Pocono planning commission weighs making conservation subdivision optional, cutting impervious limits and redrawing commercial districts

Pocono Township’s planning commission spent the bulk of its meeting on proposed zoning‑ordinance changes that would give developers a new conservation‑subdivision option, reduce allowable impervious coverage in commercial and rural districts, and redraw commercial subdistricts along the 611 corridor.

Staff told the commission the draft would add a conservation subdivision design as one of three options a landowner could choose (conventional, PRD, or conservation). Using a worked example, staff explained the density math for conservation subdivisions: on a hypothetical 100‑acre tract with 20 acres of environmental constraints the adjusted tract area would be 80 acres; at one dwelling unit per two acres that yields 40 dwelling units, with a 50% open‑space requirement leaving 40 acres of available open space and 40 buildable acres. Commissioners discussed how constrained acreage is defined, ownership options for open space (homeowners association, land conservancy, township dedication), and protections (conservation easements vs. deed restrictions).

Commissioners generally signaled support for making the conservation approach optional rather than required. On the recreation fee staff said the township could choose to exempt conservation projects that meet the open‑space requirement, and several commissioners favored that exemption provided public accessibility and conservation easements are structured to avoid private, inaccessible ‘‘open space’’.

Impervious cover: Staff proposed lowering maximum impervious cover from 80% to 60% in C1 and to 65% in C2 and C3; the RD (recreation) district was discussed separately with several commissioners urging a reduction from the current 80% to 70% or 60% because of storm‑water and cranberry bog watershed concerns. Staff’s parcel analysis (based on older land‑cover data) found roughly 44 existing parcels already exceed an 80% limit; reducing the limits could add about 42 additional parcels to the nonconforming list (many are townhomes or duplexes). Commissioners debated whether to set a single corridor standard or vary impervious limits by subarea to concentrate intense development along a denser C2 corridor while preserving open character in outer C1 arms.

Zoning map edits and outreach: Commissioners raised several parcel‑level issues and proposed drafting a refined map that would carve concentrated C2 corridors (walkable commercial areas) out of a broadly drawn C district. Several commissioners asked staff to send letters to property owners affected by any proposed rezoning so owners could comment before the commission finalizes mapping changes.

Renewables overlay: Staff presented a principal solar overlay and asked whether a wind overlay should mirror the solar zones; commissioners worried that allowing either renewable use on only a single owner’s parcel could be vulnerable to spot‑zoning challenges and suggested expanding the overlay to include adjacent industrial parcels or to adopt a combined "wind and solar" overlay on the same mapped parcels. Commissioners also raised runoff and erosion concerns tied to an existing cleared solar field.

Next steps: Staff will revise the zoning map and ordinance text (including impervious‑cover tables and the renewables overlay) and circulate a new draft. Commissioners tentatively scheduled further review for upcoming meetings and asked staff to prepare maps and lists of affected parcels for targeted outreach.

Key direct quote: "It's up to the developer ... you can have your 45 units," a staff member said while explaining optional pathways if a developer demonstrates a conventional layout yields higher density; Nancy and other commissioners repeatedly emphasized the need to ensure open‑space protections are durable (conservation easements preferred to deed restrictions).

The planning commission did not adopt ordinance text or vote on map changes at the meeting; staff will bring revised drafts back to the commission for further public hearings and formal action.