Denied Variance, Property Owners Launch Petition

The related residents of a home on Kiernan Avenue and an adjoining garage apartment that was have launched a petition titled "Let owners live on their property" on the website Change.org.

The petition, which was started by Marion Chew and currently has more than a dozen signatures, highlights .

The petition is addressed to and its zoning hearing board.

"In February 2011, my family bought a house in Hellertown, Pa., (and) when we bought the property it was listed as having a one bedroom loft apartment above the garage. That was prefect (sic) for us, being a family who wanted to stay together," Chew writes. "My husband, mom, nephew and I live in the main house and my brother and his girlfriend currently live in the one bedroom loft above the garage."

Chew, who is the wife of property co-owner Jason Chew, states that a borough zoning official informed her family that the garage apartment is not considered living space after they moved in.

Her family "contacted a lawyer" and "the issue was dropped until January 2012," when a dispute over bus transportation for a student led them to file an appeal with the borough's zoning hearing board, Chew says.

"Northampton County has listed on their web site as the garage having one bedroom, living room, kitchen and full bathroom," the petition reads. "All these things where presented to Hellertown Zoning Board during our hearing, (but the variance was) still denied."

"So according to Hellertown Boro and Zoning you DO NOT have the right to to live freely on your own property even if the county sees it as living space," she concludes. "The property is being owner occupided (sic) not rented. The reason we even bought the property was it fit our needs as a family to stay together yet live seperately (sic), now we're being told we can't."

In a comment posted to the petition, Bonnie Mink writes, "They are my family and its not fair, they were mislead (sic)."

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