Info for Developers
Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA)
IF: A commercial property in the borough is improved with a project that increases its taxable assessed value,
THEN: Increases in real estate taxes levied by the borough and the ELCO school district will not be immediately assessed, but "phased in" over 7 years.
Learn More about the LERTA Incentive
Green Roof Incentive
IF: A building or parking structure includes an approved "green roof,"
THEN: the area covered by the "green roof" may exceed the maximum allowed building coverage for the lot by 20%.
Learn more about the Green Roof Incentive
Pervious Pavement Incentive
IF: Borough-approved pervious pavement is used for the parking lot,
THEN: The maximum impervious coverage of a lot or a tract may be increased by up to 10% percent for the lot area.
Learn more about the Pervious Pavement Incentive
LEED-Certified Building Incentive
IF: A new building is LEED-certified or meets a higher standard under the latest published standards,
THEN: The building may exceed the maximum building coverage and/or the maximum impervious coverage by 10% for the lot area.
Learn more about the LEED-Certified Building Incentive
Green Roof Incentive
If a building or parking structure includes an approved "Green Roof", the area covered by the Green Roof may exceed the zoning district's allowed maximum building coverage for the property up to a maximum increase of 20 percent. For example, if a zoning district has a maximum building coverage of 30 percent of the property, and a building footprint equal to 20 percent of the lot is covered by a green building roof, then the maximum total allowed building coverage shall be 50 percent. In such example, an area equal to a minimum of 20 percent of the lot area would need to be covered by a Green Roof, but not the entire building roof.
In order to be considered a “Green Roof,” such area shall be exposed to direct sunlight at noon-time and shall be covered with vegetation that is designed to absorb stormwater runoff. Vegetation shall be planted in soil or other growing material with a minimum of 4 inches of depth. Up to 10 percent of an area of a Green Roof may include walkways or skylights. If such vegetation dies, it shall be required to be replaced within 150 days.
Pervious Pavement Incentive
The maximum impervious coverage of a lot or tract may be increased by up to 10 percent of the lot area if a corresponding land area is covered by Borough-approved pervious pavement.
For example, if a lot includes 10,000 square feet, and has a 50 percent maximum impervious surface requirement, and the lot will include 1,000 square feet of pervious pavement, then a maximum of 6,000 square feet of the lot may be covered by impervious surfaces instead of 5,000 square feet. In such example, 5,000 square feet of the lot could be covered with building roofs and paving surfaces that are impervious.
LEED-Certified Building Incentive
New buildings that are LEED-certified or meet a higher standard under the latest published standards may exceed the zoning district's maximum building coverage and/or the maximum impervious coverage by 10 percent for the lot. This incentive may not be added on top of the other building and impervious incentives in this Section.
The applicant is required to have a LEED-certified professional provide a statement in writing to the Borough at each of the following times:
a) the land development application
b) at the time of the building permit application, and
c) at a point half-way through construction.
Such statement shall provide a professional opinion that the project will be able to meet the LEED Certification, and specifying the point system that will be used.
If a building fails to meet the requirements for LEED Certification after occupancy, the Zoning Officer shall have the authority to require that the current building owner make sufficient changes to the building and submittals to obtain the intended certification.
Subdivision and Land Development (SALDO) Ordinance
Subdivision and land development regulations set up procedures for controlling the dividing of parcels of land, and set standards for creating adequate building sites so that they are adequately served by permanent roads, a pure water supply, and a proper means of waste disposal.
Myerstown Borough does NOT have its own subdivision and land development ordinance. It is governed by Lebanon County's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
Stormwater Management Ordinance
Stormwater management regulations are put in place to provide procedures, performance standards, and design criteria for stormwater planning and management, to meet legal water quality requirements under state law and to manage accelerated runoff and erosion and sedimentations problems.
Myerstown Borough does NOT have its own subdivision and land development ordinance. It is governed by Lebanon County's Stormwater Management Ordinance.
Future Land Use and Development Plan
The 2012 Mini Comprehensive Plan included a Future Land Use and Development Plan whose purpose is to texturally and graphically serve as the supporting foundation for the borough’s future development and policy decisions as they relate to implementing the community vision, goals, and objectives. The plan generally provides residents, business owners, developers, and officials with guidance and inspiration for implementing the desired vision, general and specific characteristics for areas within the borough.
Character Areas
A Character Area is defined as: “A geographic area which is unique and distinguishable from other areas in the region or locality due to its natural features, predominant land use, mix of land uses, economic relationships, and/or design characteristics of the built environment, and for which a common vision can be articulated regarding its preservation, growth, or change.”1
Myerstown Borough's Future Land Use and Development Plan identifies of specific character areas to help ensure that future development and policy decisions within the Borough are generally undertaken in a manner consistent and compatible with the existing conditions and the desired future vision, goals and objectives of the community. Character areas go beyond the traditional general land use categories which predominately focus on "the what, the where, and the when” (the functions). Character areas seek to build upon the traditional “functions” by including “the how” (form) and focusing more holistically on how form and function are integrated and dependent upon one another, as well as how the various man-made features and systems and the natural environment are interrelated.
The Future Land Use and Development Plan plan identified eight (8) character areas for Myerstown Borough. Each character area was given a brief description, a few representative images, and some general and/or specific predominate characteristics and considerations, further detailing the “essence” of the character area. The character areas are listed below, with links to the respective sections of the plan that describe the areas, and a link to the map that show the boundaries of each area.2
- Suburban Residential Area (SR)
- Old Town Residential Area (OT)
- Traditional Mixed Neighborhood Area (TN)
- Downtown/Town Center Area (DT/TC)
- General Business Development Area (GB)
- Industrial Development Area (ID)
- Community Resource/Campus Area (CR/C)
- Natural/Heritage Area (N/H)
Myerstown Borough Future Land Use and Development Plan MAP:
1 V. Gail Easley and Glenn Coyne (June 2005) Discovering and Planning Your Community Character, Appendix B, Jerry Weitz (August 2004) Character Area Typology and Implementation, pg 25.
2 It must be remembered many of these areas are generalized and conceptual in nature, and thus the boundaries of the various character area categories are not meant to be exact.