The Logan Township Planning Commission on Tuesday voted unanimously to recommend that a portion of Lakemont near the intersection of Logan Boulevard and Convention Center Boulevard be rezoned from residential to business.

The commission made the recommendation to the township Board of Supervisors on the request of Contract Hardware, which needs the proposed change to build a warehouse on ground it owns across Sprankle Avenue from its location at the intersection of Sprankle and South Pine Street.

The area that was recommended for rezoning is in the shape of the letter L, but with the horizontal leg on the other side of the upright, and tapering toward its end.

Its boundaries are Logan Boulevard on the east of the upright, the Allegheny Township line on the south of the horizontal leg, South Pine Street on the north of the horizontal leg, Sprankle Avenue on the west of the upright and a line parallel with and slightly south of Roswell Street on the north end of the upright.

Several residents of the area that may be rezoned attended the meeting, after the township notified them of the issue to be considered Tuesday.

Only one resident, Connie McManuels, spoke to the commission, saying that she had been under the impression that the area under consideration was already zoned business, given that there have been several businesses sprinkled throughout over the years.

None of the residents objected to the proposed change.

Township officials don’t know why the section wasn’t already zoned for business, as the boundaries there had been drawn decades ago, they said.

Contract Hardware owner Brad Botteicher had initially considered asking for a variance to allow him to build the warehouse, but was advised that it would have been hard to obtain a variance from the township Zoning Hearing Board, and that a rezoning request had a better chance of success.

The supervisors will decide whether to accept the Planning Commission’s recommendation at an upcoming meeting.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-381-3152.