Council agrees to joint review with planning commission on CRPA future land use map; staff revises borough zoning ordinance schedule

State College Borough Council voted to participate jointly with the borough planning commission in the Center Regional Planning Agency (CRPA) process to update the regional future land use map.

Staff recommended, and council approved, "option 1" — joint meetings between council and the planning commission to provide feedback to CRPA as the regional future land use map is drafted. Planning Director Ed LeClaire and manager Tom Fontaine said the joint approach is intended to align borough input with the planning commission’s technical review and avoid fragmenting the regional planning process.

Council also received a progress update on the borough’s zoning ordinance rewrite. LeClaire said the department has received the bulk of the ordinance text (nearly 600 pages) but still lacks a zoning map and needs more time for internal review and partner (county/CRPA) review. Staff proposed a revised schedule: a public launch/orientation on June 12, Planning Commission review through the summer with a target for a recommendation on Aug. 21, and council review beginning in September. Staff emphasized the statutory 45‑day county review requirement and that any advertised draft that is changed after the public hearing would require another public hearing.

Councilmembers urged staff to keep the borough’s zoning rewrite moving forward and to coordinate timing so the future land use discussions do not delay the zoning work. Councilmember Herndon said the borough’s zoning rewrite should be prioritized because the zoning map will contain more detailed, lower‑level decisions for parcels inside the borough. Council President Myers asked staff to consider offering joint orientation sessions to streamline review across the borough bodies involved.

The council vote approving option 1 (joint participation) passed by voice vote; staff will schedule the joint meetings and the June 12 orientation.