The owner of P.J. Whelihan's is a step closer to getting permission to raze the 143-year-old building at Broadway and Hausman Road and construct a larger restaurant at the location.
The South Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board granted variances at its Thursday meeting to allow the owner to build shorter setbacks on its front and side yards facing Broadway, Hausman and Tilghman Street and an adjacent property on its eastern side.
Owner Robert Platzer and developer Polaris Corner L.P. have proposed building a 9,240-square-foot, 250-seat restaurant at the site, nearly triple the size of the existing one, with 114 parking spaces.
The restaurant is the chain's second location in the township after P.J.'s at the Walbert, which opened in 2000 at 1658 Hausman Road.
Some residents and neighboring businesses have opposed the expansion of the pub at 4595 Broadway, although none appeared at Thursday's hearing. They say the building, which dates to 1870, is worth preserving. Others say the restaurant's customers often park illegally and litter across the street at Josh Early Candies.
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