In the 400 block of Front Street, a large Dumpster is being filled with the contents of the old Mansion House restaurant and rooms on the upper floors. It is the fourth container to be filled, so far.

According to Dan Russoli, one of the building owners, he and his partner, David Harth, plan to strip the interior back to the original walls and restore some of the historic design of the building.

Russoli and Harth brought their project to a June 18 Catasauqua Zoning Hearing Board hearing, asking for approval of variances relating to parking, impervious coverage and apartment unit size.

Harth, a Catasauqua resident, and Russoli, of North Catasauqua, are owners of Renovation Properties LLC.

The building, at 415-417 Front St., once the site of the Mansion House restaurant and tavern with an upstairs boardinghouse, was converted into a single-family home about nine years ago. The homeowner lived on the first floor and the upper floors were unused.

Harth and Russoli are planning to convert the property into a first-floor storefront with four apartments on the second and third floors.

Harth showed the hearing board members plans to remove a garage from the rear of the property and put in a total of eight parking spaces. Installation of the parking area increases the impervious coverage of the lot to 93 percent, 3 percent over the allowed amount.

The borough zoning ordinance has a requirement for two spaces per apartment in addition to some spaces designated for business customers.

Harth argued that parking spaces could be used by business customers in the daytime while apartment residents are away at work, and that, while there is no area for an unloading zone at the rear, a number of businesses along Front Street conduct curbside unloading in front.

Zoning board solicitor Emil Kantra expressed the board's concern with that plan.

"If there's not some enforcement in place, it could get a bit chaotic," he said.

Board member Dan Sheirer agreed.

"We don't want eight people parking on Front Street," he said.

Harth said it's not possible to predict the exact need for residential spaces. He is planning three one-bedroom and one two-bedroom units.

"I wouldn't want to dedicate them only to apartments in case there are only five residents," he said. It is also unknown how many spaces a storefront business would need, depending on what business leases the space.

Kantra understood the argument.

"If there are only six vehicles operated and owned by tenants, then the additional two could be allocated to commercial use, whether it's customers or employees," he said.

Catasauqua Borough Councilman Vincent Smith attended the hearing to support the renovation plans. Holding a copy of the downtown revitalization plan the council adopted in 2008, he listed the reasons why the proposal fits into the long-term planning for the downtown area.

Parking is always a challenge in the downtown area, he said, recommending a rotating use of parking spaces in the rear. He pointed out that customer parking is available 100 yards south of the building. People walk farther than that when they park at the Lehigh Valley Mall, he said.

"Mixed use creates a more vibrant downtown," Smith said. "I am 100 percent in support of this."

Second Street resident Cliff Lathrop also spoke out in favor of the plan.

"I know Dave will not be an absentee landlord," he said of Harth.

Tammy Cameron, who lives on Fifth Street, said she favors the plan because it's local people with a good project.

"That's what we have in mind for downtown," she said.

The hearing board voted to grant the four-space variance from the parking requirements as long as apartment residents are given a priority for use of the parking spaces. They also granted the needed variances for a lack of rear loading zone, two of the apartments being slightly under the required size.