The Schuylkill Planning Zoning Hearing Board has granted a variance to the Allentown Diocese to subdivide church land in Gordon, Butler Township.

The ruling, which followed a hearing held in the county courthouse, will allow the diocese to split the property between Our Lady of Good Council Roman Catholic Church from the rectory. That will allow the diocese to place the rectory building for sale. The church was closed some time ago and the parishioners transferred to another parish.Patrick J. Reilly, business manager for the catholic churches in Gordon and Ashland, told the board the rectory building will make a good family home.The board also granted a variance from the county zoning ordinance to Christopher Carestia, who wants to construct a pole building on a parcel at 162 Cranbury St., Palo Alto. Carestia told the board he needs a place for storage equipment, including a snowblower and other large equipment.The board also granted a special exception request from the Family Dollar Retail Store, which will be built in the 100 block on W. Center St., Mahanoy City, to have fewer parking spaces than required by county ordinance.Mark A. Magrecki, project manager for Penn Terra Engineering Company, which is designing the building, told the board his clients did not need 25 off-street parking spaces as required by the ordinance, and that between 14 and 20 would be sufficient.He told the board there would be only four or five employees on each shift, and that projections show that an average of 28 customers will visit the store within a one hour period, stay only an average 15 minutes in the store and spend an average of $10. The board granted permission to reduce the number of off-street parking spaces.