Planning Commission forwards Zone Allentown zoning ordinance, map and SALDO to City Council

The Planning Commission voted to forward the proposed Zone Allentown zoning ordinance, the corresponding zoning map and the revised Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) to City Council for formal introduction and continued review.

City planning staff led a multi‑year presentation on the package the city dubs “Zone Allentown,” explaining that the work began with a building‑type survey of Allentown’s existing structures and advanced through multiple public review drafts, advisory‑committee input, open houses and two rounds of public comment. Staff said the package updates the city’s zoning and subdivision rules to reflect Vision 2030 goals: preserve neighborhood character, encourage mixed‑use and transit‑served development, support industrial job sites, expand housing options (including accessory dwelling units and incentives for affordability), strengthen landscape and tree‑preservation requirements, and add clearer, more objective standards and illustrations to improve predictability for applicants.

Key elements staff highlighted include: 18 new zone categories organized into mixed‑use, neighborhood, industrial and public/institutional groups; building‑type regulations that prescribe placement, façades and parking so new construction better matches existing neighborhood forms; A/B/C street designations to define primary frontages; incentives for affordable housing and adaptive reuse (reduced parking, additional height in certain cases); expanded bicycle parking standards and EV‑charging references; a more detailed landscape standard and a new approach to significant tree preservation; and clarified procedures that distinguish major from minor land development and set a five‑year preliminary plan approval period (up from two years). Staff said the package is intended to be clearer, more visual and easier to administer than the current code.

Several commissioners praised the overhaul as long overdue. Commissioners also suggested clarifications (for example, to avoid name overlap between “mixed‑use corridor” as a zone and a street type) and emphasized that implementation will require continued monitoring and minor code amendments as practical experience warrants.

Members of the public asked questions during the hearing: one resident asked where supermarkets would be permitted (staff explained supermarkets are part of indoor retail uses and are allowed in many mixed‑use districts), another asked about housing and parking policy and advocated for eliminating parking minimums to reduce housing costs, and another speaker raised enforcement concerns about boarding houses and other congregate living situations in established neighborhoods; staff and the zoning supervisor (Mike Hanzo) explained that enforcement mechanisms are bounded by state law and municipal procedures and encouraged residents to submit specific property complaints so staff can coordinate interdepartmental follow‑up.

After discussion the commission took three separate motions: to forward the zoning ordinance, to forward the mapped zoning designations, and to forward the SALDO revisions. Each motion passed by voice vote with no roll‑call tallies recorded in the meeting transcript. Staff said the next steps include City Council introduction, review by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, return to the Planning Commission for any further comments, and then public hearing and adoption by council. The staff target date for code effectiveness is January 1 of the year following adoption to provide a clear start date for implementation.