New Kensington schedules public hearing on motorcycle club's use of building

A public hearing is scheduled on a motorcycle club’s request to use a building in a residential area of New Kensington as its clubhouse.

City council will hold the hearing Monday, May 22.

The Vultures Motorcycle Club goes into the hearing already fighting an uphill battle.

The city’s planning commission in March voted to not recommend giving the club a conditional use approval to use the one-story brick building at Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue as its clubhouse. Although formerly an office building, it’s in an area zoned for low-density residential use.

The club had signed a one-year lease for the building with Olde Towne Overhaul, which bought the space from Citizens General Hospital for $25,000 in November 2020.

Olde Towne Overhaul started work on improvements to the building but stopped “until we get resolution on this,” operations manager Michelle Thom said.

The club has eight active members, according to its secretary, Jackie Bush. She describes it as a social, family-oriented club that has been meeting in a garage.

The club said it would use the property for meetings, functions and benefit rides. Events would include a Mother’s Day dinner, Fourth of July cookout, Thanksgiving dinner and Toys for Tots toy drive.

Bush said the club has retained a lawyer for its appeal to council. She said its position will be that the structure is a commercial building that never should have been zoned for residential use.

The club is not accepting new members while a decision on the building is in flux, she said.

“We have a lot of potentials that want to come in that are good people,” Bush said. “If we don’t get that building, we’ll have to find another one. We’re going to see how this plays out.”