City planning changes proposed
Officials plan comprehensive review of zoning ordinance
City officials are planning a comprehensive review of the zoning ordinance, along with specific changes for both the zoning and the subdivision and land development ordinances.
In keeping with a recommendation by Manager Marla Marcinko, Community Development Director Lee Slusser outlined the proposals to City Council this week — instead of presenting them first to the Planning Commission. Council can tweak them, to help ensure that when the proposed changes come back for final approval, they are more to council’s liking.
Last revised extensively in 2011, the zoning ordinance is long, complicated and hard to figure out, according to Marcinko, who wants it simplified and made to conform with the city’s comprehensive and downtown plans.
Generally, Slusser’s proposals represent ideas for improvement collected during the past few years, based on his observation of how zoning and land development applications have fared, he said.
One obvious characteristic of the zoning ordinance that is ripe for simplification is the high number of zoning districts — 14, according to Marcinko.
That includes five residential districts, she said.
Logan Township has seven districts total, Slusser said.
An easy contraction would be the merger of the single-household and limited zones, which are essentially the same thing, except that the limited zone applies in Juniata, according to Slusser.
Marcinko didn’t offer specifics about how the zoning ordinance could better align with the comprehensive and downtown plans but observed that the ordinance should acknowledge that the city is mostly “built out.”
Reducing the number of zones is not going to make as big a difference as changing specific regulations, according to Slusser.
Among the changes proposed:
n Instead of a minimum two off-street parking spaces for student housing, plus one space for every student beyond four, require a space for every student, suggested Mayor Matt Pacifico, on behalf of neighbors who have complained about students monopolizing spaces on the street. A space for every student is especially important when narrow driveways result in the need to shuffle cars, Pacifico said. Requiring an off-street space for every student would be a burden on landlords, countered Councilman Eric Cagle, who said the rationale for the current provision is that up to two cars ought to be able to park in front of a student house without causing problems.
n Require day care centers, preschools, dance academies and the like to provide dropoff zones that are out of the public travel lanes to avoid tying up traffic. The drawback of such a requirement could be the loss of redevelopment opportunities for former schools and churches, Slusser said.
n Permit handicap ramps to encroach on setbacks in most zones as special exceptions, which are guaranteed to be approved if the applicant fulfills preset criteria. Currently, ramps require variances, which the Zoning Hearing Board can’t grant without “mental gymnastics,” Slusser said.
n Eliminate the “conditional use” category for halfway houses and emergency shelters, slotting them instead as special exceptions, so they don’t come before council as politically charged proposals but would be handled instead by the Zoning Hearing Board based on preset criteria, according to Slusser.
n Permit business offices, restaurants and retail development in general industrial zones.
n Change the criteria for electronic signboard brightness from “nits,” which are an absolute measure of brightness, to foot-candles, which are a measure of brightness relative to ambient light — a more relevant indication of a sign’s effect and much cheaper to gauge, based on the cost of the measuring equipment, according to Slusser.
n Remove building height restrictions, Pacifico suggested, citing the need for a hotel developer to get a variance to exceed the 50-foot limit on Pleasant Valley Boulevard. “If someone wants to build a 100-foot building and cram on stuff, let’s open the gates,” Pacifico said. “It depends on (what) stuff,” said Councilman Dave Butterbaugh. It also should depend on what the fire department might have to say, he added. “I’m thinking of State College,” Pacifico said.
The downtown height limit is 150 feet, Slusser said. The city restricts the height of buildings to keep residents from “having to live in other people’s shadows,” Slusser said, mentioning the five-story Microtel, which was built a couple of years ago near homes in Mudtown.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.