Townhouses proposed at former Methodist church property in Aspinwall

A Fox Chapel developer wants to knock down a former Aspinwall Methodist church and its school to make room for five high-end townhouses.

Tony Pompeo Jr., founder of Amena Properties, made his introductory pitch to the borough’s planning commission on Feb. 26 for the future of the old sanctuary and adjacent property near the corner of Center Avenue and Fourth Street.

He wants to subdivide the nearly 0.29-acre parcel into five lots. Each lot would have a two-story townhouse with a basement, two-car garage and a small front porch.

Two of the townhomes would face Fourth Street while three would face Center Avenue.

Pompeo showed photos of his family’s Squirrel Hill properties as examples of what he would like to build.

He also presented a conceptual drawing of the proposed Aspinwall development.

“These are going to be masonry homes,” Pompeo said. “They will be of very high standard and quality. I’m not looking to do anything cheap or quick and flip it.”

The area in question is zoned AR3. Single-family and two-family homes are permitted uses in that zone, according to borough code.

However, townhouses are not.

Pompeo would have to seek a variance from the borough’s zoning hearing board before council could OK the project.

The planning commission is a recommending body. Borough council has the final say.

Residents concerns

Nearby residents, including Teri Ferguson who lives a few doors down on Fourth Street, raised concerns about demolition safety and parking.

Pompeo said he has already met with a couple of companies and will take every safety precaution possible to ensure the people and property are safe.

The proposed garages and driveways go beyond borough ordinances, which require just two parking spaces per unit.

Pompeo said his original plans included saving the sanctuary and building an apartment complex, but “parking was near impossible” to comply with the ordinance.

He also mentioned animal control and asbestos inspections will take place before any demolition begins.

Terry Nelson Taylor, a resident and local historian, was the only vocal objector to the church being raised.

“You’ve stepped into a hornets’ nest,” she told Pompeo. Taylor cited several preservation efforts as well as properties in the borough that have been reused.

“If you look at the Lutheran Church on Center, you’ll see it is not torn down but it is reused,” Taylor said. “We historically saved the Henry House on Brilliant (Avenue). That was our first major achievement in zoning.

“We are not about tearing down in this town. We are not.”

Residents also questioned what trash pickup would be like once the properties are complete.

Pompeo said that’s one of the many details that still need to be worked out. The developer’s comments seemed to have eased most residents’ nerves.

“I’m excited for the future of our neighborhood and new neighbors,” Ferguson said. “I’m not concerned at all. They do this for a living, and construction is construction. They have a bus stop they’re really focused on. They’re going to be worrying about safety and cleanliness. I think they’ve done this quite a bit.

”I’m pretty excited. We seem to have people who are really experienced.”

Pompeo owns an office and retail mixed-use building along Brilliant Avenue and a parcel that fronts both Commercial Avenue and First Street.

He also works as a project manager for the family business, Mark Anthony Construction & Real Estate Development in Sharpsburg.

That business owns several properties in the Fox Chapel Area School District.

Planning commission response

The planning commission took no action on the conceptual review on Feb. 26.

Commission chairman Nicholas Scheid Jr. said there have been no formal submissions.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done,” Scheid said. “This is not something that’s just going to pop up.”

He also told attendees the purpose of the planning commission was to ensure developments comply with borough codes and ordinances, and does not make any decisions based on personal preferences.

“It’s not that we don’t like purple, and he wants to build a purple structure and he ain’t getting it,” Scheid said. “That’s not the way we come to our decisions. … As far as I’m concerned, it’s a legitimate development. I don’t know anything about the history (of the church property) and all that type of stuff. That’s not in the ordinance, so we’re not going to take that into consideration.”

Nearly 20 people were in the audience, including council President Jeff Harris.

The planning commissioners said the meeting was one of the most well-attended sessions in a long time.

It’s unclear when the planning commission would take action on the proposed development. That would depend on when Pompeo submits more detailed construction drawings and a land development plan.

Pompeo left the meeting feeling positive.

“I thought it went well,” he said. “It was exciting to see how many people turned out and truly care about this project. I was happy so many people had some feedback and voiced their concerns. We can implement it into the design and hopefully (have) a potential successful project here that everyone enjoys when it’s completed.”

Aspinwall building inspector and zoning officer Ryan Santelli, after the meeting, commended Pompeo’s actions so far in the development process. He mentioned Pompeo’s coordination with borough engineers and how he is doing everything “by the book.”

Brief church history

The original church building was made of wood and established in November 1895.

It was called the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Aspinwall. It was enlarged and reconstructed with a brick facade in 1931 and dedicated in March 1932.

Congregations of Aspinwall and Blawnox merged and formed the Community United Methodist Church with services at both churches until 2010.

The building next to the sanctuary in Aspinwall hosted Sunday school classes, Alcoholics Anonymous and AARP meetings, as well as activities with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and a Kiwanis Club.

The Community Child Development Center offered daycare services there for more than 40 years until closing in early December.

Declining enrollment led to the church ceasing services in July 2023.

Its remaining members attended services at churches in New Kensington, Verona and Penn Hills’ Rosedale neighborhood before formally merging with Verona United Methodist Church in October.

Pompeo bought the church property for about $400,000, which is being used for building maintenance and upgrades to the Verona church.

The sale closed in January.