It was a substantial discussion.

As was the case at last month's Salisbury Township Planning Commission workshop, the bulk of the discussion at the Jan. 14 planners' meeting about changes to the Salisbury Township Zoning Ordinance had to do with terminology.

The words, "substantial" and "primarily," and their use in ordinance definitions, were again parsed.

Sections of zoning ordinances of Lower Milford Township and the City of Bethlehem were reproduced, distributed and read to compare the use of the word "substantial."

"'Primarily' is another one of those arbitrary words," Salisbury Township Director of Planning and Zoning Cynthia Sopka said. "It has put the township in the courts and cost people a lot of money because nobody knows what it means."

"Sometimes that's the beauty of the phraseology. It gives the planners some leeway," said Atty. Timothy J. Siegfried, of the law firm, Norris McLaughlin & Marcus, P.A.

"It gives you a little more control. There is some discretion left to the governing body. It's a balancing test. It gives you guys the flexibility to determine what you think," Siegfried said.

Siegfried attends planners' zoning ordinance meetings as a representative of Lehigh Valley Health Network. LVHN's Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest is in the proposed ordinance's new Health Care Overlay District.

Sopka looked up the definition of the word "substantial" and read it aloud.

Said Siegfried, "If somebody says, 'These are substantial changes,' they've got to prove their case."

The wording of regulations for a heliport was discussed.

"When they're landing at the [hospital] heliport, it's not an emergency landing," planner Dr. William R. Licht said.

"It's routine," said James A. Rothdeutsch, of The Pidcock Company, LVHN consultant.

Rothdeutsch attends planners' zoning ordinance meetings on behalf of LVHN.

Other zoning ordinance sections discussed Jan. 14 included: grading, greenhouses, assisted living facility, bed and breakfast, care and treatment facilities for children, clear-cutting, dog day care, floodplain map, group home, light home occupation, impervious surface, land disturbance, lot width, right-of-way and charter and cyber school.

The 3 1/2 pages of zoning ordinance changes approved Jan. 14 differed little from those discussed in December 2013.

During the two-hour Jan. 14 meeting, planners voted 4-0, with three members absent, to approve the zoning ordinance changes discussed during the Dec. 3, 2013, planners' workshop. There was no Dec. 10, 2013 planners' meeting because of inclement weather.

Planners' workshops to discuss the ordinance are 6 p.m. Jan. 28, Feb. 5, 10, 25 and 26 in the meeting room, township Municipal Building, 2900 S. Pike Avenue. The planners' next meeting there is 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11.

It is expected a date will be chosen and announced for the planners' required public hearing on the zoning ordinance changes.

If the planners recommend the zoning ordinance changes be approved by the township Board of Commissioners, a public hearing is also required by law to be held by commissioners prior to their vote on the revised ordinance.

In other business, planners voted 5-0 to approve an extension of the review period for a minor lot subdivision at 1524 E. Emmaus Ave. and 1550 Herbert St.

Charles Beck, chair, was present for the vote on the subdivision extension. He later left the meeting and was not present for the zoning ordinance update vote.

During their reorganization at the beginning of the meeting, planners voted 5-0 to re-elect Beck, chair; Stephen J. McKitish, Jr., vice chair, and Joseph Hebelka, secretary.