Trail Sustainability Planning & Design
City of Chester Zoning Ordinance Re-Write Urban Research and Development Corp. Bethlehem PA Charlie Schmehl Drew Sonntag
Key Project Staff URDC’s Project Manager, Charlie Schmehl, specializes in preparing land use planning & development regulations for PA. municipalities. He would attend all meetings and write the draft ordinance. Drew Sonntag of URDC was the long-time Chairperson of Allentown’s Historic Review Board for their 3 Historic Districts, and has completed urban design and streetscape projects throughout PA.
Examples of URDC’s Projects: Reading New Zoning Ordinance & SALDO. Bethlehem Comp. Plan, New Zoning Ordinance, 2 Neighborhood Plans and Plans for Rt. 412 Lands.
3 Neighborhood Plans in Harrisburg. Revitalization Plans and Streetscape Plans for Multiple Boroughs in Southeastern PA such as Malvern. Scranton Comp. Plan and Zoning Ordinance. Lancaster City 3 Zoning Updates and a Neighborhood Plan. Allentown Zoning Ordinance.
Project Scope
Comprehensive Update of the Zoning Ordinance, the Zoning Map and the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO).
Intend to revise SALDO after a complete draft of the Zoning Ordinance has been prepared. The two processes can overlap, because there is much less public interest in the SALDO than the Zoning.
Tentative Schedule Key Person Interviews, Analysis of Past Plans, and Field Work now being completed Monthly meetings with Planning Commission and/or Task Force, plus regular meetings with City Staff Zoning Discussion Guide – May 2014 Annotated Outline of Proposed Zoning Ordinance – June 2014 Zoning District Text and Map Revisions – July 2014
. 2 Initial Public meetings – Sept. 2014
Text of remainder of zoning – Oct. 2014 Revised zoning drafts – Nov. & Dec. 2014 SALDO draft – Jan. 2015 2 Planning Commission Public Meetings – Feb. 2015 Revised Drafts of Ordinances – March and April 2015 City Council hearing on Zoning – May 2015 Zoning Ready for Adoption & City Council hearing on SALDO – July 2015 SALDO Ready for Adoption – Aug. 2015
Building Upon Chester’s Rich Heritage
Protecting Features That Are Treasured by Chester Residents
Deciding What Areas Should Be Maintained With Little Change, and What Areas are Appropriate for Redevelopment
Public Participation
15 Key person interviews early in the process (underway) Most effective public participation is in the middle of the process, after Committee has discussed alternatives that can be presented to the public for a response Can do online survey if desired
Public Involvement Need a representative committee that brings together many perspectives, and that will connect to other groups A variety of meeting methods available, such as dividing into small groups that report to larger group Posting drafts and Summary on website will allow for reviews by interested persons at any time of the week. Website should have email address to submit questions and comments.
Protect Residential Neighborhoods Make sure infill development fits within the character of each block Encourage front porches, street trees and landscaped front yards.
Use maximum building setbacks from street in older areas, instead of simply using minimum setbacks. Update zoning to avoid nuisancegenerating uses near residential blocks
Crime Prevention Through Design Source – Ontario Metrolinx
Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND)
Involves recreating the best features of older neighborhoods, or making sure that new development is consistent within older neighborhoods. May include some small light businesses, such as a corner store, office or Live-Work units.
TND (Cont.)
Example of New Buildings Designed to Fit Within a Older Block, with rear parking
Zoning needs to fully recognize which businesses are highly compatible with nearby homes, while others are not. Larger setbacks for intensive uses and limits on late night hours of operation can also reduce incompatibility in transitional areas.
Avoid Auto Sales, Auto Repair, 24 Hour Businesses, Drive-Through Restaurants, Trucking Uses and Industrial Uses in Areas Where Residential Neighborhoods Exists or are Planned. Danger is that optional overlay zoning could still allow industrial next to new housing.
.
Promote Compatible Types of Mixed Uses in New Development Especially offices or condos above light commercial uses, with parking to the side or rear of buildings
Mixed Use Development Avoid allowing 100% residential development on prime downtown business streets. Could require at least one street level business use along main streets.
Mixed Use - Opportunity to increase economic activity, while creating a stronger sense of community, particularly near PPL Park & and Downtown.
Goal is to have visitors to Hurrah’s, Widener and PPL Park visit more local businesses, and attract new mixed use development to Riverfront.
Example of Mixed Use Dev. – College Row in Lancaster City
Urban Design & Historic Preservation Seek to extend the character of historic areas of Chester into underutilized areas. Require that most parking be placed to the rear or side of buildings, with buildings placed close to major roads. Establish zoning process to require approve demolition of impt. older buildings, but without over-regulating routine changes.
Update height limits, especially to allow 5 or 6 story buildings in selected areas that are not near stable residential areas that have low heights. Industrial buildings & hotels now want 45 feet or greater heights.
Streamlining Some Zoning to Promote Economic Development – Avoid excessive numbers of special exception and conditional uses; ease coverage limits while requiring more landscaping; reduce front yard setbacks; and shrink setbacks between businesses.
Allowing zoning flexibility in the adaptive reuse of older buildings
Promoting Transit Use – Allowing shelters funded with signs, encouraging Transit-oriented development near rail, designing safe pedestrian access to buildings from bus stops
Revitalizing the Central Business District as a historic center of arts, culture, restaurants and business
In the Downtown, stress entertainment, restaurants and outdoor cafes, and pedestrianoriented uses along main street fronts.
Deshong Park and Museum – Allowing Range of Appropriate Alternative Uses, such as Cultural and Arts Uses
Land Near I-95 – Should some residentially zoned lands be changed to allow additional businesses development, particularly where there are noise problems? Could require land assembly involving multiple properties before business is allowed.
Industrial Uses – Controlling hazardous & nuisancegenerating uses, by carefully categorizing various types, & requiring special exception approval for the intensive uses
Regulating Intense or Controversial Uses General rule – every legitimate use must be allowed somewhere, but intensive uses can be very strictly regulated Carefully controlling: Trash transfer stations, Chemical plants, Adult live entertainment, Nightclubs, After hours clubs, Drug and alcohol treatment centers, and Criminal halfway houses
Managing Changes at Widener University
Emphasize Landscaping in New Development
Business Development
Parking
Promote shared parking among uses, esp. for uses with different peak periods of demand
Provide incentives for adjacent properties to share their parking lots. Coordinated lots can usually result in a total increase in the number of spaces
Allow alternative ways to meet parking needs, such as reducing parking near existing public parking, or allowing a fee in lieu of parking that the City can later use to help develop or lease public parking on another site.
Signs Limiting heights of signs, and varying sizes of freestanding signs by number of uses on lot. Allowing signs to project from buildings for increased visibility. Control frequency of change of electronic signs and prohibit animated and flashing signs. Only allow medium-sized billboards and limit their location and lighting, with large setbacks from homes.
Make Chester Greener – LEED and green roof incentives, rain gardens, solar & wind, pervious parking
Solar Canopies Over Parking
Promote solar panels to be placed over parking lots. This reduces heat and thermal pollution from parking lots, while providing a renewable resource. It is achieved without increasing impervious coverage.
Questions and Comments?
Key Project Staff URDC’s Project Manager, Charlie Schmehl, specializes in preparing land use planning & development regulations for PA. municipalities. He would attend all meetings and write the draft ordinance. Drew Sonntag of URDC was the long-time Chairperson of Allentown’s Historic Review Board for their 3 Historic Districts, and has completed urban design and streetscape projects throughout PA.
Examples of URDC’s Projects: Reading New Zoning Ordinance & SALDO. Bethlehem Comp. Plan, New Zoning Ordinance, 2 Neighborhood Plans and Plans for Rt. 412 Lands.
3 Neighborhood Plans in Harrisburg. Revitalization Plans and Streetscape Plans for Multiple Boroughs in Southeastern PA such as Malvern. Scranton Comp. Plan and Zoning Ordinance. Lancaster City 3 Zoning Updates and a Neighborhood Plan. Allentown Zoning Ordinance.
Project Scope
Comprehensive Update of the Zoning Ordinance, the Zoning Map and the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO).
Intend to revise SALDO after a complete draft of the Zoning Ordinance has been prepared. The two processes can overlap, because there is much less public interest in the SALDO than the Zoning.
Tentative Schedule Key Person Interviews, Analysis of Past Plans, and Field Work now being completed Monthly meetings with Planning Commission and/or Task Force, plus regular meetings with City Staff Zoning Discussion Guide – May 2014 Annotated Outline of Proposed Zoning Ordinance – June 2014 Zoning District Text and Map Revisions – July 2014
. 2 Initial Public meetings – Sept. 2014
Text of remainder of zoning – Oct. 2014 Revised zoning drafts – Nov. & Dec. 2014 SALDO draft – Jan. 2015 2 Planning Commission Public Meetings – Feb. 2015 Revised Drafts of Ordinances – March and April 2015 City Council hearing on Zoning – May 2015 Zoning Ready for Adoption & City Council hearing on SALDO – July 2015 SALDO Ready for Adoption – Aug. 2015
Building Upon Chester’s Rich Heritage
Protecting Features That Are Treasured by Chester Residents
Deciding What Areas Should Be Maintained With Little Change, and What Areas are Appropriate for Redevelopment
Public Participation
15 Key person interviews early in the process (underway) Most effective public participation is in the middle of the process, after Committee has discussed alternatives that can be presented to the public for a response Can do online survey if desired
Public Involvement Need a representative committee that brings together many perspectives, and that will connect to other groups A variety of meeting methods available, such as dividing into small groups that report to larger group Posting drafts and Summary on website will allow for reviews by interested persons at any time of the week. Website should have email address to submit questions and comments.
Protect Residential Neighborhoods Make sure infill development fits within the character of each block Encourage front porches, street trees and landscaped front yards.
Use maximum building setbacks from street in older areas, instead of simply using minimum setbacks. Update zoning to avoid nuisancegenerating uses near residential blocks
Crime Prevention Through Design Source – Ontario Metrolinx
Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND)
Involves recreating the best features of older neighborhoods, or making sure that new development is consistent within older neighborhoods. May include some small light businesses, such as a corner store, office or Live-Work units.
TND (Cont.)
Example of New Buildings Designed to Fit Within a Older Block, with rear parking
Zoning needs to fully recognize which businesses are highly compatible with nearby homes, while others are not. Larger setbacks for intensive uses and limits on late night hours of operation can also reduce incompatibility in transitional areas.
Avoid Auto Sales, Auto Repair, 24 Hour Businesses, Drive-Through Restaurants, Trucking Uses and Industrial Uses in Areas Where Residential Neighborhoods Exists or are Planned. Danger is that optional overlay zoning could still allow industrial next to new housing.
.
Promote Compatible Types of Mixed Uses in New Development Especially offices or condos above light commercial uses, with parking to the side or rear of buildings
Mixed Use Development Avoid allowing 100% residential development on prime downtown business streets. Could require at least one street level business use along main streets.
Mixed Use - Opportunity to increase economic activity, while creating a stronger sense of community, particularly near PPL Park & and Downtown.
Goal is to have visitors to Hurrah’s, Widener and PPL Park visit more local businesses, and attract new mixed use development to Riverfront.
Example of Mixed Use Dev. – College Row in Lancaster City
Urban Design & Historic Preservation Seek to extend the character of historic areas of Chester into underutilized areas. Require that most parking be placed to the rear or side of buildings, with buildings placed close to major roads. Establish zoning process to require approve demolition of impt. older buildings, but without over-regulating routine changes.
Update height limits, especially to allow 5 or 6 story buildings in selected areas that are not near stable residential areas that have low heights. Industrial buildings & hotels now want 45 feet or greater heights.
Streamlining Some Zoning to Promote Economic Development – Avoid excessive numbers of special exception and conditional uses; ease coverage limits while requiring more landscaping; reduce front yard setbacks; and shrink setbacks between businesses.
Allowing zoning flexibility in the adaptive reuse of older buildings
Promoting Transit Use – Allowing shelters funded with signs, encouraging Transit-oriented development near rail, designing safe pedestrian access to buildings from bus stops
Revitalizing the Central Business District as a historic center of arts, culture, restaurants and business
In the Downtown, stress entertainment, restaurants and outdoor cafes, and pedestrianoriented uses along main street fronts.
Deshong Park and Museum – Allowing Range of Appropriate Alternative Uses, such as Cultural and Arts Uses
Land Near I-95 – Should some residentially zoned lands be changed to allow additional businesses development, particularly where there are noise problems? Could require land assembly involving multiple properties before business is allowed.
Industrial Uses – Controlling hazardous & nuisancegenerating uses, by carefully categorizing various types, & requiring special exception approval for the intensive uses
Regulating Intense or Controversial Uses General rule – every legitimate use must be allowed somewhere, but intensive uses can be very strictly regulated Carefully controlling: Trash transfer stations, Chemical plants, Adult live entertainment, Nightclubs, After hours clubs, Drug and alcohol treatment centers, and Criminal halfway houses
Managing Changes at Widener University
Emphasize Landscaping in New Development
Business Development
Parking
Promote shared parking among uses, esp. for uses with different peak periods of demand
Provide incentives for adjacent properties to share their parking lots. Coordinated lots can usually result in a total increase in the number of spaces
Allow alternative ways to meet parking needs, such as reducing parking near existing public parking, or allowing a fee in lieu of parking that the City can later use to help develop or lease public parking on another site.
Signs Limiting heights of signs, and varying sizes of freestanding signs by number of uses on lot. Allowing signs to project from buildings for increased visibility. Control frequency of change of electronic signs and prohibit animated and flashing signs. Only allow medium-sized billboards and limit their location and lighting, with large setbacks from homes.
Make Chester Greener – LEED and green roof incentives, rain gardens, solar & wind, pervious parking
Solar Canopies Over Parking
Promote solar panels to be placed over parking lots. This reduces heat and thermal pollution from parking lots, while providing a renewable resource. It is achieved without increasing impervious coverage.
Questions and Comments?
