Lower Providence holds town‑hall on sweeping zoning rewrite after planning commission lacks quorum

Lower Providence Township staff held an informal town‑hall for residents on the proposed comprehensive zoning rewrite after the planning commission could not convene tonight because it lacked a quorum. Staff said no formal decisions would be made and that the draft and a forthcoming redline would be available for review before the July planning commission meeting.

The rewrite is billed by staff as a structural modernization of a zoning code the presenters said dates to the 1950s and currently relies heavily on variances. Greg, the township presenter and municipal solicitor, said the draft reduces the number of base zoning districts and centralizes use rules into a single, color‑coded use matrix. "We were able to reduce the number of districts to have it more clear understanding when you're in a district," he said, citing a reduction discussed during the presentation from 23 districts to 12.

Why it matters: staff told residents the rewrite is intended to make the code easier to navigate for homeowners and business owners, reduce repetitive definitions and the town's reliance on the zoning hearing board, and align zoning more closely with the township's comprehensive plan. The proposal would also add use‑specific performance standards — addressing noise, traffic, water use and community impacts — so that approvals would focus on mitigating impacts early in the permitting process.

Key elements and concerns

- Use matrix and district consolidation: The draft contains a one‑stop use matrix showing which uses are permitted in which districts and whether they require administrative approval, special exception before the zoning hearing board, or conditional use review by the board of supervisors.

- Small‑lot ("movie lot") and village approaches: Staff proposed a new small‑lot residential district to address older undersized parcels and several mixed‑use or village districts (including an Evansburg village district) to encourage walkable, mixed‑use centers while reducing variance requests.

- Attainable housing incentives: The draft would allow developers of multifamily housing modest density bonuses if they set aside a percentage of units as "attainable" (presenters referenced a figure of about 20% as an example). Staff said attainable units would be tied to county income bands and carry reporting requirements; Mike, the township's community development director, said property owners would report aggregate compliance to the township rather than presenting individual household paychecks.

- Data centers: Presenters acknowledged regional interest in data centers and said the draft limits such uses primarily to industrial zones, imposes large setbacks from residences, and includes technical controls (closed‑loop cooling, restrictions on water withdrawal/discharge and on-site power generation). Staff said they expect additional, tightened rules to appear in the redline posted before July.

- Transitional housing and special exceptions: The draft explicitly addresses transitional housing and places it under a tightly regulated, special‑exception process before the zoning hearing board; presenters said the rules are intended to allow the township to regulate impacts while reducing the risk of a court ordering an unregulated use in an inappropriate location.

Public reaction: Several residents pressed staff on timing, transparency and enforcement. "That's a disgrace," said Brian Keading, an Eagleville resident, after he said the draft was dated in March but not circulated to supervisors until the day of the meeting. Residents also asked who would monitor income eligibility for attainable units, whether the township could require police presence at certain facilities, and how changes to setbacks and impervious coverage would affect stormwater and floodplain protections.

Next steps: Staff said they will post a redline version of the draft online before the July planning commission meeting (scheduled for July 22), incorporate comments received at tonight's session, and consider additional planning commission meetings if needed. County planning review is pending; any formal adoption would require advertisement and public hearings before the board of supervisors.

The session ended with staff urging continued comment and with no formal votes taken. The planning commission is expected to take up the draft at its next properly noticed meeting.