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Commission explores using historic 'contributing resources' and small-lot rules to encourage townhouse-style infill
Summary
Planning commissioners and staff discussed maps and options to legalize and incentivize townhouses and small-lot infill in areas identified as contributing historic resources, aiming to align zoning with the borough's comp plan and promote attainable housing choices while protecting character.
Commissioners spent an extended segment of the April 29 meeting reviewing a presentation on how the borough might legalize and incentivize townhouse- and small-lot residential forms that match the borough's historic, pedestrian-scale fabric.
Planner Bill (presentation name in record) showed maps of existing contributing resources and argued the borough currently discourages the very house types that define its neighborhoods, because zoning and subdivision rules do not permit the narrow-lot, attached forms that historically occur in the borough.
Why it matters: commissioners said legal clarity and a targeted overlay or set of zoning provisions could encourage smaller-scale infill, simplify the approval process for sympathetic development, and lower developer carrying costs so projects become feasible for smaller builders or owner-occupants. Presenters suggested pilot overlay districts keyed to mapped contributing resources rather than broad, citywide code changes.
The discussion included examples of recent projects and hypothetical alternatives. Commissioners and the planner noted that if the borough allowed narrower lot widths (for example, less than the current 20-foot minimum in some contexts) in designated historic areas, it might attract smaller developers and promote homeownership without sacrificing design quality; at the same time they warned that simply shrinking lot widths across the board could invite production builders that do not match local character.
Commissioners asked staff to convert the presentation into a draft overlay proposal and supporting maps. Chair Jim Cherry and other members said they expected to review a short, actionable draft at an upcoming meeting so the commission and borough council could consider formal steps later this year; no ordinance was introduced at the April 29 session.
Ending: Staff and commissioners agreed to pursue a short-term, map-based pilot (review and possible ordinance language) and to return with a more detailed proposal within a few commission meetings.
