Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission opens SALDO review, flags landscaping, lighting and waiver rules
Summary
Borough staff and planning commissioners began a multi‑month review of the subdivision and land development ordinance to streamline process, reduce barriers for small housing projects and clarify when waivers apply; stormwater, improvement guarantees and coordination with stand‑alone ordinances were central topics.
Borough staff opened a multi‑part review of the borough's subdivision and land development ordinance (SALDO), telling the planning commission the project will look at steps from sketch plans through final plans and seek ways to reduce unnecessary friction that can prevent marginal housing projects from proceeding. The staff member said the review will prioritize customer service and efficiency, warning that even modest fees or administrative burdens can kill projects with thin margins: "If you have to pay $2,000 to print a plan set, that might make the development not happen."
The commission focused on several technical areas: landscaping, lighting, waivers and the mechanics of administrative minor subdivision review. Staff described landscaping rules the borough currently struggles to enforce, and urged planting standards that favor non‑invasive species and plantings likely to survive beyond the first season. Commissioners raised enforcement and maintenance concerns, including how the borough could respond when required plantings die after the performance period.
Members discussed whether to keep requirements like landscaping, sidewalks and lighting inside the SALDO or move them to stand‑alone ordinances (similar to the borough's sign ordinance). One commissioner said stand‑alone rules can make compliance clearer by putting the substantive requirements and enforcement "teeth" in a single ordinance; others cautioned that separate ordinances change the appeals process and could add permitting steps. Staff said how a requirement is triggered (as part of a land development review versus a separate permit) will determine which body hears appeals and whether waivers are appropriate.
The group also reviewed options for multi‑year improvement guarantees — bonds or credit agreements for three to five years — to ensure new landscaping, sidewalks and related work perform before the borough accepts improvements into its public infrastructure system. Staff asked the commission to weigh administrative minor subdivision review for truly ministerial transactions and raised a research item about enabling sales of multiple structures on a single parent parcel (for example, selling individual duplex units while retaining the record parcel), noting more study is needed.
Commissioners and a guest presenter cautioned against drafting an overly prescriptive ordinance that would be cumbersome to administer, while also warning that too much vagueness will invite inconsistent interpretation and repeated waiver requests. The presenter referenced the Municipal Planning Code, noting the law's long procedural history since enactment in 1968.
Staff set an expectation that the SALDO topic will occupy the commission for approximately the next six months, with slides and more detailed materials returned to the commission for deeper technical conversations about finance guarantees and design standards. A current SALDO application (SLD26‑00228, Habitat for Humanity, South Washington Street) was accepted for review and a related variance hearing is scheduled for July 29, staff said.
The commission closed the session after a brief announcements period and a voice vote to adjourn.
