Brandon Bechtel attended the June 9 Alburtis Borough Council meeting to ask for approval for the conditional use of the 121 Main St. property.

Bechtel does not own the property but explained he is “working with” the current owner to agree on an offer. However, he would like the council’s approval for how he intends to use it.

Currently, the property operates as part commercial and part residential use. Bechtel hopes to convert the first floor into four multifamily units and two commercial spaces, breaking the property down to 25 percent commercial use and 75 percent residential use.

Bechtel plans to convert the commercial area into a cafe with 500 square feet of that being office space.

Council President Ron DeIaco showed his support for Bechtel’s proposed plans.

“That sounds like that’s perfectly reasonable for that area,” DeIaco said. “When you [mention] a cafe, I kind of like that idea since we no longer have the Alburtis Tavern in town. To have another [eatery] ... sounds good.”

Bechtel also hopes to include 12 parking spaces associated with the property.

Council member Hector Vasquez then questioned whether Bechtel intends to use the residential area for short-term or long-term leasing.

“I’d be looking to do long-term leasing,” Bechtel said. “We want people to invest in the community.”

He also clarified council should expect a 60-day settlement from the day they “finalize terms,” which he hopes will occur within the next two weeks.

Council raised no objections or further questions for Bechtel.

“I think you’re getting the sense from council that they would be OK with this,” DeIaco said. “If you get the [required] approvals, we’re [OK] with it.”

In other news, resident William Harris shared concerns over his neighbor’s property.

Harris explained his neighbor applied for a permit to install a fence to enclose their dogs. Harris approved the installation of the fence, but only under specific circumstances like “upkeep with their dogs and feces ...” He also asked about the layout and perimeter of the area to be enclosed, as he wants to ensure their fence is not too close to his.

“It’s just the general upkeep that the couple next door is not doing,” he said. “We just want to make sure someone addresses the condition ... because the feces is being left in the yard, the porch and the back deck.”

Council advised Harris to call the nonemergency police number so they can record each incident, as the borough has an ordinance against such unkempt conditions. However, Harris claims he would prefer to keep the police out of it.

Vasquez assured him otherwise.

“While it can come across as minuscule to bother the police department over, they are our local law enforcement,” Vasquez said. “It does help for us to also keep track of said complaints, so we are all aware of what’s going on. So, please don’t ever feel like it’s bothersome to our local police department, they are here to serve the community.”

Regarding the concerns about the potential location of the fence, council informed Harris he could file a right-to-know request for that information as his neighbors will have to submit a plan to the borough depicting where the fence will go.

Lastly, Borough Engineer Jeff Ott sought council’s permission to meet with N Tech Systems Inc. to create a plan before putting it out to bid. According to Borough Manager Sharon Trexler, Ott hopes to “get this [project] at a reasonable cost.”

Council carried a motion to permit Ott to do so.

“That situation [the sewer basket system] is too dangerous for us not to,” DeIaco said. “If we get it at a price that’s cost-effective, we need to do it.”