In a recent interview, Gettysburg Borough Planning John Whitmore said the borough’s recently adopted rezoning ordinance is best understood as a technical but necessary modernization—one intended to make development fairer, clearer, and more consistent with Gettysburg’s long-term vision.
“We received well over 200 individual comments relating to everything from the districts and the supplemental regulations to the specific purposes of the ordinance itself,” Whitmore said. “Is it something everyone agrees with 100 percent? I don’t think so. But the community was able to weigh in, and that input helped shape the final ordinance.”
Whitmore said one of the most significant changes is the creation of the new Revitalization District along Carlisle St. downtown.
“The big changes are, of course, the increase in the revitalization area to encapsulate areas that are underutilized,” he said. “That’s why the parking—having a maximum standard—will be a benefit. We have limited land, and we will be able to use it wisely.
Instead of requiring developers to build a minimum number of parking spaces, the new ordinance sets parking caps.
“We say, okay, you’re able to have this many parking spaces. If you need to have more, there is an opportunity to show why you would need more parking. But overall we’re not going to be encouraging development of parking as opposed to development of housing and commercial opportunities”
Another major change addresses what Whitmore described as long-standing ambiguity in land-use categories. “The previous ordinance had a bunch of land uses that were ambiguous,” he said..
The revised ordinance replaces several older districts with a new Neighborhood Commercial (NC) framework.
“We now have Neighborhood Commercial districts one through four,” Whitmore said. “NC-1 allows for a mix of uses but encourages residential. NC-2 is Baltimore Street, recognizing the uniqueness of that corridor. NC-3 is Route 30 and other arterial roads, where you allow for auto-oriented businesses and lodging. NC-4 is Carlisle Street, primarily in the college area.”
Whitmore said the restructuring is in large part aimed at protecting and creating housing stock, particularly in areas where commercial success has gradually displaced residential uses.
“We’ve had a lot of success with the Elm Street program,” he said. “But so much so that a lot of historic structures that were primarily designed as single-family or group homes are being converted into commercial. That’s good, but it does limit the physical amount of residential space available, and that’s one of the causes leading to population decline.”
He stressed that the ordinance is not intended to trigger rapid or dramatic change.
“It really doesn’t change much,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily cause development, but it will allow for opportunities for new development. This is an update process—a very comprehensive update.”
Much of the benefit, he said, is administrative and procedural. Reducing overlays and simplifying zoning descriptions should also make expectations clearer for property owners.
“It helps the municipality administer something that’s fair. It provides for a better customer experience for individuals who own properties,” he said. “It should facilitate plan review and general inquiry, not just when you’re building something, but going forward—it allows the property owner to have some sense of what could be developed around them.”
“This ordinance update is an amendment process,” he said. “It creates the opportunities that enable not just development, but better outcomes from a customer-service perspective. All around, it helps people understand what we can expect for the future.”
Looking ahead, Whitmore said zoning is only one piece of a larger regulatory update.
“At the same time we’re doing this, we’re going to be doing the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO),” he said. “That has more direct impact on what a site will actually look like—sidewalks, layout, the real nuts and bolts of what makes a construction project a great development.”
For residents, Whitmore said the payoff may be subtle but meaningful. “It’s a change that’s going to make life easier, and it’s going to make for more orderly development.”