Township of Middlesex, PA Article XX TC Town Center District

§ 175-209 Purpose.

The purpose of this district is to provide a mixture of residential, retail shopping, consumer service and personal service uses intended to serve household needs where such land use activity, character and scale can be accessible for pedestrians and vehicles to and from adjacent residential areas as well as considers the Township's historic development patterns while accommodating modern trends.

§ 175-210 Authorized uses.

[Amended 8-13-2014 by Ord. No. 127; 7-29-2015 by Ord. No. 128; 3-20-2019 by Ord. No. 133; 12-20-2023 by Ord. No. 138]

In the TC Town Center District, the following principal uses are authorized:

A. Permitted uses.

(1) Principal uses.

(a) Garden apartments.

(b) Single-family dwellings.

(c) Townhouses.

(d) Two-family dwellings.

(e) Automotive service station.

(f) Communication antenna.

(g) Convenience store.

(h) Essential services.

(i) Financial institution.

(j) Food store.

(k) Forestry.

(l) Home-based business, no impact.

(m) Offices, professional and business.

(n) Open space.

(o) Public park and recreation areas.

(p) Personal services.

(q) Pharmacy.

(r) Public utilities.

(s) Retail store, excluding adult businesses.

(2) Accessory uses.

(a) Residential solar energy systems, subject to § 175-155.5.

(b) Decks.

B. Conditional uses.

(1) Nonmunicipal recreation.

(2) Home occupation, other.

(3) Manufacturing.

(4) Place of worship/place of assembly.

(5) Public utility buildings.

(6) Restaurant.

(7) Vehicle repair garage.

(8) Vehicle sales.

(9) Oil and gas well site development, subject to § 175-155.2.

(10) Large land development.

(11) Breweries, subject to § 175-98.1.

(12) Distilleries, subject to § 175-98.1.

(13) Microbreweries, subject to § 175-118.2.

(14) Microdistilleries, subject to § 175-118.2.

(15) Taverns/bars and brewpubs, subject to § 175-118.2.

(16) Tasting rooms (stand-alone), subject to § 175-128.1.

(17) Catering/event venues, subject to § 175-99.1.

C. Uses by special exception.

(1) Prinicipal uses.

(a) Group care facility or transitional dwelling.

(b) Clinics.

(c) Comparable uses not specifically listed.

(d) Day-care center.

(e) Temporary use or structure, other than for construction.

(2) Accessory uses.

(a) Short-term rentals, subject to § 175-127.2.

§ 175-211 Area and bulk regulations.

In the TC Town Center District, all uses shall be subject to the following regulations, except as they may be modified by the express standards and criteria for the specific conditional uses and uses by special exception contained in Article XI.

A. Minimum lot size: 8,000 square feet.

B. Minimum lot width: 80 feet.

C. Maximum lot coverage: 75%.

D. Front yard:

(1) Minimum: 35 feet from a front lot line adjacent to an arterial street; or 20 feet from a front lot line adjacent to all other road rights-of way.

(2) Maximum: 85 feet from a front lot line adjacent to any road rights-of-way.

(3) No double frontage lots shall be permitted.

E. Minimum rear yard.

(1) All principal structures: 20 feet.

(2) All accessory structures: five feet.

F. Minimum side yard:

(1) Adjoining AG or R District: 15 feet.

(2) All other districts: 10 feet each side.

G. Special yard requirements: See § 175-142.

H. Permitted projections into required yards: See § 175-143.

I. Maximum height:

(1) All principal structures: 36 feet or three stories.

(2) All accessory structures: 15 feet or one story.

J. Height exceptions: See § 175-144.

§ 175-212 Parking and loading.

See Article XIII.

§ 175-213 Signs.

See Article XIV.

§ 175-214 Performance standards.

See § 175-139.

§ 175-215 Storage.

See § 175-149.

§ 175-216 Screening and landscaping.

See § 175-140.

§ 175-217 Vehicular access.

See § 175-150.

§ 175-218 Steep slope controls.

See § 175-141.

§ 175-219 Design standards.

The following section defines a series of provisions for the Town Center District. If a conflict exists between the following provisions and any other requirements defined by this chapter, these provisions shall take precedence.

A. The maximum gross floor area of a building or structure shall be 40,000 square feet.

B. For nonresidential development, no curb cuts along a public right-of-way shall be permitted within 150 feet of another curb cut or driveway entry. For curb cuts located less than such established minimum, a developer shall either:

(1) Prepare a legal agreement specifying the establishment and use of a shared driveway; shared driveway entrances and access drives are encouraged; or

(2) Obtain a modification from the Township Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. The process for such modification shall be in accordance with Article XVII, Administration and Enforcement.

C. To safeguard the safety of residents and minimize conflicts between regional and local traffic, the development of any residential land use shall not occur within 150 feet of the rights-of-way of an arterial street as defined by this chapter.

D. All buildings in the Town Center District shall provide prominent and highly visible street-level doorway entrances along the front or side of the building which faces a public street.

E. Awnings, sunscreens or other similar architectural treatments shall be permitted on the front facade of all nonresidential buildings. Such treatments shall be permitted to project into required front and side yards no more than three feet.

F. All fire escapes or similar life safety features shall be located on the side or rear facade of a building or structure.

G. No mechanical or electrical equipment related to a building or structure shall be visible from a public right-of-way. Wherever feasible, the use of exterior mechanical systems should be minimized.

H. All land development within a Town Center District shall provide sidewalks within the front yard setback. The minimum width of all sidewalks within the front yard setback shall be five feet unless otherwise specified by the Township. Sidewalks shall be located to optimize the amount of contiguous area available for landscaping within the front yard. When practical, all new sidewalks shall directly connect to existing sidewalks situated on adjoining lots. See also § 175-154, Sidewalks.

[Amended 3-20-2019 by Ord. No. 133]

I. Off-street parking.

(1) To the greatest extent possible, off-street parking areas shall be designed to reduce negative visual effects of extensive paved areas and contain defined landscaped pedestrian walkways. Parking areas shall be constructed within centralized location(s) accessible to multiple land uses. Parking areas on multiple lots shall be interconnected to the greatest extent possible to reduce traffic congestion and the number of curb cuts along public streets. If said layout can be demonstrated not to be physically feasible, then said parking shall be located to the rear or side of the lot's structures.

(2) No single parking lot area shall exceed 40% of the overall lot.

(3) All parking areas shall be landscaped as per Township standards.

(4) One landscape island measuring at a minimum of 160 square feet in area shall be constructed for every 10 parking spaces. The island shall contain a minimum of one deciduous tree that has a minimum caliper size of three inches and ground cover planting covering 50% of the island's area.

(5) Parking lots shall be located a minimum of five feet from any lot line.

(6) Lighting for vehicular and pedestrian safety shall be provided in accordance with Township specifications. Streetlighting shall not exceed 24 feet in height. Pedestrian lighting shall not exceed 16 feet in height.

J. Upon review of a proposed land development plan, the Township may permit a developer to exceed the maximum building coverage applicable to this district, if the developer provides for enhanced pedestrian spaces and amenities within a lot's setback area. Enhanced pedestrian spaces and amenities may consist of a combination of features, such as plaza, courtyards, outdoor seating, widened sidewalks/pathways, increased landscape treatments, street furniture or other public space amenities.

K. All service and loading areas shall be located in the rear yard of a lot. The service and loading area of all nonresidential developments shall be screened by an eight-foot high hedge, earth berm, masonry wall or fence with a minimum opacity of 80%.