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Supervisors debate emotional‑support animal rules, ADU permissions and corner‑lot yard definitions
Summary
Work‑session discussion covered new definitions for service and emotional‑support animals (proposed conditional‑use process requiring a licensed professional's letter for nontraditional animals), permitting accessory dwelling units by right with standards, and redefining front/rear yards to reduce variance requests on corner and through lots.
Springettsbury supervisors spent a substantial portion of the session on three resident‑facing topics: how to treat service and emotional‑support animals under zoning, whether to permit accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as an accessory use, and how to define front and rear yards on corner and through lots.
On animals, Marian said the draft aligns the "service animal" definition with federal law (ADA) and applies fair‑housing standards for emotional‑support animals. For nontraditional emotional‑support animals, the draft would require a conditional‑use approval and "a letter from a mental health professional stating why it needs to be that kind of an animal," Marian said. Board members debated alternatives including prohibition of nontraditional species, weight limits, licensing, and whether existing nonconforming animals should be grandfathered until the animal dies.
The board signaled interest in clear, enforceable language that avoids easy online certificate workarounds while protecting federally required accommodations. "We could list animals that we do not think are reasonable accommodations or list animals that we do think are reasonable accommodations and beyond those," Marian told the board as members asked staff to draft tightened language.
On ADUs, Marian proposed moving them from special exception to a permitted accessory use to expand housing options for seniors and multigenerational households. She said an ADU would need its own entrance, kitchen and bath and would remain subject to size, setback and impervious coverage limitations.
On yard definitions, Marian recommended defining a front yard by where a home's front door faces (not by any yard that abuts a street), which would allow corner‑lot owners more by‑right options but require safeguards such as sight‑distance rules to avoid traffic hazards. Supervisors discussed likely impacts — boats/RVs, fences and pools — and asked staff to incorporate sight‑triangle protections and clearer language on pools and accessory placement.
Staff will return with tightened animal‑accommodation language, ADU standards drafted for permitted use, and revised yard definitions that include sight‑distance safeguards.
