Planning commission outlines zoning recodification steps, flags potential policy changes

Todd Brasi, a member of the borough planning commission, updated the Finance Administration Committee on July 17 about progress on a zoning recodification intended to make the borough's zoning code easier to use for applicants and staff. The commission and staff say the rewrite is meant to be policy neutral, but it may surface policy changes for the borough council to consider.

Brasi said the project reorganizes the code so a zoning district serves as the entry point linking to the rules that apply to a property, with building types and dimensional rules consolidated into tables. He told the committee the work is roughly 75% done after recent staff meetings and outside consulting, and the next internal check-in is scheduled for the following Friday.

The proposed structural changes include splitting the current downtown district (referred to in the existing code as District 5A) into three separate districts to better reflect differing street types and development patterns: a highly walkable downtown core, a denser growth corridor along Windsor Avenue, and a third category for intervening mid‑block areas. Brasi said the rewrite will gather parking and green building rules in dedicated chapters with cross references and will consolidate accessory‑building rules so users can find garage, accessory dwelling unit and studio rules in one place.

Brasi said some special exceptions and conditional uses currently in the code may not be warranted in their present form: they could be folded into standard use language or retained with clearer criteria. He also said the revision will consolidate the borough's disparate nonconforming‑use and nonconforming‑structure provisions; he expects gaps will appear in that section, particularly where the historic district ordinance intersects with demolition and change‑of‑use rules. Those conflicts, he said, are likely areas where the council may see recommended policy changes.

Brasi and planning staff emphasized public confidence and transparency as reasons to separate technical reorganization from any substantive policy changes. He proposed the council discuss the new structure as a preliminary step and then consider substantive changes (either as separate legislative pieces or as part of a staged adoption). The planning commission will present the structural draft to staff and council as the next step.