Columbia leaders refine Light Business zoning rules, debate special exceptions and lot-size limits

Columbia Borough Council members and the Planning Commission on Wednesday reviewed proposed updates to the Light Business zoning district, narrowing permitted uses and asking staff and the solicitor to prepare special-exception criteria for several commercial and industrial activities.

The review focused on whether uses such as package-delivery distribution, stand-alone warehousing, certain industrial products, and communication towers should be permitted outright, allowed only by special exception, or prohibited in the borough's remaining Light Business zone. Commissioners and council members also discussed minimum lot-size rules and maximum building/impervious-coverage standards for the 42-acre tract the borough recently acquired.

Planning Commission Chair Mary Wickenheiser summarized the packet and said the commission's list of recommended changes was circulated to council and staff. Wickenheiser said the group clarified that 'large solar energy production facility' in the table referred to a solar collection field rather than manufacturing solar panels and recommended removing 'airport' from the permitted-uses table because no definition or supporting provisions exist elsewhere in the ordinance.

The commission and council agreed to remove golf courses and funeral homes from the Light Business permitted uses, and to leave outdoor recreation as not permitted while allowing certain indoor recreation uses. They also agreed to make 'communication power' (wireless communications) subject to special-exception review and to list indoor shooting ranges separately from outdoor target ranges (outdoor…