NORTH WALES – A revamped zoning map is ready for public feedback, and North Wales Borough’s staff and council want to hear what the public has to say about it.
“We’re letting the community and letting people know that we’re a vibrant historical community: that people want to come here to open a business, that people want to come here to shop, people want to come here to live,” said borough Manager Nate Dysard.
The proposed new zoning map was unveiled during council’s Tuesday night meeting after more than a year of discussion between staff and the borough planning commission, Dysard told council; current and proposed maps are included in council’s meeting materials packet from March 11, and Dysard said the new one was developed with several goals in mind.
“Zoning both promotes growth, but also protects the existing character of the community, so the balance of that is what’s tricky: making sure that you’re allowing for growth in the community, allowing for its future, but also protect the existing character of the community,” Dysard said.
Residential zones in the borough stay largely the same as now, but the question of commercial districts is one that both bodies are trying to tackle: if properties in downtown commercial zones have become residential over time, should the borough try to encourage a mix of both residential and commercial use?
“The proposed language requires that any conversions, new construction, or alterations to a building, that the first floor either is maintained or becomes non-residential in use: storefronts, an office, something that promotes the walkability of our community,” Dysard said.
Under the proposed new zoning map, the borough’s transit-oriented development district would be considerably enlarged. That zone currently consists of two parcels across from each other along railroad tracks near Wissahickon Avenue and Beaver Street, and the new map would expand that zone by adding land across Walnut Street between Sixth and Fifth streets that is currently zoned C-residential; parcels south of Fifth Street and west of Montgomery Avenue that are currently zoned residential; and parcels on the south side of the rail tracks between Walnut and Second streets that are currently zoned as commercial district.
“The TOD (zone) has expanded from those eight properties to about 50 available properties, buildable properties, that could be utilized for transit-oriented development of some sort: redevelopment or infill, that will allow for mixed use and allow for slightly higher density,” Dysard said.
That higher development density could allow developers to consider building units with a “higher-end fit, more luxury units where younger individuals tend to live: in townhouses or condo apartments, and then travel into the city,” he said.
Beyond the new map, the zoning codes that accompany it are also being updated: sign codes that have long been in need of an update will get it, to address situations like limits on the size of signs that don’t take into account the length of a store frontage, or a location that fronts on two separate streets.
“The new language takes into consideration how much street frontage you have, as to how big your sign can be. So if you have two sides of building (frontage), potentially you could have two signs,” said Dysard.
Specifics have also been added on where signs can be located, what they can look like, how they should be lit if located in the borough’s historic district, “and it’s much clearer, it provides clearer standards that are now enforceable. I can send a letter to a business owners and say ‘These are the provisions,’ while today it’s very loose,” Dysard said.
Other proposed changes include what he termed “minor tweaks” to lighting regulations meant to minimize light pollution, new rules on wireless communication towers that provides more control for the borough on where those can be installed, and provisions that new sidewalks or street improvements done on Main or Walnut streets have to be consistent with the streetscape look already here.
Councilman Mark Tarlecki said the revamp and a previous transit oriented development study were done with successful communities in New Jersey in mind as examples to emulate, and council member Christine Hart said she thought feedback from similar efforts in Ambler and Doylestown could be helpful to learn any lessons North Wales should avoid.
After the first presentation Tuesday night, Dysard said, council and the public can send feedback to him and the zoning conversation will continue when council next meets at 7 p.m. on March 25 at the borough municipal building, 300 School Street; that body could vote to formally adopt the code with any changes made within the next 60 days.
“Just so that everyone’s aware, we can make changes all the way along (the process), once the community comes in” with feedback, council President Mike McDonald said.
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