In an attempt to streamline and clarify portions of its zoning ordinance, the Chadds Ford Township Zoning Task Force could have a revamped code ready for examination by spring.
The Task Force — made up of members of the Zoning Hearing Board, Planning Commission, Historical and Architectural Review Board, supervisors and others — began work on the project during the summer of 2014.
On Dec. 9, members of the group updated the township on the efforts to date. Sam Haber of the Delaware County Planning Department made the presentation.
He said the first job was to develop a consensus of what needed to be done to update the zoning code, and that includes changing some of the zoning districts.
Among those proposals is to eliminate the R-M and R-A districts and combine them into a new R-MA Zoning District.
At present, the R-M, or multi-family district, allows six apartments, townhouses or single-family units per one acre of land. The R-A district now allows 12 apartments per acre. The new R-MA district, if the change were approved, would allow up to 12 single-family units, townhouses or apartments on one acre.
Bill Mock of the Planning Commission asked Haber how those changes could affect parcels in the current R-M and R-A districts that are not built out yet.
Haber said he didn’t have that information, but could get that later.
Another proposed change would be to eliminate the B-1 Business District and rezone those properties B or PBC-1. The only difference between the B business district and B-1, Haber said, is that B-1 allows for everything the B district allows, but also includes auto dealerships, gas stations and repair centers. The PBC-1 district already allows for that use.
Plans also call for creating a new Village District that would apply to the Route 1, Creek Road area. Haber said that area — with Hank’s Place, Leader’s Sunoco and the Brandywine River Museum of Art — has residential districts R-1 and R-2, and business districts. (R-1 is two-acre minimum lot size; R-2 is one-acre minimum.)
The group also proposes allowing recreation and recreation facilities in all districts.
The Task Force is also working on definition changes for the zoning code. Some of those involve definitions for dwelling unit type, family, recreation and recreation facility.
At the end of the evening, Task Force cochairman Bob Reardon said there would be another public meeting in the spring and then a draft of the new code would go to the Planning Commission. Once the commission is finished with the draft, it would go to the Board of Supervisors who could act as soon as September.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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