Latrobe City is considering updates to sections of its zoning regulations to make them more accessible and to include provisions for potential new land uses, such as electric-car charging stations.
Councilman Ralph Jenko, who served on a committee charged with recommending the updates, said they will be reviewed by the city planning commission and Westmoreland County planners before being presented at a public hearing and considered for approval by council.
Latrobe code enforcement officer Shannon Cypher Hart said the recommendations were provided on Friday to the county, which will have 45 days to review them.
Among other changes, Jenko said, the committee has proposed converting zoning text that spells out permitted uses of different types of properties into a more convenient table. “It’s condensing pages and pages of text into a much-easier-to-use table,” he said.
According to Jenko, the proposed revision also would touch specifically on different types of signs, including electronic signs, to make sure all are in compliance with city regulations. He said it may be best to address illumination of signs in a separate ordinance.
Ordinances, he noted, deal with existing conditions, while zoning looks to the future and how council would like to guide the city’s development.
Suggested additions to the zoning code would designate areas best suited for facilities that recently have gained a foothold in the region, such as electric-car charging stations and medical marijuana dispensaries.
Latrobe’s revised zoning code also should include updated definitions and nomenclature, Jenko said. Mobile homes, he noted, are now more properly called industrialized homes.
The Latrobe committee, with assistance from consultant Scenic Pittsburgh, has been working for more than a year to develop the proposed zoning updates.
“It’s a massive undertaking and a big time commitment,” said Mayor Rosie Wolford. “It’s definitely something that needed done.
“It’s part of what helps keep the property values up. It’s extremely important.”