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Record of Proceedings

Dormont Planning Commission Meeting - September 15, 2025

Borough Council & Boards — Monday, September 15, 2025
BodyDormont, Pennsylvania
SessionBorough Council & Boards
DateMonday, September 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 15:21

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Unassigned speaker

0:00

Okay,

Speaker 1

0:00

I'm gonna call to order the September 9th Dormont Planning Commission meeting.

0:05

Uh we'll start with roll call.

0:08

Uh Nathan Tvornik, Chair.

0:12

Bill Gordon.

Speaker 2

0:14

Corey Briegel.

Unassigned speaker

0:16

Uh

Speaker 2

0:17

Amy Gary.

Speaker 3

0:19

Patrick Feit.

Speaker 4

0:23

Lisa Spaziani.

Speaker 1

0:25

Great.

0:25

Thank you.

0:26

I have a quorum.

0:27

And I believe Gary will be coming late, but yeah.

0:31

Can I get a vote to approve the minutes from last minute's meeting or last month's meeting?

0:38

Motion.

0:39

Second.

Unassigned speaker

0:40

Uh

Speaker 1

0:40

motions approved to accept last month's meetings.

0:43

We had no old business.

0:44

So that brings us on.

Speaker 4

0:46

Do you want to take a vote?

0:46

Um

Speaker 1

0:47

we have to vote on

Unassigned speaker

0:48

I

Speaker 1

0:48

always try to do the vote for the meeting of Google's.

0:51

Uh all in favor of approving last month's meeting minutes.

0:55

I they're approved.

1:00

It was an old business.

1:01

So we'll move on to our agenda items of just uh going over the comprehensive zoning amendment update on the agenda.

1:08

I did leave out it's not just signage is also the uh fence change, but um today's meeting will just be to vote to move it to council for their approval and adoption.

Unassigned speaker

1:20

Is

Speaker 1

1:21

there anything else we need to speak on this?

1:24

Ashley.

1:25

Does anyone have any further questions?

Speaker 4

1:30

If anybody has any input to obviously, this is the time to sort of discuss.

1:35

Um I did send it, obviously, Nate, to you to circulate to the planning commission.

1:41

We also provided it to Jeff because he was sort of taking the lead with having these preliminary discussions with council.

1:48

Um and Jeff, I don't want to speak for you, but okay.

1:53

So my understanding um with my previous discussions with Jeff, um, he was okay with the changes.

2:00

He believed that they encompass um what

Unassigned speaker

2:04

uh

Speaker 4

2:05

the desired change based upon the discussions with council.

2:08

Obviously, there were some additional changes that I incorporated based upon our discussion at the last planning commission meeting.

2:17

Um I think that probably one thing that we should take a look at in particular.

2:24

Um I want to make sure that we're okay with um I I think where we ended up last month was that we were gonna make the change to allow um heavy plastic sandwich board signs.

2:35

If that's not my uh if that was incorrect, um that would be the time, you know.

2:42

Let's discuss that.

2:43

Also the illumination um for the window signs.

2:48

That was a major change.

2:50

Um the discussion was that I think the planning commission felt comfortable with it, provided that we really limited the moving, the flashing, the colors, um, and also set some type of time limits in terms of um when we were gonna allow those to operate.

3:07

So I think that it's probably worth, you know, just having that discussion and making sure everybody's comfortable with the language.

Speaker 1

3:15

So for the sandwich board plastic sandwich boards, I believe we arrived on allowing them in residential districts, provided they're used for traffic signaling.

3:27

So for the basically it's a carve out for the borough's slow or safe streets.

3:32

Safe streets signage.

Speaker 4

3:34

So I think then that knowing that, then we're gonna have to

Unassigned speaker

3:38

make

Speaker 4

3:38

an additional an additional change, right?

3:42

Because if we look here, now it's not permitted in the RA district.

3:48

Do you want to add that as being permitted in the RA district?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
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Procedural██████████████24%
Summary of Proceedings

Dormont Planning Commission Meeting - September 15, 2025

(Note: The raw transcript indicates the meeting was called on September 9, 2025, but the provided meeting date is September 15, 2025. This summary uses the provided date.)

The Dormont Planning Commission met to discuss and vote on a comprehensive zoning amendment regarding signage and fence regulations. The meeting began with roll call (Nathan Tvornik, Chair; Bill Gordon; Corey Briegel; Amy Gary; Patrick Feit; Lisa Spaziani) and approval of the previous month's minutes.

Consent Calendar

  • The minutes from the previous meeting were approved by unanimous vote after a motion and second.

Discussion Items

  • The primary agenda item was the comprehensive zoning amendment update, covering signage and fence changes. The commission reviewed proposed modifications to allow heavy plastic sandwich board signs in residential districts for traffic signaling (borough slow/safe streets). Members expressed support for allowing plastic, citing existing use and enforceability, and clarified that such signs should be placed in streets rather than sidewalks.
  • For window signs, the commission discussed permitting illumination with parameters: no flashing, pulsating, moving, scrolling, or intermittent lights; no glare impairing driver vision; operation from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. or one hour past business close, with an exception for 24-hour businesses. The commission agreed to retain this language, noting that safety lighting for after-hours clean-up was not a concern. A brief suggestion to adjust to half-hour before/after was not adopted.
  • The commission acknowledged that the changes are intended to benefit business owners and that existing signs will be grandfathered. The process under the Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) was also noted, including a 45-day minimum advertising and public hearing timeline after council vote.

Key Outcomes

  • A motion was made and seconded to recommend the comprehensive zoning amendment to Borough Council, subject to the changes discussed (allowing plastic sandwich boards in the RA district for traffic signaling and clarifying placement in streets). The motion passed unanimously.
  • The commission agreed that a member (Nathan Tvornik) would attend the supercommittee meeting on September 29, 2025, to explain the changes to council.
  • No public comments were submitted or presented.

The meeting adjourned after a motion and second.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, I'm gonna call to order the September 9th Dormont Planning Commission meeting. Uh we'll start with roll call. Uh Nathan Tvornik, Chair. Bill Gordon. Corey Briegel. Uh Amy Gary. Patrick Feit. Lisa Spaziani. Great. Thank you. I have a quorum. And I believe Gary will be coming late, but yeah. Can I get a vote to approve the minutes from last minute's meeting or last month's meeting? Motion. Second. Uh motions approved to accept last month's meetings. We had no old business. So that brings us on. Do you want to take a vote? Um we have to vote on I always try to do the vote for the meeting of Google's. Uh all in favor of approving last month's meeting minutes. I they're approved. It was an old business. So we'll move on to our agenda items of just uh going over the comprehensive zoning amendment update on the agenda. I did leave out it's not just signage is also the uh fence change, but um today's meeting will just be to vote to move it to council for their approval and adoption. Is there anything else we need to speak on this? Ashley. Does anyone have any further questions? If anybody has any input to obviously, this is the time to sort of discuss. Um I did send it, obviously, Nate, to you to circulate to the planning commission. We also provided it to Jeff because he was sort of taking the lead with having these preliminary discussions with council. Um and Jeff, I don't want to speak for you, but okay. So my understanding um with my previous discussions with Jeff, um, he was okay with the changes. He believed that they encompass um what uh the desired change based upon the discussions with council. Obviously, there were some additional changes that I incorporated based upon our discussion at the last planning commission meeting. Um I think that probably one thing that we should take a look at in particular. Um I want to make sure that we're okay with um I I think where we ended up last month was that we were gonna make the change to allow um heavy plastic sandwich board signs. If that's not my uh if that was incorrect, um that would be the time, you know. Let's discuss that. Also the illumination um for the window signs. That was a major change.

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