SLATINGTON, Pa. — Seeking to bring the goals of joint municipal plans into reality, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission is set to review new zoning ordinances and official maps from the Borough of Slatington and Washington Township.
The Borough of Slatington and the Townships of Heidelberg, Lynn, Lowhill, Washington, and Weisenberg joined together to adopt the most recent Northern Lehigh Multi-Municipal Plan in 2022.
The joint effort seeks to manage development along this more rural section of Lehigh County and allows for more specific zoning between them.
Development in the area has led to some headaches in recent years.
Lowhill Township has been embroiled in legal battles as it seeks to manage and prevent the development of warehouses proposed within the township.
"All the municipalities are trying to coordinate and get [zoning updated] because there's a certain timeframe that we have to get all this done."Daniel Stevens
Municipalities have to have a place for every use, meaning they have to have a designated area for anything someone may want to develop, from an amusement park to a solar farm.
The only way to get around that regulation is to be part of a Multi-Municipal Comprehensive Plan. In that case, if one municipality has a place for a certain use, the others don’t have to have it.
To bring this into law, the municipalities involved in the plan are now pursuing these zoning updates.
Slatington Borough Manager Daniel Stevens said the coordinated effort has required a lot of coordination between the municipalities, Lehigh County, and the LVPC as the new plan was developed, and now they are trying to implement it.
"All the municipalities are trying to coordinate and get [zoning updated] because there's a certain timeframe that we have to get all this done," Stevens said.
The official maps and zoning ordinances are set to be reviewed by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday.
Slatington comments
A letter proposed by the LVPC to Slatington and Washington Township administration praises the proposed legislation's adherence to the multi-municipal and LVPC FutureLV plans and state regulations.
It encourages another draft to rectify errors present, but also contains some other substantive recommendations.
In the letter to Slatington's administration, the LVPC praised the diverse range of housing types allowed in the Suburban Residential, Town Residential and Town Center zoning districts, but still raised concerns about housing limitations.
A recommendation was given to add definitions and provisions for upper-story residential units, allowing them to support a "wide variety of attainable housing" in the Borough's downtown core.
It also recommended allowing townhouse dwellings in the Suburban Residential district to increase attainable housing opportunities and opportunities for mixed-use developments to support local economic opportunities.
The LVPC noted a lack of recommended environmental regulations encouraged by the plans, such as a riparian buffer ordinance, more specific slope regulations, and floodplain construction permits.
The municipality is encouraged to find an alternative location to its proposed industrial zoning district, moving it away from the Lehigh River.
As for the borough's first-ever proposed official map, the LVPC encourages the borough to identify transportation improvement projects within the borough that could be pursued in the future. It also encourages the identification of the borough's historic sites and recreation areas.
Official maps identify existing and planned public lands and facilities, as well as marking a local government's interest in acquiring lands for public purposes in the future.
Stevens said the only major change was "some tweaks to the industrial zone" that acknowledge the residential development that has extended into that zone.
He also said a public hearing for the zoning update will take place on September 9, with a vote by Borough Council members to occur at a following meeting.
Washington Township
The LVPC issued a warning that limiting areas to single-family detached dwellings could result in "sprawling development patterns that may not achieve the township's desired community character or resource preservation goals."
It also advised that care be taken to ensure proper utility and emergency services infrastructure is available to meet the need, and removing mobile homes from the Regional Use Overlay District uses in the interest of public health.
Other recommendations centered around parking space length and truck loading regulations.
Provisions for logging and forestry, as well as solar and wind energy, were also recommended.
Like Slatington, the lack of a riparian buffer, a buffer situated along a river, protection standard was noted as a concern and some draft text errors were noted.
For the official map, the LVPC recommends the township identify desired transportation improvement projects and display current agricultural easements and agricultural security areas to assist in preserving open space.
The ordinances are expected to come before the Washington Township Board of Supervisors at a future date.
