Planning commission backs RACC Student Union design, agrees to staff letter as zoning hearing board considers floodplain variance

The City of Vernon Planning Commission on July 22 agreed to support the Reading Area Community College (RACC) Student Union annexation and land‑development plan and to allow additional time while the Zoning Hearing Board considers a floodplain variance.

Why it matters: The project sits in a mapped floodplain. Applicants asked the local zoning body for relief from strict dry‑floodproofing requirements so they can proceed with a design that moves vulnerable equipment and critical systems to higher floors while allowing certain occupiable uses on the first floor under engineered safeguards. Staff and the applicant described the plan as a risk‑management approach that reduces exposure compared with the existing condition.

What the commission did: The commission granted a waiver to use the rational method rather than the Soil Conservation Service method for certain stormwater calculations (chapter reference in the Hawk Valley review), approved a 120‑day time extension to allow the Zoning Hearing Board to hold its hearing and issue a decision, and asked staff to draft a letter of support for the project to be delivered to the Zoning Hearing Board.

Key technical and procedural points

- Floodplain variance timetable: The applicant submitted an addendum to an earlier zoning‑hearing application; the Zoning Hearing Board is scheduled to hear that addendum on Aug. 13, 2025; the applicant expected a decision around Sept. 10, 2025. The Planning Commission’s extension will carry the RACC application through the hearing and decision window so city staff can act after the board’s ruling.

- Design measures: City staff and the applicant described multiple design changes intended to reduce risk. Director of Community Development David Barr told the commission, “we see the technical features of the proposed design, adding a second floor and moving vulnerable infrastructure out of harm’s way…is a positive risk management measure.” The applicant’s materials and the addendum describe raising electrical/mechanical service and providing an exterior shutoff to isolate building power above the base‑flood elevation.

- Regulatory context: The applicant cited 44 CFR 60.6 (FEMA variance guidance) in the application addendum and asked the local board to exercise variance authority where appropriate. City staff said the legal question of what the Zoning Hearing Board may authorize is separate from the Planning Commission’s advisory role; the commission limited its action to supporting the project and not opining on the board’s jurisdiction.

- Stormwater and county review: Berks County Conservation District issued a letter of adequacy (dated in July 2025) on erosion/sedimentation control; the commission accepted staff’s recommendation to allow a rational method for certain calculations and asked staff to add the waiver to the plan set.

Public safety and insurance considerations

Commissioners and staff discussed the potential consequences of deviating from FEMA/Federal Emergency Management Agency guidance. Public‑works staff and the city’s planning counsel noted that FEMA can raise compliance concerns that affect participation in the National Flood Insurance Program, so any variance must be well‑documented and justified. Planning staff requested the legal review be available to the Zoning Hearing Board; the commission’s role was limited to an advisory letter of support for the proposed risk‑reduction design.

What’s next

- Zoning Hearing Board hearing on the RACC addendum: Aug. 13, 2025. Decision anticipated in the following 30 days.

- Planning staff will draft and send a letter of support for the RACC design to the Zoning Hearing Board in advance of the hearing and will return the land‑development plan to the commission after the board issues its decision.

- The Planning Commission’s next meeting is Aug. 26, 2025; the RACC plan will return after the zoning decision and pending any additional technical items the commission identifies.