[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
A. 
The City Council may from time to time amend, supplement, or repeal any of the regulations and provisions of this chapter. The procedure for the preparation of a proposed zoning ordinance as set forth in § 607 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10607, is hereby declared optional.
B. 
Before voting on the enactment of an amendment, the City Council shall hold a public hearing thereon, pursuant to public notice. In addition, if the proposed amendment involves a Zoning Map change, notice of said public hearing shall be conspicuously posted by the City at points deemed sufficient by the City along the perimeter of the tract to notify potentially interested citizens. The affected tract or area shall be posted at least one week prior to the date of the hearing.
C. 
In the case of an amendment other than that prepared by the Planning Commission, the City Council shall submit each such amendment to the Planning Commission at least 30 days prior to the hearing on such proposed amendment to provide the Planning Commission an opportunity to submit recommendations.
D. 
If, after any public hearing held upon an amendment, the proposed amendment is changed substantially, or is revised to include land previously not affected by it, the City Council shall hold another public hearing, pursuant to public notice, before proceeding to vote on the amendment.
E. 
At least 30 days prior to the public hearing on the amendment by the City Council, the City shall submit the proposed amendment to the County planning agency for recommendations.
F. 
Within 30 days after enactment, a copy of the amendment to this chapter shall be forwarded to the County planning agency.
A. 
A landowner who desires to challenge on substantive grounds the validity of this chapter or the Zoning Map or any provision thereof which prohibits or restricts the use or development of land in which he has an interest may submit a curative amendment to the City Council with a written request that his challenge and proposed amendment be heard and decided as provided in § 916.1 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Code (hereinafter "MPC"), 53 P.S. § 10916.1. The curative amendment and challenge shall be referred to the Planning Commission and the County planning agency as provided in § 609 and notice of the hearing thereon shall be given as provided in §§ 610 and 916.1 of the MPC, 53 P.S. §§ 10609, 10610, and 10916.1.
B. 
The hearing shall be conducted in accordance with § 908 of the MPC, 53 P.S. § 10908, and all references therein to the Zoning Hearing Board shall, for purposes of this section, be references to the City Council. If the City does not accept a landowner's curative amendment brought in accordance with this section and a court subsequently rules that the challenge has merit, the court's decision shall not result in a declaration of invalidity for this entire chapter and Zoning Map, but only for those provisions which specifically relate to the landowner's curative amendment and challenge.
C. 
The City Council, if it determines that a validity challenge has merit, may accept a landowner's curative amendment, with or without revision, or may adopt an alternative amendment which will cure the challenged defects. The City Council shall consider the curative amendments, plans and explanatory material submitted by the landowner and shall also consider:
(1) 
The impact of the proposal upon roads, sewer facilities, water supplies, schools and other public service facilities;
(2) 
If the proposal is for a residential use, the impact of the proposal upon regional housing needs and the effectiveness of the proposal in providing housing units of a type actually available to and affordable by classes of persons otherwise unlawfully excluded by the challenged provisions of this chapter or Zoning Map;
(3) 
The suitability of the site for the intensity of use proposed by the site's soils, slopes, woodlands, wetlands, floodplains, aquifers, natural resources and other natural features;
(4) 
The impact of the proposed use on the site's soils, slopes, woodlands, wetlands, floodplains, natural resources and natural features, the degree to which these are protected or destroyed, the tolerance of the resources to development and any adverse environmental impacts; and
(5) 
The impact of the proposal on the preservation of agriculture and other land uses which are essential to public health and welfare.
A. 
If the City determines that this chapter, or any portion hereof, is substantially invalid, it shall take the following actions:
(1) 
The City shall declare by formal action, this chapter or portions hereof substantially invalid and propose to prepare a curative amendment to overcome such invalidity. Within 30 days of such declaration and proposal, the City Council shall:
(a) 
By resolution make specific findings setting forth the declared invalidity of this chapter, which may include:
[1] 
References to specific uses which are either not permitted or not permitted in sufficient quantity;
[2] 
Reference to a class of use or uses which requires revision; or
[3] 
Reference to this entire chapter which requires revisions.
(b) 
Begin to prepare and consider a curative amendment to this chapter to correct the declared invalidity.
B. 
Within 180 days from the date of the declaration and proposal, the City shall enact a curative amendment to validate, or reaffirm the validity of, this chapter pursuant to the provisions of § 609 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (hereinafter "MPC"), 53 P.S. § 10609, in order to cure the declared invalidity of this chapter.
C. 
Upon the initiation of the procedures as set forth in Subsection A, the Planning Commission shall not be required to entertain or consider any landowner's curative amendment filed under § 609.1 of the MPC, 53 P.S. § 10609.1, nor shall the Zoning Hearing Board be required to give a report requested under § 909.1 or 916.1 of the MPC, 53 P.S. §§ 10909.1 or 10916.1, subsequent to the declaration and proposal based upon the grounds identical or substantially similar to those specified by the resolution required by Subsection A(1). Upon completion of the procedures set forth in Subsections A and B, no rights to a cure pursuant to the provisions of §§ 609.1 and 916.1 of the MPC, 53 P.S. §§ 10609.1 and 10916.1, shall, from the date of the declaration and proposal, accrue to any landowner on the basis of the substantive invalidity of this chapter for which there has been a curative amendment pursuant to this section.
D. 
The City, having utilized the procedures set forth in this section, may not again utilize said procedure for a period of 36 months following the date of enactment of a curative amendment, or reaffirmation of the validity of this chapter; provided, however, if after the date of declaration and proposal there is a substantially new duty imposed upon the City by virtue of a change in statute or by virtue of a Pennsylvania appellate court decision, the City may utilize the provisions of this section to propose a curative amendment to this chapter to fulfill said duty or obligation.
A. 
Amendments to this chapter shall become effective only after a public hearing held pursuant to public notice. A brief summary setting forth the principal provisions of the proposed amendment and a reference to the place within the City where copies of the proposed amendment may be secured or examined shall be incorporated in the public notice. Unless the proposed amendment shall have been prepared by the Planning Commission, the City Council shall submit the amendment to the Planning Commission at least 30 days prior to the hearing on such amendment to provide the Planning Commission an opportunity to submit recommendations. In addition, at least 30 days prior to the public hearing on the amendment, the City shall submit the proposed amendment to the County planning agency for recommendations.
B. 
Within 30 days after adoption, the City shall forward a certified copy of the amendment to the County planning agency.
C. 
Proposed amendments shall not be enacted unless notice of proposed enactment is given in the manner set forth in this section, and shall include the time and place of the meeting at which passage will be considered, a reference to a place within the City where copies of the proposed amendment may be examined without charge or obtained for a charge not greater than the cost thereof. The City Council shall publish the proposed amendment once in a newspaper of general circulation in the City not more than 60 days nor less than seven days prior to passage. Publication of the proposed amendment shall include either the full text thereof or the title and a brief summary, prepared by the City Solicitor and setting forth all the provisions in reasonable detail. If the full text is not included:
(1) 
A copy thereof shall be supplied to a newspaper of general circulation in the City at the time the public notice is published.
(2) 
An attested copy of the proposed amendment shall be filed in the County law library (or other County office designated by the County Commissioners).
D. 
In the event substantial amendments are made in the proposed amendment, before voting upon enactment, the City Council shall, at least 10 days prior to enactment, readvertise, in one newspaper of general circulation in the City, a brief summary setting forth all the provisions in reasonable detail together with a summary of the amendments.
If, after a public hearing, Council rejects a petition for changing zoning district boundaries for any lot, combination of lots or portion of a lot, no person shall file a petition for changing the zoning district boundaries for any lot, combination of lots or portion of lots or any part thereof which was rejected by Council for at least one year from the date of Council rejection.