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County planner presents Village Mixed-Use revisions; supervisors agree to lower grocery-anchor cap to 25,000 sq ft
Summary
County representative John Meeklo reviewed a revised Village Mixed-Use (VMU) zoning chapter that adds smaller housing types and clarifies permitted nonresidential uses. After extensive debate on lot sizes, housing mixes, and where to place a grocery anchor, supervisors signaled consensus to cap a grocery anchor at 25,000 sq ft and asked Meeklo for an updated draft for the next meeting.
The board spent the largest portion of the June 16 work session on a detailed review of proposed revisions to the township’s Village Mixed-Use (VMU) zoning chapter, led by county representative John Meeklo.
Meeklo summarized the draft’s principal changes: adding a wider set of small-lot residential forms (lot-line house, village house, patio house, twin/semidetached forms) drawn from nearby R3 and R4 standards; relaxing mixed-use building rules so the residential portion can occupy a larger share of a building footprint (to match the typical two- and three-story village form); and revising nonresidential categories to add co‑working and artisan-producer/retailer uses while restricting drive-through facilities to financial institutions and excluding on-site crematoriums.
Supervisors focused questions on definitions and limits. Several asked that "inn" be defined or folded under bed-and-breakfast language to prevent larger hotel development in the VMU. Board members also pressed Meeklo to separate light, compatible repair and craft workshops from heavy or outdoor contractor uses (for example, distinguishing a small woodworking studio from heavy equipment yards). Meeklo said he could supply clearer, separated language for those categories.
A major portion of the discussion centered on lot size and the character of the VMU: Meeklo showed the current draft’s comparison of lot footprints and noted the VMU’s existing 15,000-square-foot cap for many nonresidential uses and a 35-foot maximum height (about three stories). Several supervisors advocated smaller minimum lot sizes in the VMU (examples discussed ranged from ~5,500 to ~7,000 square feet) and for rules that require a mix of housing types in larger residential developments so that no single type would occupy more than 50% of lots.
Grocery-anchor debate and consensus: supervisors vigorously debated whether a grocery or supermarket should be permitted inside the VMU footprint or relegated to arterial frontage to avoid parking and traffic intruding on walkable village blocks. Meeklo noted his draft had reduced the previously larger marketplace anchor to 35,000 sq ft. After extended back-and-forth and competing perspectives, the supervisors reached a working consensus to lower the draft anchor cap to 25,000 square feet and to keep larger grocery proposals subject to conditional-use review so the board could weigh traffic, parking and design mitigation.
Next steps: Meeklo agreed to produce an updated draft reflecting the board’s direction (definitions for inns/B&Bs, clearer contractor/repair categories, lot-size and housing-mix options, and the reduced grocery-anchor cap) and return in approximately three weeks for further consideration.
Quotes capturing the debate: Meeklo told the board, “What I sent to you I believe you could adopt or go forward for adoption if you wanted,” and later agreed to prepare a revised draft. Supervisor concerns ranged from design to long-term character: one supervisor warned that unchecked development could erode rural character and called for limits on size and height.
