The Venango County Regional Planning Commission unanimously gave conditional approval during a special meeting Wednesday to Pathways Adolescent Center for the construction of a new building on the Pathways property in Oil City.
Pathways is proposing to build a 4,029-square foot structure at its current location along North Seneca Street, according to a description of the project handed out at the meeting.
The entire site is in a floodplain and the building would be within 50 feet of Oil Creek. The proposed building would be elevated off the ground one and a half feet above the base flood elevation, the project description continued.
Yingling added that no waivers or variances are being requested.
Nate Neely, who owns Pathways, said the building will be the seventh on the property. He said all the other buildings are also elevated off the ground.
“We plan to house up to 18 adolescents in there. That number will fluctuate depending on the needs of the counties,” Neely said.
He added that 125 youth are currently housed at Pathways, which employs 103 people.
“This will add about 60 employees between what we are doing in Oil City and a few other things,” Neely said.
