Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Clearing up any confusion over zoning ordinances and offering better-defined terminology, Harveys Lake Borough Council members recently approved an updated zoning manual.
Jack Varaly, a consultant with Michael J. Pasonick Associates of Wilkes-Barre, assisted council in redefining 78 terms, clarifying the height of shoreline buildings and adding new ordinances and addendums such as the windmill ordinances, outdoor fuel burning furnaces and no-impact home-based businesses.
One of the biggest changes in the new manual is the how the height of shoreline buildings will be determined. The building height ordinance states “maximum height of any building or structure, regardless of use, will not exceed 12 feet measured from the shoreline based on the normal high-water elevation.”
Borough Secretary Susan Sutton said in the past there was some confusion as to whether it was 12 feet from the dock or high water mark. She said the ordinance also states the zoning officer could require a certified shoreline elevation determination by a licensed land surveyor.
Sutton said the ordinance was made in an effort to protect the pristine view of the lake for all residents and visitors
Zoning Officer Andy Luzetski said a more defined description of dock width and lengths was added. The regulation states a “dock length can be the width of the property minus the required setback of 10 feet on each side from the extended side yard property line.”
The maximum dock length is “50 feet but not to exceed 20 percent of the distance to the nearest point on the opposite shore.”
One of the 78 terminology changes was a switch from bathhouse to cabanas. Sutton said a cabana is a temporary structure that will be removed for winter months.
“The manual has not been updated since 1992,” Luzetski said. “I had to cross-reference ordinances and any changes. Now everything is in one book.”
see for yourself
The new Harveys Lake Borough zooming manual is available for viewing at the Harveys Lake Municipal Building. The next meeting of the Harveys Lake Borough Council is 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, at the municipal building.
Jack Varaly, a consultant with Michael J. Pasonick Associates of Wilkes-Barre, assisted council in redefining 78 terms, clarifying the height of shoreline buildings and adding new ordinances and addendums.