After months of review and discussion, the Wilkinsburg Zoning Hearing Board has rejected a variance request that would have brought more than 100 social service clients to a Penn Avenue facility.

The board Thursday voted unanimously to reject an appeal to a zoning variance that limits the number of residents to 19 in the building housing Cornell's Abraxas Center for Adolescent Females.

The board also voted to force the center to limit its current client base to 19 residents. Zoning board chair Albert L. Johnson said Monday that Abraxas was reportedly housing 74 clients.

Cornell Co., a correctional corporation that provides services to federal, state and local agencies, changed the classification of its facility from "group residential" to "group care" earlier this year so it could potentially house adults.

It also hoped to expand the building's zoning to allow 108 clients, the building's full capacity. Cornell representatives said the building is already zoned for 108 clients, but Wilkinsburg officials said that does not match their records.

The votes received a round of applause from about 30 people who gathered for the hearing.

"I'm very happy and I think the residents are happy, too," said Councilwoman Barbara Ervin. "That was something we really didn't need in our neighborhood. We have to fight to keep our neighborhood safe."

Another councilwoman, Vanessa McCarthy-Johnson, said: "This is what needed to happen in Wilkinsburg -- we can't continue to allow agencies to dictate what they can and can't have in Wilkinsburg.

"I think it's a positive move. It's really nice to see people on opposing [political] sides be together on one outcome we didn't want to see happen."

Doyle Street resident Carol Riser said she's grateful the request was not approved because of its impact on the neighborhood and on those coming into the neighborhood.

"I think it would have been hard for residents to live here," she said. "We have drugs, crime, the community doesn't have a lot of jobs. One of my concerns was, if they couldn't integrate back into the community, would they go back into a life of crime?"

Following the votes, the board authorized the borough solicitor to investigate potential legal issues.

Cornell spokesman Charles Siegel said the company is considering an appeal to Common Pleas Court.

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