Council advances updated subdivision, street and sidewalk ordinances to solicitor for review and public hearing

Millersville Borough Council authorized review by the borough solicitor and the setting of public hearings on two major land-use documents: an updated Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) and a consolidated Street and Sidewalk ordinance.

Council members voted, out of committee, to send both drafts to the solicitor for review and to schedule public hearings. The motion on the SALDO was made and seconded and carried by voice vote; an identical motion to move the Street and Sidewalk ordinance out of committee likewise passed.

Staff and the borough engineer presented the proposals and explained substantive changes. Rebecca (staff) said the SALDO rewrite reorganizes and clarifies long-standing provisions, updates submission and financial-security requirements, and incorporates recommendations from the borough's 2023 comprehensive plan. "There's a lot of new structuring," she said, noting an accompanying technical-specifications appendix intended to help contractors and reviewers.

Borough engineer Rob Wisnitsky said the SALDO update aligns Millersville's standards with common practice elsewhere in Lancaster County and removes some outdated steps. Among the changes he described: making a preliminary plan optional for most projects, adding mandatory studies (including traffic studies when warranted), and requiring as-built plans that were not clearly required previously. "The change that we made with this ordinance is making the preliminary plan optional for all plans unless somebody wants to phase a project," he said.

The Street and Sidewalk draft consolidates standards previously scattered across borough documents and adds new enforcement tools. Rob and staff said the draft includes a stronger permitting regime for street openings, new requirements and penalties aimed at minimizing utility cuts that damage pavement, and clearer design and maintenance standards for curbs, sidewalks and driveways. "The number one cause of problems in a street failure is utility cuts," Rob said, arguing the draft gives the borough greater control to require appropriate backfill and to require overlays where repeated cuts occur.

Staff and the street superintendent said they participated in revisions and support moving the drafts forward. Council members were advised the solicitor's review and public hearings will provide further opportunities for public comment and adjustments before any final adoption.

The motions to send the SALDO and the Street and Sidewalk ordinance to the borough solicitor and to set public hearings passed out of committee by voice vote. The council did not adopt the ordinances at the meeting; next steps are solicitor review, public hearings and further council consideration.