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Planning commission backs zoning change to allow 'village development,' raises open-space requirement to 50%
Summary
On Oct. 20, 2025 the Lower Pottsgrove Township Planning Commission voted 4-0 to recommend Ordinance 373, a zoning amendment to permit 'village development' that would require 50% open space (20% common area) and move the proposal to a Nov. 3 public hearing.
The Lower Pottsgrove Township Planning Commission on Oct. 20, 2025 voted unanimously to recommend approval of Ordinance 373, a proposed amendment to the township zoning code to permit a new "village development" option that would raise the required open-space set-aside to 50% and require conditional-use approval before development proceeds.
Carl Weiner, an attorney with Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell and Lupin, P.C., introduced the measure on behalf of Moscariello Developers and said the village development language is intended to "allow flexibility to respect the environmental features of a property while developing it in a responsible way by preserving fifty percent (50%) of open space." Weiner told commissioners that, with a few minor wording changes, the draft could meet concerns raised in a Montgomery County Planning Commission letter dated Oct. 3, 2025.
Planning Commission member Anita Meehan said she was "glad to see this proposal offers fifty percent (50%) open space while the current ordinance requires thirty-five percent (35%)." Township Manager Edward C. Wagner clarified how the proposal would allocate that open space, saying the draft calls for 50% open space with "twenty percent (20%) of that being common area," and noted the ordinance text — not a specific site plan — is the immediate matter under review. On sidewalks, Meehan asked why the county recommended five-foot sidewalks; Wagner said he did not know and that the township ordinance currently requires four-foot sidewalks, and Meehan said she agreed with the four-foot standard.
Meehan moved to recommend adoption of Ordinance 373 amending Chapter 250, Article VI, Section 250-52.1 of the Lower Pottsgrove Township Code of Ordinances to allow village development; Anthony Cherico seconded. The commission voted 4-0 in favor of the recommendation. Wagner announced the Township will hold a public hearing on the ordinance at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2025.
The meeting also included routine business: the commission approved the Sept. 15, 2025 meeting minutes by voice vote (motion by Meehan, second by Cherico, 4-0) and adjourned at 6:47 p.m. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Nov. 17, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. at the Township Municipal Building.
