The Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission’s Feb. 19 workshop meeting centered on revising a draft of the township’s zoning ordinance.

The meeting began with a discussion of the open space neighborhood concept. Open space neighborhoods would have a special focus on active and passive recreation. It was questioned what would be permitted in the open space.

The open space neighborhood would not be very dense. It would consist of smaller groups of houses around areas of open space with either recreation or natural elements. There were questions about how much of the utilities should be allowed in open space. Stormwater management was capped at 30 percent. It was questioned if the flood plain should count toward open space if parts of it can be used toward the recreation requirement.

One benefit of the open space neighborhood is that there would be less impervious coverage. There was a discussion about whether the township should be able to purchase land in the 100- and 500-year flood plain. It was questioned if a farmer should be able to obtain a piece of open space in an open space neighborhood.

Another topic discussed during the meeting was the East Texas Village districts. The planning commission argued that conditional uses should be limited to within existing buildings. A suggestion was made if existing buildings are converted an 8-foot fence should be put up in the side yard instead of a buffer yard.

In the East Texas Village 2 zone, it was decided all conditional uses would have to do with Smooth-On, a large scale plastics molding company that occupies the Day Timers building. The area would not have the same density as the first East Texas Village zone because it would be new construction.

The third East Texas Village zone would be a mixed use development. It was argued the properties in the zone should have reverse frontage. The planning commission decided the zone should include Italiano Delight, the gas station on the corner, the Stone Crab and the Snyder Property.

Off street parking was also discussed during the meeting. It was questioned if a property is expanded does the grandfathered parking need to be upgraded. The planning commission wanted to try and downshift the parking requirements in order to decrease the amount of parking.

There was talk about having a median or sidewalk added to parking lots when there is land development in a shopping center.

Reserve parking was another topic that came up during the meeting. Most of the properties that use reserve parking in the township are churches and the Grandview Apartments. Some developers don’t think they need as much parking as required, so they ask to have it as reserve parking.

The planning commission decided they should not allow less than the required amount of parking and to limit the reserve parking to 20 percent.

The township map was also discussed during the meeting. There was a debate about whether to stretch the highway commercial zone into a plot of developable land north of the bypass across from Hamilton Crossings.

This area could include uses such as commercial bakers or caterers, a medical marijuana dispensary or a solar energy facility. Adding shopping centers as a use was discussed so Hamilton Crossings could be a conforming use. It was decided to keep the area as highway commercial and add some more commercial uses to the zone.

The next Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission meeting will be March 5. Usually the planning commission meets the second Tuesday of every month and occasionally there is a workshop meeting on the third Tuesday of the month. Meetings take place 7 p.m. and are in the township municipal building.

In addition to the usual meetings, the planning commission will hold an open house March 14 where neighbors affected by the zoning ordinance changes will be invited to come and learn more about the planned changes and air their concerns. There will be a public meeting afterward 7 p.m.