Farrell Planning Commission has no problem with a subdivision of lots to be used in the redevelopment of Steel City Terrace, but has asked for some details on alleys and parking.

The commission recommended that council approve the subdivision.

The lots, on Fruit Avenue from Kedron Street north, will be used for four separate construction phases of the redevelopment, which includes tearing down the Steel City public housing apartments and building new public housing, rental and for-sale housing on Steel City property and in the surrounding community.

Single-family homes for sale would be built on the two lots closest to Kedron, with a rental duplex on the third lot and two rental duplexes on the remaining lot, said Frank Gargiulo, Mercer County Housing Authority's HOPE VI coordinator.

Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency has awarded funding for the phase that includes the double duplex lot, property that is currently known as the former Kedron Street playground, with a closing set for later in the year, he said. No funding is in place for the other phases.

Commission Chairman R. Jerome Miller said he is concerned about parking for the buildings.

Gargiulo said developers are considering building the alley, building a partial alley off Kedron to serve the for-sale units, or building no alley, which would require either on-street parking or parking in driveways beside the homes.

Miller said he wants to minimize street parking, and does not like driveways alongside homes unless the cars can pull far back from the street.

Commission member Paula Gargano said a partial alley only invites people who don't know better to drive back the alley and through people's yards.

While developers have been building alleys behind the units for parking and garbage pickup, officials are not sure whether extending Chestnut Alley would be a good idea.

Because the area is sloped, Chestnut would be at roughly rooftop level behind the homes, and residents would have to walk up to 40 steps to get to and from their cars and homes.

Miller also said he would like to see a plan for another section of Chestnut. One proposal is to hook it into Fruit next to the double duplex lot, but Gargiulo said no plan has been laid out.

While these lots are for later construction phases, work on the first phase, building new public housing units, is moving right along.

City code enforcement officer Mark Yerskey said he made his first occupancy inspection Tuesday.

"Those homes are gorgeous," he said. "I would love to live in one of those homes."

Potential residents are undergoing a series of training sessions, and the first residents could move in by April, Gargiulo said.

In another Steel City matter, the authority board agreed Wednesday to condemn three lots in hopes of clearing their titles through eminent domain.

The properties, at 205 Fruit and 317 and 323 Spearman Ave., are vacant lots and the owners, who are heirs to the original owners, cannot be easily reached, Gargiulo said.

The condemnation will be announced by posting the properties and in an advertisement, and claims will need to be filed within 30 days.

The lots would not be built on, but would be used to lay out buildings on adjacent properties, Gargiulo said.

The authority condemned 17 other properties in September.