R-PLO Planned Laboratory-Office Districts are
designed primarily to provide for selected modern laboratory and office
establishments which provide for attractive large-site low-lot-coverage
development in areas where traditional business development would
be inappropriate and to strengthen and diversify the Township tax
base and are compatible with the character of surrounding areas.
A.
Uses by right. A building or unified group of buildings may be erected or used and a lot may be used or occupied for any of the following purposes, provided that the demolition of or special exception or conditional use for a historic resource shown on the Historic Resources Map or any subdivision, land development or construction activity within 300 feet of a historic resource shown on the Historic Resources Map shall be subject to the provisions of Article XIXA relating to historic preservation:
[Amended 10-7-1997 by Ord. No. 218]
(1)
Scientific or industrial research, testing or
experimental laboratory or similar establishment for research or product
development, provided that there is no commercial production or storage
of any commodity or substance except for storage necessary for scientific
research.
(2)
Office building.
(3)
Accessory uses of the following:
(a)
A cafeteria or other service facility located
within the building and operated for the exclusive use of occupants
of the building, guests and invitees, in the normal course of business.
(b)
A recreational area for occupants of the building.
(c)
Storage within a completely enclosed building
in conjunction with a permitted use.
(d)
Living quarters for watchmen, caretakers or
similar employees, provided that no such living accommodation or sleeping
quarters shall be located on the first floor of a building.
A.
Lot area and lot width. Every lot on which a building
or combination of buildings is hereafter erected or used shall have
a lot area of not less than 50 acres, and such lot shall be not less
than 300 feet in width at the building line. In the event that a development
site consists of 50 or more acres upon which is to be located one
building structure used and occupied by one business entity, one additional
lot with a lot area of not less than 10 acres may be located upon
the development site, provided that both lots and structures located
thereon otherwise comply with all of the terms and provisions of this
article.
B.
Total site coverage. Not more than 20% of the area
of any lot may be occupied by buildings, and a total of not more than
60% of the area of any lot may be occupied by buildings and parking
areas.
C.
Minimum structure setback.
(1)
No building shall be located less than 100 feet
from a street right-of-way line nor less than 100 feet from a side
or rear property line.
(2)
In the event that more than one building is
to be erected or used on a lot, such building shall have front, rear
and side yard setbacks of 75 feet, 75 feet and 50 feet, respectively.
(3)
A driveway or road system may be located within
said front, rear or side yard setbacks, provided that a minimum of
20 feet of properly landscaped property is planted and maintained
between the front, rear and side property line and the driveway or
road system.
(4)
In the event that the development of the tract
involves the installation by the developer of an approved loop road
as part of the overall traffic network of the intersection of U.S.
Route 1 and U.S. Route 202, the Supervisors have the right to permit
the loop road right-of-way on one side to coincide with the property
line, and in such event the applicant shall be relieved of the requirements
for buffering between the road right-of-way and the property line;
and no building shall be located less than 100 feet from the loop
road right-of-way, and there shall be a buffer planting strip of not
less than 50 feet in width or a five-foot-high earthen landscaped
berm within said twenty-foot buffer strip between the loop road right-of-way
and said building line setback.
D.
Height. No building shall exceed two stories nor more
than 35 feet in height. Basement areas of buildings may not be used
for human occupancy.
No building may be erected, altered or used
and no lot or premises may be used which is noxious or offensive or
which constitutes a hazard to the immediate surrounding area. Each
permitted use shall provide and utilize such smoke, noise and other
control devices as are necessary to assure that such use will not:
A.
Constitute any nuisance beyond the boundary of the
site by reason of dissemination of noxious, toxic or corrosive fumes,
smoke, odor or dust.
B.
Result in noise or vibration exceeding the average
intensity of noise from other causes at the boundary site.
C.
Produce objectionable heat, glare or radiation.
D.
Result in electrical disturbance in nearby residences.
E.
Create any other objectionable condition which is
dangerous to health, safety or the proper use of adjoining property.
A.
Each building shall be designed so as to minimize
its commercial appearance and shall, insofar as practicable, afford
minimum external evidence of the nature of the operation conducted
therein.
B.
No products or goods shall be publicly displayed on
the exterior of the premises, and no showrooms, display rooms or rooms
of like use for the public display of goods or products shall be permitted.
A.
Utilities and sewers.
(1)
All utility lines servicing the buildings shall
be placed underground within the lot lines of the property.
(2)
All buildings shall be served by public water
and, if existing within a reasonable proximity, an operating municipal
or other available sewage treatment plant.
(3)
In locations where there is no access to an
operating municipal or other available sewage treatment plant, one
or more on-site sewage treatment systems must be provided. Said system
or systems must be in accordance with the Township Sewage Facilities
Plan and approved by the Department of Environmental Protection of
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
B.
Disposal requirements. All trash, garbage, rubbish
and debris of every kind shall be stored within the building in fireproofed
rooms or containers or in a screened and shielded courtyard area and
shall be collected and disposed of as often as may be required under
the particular circumstances by private collectors and at no cost
to the Township.
C.
Development agreement. Upon final approval of subdivision
and/or land development plans and as a condition to such approval,
the Board of Supervisors may require the owner to enter into a written
agreement with the Township to guarantee completion of the development
within a stated period of time and compliance with all applicable
laws, ordinances, rules and regulations and conditions of approval.
Said guaranty may be in the form of a bond with or without corporate
or other suitable surety or security, as determined by the Board of
Supervisors.
A.
Screening along property lines adjoining other zoning
districts.
(2)
Along each street line bounding a residence district, a strip of land not less than 50 feet in width shall be suitably landscaped except for necessary sidewalks and accessways crossing the strip or a twenty-foot-wide buffer strip with a five-foot berm; except that property abutting a loop road shall be governed by the provisions of § 210-172C.
[Amended 3-5-1991 by Ord. No. 177]
B.
Mechanical equipment. See Article XXI § 210-193A(3).
C.
General landscaping.
(1)
The lot and each building, parking area and
service area shall be suitably landscaped in accordance with a landscaping
plan, prepared by a licensed landscape architect and approved by the
Board of Supervisors.
(2)
All landscaping shall be appropriate to the
architectural design of the building, using to the maximum extent
possible the existing terrain and trees on the site.
D.
Screening of roof objects. Water towers, storage tanks,
processing equipment, stand fans, skylights, cooling towers, communication
towers, vents and other structures or equipment which arise above
the roofline shall be architecturally compatible or effectively shielded
from view from any public dedicated street or private thoroughfare
by an architecturally sound method which shall be approved by the
Board of Supervisors.
See Article XXIII.
A.
General characteristics. Adequate off-street parking
areas shall be provided.
B.
Specific location.
(1)
No more than 3% of the parking spaces shall
be located between the building and any adjoining highway upon which
the building fronts.
(2)
No parking, loading or service area shall be
permitted in the front yard setback within 75 feet of the street right-of-way
line, nor shall any parking, loading or service area be permitted
within 50 feet of the side or rear property line, except that parking
may be allowed by the Supervisors within 20 feet of the side or rear
yard property line, provided that there is installed and maintained
a five-foot-high earthen landscaped berm within said twenty-foot strip.
A.
Size. Each parking space shall be not less than 180
square feet in area (nine feet by 20 feet).
B.
Number. Not less than one automobile parking space
with suitable access shall be provided for each 300 square feet of
gross floor area.
C.
In that the need for parking is dependent upon the
type and volume of use of a building, these minimum parking requirements
may be increased or decreased by the Board of Supervisors, upon the
recommendation of the Township Planning Commission, to the required
size and number to provide adequate off-street parking for the contemplated
type and volume of use.
All parking, loading, access and service areas
shall be paved with concrete, blacktop or other hard surface material.
A.
Access to a major highway or secondary street shall
be controlled in the interest of public safety by the use of deceleration
and acceleration lanes, buffer strips and traffic control devices.
Each building or group of buildings shall be physically separated
from the highway or street by a planting strip or other suitable barrier
against unchanneled motor vehicles ingress and egress, except for
designed accessways.
B.
In the event that the lot fronts upon a state highway,
the Department of Transportation of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
shall approve the means of ingress and egress to and from the lot.
C.
Traffic control devices required to accommodate the
traffic generated by the use of the site shall be at the expense of
the owner.
All parking, loading, access and service areas
shall be adequately illuminated at night. Said lighting shall be arranged
so as to protect the streets, highways and adjoining property from
direct glare. The location, type and intensity of said lighting shall
be in accordance with a lighting plan approved by the Board of Supervisors.
In addition to the required off-street parking
areas, there shall be provided off-street areas for the loading and
unloading of delivery trucks and for the servicing of the buildings
by refuse collection, fuel and other service vehicles, which areas
shall be located at the side or rear of the building, shall be adequate
in size and shall be so arranged that each may be used without blockage
or interference with the use of the accessways or the automobile parking
facilities.
