The March 16 Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission workshop meeting focused on mixed uses in the commercial zones.

This would allow mixed uses in the general commercial, highway commercial and Wescosville commercial zones.

Township Planning Director Nathan Jones wanted to talk about the maximum density of dwelling units per acre allowed in a mixed use development. He said a greater density of dwelling units per acre was needed to attract developers and have the type of really good mixed use we want.

Planning Commissioner Thomas Beil said there should be criteria for developers in order to receive the density bonus.

Jones had three standards for developers to receive the density bonus.

The first said commercial retail buildings should not be constructed with parking on four or more sides.

The second standard required 20 percent of nonresidential use floor area to be a part of a mixed use structure.

The final standard requires mixed use development to have a marque or anchor building that can be residential or nonresidential but must include the architectural elements to create a focal point for the development.

There was a discussion about the possible height of the buildings and it was suggested the buildings would be two to three stories with the possibility of them being as high as five stories. Jones said the increased density could mean additional buildings rather than taller buildings.

Jones does not yet have an exact number for the density of mixed use properties, but said in the coming days he wants to speak to local leaders in areas with successful mixed use developments and find out what their density is.

Planning Commissioner Al Perez suggested the empty lot that was originally going to be a Home Depot as a mixed use development. Perez talked about the possibility of buildings on the property being four or five stories.

Beil asked if there were areas in the commercial zones where mixed use and heavy residential development was not wanted. There was a discussion of rewarding developers who agreed to add solar panels or green roofs to their developments. The idea of pedestrian plazas and public common spaces were discussed.

Township commissioner Maury Robert asked if there is a minimum lot size for mixed use developments.

There was talk about the idea of varying the types of houses on a mixed use development. It was asked if the ordinance can allow for more than one type of housing rather than requiring a certain type of housing, such as apartments.

Beil said he was not sure if the township should open up all of the commercial zones to mixed uses. Jones said the township is a good candidate to have larger mixed use lots. He also said smaller lots are possible and achievable in the township, particularly in the Wescosville commercial district.

Jones said it would probably be more likely to see small mixed use developments near the end of the process when there is more of a land crunch.

Since there are six applicants who submitted development projects for the month of April the planning commissioners decided to replace the April 20 workshop meeting with a traditional planning commission meeting in addition to the April 13 meeting.

The April 13 meeting will cover four development projects and the April 20 meeting will cover the other two. Both meetings will be held via Zoom with a link being published on the township’s website so the public can participate in the meetings.

Both meetings will begin 7 p.m. and a video recording of the meetings will be put on the township’s YouTube channel after the meetings.