Source: https://www.ecode360.com/29169520
Timestamp: 2018-09-20 21:10:01
Document Index: 732548443

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 27', '§ 27', '§ 27', '§ 27', '§ 27', '§ 27', '§ 27', '§ 27', '§ 27', 'art 13', 'art 13', '§ 27', '§ 27', '§ 27', '§ 27', '§ 27', '§ 27', 'art 20', '§ 27', '§ 27']

Township of Lower Southampton, PA TC Town Center District
Ch 27 Pt 13 TC Town Center District
§ 27-1301 Purpose and intent.
§ 27-1302 Uses.
§ 27-1303 General design standards.
§ 27-1304 General standards.
§ 27-1305 Streetscape and green area standards.
§ 27-1306 Specific design standards.
§ 27-1307 Definitions.
§ 27-1308 Landscaping.
§ 27-1309 Parking and access.
Part 13: TC Town Center District
Chapter 27: Zoning Part 13 TC Town Center District
The intent of the Town Center District is to:
Encourage economic development through the establishment of flexible standards that maintain a traditional "Main Street" environment and the community's unique identity.
Encourage the retention and redevelopment of the streetscape by preserving the existing buildings to the greatest extent possible.
Promote the reuse of existing structures in a manner that maintains visual character and architectural scale.
Ensure that new buildings, additions and renovations are consistent with and enhance the surrounding streetscape.
Encourage lively, human-scaled activity areas and gathering places for the community through encouraging a mix of uses.
Establish a walkable community by promoting pedestrian orientation of streets and buildings and providing a safe and convenient interconnected sidewalk network.
Accommodate parking in a convenient manner that does not interfere with the rhythm of the street.
Promote the implementation of the Lower Southampton Township Comprehensive Plan.
Small-scale retail establishment for the sale of dry goods, variety and general merchandise, clothing, food, drugs, household supplies, beverages, hardware, furnishings, antiques, baked goods, greeting cards, plants and flowers, and for the sale and repair of jewelry, watches, clocks, optical goods, musical, professional or scientific instruments, but excluding drive-through facilities.
Business office, such as real estate sales, travel agency, insurance sales, advertising or retail copying and printing services, or other uses of similar intensity.
Personal service shop, such as tailor, barber, beauty salon, shoe repair, dressmaker or dry cleaner (provided that no cleaning operations are performed on the premises); excluding massage parlors and limited personal services.
Establishment serving food or beverages to the general public, such as restaurant, cafe, taproom, tavern, retail baker, confectionery or ice cream shop, including walk-up windows, but excluding drive-through facilities.
Financial institution, such as a bank or savings and loan association, but excluding drive-through facilities.
Religious institutions and their ancillary uses.
Studio for dance, music, fitness, art or photography.
Theater, including motion pictures and stage plays.
Government administration uses, post office, community center, public library, offices for public utilities.
Public park, plaza, square, courtyard, urban garden, and public recreation areas.
Pedestrian takeout window.
Private or fraternal club.
Apartment buildings, provided that the following is included:
Twenty percent of the first floor of the building located along the street frontage shall be office or retail uses.
Apartment buildings should follow the standards of §§ 27-1303 and 1306.
Demolition of buildings listed or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
In order for a building to be demolished, all of the following conditions need to be demonstrated:
The building is structurally unsound and cannot be stabilized as determined by a professional structural engineer specializing in historic structures.
The Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission (PHMC) has been notified of the intent of demolition. The applicant must provide documentation of notification to the PHMC.
Replacement buildings must meet the following conditions:
Provide a public amenity as described in § 27-1305.1C and D.
Any new building on the site must be constructed of natural materials typically found along a Main Street. Natural materials include such materials as stone, brick, wood siding, shingles, slate, etc. Industrial or artificial materials such as raw concrete finish, anodized or galvanized metal, tinted glass, plastics, vinyls, etc., are prohibited unless such materials are used in such as way as to resemble historic characteristics.
Meet the standards of §§ 27-1303 and 1306.
The applicant shall submit sufficient information in the form of architectural elevations and sketches of buildings in order to determine to what extent the design standards under §§ 27-1303 and 1306 are being followed.
Cross-access easements for parking lots between adjacent nonresidential properties shall be provided before an occupancy permit is issued for the newly constructed building. The parking area shall be so designed to readily accommodate shared access.
Accessory nonresidential structures, completely behind building and away from street.
Minimum lot size: 2,500 square feet.
Build-to-line. Buildings shall be:
Built to the sidewalk; or
Set back from the sidewalk 10 to 20 feet for purposes of a plaza, square, courtyard, recessed entrance or outdoor dining.
Building height. Buildings shall be a minimum of two stories or a maximum of 35 feet.
Historic buildings cannot be demolished unless following a conditional use procedure as described in § 27-1302.
Public utilities. All uses shall be served by public water and sewer facilities.
General surface parking standards.
Vehicular access. Vehicular access to surface parking shall be from a alley or side street where possible.
Pedestrian access. Safe provisions for pedestrian access to and through a parking lot shall be required. Surface parking areas and pedestrian walkways connecting to them shall be well lit.
Location of surface parking.
Surface parking shall be located to the rear of the principal building or to the side (however, parking shall not be located between a building and the street). Parking shall be set back 10 feet from the legal right-of-way.
Corner lots. Surface parking shall not be permitted on corner lots that are located on collector or arterial roads.
Off-street surface parking shall not extend more than 70 feet in width along any pedestrian street frontage without an outdoor cafe, urban garden, plaza, square, courtyard or landscaping feature with seating.
Interconnected parking areas.
Parking areas on abutting nonresidential lots shall be interconnected by access driveways.
Each nonresidential lot shall provide cross-access easements for its parking areas and access driveways guaranteeing access to adjacent lots. Interconnections shall be logically placed and easily identifiable to ensure convenient traffic flow.
Parking. Parking shall be provided in accordance with § 27-1309 of this part.
Exterior lighting. All exterior lighting shall be designed to prevent glare onto adjacent properties. Pedestrian pathways need to be clearly marked and well lit. Lighting should be sufficient for security and identification without allowing light to trespass onto adjacent sites. The height of fixtures shall be a maximum of 20 feet for parking lots and 14 feet for pedestrian walkways.
Refuse areas. The storage of refuse shall be provided inside the building(s) or within an outdoor area enclosed by either walls or opaque fencing. Any refuse area outside of the building shall be designed to be architecturally compatible with the building(s), shall not be located in the front of the building, and shall be entirely screened by a fence or enclosure which is at least six feet high.
All wall-mounted mechanical, electrical, communication and service equipment, including satellite dishes and vent pipes, shall be screened from public view by parapets, walls, fences, landscaping or other approved means.
All rooftop mechanical equipment and other appurtenances shall be concealed by or integrated within the roof form or screened from view at ground level of nearby streets. The following, when above the roofline, requires screening: stair wells, elevator shafts, air-conditioning units, large vents, heat pumps and mechanical equipment.
Parking lots visible from a street shall be continuously screened by a three-foot-high wall/fence or plantings. Parking lots adjacent to a residential use shall be continuously screened by a six-foot-high wall/fence or plantings. Screening shall include:
Hedges, installed at 36 inches in height;
Wall sections, with no wall break of more than nine feet, and landscaping to provide a continuous screen.
Service and loading areas must be visually screened from streets and pedestrianways. For new construction, service and loading areas must be behind the building. Loading docks shall not be on the main street but to the side and rear of the building.
Signs. Signage in the Town Center District shall conform to the standards of Part 20 of this chapter.
Outdoor furnishings are limited to tables, chairs and umbrellas.
Outdoor dining cannot impede pedestrian traffic flow. A minimum pathway of at least five feet free of obstacles shall be maintained.
The following streetscape and green area standards are required for all new developments and additions/alterations along the street frontage:
Streetscape and green area standards should be developed in accordance with this section and a streetscape design reviewed and approved by the Board of Supervisors. The applicant shall include elevations and conceptual sketches in any proposed streetscape plan.
Figure 1 indicates the categories and minimum requirements for streetscape and green area standards. Category A contains planting and greening elements. Category B includes more elaborate greening elements as well as street furniture and other streetscape elements. Category C includes more extensive building elements, streetscape improvements, and open space elements. Figure 2 presents the streetscape and green area items within each category.
Streetscape and Green Area Categories
Two-Story New Developments of 2,500 to 4,999 Gross Square Feet in Size
Two-Story New Developments of 5,000 to 9,999 Gross Square Feet in Size
New Developments of 10,000 Gross Square Feet and Over in Size and/or New Buildings Greater Than 2 Stories
4 points from Category A (no more than 3 of 1 item)
5 points from A, 4 points from B
7 points from A, 5 points from B and 6 points from C
Streetscape and Green Area Items
Hanging basket (minimum size: 12 inches in diameter)
Window box (as wide as widowsill and a minimum size 6 inches wide by 6 inches deep)
Additional planting area including shrubs, trees, ground covers or flowers
Building decorative lighting
Urban garden (see requirements in § 27-1305.1C)
Plaza/square/courtyard (see requirements in § 27-1305.1D)
Other amenity approved by governing body
Sixty percent of the garden shall be of plant materials such as trees, vines, shrubs and seasonal flowers with year-round interest. All trees shall be 3.5 inches in caliper.
A water feature is encouraged.
Public plazas/squares/courtyards standards.
The minimum size required is 500 square feet.
The plaza shall be located where it is visible and accessible from either a public sidewalk or pedestrian connection.
Thirty percent of the plaza shall be landscaped with trees, shrubs and mixed plantings with year-round interest.
The plaza shall use the following paving materials: unit pavers, paving stones or concrete. No more than 20% of the plaza shall be concrete.
The plaza shall not be used for parking, loading or vehicular access (excluding emergency vehicular access).
Public art and fountains are encouraged.
Trash containers shall be distributed throughout the plaza.
The plaza shall provide shade by using the following elements: trees, canopies, trellises, umbrellas or building walls.
One tree is required for every 500 square feet. Trees shall be of 3.5 inches in caliper.
Plazas shall connect to other activities such as outdoor cafes, restaurants and building entries.
Plazas shall be located, if possible, to have maximum direct sunlight with a south or west orientation.
Plazas, if constructed by a private entity, shall have an agreement with the community for public access.
The sidewalk pattern shall continue across driveways.
Building design standards. Nonresidential buildings and apartment buildings shall meet the following requirements:
The front facade of buildings shall be oriented towards commercial/main streets with an everyday public entrance in this front facade.
When buildings are located on corners, the entrance shall be located on the corner with an appropriate building articulation, such as a chamfered corner, turret, canopy or other similar building feature. The Board of Supervisors may allow front facades to face existing side streets when these facades will extend an existing commercial district along this existing side street.
All primary building entrances shall be accentuated. Entrances permitted include recessed, protruding, canopy, portico or overhang.
Blank walls shall not be permitted along any exterior wall facing a street, parking area or walking area. Walls or portions of walls where windows are not provided shall have architectural treatments that are similar to the front facade, including materials, colors and details. At least four of the following architectural treatments shall be provided:
Trellis containing planting.
Opaque or translucent glass.
An architectural element not listed above, as approved by the Board of Supervisors, that meets the intent.
The ground-floor front facades of buildings visible from the pedestrian view shall consist of a minimum of 60% window area and a maximum of 75%, with views provided through these windows into the business. Ground-floor windows shall be a maximum of 12 to 20 inches above the sidewalk.
Upper-story windows of front facades shall not be boarded or covered and shall comprise a minimum of 35% window area in the facade above the ground floor and a maximum of 75%.
Smoked, reflective or black glass in windows is prohibited.
Roofs. Roofs shall be in keeping with the character of adjacent buildings or shall have pitched roofs. Pitched roofs shall have a minimum slope of 4:12 and a maximum slope of 12:12.
Building character. New infill development shall generally employ building types that are compatible to the historic architecture of the area in their massing and external treatment.
New infill development shall also retain the architectural rhythm of building openings (including windows and entries) of the same block.
New infill development shall also attempt to maintain the horizontal rhythm of main street facades by using a similar alignment of windows, floor spacing, cornices, awnings as well as other elements. This rhythm shall be achieved by aligning the top, middle and base floors. Buildings shall have a distinct base at ground level using articulation or materials such as stone, masonry or decorative concrete. The top level should be treated with a distinct outline with elements such as projecting parapet, cornice or other projection.
Buildings shall be similar in height and size or articulated and subdivided into massing that is more or less proportional to adjacent structures and maintains the existing architectural rhythm.
The massing of any facade should generally not exceed 50 feet maximum (horizontal dimension). Shop fronts may be broken down even further. Massing variations every 30 feet or less is preferred.
Nonresidential buildings must have at least a three-to-five-foot break in depth in all street facades for every 50 feet of continuous facade. Such breaks may be met through the use of bay windows, porches, porticos, building extensions, towers, recessed doorways, and other architectural treatments.
A roof with a bevelled edge, especially to a beam.
The projection at the top of a wall or the top course or molding of a wall when it serves as a crowning member.
The exterior walls of a building facing a frontage line.
Temporary or occasional outdoor retail sales of farm produce from vehicles or temporary stands.
The arrangement of windows and other exterior openings on a building.
The area comprising 1/4 acre or more of wooded land where the largest trees measure at least six inches diameter at breast height (dbh), 4 1/2 feet from the ground or a grove of trees forming one canopy where 10 or more trees measure at least 12 inches diameter at breast height.
The three-dimensional shape of a building's height, width and depth.
PEDESTRIAN TAKEOUT WINDOW
A window opening in the facade of a commercial building used for the sale of food and/or beverages. Such a window shall be designed for the exclusive use of pedestrians and shall be located to provide a safe waiting area and to not disrupt or impede pedestrian movement on a sidewalk used by the public.
The portion of a wall which extends above the roofline.
A covered walk or porch that is supported by columns or pillars; also known as "colonnade."
Any person or persons, including corporations, who engage in the activity of vending.
Street trees shall be planted in tree wells or a planter strip underlain by soil providing enhanced growth and survivability rates.
Tree wells. Tree wells shall be a minimum of four feet long by four feet wide by 3.5 feet deep below the ground surface. Larger wells are recommended and could be connected together as a continuous planting pit. Tree wells shall be covered with tree grates, concrete unit pavers and/or cobbles. A two-foot-by-two-foot opening or two-foot diameter should be left for the tree grate.
Planter strip. Planter strips shall not be less than five feet wide. If located along a parking stall or stalls, they shall be covered similar to a tree well.
Trees shall be selected that are appropriate for their location. The following factors shall be considered when selecting a tree species: maintenance requirements, hardiness, salt tolerance, shape and form, and the subsurface growing conditions. All trees shall meet the requirements of Chapter 22, Subdivision and Land Development.
Trees under wires. Trees located under wires shall not be of a species that is expected to grow into the utility lines.
Interior landscaping. All surface parking lots of 20 spaces or more shall have shade trees with a caliper of 2.5 inches minimum. One shade tree per 10 spaces is required in planting islands or diamonds.
Perimeter landscaping for parking lots visible from a street shall have a landscaped area of a minimum width of three feet.
Hanging baskets, planters and window boxes:
Planters shall not obstruct the sight triangles. Planters shall not encroach into the sidewalk so that less than five feet of passageway is available for pedestrians.
Window boxes. Window boxes should be at least as wide as the windowsill where they are located (at least six inches wide by six inches deep). They shall not encroach into the sidewalk unless pedestrian access to that area of the sidewalk is restricted.
Hanging baskets, planters and window boxes shall contain live plantings.
Parking space requirements by use shall follow the below standards or follow the standards from Subsection 3 of this section (parking reduction):
Four spaces per indoor teller window.
With walk-up ATM (as above, plus two per ATM).
Bar or tavern: one per 100 square feet of patron floor, plus one per employee on largest shift.
Convenience store: one space per 250 gross square feet of floor area.
Office: No parking is required for the first 400 gross square feet; one space per each additional 300 gross square feet.
Apartments: 1.5 spaces per unit.
Bed-and-breakfast inn and house: two spaces, plus one per guest or rental room.
Hotel: one space per rental unit, plus one space per 200 square feet of gross floor area in common or public use (lobby, bar, meeting rooms, etc.), plus one per employee on the largest shift.
Fast food. No parking is required for the first 300 square feet of patron floor area, one space is required per each additional 75 square feet of patron floor area, plus one per employee on the largest shift.
Other. No parking is required for the first 400 square feet of patron floor area, one space is required per each additional 100 square feet of patron floor area, plus one per employee on the largest shift.
Retail, personal service. No parking is required for the first 450 gross square feet of space devoted to sales/service, one space is required for each additional 300 gross square feet of space devoted to sales/service, plus one per employee on the largest shift.
Theater: one per six seats.
Indoor amusements: one per 200 square feet of gross floor area.
Studios: one per 800 square feet minimum; one per 300 square feet maximum.
Private or fraternal clubs: one per 150 square feet above the first 2,400 square feet.
Religious institution: one per five seats.
Government uses, community center, libraries: one per 850 square feet of gross floor area.
Funeral homes: the greater of one per four seats or one per 50 square feet.
Home occupation: one space per employee, one space per 100 gross square feet of floor area dedicated to the home occupation for those home occupations with a visiting clientele.
Gallery and museum: one space per 850 square feet.
Maximum parking.
No more than 120% of the required minimum parking is permitted.
Parking reduction.
Each use may reduce the number of required spaces up to 100% if the requirements are met by one of the following or a combination of the following to meet the necessary requirements:
The use is located within four-hundred-feet walking distance from a public parking facility.
On-street parking is provided directly in front of the building.
Shared parking meets the requirements of Subsection 4 of this section.
The use is within 400 feet of a transit facility, meaning a use that supports or provides a means of transporting people from one location to another.
Users shall be required to show shared parking is reasonably close to each use (see Subsection 4D, Walking distance).
Shared parking agreement (two businesses) or district (more than two businesses) which involves contractual agreement between users is required. A shared parking agreement allows users an opportunity, if they choose, to redesign parking lots to be more efficient in serving multiple users. This may consist of making new curb cuts between parking lots, restriping lots, or redesigning internal traffic circulation and pedestrian walkways.
The minimum amount of shared parking required shall be calculated according to the following formula (see Figure 3):
Shared Parking Calculations
Midnight to 8:00 a.m.
Institutional (nonreligious)
To determine peak parking requirements, multiply the minimum parking required for each proposed land use by the corresponding percentage in the table for each of the six time periods.
Less than 100 feet: people with disabilities, deliveries and loading, emergency services, fast-food restaurant, and convenience store.
Less than 800 feet: residents, grocery stores, professional services, and medical clinics.
Less than 1,200 feet: general retail, restaurant, employees, entertainment center, and religious institutions.
Less than 1,600 feet: major sport or cultural event and overflow parking.
Retail storefronts or other business uses on the street level shall be required on main streets to provide vitality.
For structures not on a main street, parking garages shall be set back 10 to 15 feet from the legal right-of-way unless the frontage is occupied by a retail or business use.
Utilitarian appearances of parking structures are not permitted. Structures shall have design treatments such as colonnades, arcades, awnings, landscaping, street furniture, and other public amenities to create the appearance of an occupied building. Blank walls are not permitted.
Cars shall be visually screened from adjacent buildings, and the street and such screening shall be in keeping with the rest of the building's architectural style and materials.
Vehicular access to parking garages shall be accessed from alleys, placed underground, placed in structures above the ground floor, or located behind or to the side of a building. (If located to the side of a building, the garage must be set back from the front of that building by 10 to 15 feet.)
Driveway entrances shall not exceed 24 feet when crossing sidewalks.
Creation of new alleys.
Alleys shall be protected by wheel bumpers or curbs.
Intersections connecting alleys with other alleys are prohibited.
A maximum of 20 feet in width for two-way alleys is required; 12 feet in width for one-way alleys.