The borough council on Aug. 21 paused any immediate vote on zoning changes and directed the Planning Commission to continue studying transit‑oriented development, ‘‘missing‑middle’’ housing types and targeted affordability measures before putting draft text before council.

Council and staff framed the immediate next step as finishing a policy‑neutral recodification of the existing zoning code, then asking the Planning Commission and Montgomery County planning consultants to analyze TOD options, housing typologies such as duplexes/triplexes/cottage courts and potential affordability mechanisms.

Why it matters: Council members and dozens of public commenters said changes to zoning along the downtown and around the train station could shape whether younger households, seniors and transit riders can afford to live in the borough. Speakers warned the train line and local businesses rely on ridership and foot traffic, and said zoning choices made now will have long‑term effects on housing supply and the tax base.

What the council asked: Borough staff said the recodification — a structural, policy‑neutral reformatting of the ordinance to remove contradictions and broken cross‑references — will return to the Planning Commission in October. Council directed staff and the Planning Commission to 1) request formal presentations from Montgomery County Planning Commission (MCPC), DVRPC and SEPTA; 2) examine which housing types the current code excludes; 3) study a density/height bonus tied to green‑building and affordability requirements; and 4) plan a town‑hall style public meeting early next year for informal community feedback.

Public comments ranged from support for taller, mixed‑use buildings near transit to pleas for careful, incremental change. ‘‘If we limit ourselves to 3 stories, it may not get built. If it does get built, it is most likely to be an H and R Block, a T‑Mobile, and a Starbucks,’’ said Sean Malloy, a resident and actuary who said three‑story limits can make small‑site retail financially infeasible. Another frequent speaker urged the council not to move ahead until the Paoli‑Thorndale line funding is clarified at the state level.

Council members stressed process. Council Vice President Cindy said she was ‘‘holding that this is still premature until we’ve confirmed that we actually have transportation, and funding for SEPTA,’’ and asked county planners to examine whether increased market‑rate supply would improve local affordability. One council member summarized the local stakes bluntly: ‘‘Transit only runs if there’s riders and businesses only thrive if there’s customers,’’ and both are easier to generate when people live near downtown and the station.

Next steps: Planning Commission will continue the recodification work and begin a concurrent, non‑text exploratory review of TOD and missing‑middle typologies (data, typology design, equity impacts and potential incentives). Staff expects the recodification draft to reach Planning Commission in October; ordinance text changes would follow that process. Council asked staff to create a web page to collect documents and to schedule a public town hall early next year.

The council took no final zoning vote at the meeting; it did agree on the process above and asked technical studies and outside agencies to present to Planning Commission.