, Pa. store into apartments denied
