A second council meeting talking about zoning ordinances has wrapped up, and now we're wondering, what the heck do some of these things mean? Let's get back into it, shall we? Folks, this draft is 179 pages long. It is a lot of information to take in, but as council visits new pieces, so will we. Here is the link to where you can find the ordinance draft for yourself, please take the time to look over it. https://www.cityofmeadville.org/index.asp?SEC=389C5715-341F-4069-B6C1-9F78DBDAB069&DE=7B35AF8C-9693-441C-940E-D5271BABE6B0&Type=B_BASIC
The main question that keeps coming up is, what does this mean for existing properties? Although, this hasn't been clearly answered during the council meetings, it is included specifically within the draft ordinance. It states the following;
In short, this is not only for new construction or leveled properties, as Autumn suggested in the March 23 council meeting. This also would cover structures that were altered externally, converted or enlarged. But, in case you still doubted that this meant remodeling of properties too,,,,
"Reconstructed", "structurally altered". Sounds like those terms could cover new and existing structures.
Now, if you listened in on the meeting you would know that they stated that this mostly impact mixed used areas. So, let's look at the map.
Next, let's focus on what is proposed to be mixed use.
Notice something here? Almost all of Meadville would then be considered mixed use. Meaning, every single neighborhood would have some set of "rules" if you will, dictating what you can and cannot do with your house. Yes, your house, that you wouldn't get to choose horizontal or vertical siding on.
Our last blog post regarding this topic, we got into the specific requirements in the different areas. You can revisit that by reading the blog titled "Is that an ordinance or an order?" What we want to look into is what council just looked into, which is street typology. Here's where things get even more interesting. Not only do you need to worry about what they get to dictate, as to what folks can do depending on the neighborhood, but also what can be done based on street type. Sounds totally easy to comprehend and work within, right? If you're questioning that statement, it's because this is a whole lot of restrictions for housing within the City.
Back to street typology, here's that map.
Just the sidebar note alone is confusing and excessive. But, it doesn't stop there! There's even more requirements when we delve into the draft further.
The S# coordinates with the map above. You find your area and your street typology code and cross reference with the chart below to see what other "rules" you must follow.
For the MU-1 area, with the following street typologies, here's where you would go...
You can see this includes yard size, building height, how far your porch or awnings can come out, if they're even permitted at all. They even dictate how far out a bay window can be.
There's even more examples and restrictions as we work down thru this draft.
For the MU-3 area, here's those street typologies....
So, you have to first find your area, which is MU-1, MU-2, MU-3, DPH, of GB-M. Then, under that section in the draft, you find your street typology and find those requirements under the S# table.
Let's work thru an example. There's a lot to take in, and we want to make sure everyone understands how to read this ordinance. We are going to look at Jaime's residence on Randolph st. She has publicly stated it's a owner occupied rental, which needs renovating.
Her place is on the corner of Collum and Randolph;
We now know we need to follow the MU-1 rules.
S2 street typology, as that is the primary typology for that area.
Wonder how this works with multiple entrances? Would both need to enter from the Randolph st side, or could there be one on Collum st? We surely don't know, let's move on with the example. Recap, we're in the MU-1 with S2 typology.
Multi-family dwelling is permitted in this district. That's good.
Would this be considered B2? Probably. Is the lot big enough? Is the building tall enough? Not sure, guess she'll have to get the property surveyed when she starts her remodeling. Let's not forget the other requirements that were mentioned in our previous blog post..
Onto S2..
Now, would she have to move her residence if it didn't meet the average of everyone else's yards? Who knows at this point. It's possible, and we don't rule anything out.
We simply wanted to work out an example to help everyone better understand how to utilize the maps.
As far as businesses in different areas, some are by special exception, and with their own set of rules. We could continue into that, but for now we think we have given enough to digest for those who own property within the City. We hope that this information helps you understand what is being presented within the draft. If you don't understand, show up to the city council meetings and see if they'll allow you to ask questions.
We have to think though, couldn't this cause disinvestment in the City? We want to revitalize downtown, and have a thriving downtown and surrounding area. But, we're going to impose all of these ordinances that make any substantial investment to rehab these properties, almost undesirable to do. Is this really what we want for Meadville? Do we really want the city to dictate all of what we can do with our homes? That is for all of us to decide.
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