Township of Lower Providence, PA R-2 Residential District

§ 143-35 Declaration of legislative intent; applicability.

[Amended 9-21-2006 by Ord. No. 556]

Legislative intent:

To provide for the orderly expansion of areas that offer neighborhoods of single-family detached houses at a low density.

(2)

To carefully protect these areas from nonresidential uses or higher residential density that may not be fully compatible with the existing neighborhood.

In an R-2 Residential District, the following regulations shall apply.

§ 143-36 Use regulations.

[Amended 9-19-2002 by Ord. No. 472; 9-21-2006 by Ord. No. 556; 10-20-2011 by Ord. No. 602; 6-20-2019 by Ord. No. 660; 1-16-2020 by Ord. No. 662]

A building or group of buildings may be erected or used and a lot may be used or occupied for any one of the following uses and no other:

Uses permitted by right:

(1)

Single-family detached dwelling.

(2)

Telephone utility hub station.

(3)

Golf course and golf clubhouse, excluding a separate driving range and miniature golf course.

(4)

Municipal use, governmental offices, emergency services station, and community center for senior citizens.

(5)

Parkland.

(6)

Elementary schools subject to the following additional requirements:

(a)

The proposed use shall be served by public water and sewer facilities.

(b)

No outdoor play areas shall be located closer than 75 feet to any property or street line, and outdoor play areas shall be fenced and sufficiently screened to protect the neighborhood from excessive noise and other disturbances. Outdoor play areas include playgrounds and ball fields for group activity.

(7)

Residential accessory uses, buildings, and structures. The following residential accessory uses, buildings, and structures are allowed by right on a lot with a residential principal use in accordance with the applicable requirements of this chapter:

(a)

Accessory building/structure, residential.

Backup generator.

Bus shelter.

Carport.

Garage, household No more than one detached household garage is allowed upon a lot.

Garage/yard sales.

Home occupation.

In-law suite.

Keeping of pets.

Sale of agricultural products.

(k)

Shed, household storage. One household storage shed shall be permitted with a five-foot setback from the rear and/or side yard property lines, provided said shed or said structure shall not exceed 12 feet in height, as measured from the lowest point in the grade at the entrance to the structure to the highest peak of the roof ridge.

(l)

Short-term rental.

(m)

Solar system.

(n)

Household swimming pool.

(o)

Temporary use or structure.

(8)

Nonresidential accessory uses, buildings, and structures. The following nonresidential accessory uses, buildings, and structures are allowed by right on a lot with a nonresidential principal use in accordance with the applicable requirements of this chapter:

(a)

Nonresidential accessory buildings and/or structure.

Backup generator.

Bus shelter.

Solar system.

Temporary use or structure.

Uses permitted as a special exception when approved by the Zoning Hearing Board:

(1)

Hospital or sanatorium, and religious or philanthropic use, excluding prisons.

(2)

Private recreation or wildlife sanctuary.

(3)

Any public utility use other than an airport, public heliport, railway passenger station, or bus passenger station.

Uses permitted as a conditional use when approved by the Board of Supervisors:

(1)

Open Space Residential (OSR) development (See § 143-6.2, Use definitions and regulations).

(2)

All educational institutions, other than elementary schools, along with dormitories, cafeterias, and other accessory uses customarily incidental to an educational institution; all subject to the following additional requirements:

(a)

The proposed use shall be served by public water and sewer facilities.

(b)

The proposed use shall have direct access to a feeder or higher classification street according to the adopted ultimate right-of-way map.

(c)

The proposed site shall not be subject to any hazard or nuisance such as toxic matter, flooding, excessive noise or odor, as determined by the Board of Supervisors.

(d)

The proposed site shall not require extensive cut or fill on the building site.

(e)

[1]

Editor's Note: Former Subsection C(3), regarding the Village House development option, which immediately followed this subsection, was repealed 4-16-2020 by Ord. No. 666.

§ 143-37 Area, setback, bulk, and height requirements.

[Amended 9-21-2006 by Ord. No. 556; 10-20-2011 by Ord. No. 602; 1-16-2020 by Ord. No. 662]

Dimensional requirements for single-family detached dwellings (does not apply to OSR or Village House developments).

(1)

For any project requiring land development or subdivision approval from the Township, the maximum building coverage permitted shall be 30% of the net site area, and the maximum impervious surface coverage shall be 45% of the net site area.

(2)

The dimensional and area requirements shall be determined by availability of public water and sanitary sewer service, as follows:

Requirement	No Public Service	Either Water or Sanitary Sewer Service Only	Both Water and Sanitary Sewer Service
Minimum lot area	40,000 square feet	30,000 square feet	25,000 square feet
Minimum lot width	175 feet	150 feet	100 feet
Minimum setbacks:
Front yard	50 feet	50 feet	50 feet
Side yard	30 feet	25 feet	20 feet
Rear yard	60 feet	60 feet	60 feet
Maximum building coverage (percentage of lot area)	20%	20%	20%
Maximum impervious surface coverage (percentage of lot area)	35%	35%	35%

Dimensional requirements for all other uses. The following requirements apply to all uses other than single-family detached dwellings, unless a more-restrictive requirement is set forth elsewhere in this chapter.

	Agricultural Uses	Institutional, Recreational, Municipal, and Utility Uses	All Golf Courses
Minimum lot area	5 acres	2 acres	130 acres*
Minimum lot width	250 feet	200 feet	250 feet
Minimum front yard	75 feet	50 feet	100 feet
Minimum side yard	50 feet	50 feet	100 feet
Minimum rear yard	75 feet	60 feet	100 feet
Maximum building coverage (percentage of lot area)	20%	30%	5%
Maximum impervious surface coverage (percentage of lot area)	30%	40%	15%

*	The minimum lot size for a nine-hole course or a chip and put course is 70 acres.

Building height. All buildings shall not exceed a maximum height of 35 feet, except as otherwise provided herein.

§ 143-38 Design and development standards and requirements.

[Amended 1-16-2020 by Ord. No. 662]

Site development within an R-2 District shall be in accordance with an overall plan for locating buildings and structures, providing a safe and efficient circulation of vehicles and pedestrians, preservation and extension of the natural amenities of the site, and providing for the continued maintenance of the land improvements thereon.

§ 143-39 (Reserved) [1]

[1]

Editor's Note: Former § 143-39, Alternative development plan, was repealed 9-21-2006 by Ord. No. 556.