South Whitehall commissioners granted approval Aug. 21 to rezoning property at 2449 Walbert Avenue from R-4 Medium Density Residential to NC, Neighborhood Commercial.

Situated on the east side of Grandview Cemetery, the 3-acre parcel consists of a flag lot configuration with a single family dwelling and 102 feet of frontage along Walbert Avenue.

The flag portion, which has two accessory buildings, measures 232 feet wide and 634 feet in depth.

Owned by Doris E. Snyder, "Snyder's Sandblasting" business was on the inner portion of the site for many years.

The tract's only street frontage exists along Walbert Avenue.

The request for rezoning was made by Cathy Boyer, who has Snyder's power of attorney.

Only the southern-most 1-acre portion of the parcel was rezoned.

In a written report to commissioners, Township Engineer J. Scott Pidcock noted the lack of public road access to the northern section of the tract could raise concerns if a future owner wants to subdivide the property.

Snyder's attorney Stephen Strack said rezoning will enable the lot to be developed in a manner consistent with the surrounding neighborhood, which includes a mix of residential and commercial uses.

Legally permitted uses in the NC zone are less intensive than the sandblasting operation, a pre-existing non-conformity, Strack said.

In other business, commissioners granted approval to the owners of Grandview Cemetery for construction of a 2,281-square-foot addition to the existing 23,720-square-foot mausoleum at the northwest corner of the 56-acre property.

Greg Adams, of the South Whitehall community development department, met with Grandview representative Paul Mancino, of Stone Mor Pennsylvania LLC, to discuss improvements to the Walbert Avenue cemetery frontage as a condition for township approval.

Mancino agreed to plant additional shade trees along Walbert Avenue where space allows.

Adams directed Mancino to use smaller trees due to overhead wires, remove older trees in unacceptable condition and to repair sidewalks along Walbert Avenue, which are uneven, and may cause a tripping hazard.

Mancino accepted the recommendations.