The former site of a Nesquehoning insurance agency will soon be a St. Luke's Health Network medical facility.

This week, Joseph Bennett, representing Bennett Family Properties LLC, went before the Nesquehoning Zoning Hearing Board to ask for a variance to allow the plans for transforming the former Balliet Insurance building, located at 1114 E. Catawissa St., into a physician's office. The current zoning for the 2.2-acre property is C-1, commercial transition, and did not include medical use facilities in the permitted uses in the district.Bennett said Bennett Family Properties would renovate and maintain the property, but lease it to St. Luke's.The anticipated completion date for the project is Nov. 1, with a possible extension to Nov. 15 if necessary.The plans call for creating doctors' office space and patient rooms, a nurses station, and a sterile blood drawing area on the first floor of the two-story building. The second floor would consist of offices, a conference room and break room for staff.Three to four employees will be initially employed on-site, Bennett said, with the possibility of adding an additional one or two if it is determined to be needed.In addition, Bennett will widen and decrease the grade of the driveway to comply with all applicable Pennsylvania Department of Transportation regulations.A 16-vehicle parking area with an additional area large enough to accommodate Carbon County Community Transit buses and ambulances will be created.Other requirements are full landscaping on the front of the property, as well as arborvitae on the east and west property lines, and installing lighting on the exterior of the property to meet borough zoning ordinance requirements.The board asked a number of questions to clarify the full intended use of the property.Following testimony from Bennett, the board voted to grant the variance with a few conditions because, according to zoning hearing board solicitor Michael Greek, the plans "meet the definition of the C-1 zoning."Bennett said that the project will now begin moving forward, obtaining necessary permits and hiring local contractors to complete the work.