The draft of State College’s new zoning code is ready for review by the public and borough officials after years of discussion and work to comprehensively rewrite the nearly 50-year-old ordinance.
A series of meetings to review the voluminous document and solicit public input are scheduled over the next 10 weeks, starting with a joint session of Borough Council, Planning Commission and the Zoning Revision Advisory Committee at 7 p.m. Thursday. The meeting, which will be held in council chambers at the Municipal Building and also available to view via Zoom, will provide “an orientation to the ordinance itself, comment process, and general information to improve access and understanding.”
Zoning essentially defines the ways properties can be used and what can be constructed within specific geographic areas. It is governed by an ordinance and associated map.
State College’s current ordinance was written in 1959 and since then has been amended more than 220 times. In recent years, borough elected officials have at times raised concerns that scattered, isolated changes would not adequately address underlying issues and could have unintended consequences.
A comprehensive zoning revision has long been viewed by staff, council and commission members as critical to addressing and shaping issues related to housing and commercial development.
Formal discussions began in 2017, but the process has has been delayed several times, most notably during COVID-19. The effort has accelerated over the last three years, however, and borough staff has been working with national urban planning and land use consulting firm Clarion Associates to develop the draft ordinance.
Borough Planning Director Ed Clear said the draft ordinance “implements Council’s mandate to create new housing opportunities while preserving community character.”
“This is a modern ordinance, incorporating national best practices, and designed to be more user-friendly,” LeClear said in a news release. “We hope Borough residents and property owners will join us through the coming months as we work to refine the ordinance based on public input.”
After Thursday’s session, review of the draft will continue at regularly scheduled meetings of the Planning Commission and Zoning Revision Advisory Committee:
- Wednesday, June 25, at 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, July 2, at noon
- Thursday, July 17, at 7 p.m.
- Thursday, July 24, at 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, Aug. 6, at noon
- Thursday, Aug. 14, at 7 p.m.
- Thursday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m. (Deadline for Planning Commission recommendation to Council)
Information about the overall and plan for council adoption of the new zoning ordinance, along with a copy of the draft for review, will all be made available at statecollegepa.us/225/New-Zoning-Ordinance.
