Cornwall Borough Council sends zoning review items to solicitor for evaluation

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

Cornwall Borough Council will send their solicitor a list of items for review after examining several borough ordinances during Monday’s meeting.

The list, displayed on meeting room TVs, included the following items:

• Clarification of Historic District and Historic District buffer overlays
• Clarification on zoning definitions of Public Warehousing and related uses
• Review of collector streets and major roads with respect to borough code
• Language concerning data centers
• Updates to electric vehicle charging stations
• Homeless encampments.
• Solar farms
• Potential “catch-all” provision

The following items were added to the list after further discussion:

• Airbnb and short-term rentals
• Bitcoin mining
• Agricultural Security Area (ASA)

The planning and zoning commission began a tentative review of zoning ordinances in April at the suggestion of newly appointed councilwoman Julie Bowman. The review is intended, Bowman has said, to update the zoning to account for modern uses and changes in definitions and laws.

Read More: Cornwall Borough approves reviews of zoning ordinances, historic overlay idea

Solicitor Josele Cleary will review the above items and provide the borough with her opinion as to how these items are currently handled by zoning ordinances (if applicable) and how the code could be updated to handle current challenges.

After the code is amended, Bowman said, she recommends the borough evaluate possible updates regulary, suggesting considering small updates once a year.

In other news, council:

• Held a moment of silence for retired officer Greg Bender, who died Aug. 6. Mayor Mark Thomas said he met Bender in junior high school and called him one of the nicest, most genuine people he had ever met.
• Discussed the potential purchase of a server for the borough office to replace a 10-year-old server (which will soon lose support) for $24,684 with a COSTARS contractor. Council tabled the issue to seek out other quotes and determine whether less expensive cloud-based services may better serve the borough.
• Unanimously approved a change order of $5,400 for Karla Farrell’s work on the Snitz Creek Park project, which entails planning for future park plans.

Read More: Cornwall Borough Council hears completed parks and recreation plan (2023)

• Accepted a 90-day time extension for the 92-townhome Knoll development submitted by Cornwall Properties, which is in the process of being revised due to extensive comments from the borough engineer and zoning hearing board. Bowman opposed, and asked whether developers were making progress fast enough.
• Unanimously approved to pay the 2026 minimum municipal obligation of $103,161 for officers and $75,514 for non-uniform employees, after floating paying the difference between the MMO and market value as was done last year. The difference, chairman Bruce Harris said, is less than it was last year.
• Discussed plans for the borough’s 100th anniversary next year, including a holiday gathering Dec. 13 this year, the official Centennial celebration on Oct. 12 next year, and national night out on Aug. 4.
• Unanimously authorized a letter of approval for 2330 Quentin Road to join West Cornwall’s ASA, as the borough does not have one. ASAs, designated and voluntary zones to protect farmland, are under consideration by Cornwall as it undergoes zoning review.
• Unanimously approved a reduction of $722,075.14 in the Cornwall Manor letter of credit, leaving $856,835 at the recommendation of the borough engineer.
• Unanimously authorized any interested council members to attend the PSAB Fall Leadership Conference at Penn State.
• Unanimously approved minutes and reports.

Cornwall Borough Council meets the second Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. The meetings are open to the public and do not require prior registration.