State College has a draft for a new zoning ordinance. How to see it, offer input
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- State College unveils a draft for a new zoning ordinance.
- Planning Commission meetings are scheduled in the summer to review and refine the draft.
- The borough council aims to adopt the final ordinance by the end of 2025.
After several years of working on its rezoning process, the State College borough will have a draft of a new comprehensive zoning ordinance and a number of public meetings throughout the summer to review and discuss it.
In broad terms, zoning codes govern what can and cannot get built within a municipality and how land owners can use and manage their properties. State College’s zoning ordinance contains 20 different districts and classifications that each present different parameters and restrictions for development. The current ordinance is more than 60 years old.
The new zoning ordinance implements the borough council’s “mandate” to create new housing opportunities while also preserving character, Ed LeClear, planning director for the borough, said in a release from the borough.
The draft of the new ordinance will be introduced during a joint meeting between the State College borough council, planning commission and the zoning revision advisory committee at 7 p.m. Thursday at the municipal building, 243 S. Allen St., State College. The agenda has a link for a Zoom meeting as well, for those who want to attend virtually.
The draft will also be posted on the borough’s website, www.statecollegepa.us/225/New-Zoning-Ordinance, on Thursday.
During Thursday’s meeting, planning staff will give an orientation of the ordinance draft and share materials and guidance on how to provide public comments, the release states. The planning staff, commission and ZRAC will meet regularly until late August to review sections of the draft and receive input.
A number of meetings are scheduled for the summer, before the planning commission’s Aug. 21 deadline to give the borough council a recommendation on the draft ordinance.
7 p.m., June 12 (Joint Meeting with the council, planning commission and ZRAC)
7 p.m., June 25
Noon, July 2
7 p.m., July 17
7 p.m., July 24
Noon, Aug. 6
7 p.m. Aug. 14
7 p.m. Aug. 21 (deadline for the planning commission to give a recommendation to the council)
More information on the timeline and the plan for the council to adopt the ordinance is expected to be available on Thursday as well. But the council has previously said this is a priority and they want to adopt a new ordinance by the end of the year.
The borough’s current zoning ordinance was adopted in 1959 and has been amended more than 225 times, LeClear said in the release.
“This is a modern ordinance, incorporating national best practices, and designed to be more user-friendly. 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,” he said.
The rezoning process began in 2017, when the borough started a comprehensive examination of its zoning codes. COVID-19 hindered those efforts a bit but were picked up again after the pandemic.
