Warren County Planning Director Dan Glotz unveiled the amended zoning ordinance to the county Planning and Zoning Commission during Tuesday night's meeting at the Warren County Courthouse.
Glotz walked the commission members through the county's zoning districts, highlighting the modifications made to the regulations surrounding business transitional districts "that will allow for a lot more flexibility" as well as the village district, which currently can't be found on any zoning map but might be in the future.
According to the ordinance, which is available to the public at warrencountypa.net, the village district is "established to provide for the continuation of a historic pattern of low impact mixed uses, where dwellings at various densities and compatible institutions or small businesses can thrive."
Glotz said that allows for "some controlled commercial activity" in the downtown areas of small towns. Glotz said he is aware of some places in the county that this might be appropriate for and is hoping to see it implemented in the future.
Glotz highlighted a couple of other areas of the ordinance in his brief synopsis.
He said that Route 59 through Warren County has "byway" status and the language in the ordinance to reflect that.
Also, the county has regulations in the ordinance that deal with airports. While the Brokenstraw airport is not subject to the county ordinance as Brokenstraw Township is not part of county zoning, Glotz cited a small airport in Columbus Township as the only airfield covered by the ordinance. He said the language in the ordinance reflects language required by the Federal Aviation Administration, noting that airports are the only exception that can be their own zoning district.
Also during Tuesday's meeting, the commission granted a right-of-way width waiver at a residence on Sherman Hill Road in Freehold Township. While the ordinance requires a 50-foot right-of-way, Glotz said the property owner requested that be reduced to 20 feet so a driveway could be included on the property. The request was approved unanimously with the caveat that any further subdivision would have to adhere to the 50-foot guideline.