Planning commission outlines policy-neutral reorganization of Narberth zoning code

Narberth Planning Commission Commissioner Todd Brasse on Tuesday described a borough-led effort to reorganize the municipal zoning code to make it easier for residents, developers and staff to use — not to change current zoning policy.

Brasse said the exercise is “policy neutral” and aims to put district rules, definitions and measurement methods in logical places so a property owner can look up a district and quickly find what is allowed. “The purpose of this project is to really reorganize the zoning code. As you see, it says policy neutral,” Brasse said.

The reorganization will move definitions and measurement guidance toward the front of the ordinance, fold district-specific design standards into each district’s section, and collect universal rules (for example, green-design and parking standards) into cross-referenced chapters. Adam from the Montgomery County Planning Commission, who is assisting the borough, and borough staff plan to test the approach on the downtown 5A and 3B districts before applying it borough-wide.

Brasse warned the process — because it collates scattered amendments adopted over the past eight years — will reveal inconsistencies and gaps. “As a byproduct of that, we expect to find little inconsistencies in the code,” he said, noting the committee is tracking items that will need subsequent repair.

Kevin Walsh, the zoning staff member working with the project team, outlined how the draft will reflect the rules people most frequently ask about and will clarify which standards are district-specific and which are universal. He described existing difficulties that residents encounter when trying to determine what uses or design standards apply to their property.

Commissioners discussed timing and priorities. Brasse said the committee had hoped to finish sooner but expected “several more months” of iterative drafting and testing. Commissioners pressed on the items likely to be flagged as urgent, including gaps between historic‑district protections and nonconforming‑use rules, and definitions that do not reflect current commercial and residential uses.

The commission took no formal legislative action on the reorganization at the meeting; members said they will return a tested draft to council for direction before recommending any ordinance changes. Brasse said the draft is intentionally conservative about policy change: it is intended first to reorganize and clarify the existing code, then to reveal where policy amendments may be needed.

What’s next: staff and the volunteer subcommittee will prepare test rewrites for the 5A downtown district (Brasse) and the 3B district (Adam) and report back; any ordinance that changes existing rights would be sent to borough council for formal consideration.