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Bethel Park planning commission appointment confirmed; comprehensive zoning rewrite to next see county and council review
Summary
Council confirmed Dan Gals to the Planning & Zoning Commission and heard from a long-serving commission member that a comprehensive zoning code update —started in 2018—will move to county review and subsequent council hearings.
Bethel Park City Council confirmed Dan Gals to the Planning and Zoning Commission with a term to expire Dec. 31, 2027, and heard public comments outlining the status of a comprehensive zoning-code update the planning commission has worked on since 2018.
At the start of the meeting Councilman Consolmagno moved to appoint Dan Gals; the motion was seconded by Councilman Jenkins and approved by a 6–0 roll-call vote.
Why it matters: the planning commission’s zoning update will reclassify land uses and modernize definitions that, according to commission members, have not been comprehensively updated in “probably 50 years.” The rewrite could affect development approvals, neighborhood zoning classifications and future large-scale projects.
What was said: Rick Raider, vice chair of the Planning & Zoning Commission and a 38-year resident, told the council the commission will vote on the comprehensive code update at an upcoming meeting and that the process began in February 2018. "When we get a large scale development, it takes up a lot of our time," Raider said, and the commission has worked ward by ward to ensure zoning matches neighborhood patterns. Raider asked the public to note that meetings are advertised and that the public will have several opportunities for input, including county review and at least one or two public hearings before council takes final action later in the year.
Council comments: Council members praised the work of the municipal planner, Jerry Harbison, and the volunteer commission for the extensive, line-by-line review. Jenkins said he attended most meetings and complimented Harbison’s hours of work to refine verbiage and definitions.
Next steps: The commission expected to vote on the update at its next meeting; the rewrite will be transmitted for county review and then come before borough council for public hearings and final action before the end of the year, per the timeline described by Raider.
