Bridgeport Borough Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday on a 23-page zoning amendment that would make a number of changes to rules currently on the books.
A public hearing is a formal opportunity for residents and other interested parties to comment on the proposed ordinance before Council considers whether to adopt it.
Among the most noticeable changes are new restrictions on food trucks.
Bridgeport currently does not set a numerical limit on active mobile food vendor permits. The proposed ordinance would cap the borough at five active food truck permits at any one time, issued on a first-come, first-served basis.
Food trucks also can currently operate until 2:30 a.m. The proposal would move the cutoff to 10 p.m., with trucks required to leave public property by 11 p.m.
The ordinance would also add insurance and food-safety requirements and more specifically regulate where food trucks can operate.
Animal-related zoning regulations would change as well.
For animal-care businesses, such as veterinary or boarding facilities, the current code requires buildings housing or treating animals to be at least 50 feet from a residential property line. The proposal would instead require 100 feet of separation from any building used for human habitation.
Kennel regulations would also change. Outdoor pens and runways currently must be at least 200 feet from any property line. The proposed standard would be 100 feet from a building used for human habitation.
Parking regulations are another significant piece of the proposal.
The borough currently limits parking lots to 120% of the minimum number of spaces required by zoning. The proposal would increase that to 150%, with additional parking possible through conditional-use approval.
In the Neighborhood Commercial District, the distance used to receive credit for nearby municipal parking would decrease from 500 feet to 300 feet, and the proposal would cap the reduction in required on-site parking at 90%.
Restaurants would also see changes to outdoor dining rules. The current 40-seat maximum would be removed, along with the existing schedule requiring additional parking as outdoor seating increases. Tents, currently prohibited over outdoor dining areas, would be permitted on private property.
The ordinance also proposes more flexible setbacks for residential accessory structures such as sheds and detached garages.
Council will hold the public hearing on Ordinance 2026-007 during its Tuesday, Nov. 10 meeting before considering adoption.
Read the full proposed zoning amendment HERE.
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