Pennhurst owner pushes for zoning change to allow haunted house

    A partial owner of Chester County’s Pennhurst property has petitioned the township for a zoning change to allow, among other things, a haunted house.

    The former asylum has been at the center of many township arguments over whether the property can be used as a public entertainment venue.

    The request filed by Richard Chakejian of Pennhurst Acquisitions LP, which owns 88 percent of the property, aims to rezone the property from a residential designation to one of general industrial use, and allow for additional special uses, as the Daily Local reports.

    The county and township will have to review the request before it can move forward. Both planning commissions are still reviewing a request that would amend the zoning ordinance to allow for a mixed-use development on the former Jones Motor Co. property at Route 724 and West Bridge Street.

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