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Bloomsburg council adopts parking table, advances broad zoning revisions to formal review
Summary
Council members approved inserting a parking-requirements table and a revised land-use table into a consolidated zoning ordinance draft, and directed staff to send the black-line draft to the planning commission and county for the required 30-day review and subsequent public hearing. The attorney estimated the review-and-advertisement process could take 60–90 days.
The Bloomsburg Town Council voted to include a parking-requirements table ("Table 1") and a revised land-use table in a consolidated zoning ordinance draft and sent the package back to the planning commission and county for the formal 30-day review required under municipal procedure.
The council’s action followed extensive discussion about multiple draft versions, inconsistent land-use tables and the absence of any parking table in the newest draft. Town attorney/planner (S8) told council: "At a minimum, it has to go to the county for 30 days." He later summarized timing expectations for the formal process: "This is a process that usually if there's no comments and it goes to planning, it's usually a 90 day process." The council directed staff to incorporate the January 15 planning memo and the land-use table into a single black-line draft and return for further review.
Why it matters: The decision restores a concrete set of parking requirements and clarifies permitted uses for different zones — elements developers and business owners rely on when planning projects. Council members said the move aims to give clear direction to applicants and reduce repetitive variance requests.
What happened: Staff and commissioners reviewed several hand-edited and black-line versions. Council discussed two approaches to parking: rely on a numerically prescriptive table or use an engineer-driven analysis and administrative review. After debate, a council member moved to adopt "Table 1 — Parking." The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Council later voted to approve the land-use table and to have staff conform the ordinance draft to include those changes before the next circulation to planning.
Process and next steps: The town attorney/planner (S8) and staff said the consolidated draft will be prepared for the council’s next review (target dates discussed were Feb. 9 and Feb. 23). The attorney explained that depending on the amount and nature of comments the county and public provide, the overall review could range from roughly 60 to 90 days. If the draft receives substantial revisions at the public hearing stage it may be returned to the planning commission for more review.
Council quotes: Council chair (S3) summarized the practical problem that prompted the revisions: "When we improve the new zoning, there was not a parking table." Town attorney/planner (S8) told council, "The process is kicking it back to the planning commission for a public meeting once all the drafts or changes are made."
What the council did not decide tonight: Council set direction to include the land-use table and Table 1, but it did not adopt the full ordinance tonight; the council voted only to advance the consolidated draft into the formal review and public-notice process. Additional substantive changes may be made in response to planning, county or public comments before any final adoption.
