Lititz council adopts RA zoning text amendment to limit lot sizes and guide apartment design
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Summary
Council approved ordinance C622 to refine the RA district text: it limits single-family maximum lot size to one-quarter acre, restricts apartment footprints and height near existing houses, allows accessory dwelling units by right under standards, and clarifies setbacks and animal-shelter terminology.
Lititz Borough Council voted to adopt ordinance C622, a text amendment to the borough’s RA zoning district intended to align new development with existing neighborhood form.
Planning staff told council the amendment does not eliminate uses but adjusts standards: single-family detached homes will be capped at a maximum lot size of one-quarter acre to discourage estate-scale redevelopment; new apartment buildings will generally be limited to about a 6,000-square-foot footprint and be subject to height limits if located within 100 feet of an existing residence to reduce abrupt changes in scale. The amendment also clarifies how form-based code applies to new versus existing developments, cleans up setback language that had caused confusion for applicants, and replaces the term previously used for animal-related structures with a clearer label for privately kept “domesticated animals.”
Staff said accessory dwelling units will be allowed by right in all districts but must meet the special-exception standards previously applied; the change was presented as a way to streamline approvals while maintaining design standards. Council moved to adopt the ordinance and approved it by voice vote.
Supporters on council described the text changes as ways to preserve the borough’s existing building fabric while giving appropriate flexibility to developers; no public opposition was recorded in the transcript.