A Nazareth ordinance bans converting first-floor storefronts into apartments.
Downtown business storefronts may no longer be converted into residential dwelling spaces, according to a new Nazareth ordinance.
Borough Council voted Monday to rewrite the zoning ordinance in an effort to keep the existing buildings open for business and commercial use.
Council President Dan Chiavaroli said borough officials reacted after a number of former business buildings were recently converted into apartments.
"We want to try to maintain a downtown," Chiavaroli said.
Chiavaroli said the borough planners would like to continue to develop Nazareth into a shopping destination for people in the surrounding area.
The new ordinance requires that a building's storefront and at least 50 percent of the ground floor remain open for nonresidential use, including commercial, retail or business use.
Entryways to residential space toward the back of buildings and stairways to upper floor apartments are permitted.
The zoning ordinance affects the general commercial district, which encompasses the area surrounding the downtown circle and the industrial commercial district near the southern border of the borough. An exact zoning map can be found on the borough website.
Existing first-floor apartments will not be affected by the ordinance, according to Chiavaroli.
"If we want to establish a downtown for business," Councilman John Samus said, "we have to make room for it."
In other borough business Monday, council voted unanimously to hire two new full-time police officers who will start in early July, followed by a one-year probationary period.
Council also authorized the purchase of a new Ford Interceptor SUV police vehicle.
John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.