CLARKS SUMMIT – At the borough’s work session July 28, the borough council held a public hearing for Ordinance 2015-06 Zoning and Subdivision and Land Developement Ordinance (SALDO) Amendment. No residents publicly addressed council regarding the zoning amendments.
According to borough manager Virginia Kehoe, the amendments were developed in conjunction with MS4 requirements for storm water control.
The ordinance amendment has three major parts. First is amending section 404.3 of the borough’s zoning ordinance to now require larger minimum lot sizes for building.
The second part of the amendment changes the maximum lot coverage for construction on properties. An R1 lot will increase by 20 percent and lots in the remaining zones will increase by 25 percent.
“The point is to really stop the increase of impervious surface because we just have too many flood issues,” Kehoe said.
The third part is changes to the subdivision and land development ordinance. Currently, the planning commission is mostly an advising body and has to come through council for changes. However, when it comes to a minor subdivision, such as taking one property and dividing it into two, the planning commission always had the ability to make the final decision. According to Kehoe, the council feels it is in its best interest to have final say on any and all subdivision and land development plans.
“The main portion being conservation to meet the MS4 initiatives,” said council member Vincent Cruciani.
“We are a very developed, mature community. There’s very little buildable lots. We don’t anticipate many people being impacted by this,” Kehoe said.
On Aug. 5, the council will vote on the ordinance at the regular council meeting.
The council will also swear in Emergency Management (EMA) Director Jeffrey Ames and Junior Council member Christian Orlando.
