The township zoning hearing board has two vacant positions. One board member and one alternate member position. An appointed alternate member of the zoning board may participate and may vote to meet the quorum of the zoning board or hearing officer present. The zoning hearing board is a quasi-judicial agency of the township that makes decisions regarding specific types of land use actions. The zoning board functions like a court, although formal court procedures are not necessarily required. The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code provides a specific set of rules that must be followed for applications submitted to the zoning board, on the township zoning regulations and the law.
The zoning board hears requests:
- Special exceptions
- Variances
- Substantive challenges to the validity of any land use ordinance
- Challenges to the validity of a land use ordinance that raise procedural questions or allege defects in the process of enactment
- Appeals from zoning officer determination
- Appeals from a determination by a municipal engineer or zoning officer on the administration of a floodplain ordinance
- Appeals from a determination of any officer or agency regarding a transfer of development rights
- Appeals from a zoning officer’s decision on a preliminary opinion
- Appeals from a determination of a zoning officer municipal engineer on the administration of sedimentation and erosion control or stormwater management regulations