This chapter shall be known, and may be cited,
as the "North Coventry Zoning Ordinance."
This chapter is enacted under and pursuant to
the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, Act 247 of 1968, as
amended,[1] in order to promote, protect and facilitate the public
health, safety, and welfare through:
A.
Coordinated and practical community development, including
accommodation of reasonable overall community growth;
B.
Provision for proper population density and prevention
of overcrowding of land;
C.
Provision of housing of various dwelling types encompassing
all basic forms of housing;
D.
Provisions for adequate light, air, open space, and
recreation;
E.
Provision for adequate parking and loading;
F.
Provision for safe and efficient travel by vehicles,
bicycles and pedestrians;
G.
Provision of adequate sewer facilities and a reliable
and adequate water supply;
H.
Provision for the protection and preservation of natural,
scenic, and historic values in the environment, and preservation of
forests, wetlands, aquifers, and floodplains and the preservation
of agricultural land and related activities;
I.
Provision for schools, public ground, and other public
improvements;
J.
Protection against loss of health, life, or property
from fire, flood, or other dangers; and
K.
Fulfillment of the purposes of Article I, Section 27 (the Environmental Amendment) of the Pennsylvania Constitution which states: "The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of natural, scenic, historic, and aesthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustees of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all people."
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101
et seq.
This chapter is enacted to implement the spirit
and intent of the 2001 North Coventry Township Comprehensive Plan,
1992 Open Space, Recreation, and Environmental Resources Plan, the
1995 Act 537 Wastewater Treatment Plan and Re-rating Study, and other
applicable codes, ordinances, or studies, as amended, which have been
formulated according to the following objectives:
A.
Promote the maintenance and preservation of the historic
structures and sites that contribute to the Township's heritage and
help to define its character.
B.
Protect and conserve natural resources, landscapes,
and habitats that are an integral component of the Township's character.
(1)
Direct growth away from areas with sensitive natural
resources and toward those areas most suitable for development in
terms of available infrastructure (i.e., sewer, water, transportation),
compatible land uses, and least impact on protected resources.
(2)
Enforce ordinance standards that protect the Township's
sensitive environmental resources, including stream corridors, floodplains,
woodlands, steep slopes, wetlands, and groundwater sustainability.
(3)
Protect wildlife habitat and strive to enhance the
natural diversity of the Township's plants and animals.
(4)
Promote stormwater management techniques and wastewater
disposal methods that emphasize the recharge of groundwater and protect
the quality of surface and groundwater.
C.
Protect agricultural lands from undesirable impacts
of change. Implement both public and private measures for preserving
open space, farmland, and natural landscapes.
D.
Direct orderly growth and development which preserves
the remaining rural areas and villages of the Township, respects existing
land uses, and establishes a balance between growth and the protection
of natural and cultural resources.
(1)
Direct growth toward existing centers of development
and areas with adequate infrastructure while protecting open space,
agriculture, scenic viewsheds, and environmentally sensitive areas.
Discourage scattered, unplanned growth.
(2)
Recognize the unique characteristics of the Township's
villages through specialized zoning districts to maintain village
character.
(3)
Integrate commercial, office, industrial, higher density
residential development, and open space in appropriate areas, such
as the Town Center, consistent with available water and sewer infrastructure,
adequate transportation facilities, and compatibility with adjacent
land uses.
(4)
Allow for a limited amount of nonresidential development
in the Township that will provide for a more diverse tax base, services
for residents, and some local employment opportunities without over-zoning
for commercial, office, and industrial uses.
E.
Plan for the housing needs of present and future residents
in appropriate areas of the Township.
(1)
Direct housing development, particularly higher and
medium density uses, away from environmentally sensitive areas and
into areas consistent with the Future Land Use Plan and served by
necessary facilities and services.
(2)
Encourage creative site design and flexible land use
ordinance standards to accommodate housing that blends into the character
of the surrounding landscape.
(3)
Allow for a variety of housing types designed to meet
the full range of age, income, and family housing needs of Township
residents.
(4)
Encourage the location of a retirement community within
the Township to meet the extended care needs of Township residents.
(5)
Establish areas where neo-traditional village communities
with a variety of housing types and limited commercial and service
uses could be appropriate to provide another lifestyle option for
Township residents.
F.
Provide for a safe, efficient, and diversified transportation
system that addresses both current and future needs of the Township.
(1)
Coordinate and integrate land use development with
transportation infrastructure so that higher intensity land uses are
located in the vicinity of major transportation facilities.
(2)
Implement coordinated access management strategies
along major transportation corridors. Discourage strip commercial
development that creates multiple access points along these corridors.
(3)
Provide for alternative transportation needs, including
a network of sidewalks, pedestrian and biking paths, trails, and routes
that connect major centers of activity and recreation.
G.
Continue to provide community facilities and services
to meet the needs of existing and future residents and landowners
in a manner that is consistent with the Township Comprehensive Plan
and the statutory and fiscal capabilities of the Township.
A.
In interpreting and applying the provisions of this
chapter, the provisions shall be held to be the minimum requirements
for the promotion of the purposes of this chapter. From and after
the effective date of this chapter, the use, construction and development
of all land, structures, buildings, signs or portions thereof, will
be subject to the regulations herein. Any existing buildings, land,
or uses not in conformity with the regulations herein shall be considered
nonconforming, but may be continued or changed subject to regulations
herein regarding nonconformities except for developments falling within
the provisions of Section 508(4) of the Municipalities Planning Code.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10508(4).
B.
The provisions of this chapter are not applicable
to municipal uses related to public recreation and open space. Where
the Township has acquired, by any means, open space, including easements
for public trails, and the acquisition of such property or easement
rights effectuate a nonconformance in lot size for the residue, the
residue shall be considered a nonconforming lot but not subject to
the minimum lot size, minimum lot width or any area or bulk provisions
of this Zoning Chapter.
[Added 3-12-2007]
A.
Where this chapter imposes greater restrictions upon
the use of buildings or land, or upon height and bulk of buildings,
or prescribes larger open spaces than are required by the provisions
of such ordinance, enactment, rule, regulation or permit, then the
provisions of this chapter shall control. Where the provisions of
any statute, other ordinance, or regulation imposes greater restrictions
than this chapter, the provisions of such statute, ordinance or regulation
shall be controlling.
B.
The following uses and any references therein within
the North Coventry Township are deleted as permitted uses by right,
through a special exception or upon conditional use approval, said
uses being otherwise provided for the Pottstown Metropolitan Region
in other municipalities comprising the Pottstown Regional zoning and
planning organization and being otherwise provided for in accordance
with the Pottstown Metropolitan Regional Comprehensive Plan and Zoning
Requirements of which North Coventry Township is a member:
[Added 2-26-2007]
(1)
Mobile home parks.
(2)
Truck stop.
(3)
Adult uses.
(4)
Heavy industrial.
(5)
Quarry.
(6)
Landfills.
(7)
Junkyard.
(8)
Power plant.
(9)
Refinery.
(10)
Campground with hookups for sewer and water
or that allow permanent residents, a "permanent residency" meaning
a residency of more than two weeks for any given individual, group,
family or invitee thereof within any sixty-day period.
(11)
Transfer station.
The North Coventry Township Zoning Ordinance
No. 30 of December 9, 1968, and its amendments are hereby repealed.
The effective date of this chapter is September
23, 1996, except that with respect to the subject matter of any amendment
as it may affect the nonconforming uses, or otherwise, the effective
date of this chapter shall mean the date upon which the particular
amendment became or becomes effective.
