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Chester staff previews broad zoning updates: tiny homes, first‑floor commercial rules, containers and enforcement
Summary
Planning staff told the commission Feb. 11 they plan a months‑long overhaul of text in the zoning ordinance to clarify rules on group and transitional homes, tiny houses, conversions to duplexes/triplexes, short‑term rentals, accessory uses, RV/storage and shipping containers, and performance standards (Article 13‑47).
Planning Department staff on Feb. 11 gave the Chester City Planning Commission an overview of a multi‑month effort to update the city's zoning ordinance, focusing on textual clarifications rather than immediate map boundary changes.
"Our zoning ordinance isn't broken. It's actually okay. It's just it needs to be updated," Mr. Fritz, the planning staff presenter, told commissioners as he outlined a work plan that includes internal administration review, follow‑up with council members and public hearings. He said the administration expects to present draft language and explanatory redline text to the commission in coming months and to invite the zoning hearing board and public to workshops and hearings.
Key topics Mr. Fritz listed included: clarifying group homes and adding language for transitional (short‑stay or recovery) homes; introducing short‑term rental provisions; studying tiny homes as a separate category (noting tiny houses are "usually 500 square feet or less"); explicit rules for conversions of single‑family buildings into duplexes or triplexes; reconsidering a long‑standing requirement that first‑floor space in converted mixed‑use buildings must be commercial; and revising performance standards in Article 13‑47 (covering hours, setbacks and use‑specific conditions).
Mr. Fritz also highlighted recurring enforcement concerns: vehicle/trailer/RV storage on private vacant lots, shipping containers placed without permits (he cited a container on 9th and Ward Street already under enforcement notice), and fence‑height/placement nuances for corner lots. He described a SALDO (subdivision and land development ordinance) amendment under city engineer review that would make lot consolidation easier for owners of 1–3 adjacent lots so accessory structures (garages, fences) may be legally linked to a principal residence without a full subdivision process.
Commissioners and residents raised related questions: how the city verifies an applicant's outreach to neighbors (Mr. Fritz favored city notification of adjacent properties over requiring applicant signature sheets), whether tiny homes will be allowed (staff said more study is needed), and concerns that newly installed utility poles might be for surveillance (a resident raised "big brother" worries; Mr. Fritz explained the typical PECO pole‑replacement and communications carrier transfer process as the ordinary explanation for staggered removals).
Mr. Fritz emphasized the city is targeting text changes only and is not proposing zoning‑map boundary changes at this time. He said controversial items may be tabled for more study, while many clarifying edits could be advanced together.
Next steps: staff will complete administrative review, present redline drafts and supporting explanations to the commission, then proceed with public hearings; no dates were specified in the transcript.
