Members of the Eastern Schuylkill Regional Planning board met Tuesday to make amendments to the proposed zoning ordinance, based on input from the participating entities. Tamaqua borough and Walker, Rush and Schuylkill townships have joined to form the regional zoning plan.

"It was a very productive meeting," said Chairman Bud Smulligan, who represents Tamaqua. "Next we'll contact the municipalities by letter and schedule the public meeting."Some of the major changes to the proposed ordinance were requested by Tamaqua. Due to the comparably congested nature of the downtown area, some of the requirements of the proposed ordinance regarding building setbacks and parking were too restrictive.For example, many of the Tamaqua lots could be termed "nonconforming." Due to their width, in many cases no more that 15 feet, it would be difficult for a homeowner to add a backyard shed while complying with a 5-foot setback ordinance. For that reason, the setbacks for a nonconforming lot will be 3 feet.Also, in the downtown area, it was nearly impossible for a business or apartment building to provide the required number of parking places. The modified section allows for an automatic parking reduction in the general commercial zoning district, which applies to downtown Tamaqua.The board also responded to concerns brought to the table by Walker Township in the Wildcat Development. The current zoning designation there is R-1, which requires a minimum lot size of 1.5 acres and a lot width of 200 feet. Walker had requested that the area be rezoned to R-3, which would reduce the required setbacks from 75 feet to 25 feet; and the board complied.The proposed ordinance was reviewed by the Schuylkill County Planning and Zoning office and commission. The next step is the public meeting and adoption, which organizers said would be scheduled within the next few months.