The Lansford Borough Zoning Hearing Board on Monday gave the green light to Mauch Chunk Holdings LLC to open a special events venue at the former St. Michael the Archangel Church on East Abbott Street.

The board heard the appeal of Mauch Chunk Holdings to use the 112-year-old Gothic-style church as a venue for weddings and other special occasions, and the rectory as a whole house rental, which could be used by a bridal party.

Business partners George Haleem and Michael Klaips also proposed for the adjacent school up to 15 long- or short-term rental apartments, which could also be used in conjunction with the venue for wedding guests, ideally couples or couples with children.

The board initially raised concerns about the short-term rentals, which other communities found problematic, but the partners told the board they have experience with short-term rentals and own and manage historic properties.

The zoning board then asked for a formal parking plan for the venue and apartments, and continued the hearing to July to allow Mauch Chunk Holdings time to prepare.

On Monday, David G. Lear of Lehigh Engineering in Walnutport presented a plan to the board addressing parking, both in the existing parking lots and on-street parking.

Lear showed an aerial view of the neighborhood, where the church, rectory and school are located with the existing parking shown in white and additional parking in a second lot shown in yellow.

Lear explained there are 34 parking spaces behind the church and school, Lot A, and another 39 available in the long, narrow lot on the east side of South Walnut Street, Lot B.

The existing parking spots on East Abbott, South Walnut and East Water streets were also shown. Lear also showed five existing parking spaces in front of the church, which could be designated as handicapped parking spaces.

The partners would ask the borough for that designation, as the handicapped access to the venue is off East Abbott, Lear said. However, handicapped spaces could be accommodated in the rear as well and still meet the borough’s criteria for required parking, he said.

“These handicapped spaces are in a well-planned area for everyone who would be coming to the site, so they don’t have to go too far,” Lear said. “We count those in our parking tabulation that we get up to 110, but they are not required parking spaces, as off-street parking.

“With parking lots A and B, we exceed the parking requirement for the proposed use,” he said. “We’re just trying to show you that typically in history, these are the areas and spaces that were normally parked when it was a church.”

Following the brief presentation, zoning board member Dwight Penberth noted that people in town pay for handicapped parking designation near their homes.

Attorney Matthew G. Schnell, representing Mauch Chunk Holdings, said that the partners would work out handicapped parking with the borough as plans advance, which could include purchasing spaces.

There was no additional testimony, comments or objections to the proposal, and the board moved to grant a special exception for use of the former school, rectory and church as multi-family units, long/short term rentals, and public/private recreational facility.

Those in attendance applauded the decision.

The partners planned to invest $700,000 into the first phase of the project, which includes work on roofs’ of the buildings and renovations to the church and rectory. Work has already begun on the roofs, Haleem said.

Klaips believes the work on the rectory will be completed first, and renovations in the church could take up to six months. The renovations to the school, which is attached to the rectory, will be a longer term project, he said.