Crafton Borough Council voted July 24 to send an updated municipal zoning ordinance to the Planning Department of Allegheny County Economic Development for the county's statutory review, council members said at the meeting. The vote followed a July public information session on the draft and a series of public comments at the council meeting urging clearer engagement and revisions before county submission.

Council President John Oliverio read the motion to send the draft to the county; council members then voted in favor during a roll-call vote. The council and planning commission previously held a July 16 public workshop on the draft, and several residents told council during public comment that they expected an open-room question-and-answer session and additional draft updates before the ordinance was forwarded.

The discussion mattered because county review is a required step in the municipal zoning process; several residents said the public workshop format (tables with staff and consultants) did not provide the open, live Q&A they had expected. Resident Greg Wozniak said he appreciated the public engagement but asked council not to forward the draft until the promised open Q&A occurred and any public feedback was incorporated. "I think we should see another draft before this goes to the county," Wozniak said.

Other residents and stakeholders who attended the July 16 session said they found the presentation informative and supported sending the ordinance to the county. James Bank, a resident, urged council to clarify which single draft would be the working document, noting confusion in earlier rounds where multiple draft versions circulated. "We want one clear document so citizens know what they're weighing in on," Bank said.

Council members and staff responded that county review and local review can proceed in tandem and that sending the draft to the county does not prevent the borough from collecting and incorporating feedback. Borough staff and council members said they want to avoid repeatedly revising the draft mid-review because each change can reset the county's review timeline; one council member described an intent to compile public and county comments and incorporate them into a single, consolidated revision once feedback returns.

During the meeting the council noted a "catchall" procedural provision already exists in the draft (cited by staff as Section 25-16) to address issues not explicitly covered by the code. Several council members thanked planning commission volunteers and the consultant (Jenny Easton) for extensive public outreach and the lengthy drafting process. The county review will be followed by a borough public hearing and, later, a final council vote when the ordinance returns to the borough.

The council did not adopt the ordinance at the July 24 meeting; the action taken was to forward the current draft to Allegheny County for statutory review. Council members encouraged residents to submit specific, page-and-section citations for any requested changes so staff can consider them when compiling the consolidated revision.

Ending: After county review, the borough will schedule a public hearing before any final adoption. Meeting minutes and related materials, including the consultant memo summarizing public concerns, will be posted by borough staff for public review.