Staff recommends rezoning Hoselton Road parcels; Planning Commission backs approval 11–0

Community Planning staff presented a recommendation to approve RZ2026-003 on April 16, proposing to change about 6.5 acres near Hoselton Road from Light Industrial to Light Commercial.

The staff report said the rezone aligns with the regional comprehensive plan's urban designation and noted code constraints for Light Commercial: a 25-foot maximum building height, a 5,000-square-foot cap on individual commercial building footprints, no outside storage, limits on lighting and hours, and parking and setback rules intended to promote compatibility with adjacent residential areas. Staff told the assembly the transportation planner did not raise concerns about traffic capacity at the affected minor-collector segment of Hoselton Road.

Staff said the borough mailed 169 property-owner notices and received three responses: one in favor and two expressing concerns about traffic, electrical capacity and compatibility with adjacent zoning. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on March 10 and voted 11–0 to recommend approval, adopting the staff report and findings of fact.

Assembly members asked how dense residential development could be under Light Commercial and whether parking requirements would constrain unit counts. Staff replied there is no single numeric density cap in code for Light Commercial; practical limits are set by building height, setbacks, on-site parking and market factors. Staff also confirmed the rezone area is approximately 6.5 acres and that DOT did not submit a comment raising concerns about increased traffic.