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Staff seeks zoning cleanup and recommends removing coordinated commercial and open‑space neighborhood options
Summary
Township staff presented draft zoning and design guideline 'cleanup' language at the June 9 meeting and recommended commissioners consider abolishing coordinated commercial/industrial development categories and phasing out the open space neighborhood option due to buildout and project completion issues.
Township planner Nathan Jones told the Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission on June 9 that staff has circulated rough draft 'cleanup' language and design guideline revisions intended to better align development outcomes with the Hamilton Boulevard corridor plan.
Jones said the revisions are aimed at ensuring facade, finish and streetscape quality in the township's commercial zones and that the language had been vetted with the township solicitor. He recommended commissioners consider abolishing the coordinated commercial and coordinated industrial development categories, citing projects that sometimes linger incomplete when multiple principal buildings are proposed on the same lot.
Jones also raised concern about the practical applicability of the township's 'open space neighborhood' subdivision option, saying with the township approaching buildout and active land preservation efforts, there is limited remaining space for that specialized subdivision type. "We feel at this point in time it might be worth considering pulling back from that particular style," Jones said, and asked commissioners to digest the materials and plan a more robust July discussion.
Commissioners did not take action; staff asked the commission to review the draft language over the coming weeks and return with questions or recommendations at a future meeting. No specific ordinance text was adopted or voted on at the June 9 meeting.
