Neighbors had no objections to a request by the owner of a landmark North Hills restaurant to rezone its parking lot for commercial use.

Ross commissioners last week approved the zoning change sought by Africo "Rico" Lorenzini. He asked that a 1.6-acre tract adjoining his business, Rico's Restaurant, be changed from R-1, single-family zoning, to C-2, community commercial use.

About two-thirds of the land, located north of Evergreen Road, is steep-sloped woodland. Engineer Doug Tait said Mr. Lorenzini would continue using the level portion of the tract for restaurant parking.

Plans call for combining the restaurant property, an adjoining small piece of land and the parking lot into a single parcel with common zoning. Ross Solicitor Bonnie Brimmeier said that consolidation could not take place unless all three portions had the same zoning.

Mr. Lorenzini dropped his original plan also to ask for rezoning of two adjoining residential properties on Park Place to avoid any conflicts with his neighbors.

William Ice, of Hunter Drive, said he had no objection to the parking lot rezoning, but he and many of his neighbors would oppose any expansion of commercial zoning onto Park Place.

The restaurant properties and adjoining residential areas are separated by trees, consultant Adolfo Marche told the commissioners.

The township planning commission recommended approval of the rezoning request.

Mr. Lorenzini has operated Rico's since 1989, and the property had been the site of other restaurants for many years.

In other business, Commissioner Daniel Kinross will seek support from the Pittsburgh Congress of Neighboring Communities -- Connect -- for a lobbying effort to get faster compensation for emergency medical services providers.

Mr. Kinross is one of Ross's representatives to the organization, which has members from Pittsburgh and 35 other towns.

He said he hopes lobbying will help to change federal and state laws to allow direct payments to EMS departments.

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