Allentown council advances comprehensive zoning and subdivision code rewrite, sets public hearing for Oct. 15

City Council held a special meeting to review a proposed, citywide rewrite of Allentown’s zoning ordinance and subdivision and land development ordinance, receiving a detailed presentation from Jennifer Gomez, the City of Allentown planning director, and setting a public hearing for Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. Council members voted by voice to place the measures on the public hearing calendar and scheduled enactment to follow if the city proceeds.

The proposal would repeal the current zoning code and subdivision regulations (bills described as Bill 69 and Bill 70 in the meeting) and replace them with a consolidated, modernized zoning ordinance and a new subdivision and land development ordinance. Gomez described the package as a “multi‑year effort” intended to align zoning with the Vision 2030 comprehensive plan, to be “context sensitive,” housing‑supportive, walkable, employment‑friendly, and more predictable to administer. She said the draft includes an effective date of Jan. 1 to allow time for staff training and to let nearly completed permit applications be reviewed under the current rules.

Why it matters: the draft would change permitted building types, revise the zoning map, create form‑based building standards, introduce new incentives for affordable housing and adaptive reuse, add park‑dedication requirements, update parking and bicycle parking rules, and add landscape and tree preservation standards. The rewrite is large enough that staff and consultants described it as an initial code adoption (treated as if it were a first‑time adoption), with a continuing commitment to…