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Council moves to draft zoning that would let businesses lease parking off-hours; residents press for sidewalk program
Summary
Councilman Yoder reported the parking authority asked the borough to amend zoning to allow dual-use commercial parking (paid use during off hours); council voted to draft enabling language. Residents and council members also pressed for a consolidated sidewalk-repair approach to lower homeowner costs and increase accessibility.
Councilman Yoder told council the parking authority has requested a zoning change to allow dual-use parking in commercial and business districts so property owners could operate commercial parking as a secondary, off-hours use.
"It's not the intention" to invite long-term truck parking, Yoder said, describing examples like Univest Insurance and Derbyshire Marine Products leveraging lots after business hours for Main Street visitors. He said the council made and passed a motion to draft zoning language to permit such dual-use arrangements and that the borough will follow up with drafted code language for review.
The code committee also reviewed Montco 30% recommendations, including discussion of removing parking minimums to encourage density and affordability; members said further study is needed because of potential unintended consequences.
Separately, residents raised safety and accessibility concerns about deteriorating sidewalks. Councilman Bridal described multiple injuries and urged a borough-led strategy to reduce costs for homeowners, proposing block-level contracting or alternatives like grinding curbs rather than full slab replacement to lower expense.
"We can make it less of a financial burden on the homeowner," Councilman Bridal said, urging a fair, repeatable approach to selecting target streets for repairs.
Next steps: staff will draft dual-use parking code language for council review; code enforcement staff will continue outreach on sidewalk reporting and the borough will explore consolidated contracting or other cost-savings measures for sidewalk repairs.
