Cumru planning commissioners say TND zoning changes need follow-up after county adoption

Members of the Cumru Township Planning Commission on Tuesday discussed the county’s recent adoption of changes to the Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) zoning ordinance and map and said they want further cleanup and clarifications.

The commission opened with a review of the TND ordinance change that the county commissioners approved. One member apologized for getting “a little bit heated” in comments to the board of commissioners and thanked colleagues for their support. Commissioner Richard said the planning commission historically had more influence over materials sent to the county and said he still has “a couple of comments” he would like to see incorporated into the proposed ordinance.

Why it matters: commissioners said the timing and multiple versions posted during the county review complicated their ability to provide input. Commissioner Richard and other members urged staff to seek opportunities to return revised language for additional cleanup where feasible.

Commission staff and commissioners recommended following up where the township believes the ordinance text or map requires further clarification. The commission also encouraged residents and members to review the outreach slides distributed from the county’s regional workshops and to sign up for Berks County Planning Commission emails for ongoing updates.

The meeting included a public comment from resident Nick Saray, who thanked the planning commission for reviewing his written comments and praised the township for making materials more accessible online. Saray said he still perceived that some decisions were effectively made before the planning commission had full access to consistent documents.

Next steps: commissioners said they hope to pursue a cleanup of the ordinance language where the township’s recommended edits remain unaddressed; no formal motion to reopen or refile changes with the county was made at the meeting.