The purpose of this district is to provide highly
visible and appropriate locations for major business developments,
including offices and limited commercial uses. Because the land within
this district is within areas of the Township affected by traffic
congestion, special requirements are included for coordinated circulation
improvements to support the permitted development.
Any application for a conditional use in the PO/B District or for any use involving the subdivision of land into lots smaller than six acres shall provide a site plan as described in § 190-201 and also the following information. The submission and review of this information should be coordinated with the requirements and processes of the sketch or preliminary plan or land development plan process of the Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
A.
The applicant shall provide a written description
of the substance of covenants, grant of easements or other restrictions
to be imposed upon the use of land, buildings and structures including
proposed grants and/or easements for common open space areas and public
utilities, and the legal form of provision and enforcement thereof.
B.
In the case of plans which call for development in
stages, a schedule shall be provided showing the approximate order
that applications for final approval of each stage of the development
are intended to be filed and the approximate number and type of uses
planned for each stage.
C.
The Zoning Officer or Township Engineer may waive
requirements for information in the application that are cannot be
reasonably provided at this time for areas not scheduled for immediate
development within the tract. For those areas, a sketch plan of likely
development shall be provided. As each further stage occurs, a plan
showing all of the information required by this section shall be submitted
or referenced from previous approved applications.
D.
Preliminary architectural renderings. Such renderings
of the front facades of principal buildings shall be submitted for
informational purposes. These plans shall not be used as the basis
for a conditional use or subdivision or land development process decision
or any other regulatory decision of the Township.
Each of the following principal uses and their accessory uses may be permitted in the PO/B District, provided that all other requirements of this Article, Article XX and all other parts of this ordinance are satisfied:
A.
Business, professional, governmental or medical office
or clinic.
B.
Bank and financial institution.*
C.
Standard restaurant, specifically not including fast-food
restaurants.
D.
Life care retirement center.*
E.
Nursing home and personal care home.*
F.
Routine replacements of an existing lawful use by
a use that the applicant proves to the satisfaction of the Zoning
Officer is permitted and is closely similar in intensity to the previous
use, within an existing building.
G.
Flexible office space, involving a maximum of 25%
of the total floor area of any structure or use being used as interior
accessory wholesale storage to a principal permitted office or service
use.
H.
Services directly primarily and predominantly to office
uses, as opposed to personal services. These may only include uses
that are similar in character and intensity to the following illustrative
uses:
I.
Exercise club or nonhousehold swimming pool.
K.
Community center, auditorium and cultural center.
L.
Publicly-owned park and Township-owned facility.
M.
Day-care center, child* or adult.*
P.
Car wash, subject to the following provisions:
[Added 11-29-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-447]
(1)
Traffic flow and ingress/egress shall not cause traffic backups on
adjacent streets.
(2)
On-lot traffic circulation channels and parking areas shall be clearly
marked.
(3)
Signs and outdoor lighting shall be in accordance with this ordinance.
(4)
Adequate provisions shall be made for proper and convenient disposal
of refuse.
(5)
On-site recycling of water shall be required.
The following are permitted as special exception uses within the requirements of Article XX:
The following uses are conditional within the requirements of Article XX:
A.
Retail sales, rental uses and personal services uses
within the following limitations:
(1)
The total of all such uses shall not exceed a maximum
of 25% of the total floor area of a lot to the south of U.S. Route
22 and a maximum of 10% for any stage of any development north of
U.S. Route 22.
(2)
Retail sale, rental and personal service use to the
north of U.S. Route 22 shall be intended primarily for the use of
employees and/or residents of the development.
(3)
Such uses shall not be in an entirely retail freestanding
structure, but should be well-integrated with other permitted uses.
(4)
Such uses shall be conducted entirely within a structure
and shall not include outdoor display of any goods for sale or rent.
(5)
The floor area limitations on retail sales, rental
and personal services uses of this section shall, for the purposes
of this Article, specifically not apply to any use listed as permitted
by right under this Article, including standard restaurants, financial
institutions and services directed primarily to business uses.
B.
Hotel and motel, provided that any such use located
within 400 feet of the lot lines of at least two existing single-family
detached dwellings not separated by a minor arterial street shall
have a single entrance routinely used by patrons instead of individual
entrances to units, include substantially greater landscaping in quantity
and quality than what would normally be required, and not permit the
parking of tractor-trailer trucks within 200 feet of a residential
lot line.
C.
College and trade school.
D.
Hospital,* provided that the building(s) is located
a minimum of 400 feet from all lot lines of existing dwellings.
E.
Auditorium* (including an indoor sports arena), provided
that the structure is located a minimum of 400 feet from all residential
lot lines.
F.
Research, development and testing laboratory, not
threatening environmental hazard and related custom manufacturing
for research purposes.
[Added 5-20-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-316]
G.
Appropriate governmental services and facilities,
other than those permitted by right.
[Added 5-20-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-316]
H.
Commercial communications antenna.
[Added 5-20-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-316]
I.
Appropriate public utilities facilities.
[Added 5-20-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-316]
J.
Mental health care facility.
[Added 5-20-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-316]
[Amended 5-20-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-316; 7-1-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-320]
See § 190-208F.
Permitted accessory uses shall be as follows:
Specifically prohibited uses shall be as follows:
B.
Commercial or industrial outdoor storage or display.
C.
Solid waste disposal area or facility.
D.
Adult bookstore, adult movie theater, adult live entertainment
use or massage parlor.
E.
Fast-food restaurants.
G.
Any use not permitted either by right, special exception,
conditional use or accessory use is prohibited.
[Added 5-20-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-316]
See § 190-192.
See § 190-210, which also references the requirements of the HDR District.
Area and bulk regulations for uses other than
life care centers shall be as follows:
A.
Coordinated development. All developments shall be
constructed in accordance with a well-coordinated, integrated overall
plan with a carefully designed interior and exterior system of vehicular
access. If a development is to be carried out in progressive stages,
each stage shall be planned so that the requirements and intents of
this Article and this ordinance shall be fully complied with at the
completion of any stage.
B.
Tract and lot size.
(1)
Minimum tract size: six acres.
(2)
As part of an approved planned development, lots with
a minimum lot area of 30,000 square feet may be created out of an
overall minimum six-acre tract, except that a hotel or motel shall
have a minimum lot size of four acres, and except for any larger minimum
lot size stated elsewhere.
(3)
Condominium development. The minimum lot area required
by this section shall not apply to individual condominium-owned uses
within a building on a lot that complies with the minimum lot area.
Condominium ownership of offices or for other uses is specifically
permitted, provided that the general format of such agreements include
conditions that adequately safeguard the individual owners and the
Township, based upon a review by the Township Solicitor.
C.
Lot width.
(1)
Each tract shall have a minimum tract width of 225
feet.
(2)
Minimum lot width: 100 feet, except that the following
lot widths shall be required for any lot created or resubdivided after
the adoption of this ordinance:
(a)
Intent. The intent of this section is to maintain
a smooth and efficient system of traffic circulation along major roads,
with interior roads systems, shared driveways and shared parking lots.
(b)
Any use or uses on a lot having direct vehicular
access onto a minor arterial street shall have a minimum lot width
of 250 feet, except if such access is provided onto PA Route 248,
in which case the minimum lot width shall be 350 feet at the edge
of the existing right-of-way.
D.
Separation between buildings. Principal buildings
within a lot shall be separated by a minimum of 35 feet.
E.
G.
Parking lot layout. The bulk of vehicular parking
should be placed to the rear or side of the principal buildings, as
opposed to between the street and the principal building. Parking
areas should be mostly screened from view of major and minor arterial
roads, through landscaping and/or low earth berming.
H.
Maximum height.
(1)
Five stories or 65 feet maximum, whichever is more
restrictive, for uses that are principally offices, except that:
(a)
The height of any building shall not exceed
35 feet for any use within 100 feet of an existing right-of-way or
right-of-way reserved for future dedication.
(b)
The height of any building shall not exceed
35 feet within 150 feet of the abutting exterior lot line of an existing
residential use or the abutting boundary of an LDR, MDR or HDR District.
(2)
A maximum height of 45 feet or three stories, whichever
is more restrictive, shall apply to all uses that are not principally
offices.
I.
Building setback from exterior lot lines.
(1)
A minimum of 35 feet from the future right-of-way
of any public street.
(2)
Buildings shall be set back a minimum of 35 feet from
all abutting lot lines of lots not within the same "tract", except
a minimum setback of 100 feet shall apply from the lot line of an
existing single-family detached dwelling.
(3)
From all abutting lot lines of a lot within the same
tract, a minimum setback of 20 feet shall apply.
A.
Intensity bonuses may be granted as a conditional use up to the limits listed under § 190-72B for high quality development proposals. Any decision by the Board of Supervisors to grant a bonus, after a review by the Planning Commission and the Township Engineer, shall be based upon the Supervisors' interpretation of the following criteria. No such bonus shall be granted unless stormwater management of the tract is completely adequate.
(1)
The number of jobs that would be created.
(2)
The quality and amount of landscaping in an overall
plan that will be provided, above the requirements of the Township
Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance and this Zoning Ordinance,
especially in highly visible locations along major streets. This especially
pertains to feature landscaping as a central focus for a development,
such as a pond.
(3)
The quality of the site layout of the proposal, such
as use of attractive, landscaped earth berming. This should include
the screening of bulk parking areas from view of major streets.
(4)
The integration of significant recreation facilities
for employees and/or residents into the development.
(5)
The respect for sensitive and attractive natural features.
(6)
Excellence in traffic circulation, within the site
and accessing exterior roads.
(7)
The compatibility of the proposed use with adjacent
uses.
A site plan is generally required for every principal nonresidential use. See § 190-201.
A.
Purpose. The PO/B areas in the Township are all located
at critical areas for traffic movement. Extremely carefully designed
traffic access will be essential to avoid added congestion and traffic
hazards. The number of access points onto minor arterial streets needs
to be minimized, and traffic should be steered towards one or two
traffic signals.
B.
The standards in this section apply both as requirements
for all uses in the PO/B District and also as conditions for any conditional
or special exception use in the PO/B District.
C.
PennDOT review. This section is intended to be used
in close cooperation with and not to supersede PennDOT requirements
for highway occupancy permits. In any decision by the Board of Supervisors
regarding access from a PO/B development to a minor arterial street,
the Board of Supervisors should first seek the advice of PennDOT,
the Planning Commission, the Township Police Chief, the Township Engineer
and any traffic studies that are submitted.
D.
Access alternatives to minor arterial streets. Access
involving left-hand turns shall be provided from a PO/B tract only
onto and off of an abutting collector street, instead of directly
onto a minor arterial street, wherever practical, as determined by
the Board of Supervisors.
E.
Access onto minor arterial streets. A maximum of one
access point involving left-hand turns shall be provided from a PO/B
tract directly onto and off of a minor arterial street.
F.
Setback of access points from intersections. An "intersection"
is defined as the point of intersecting legal rights-of-way of two
streets. Any access point involving left-hand turns directly onto
or off of a minor arterial street shall be set back a minimum of 300
feet from the following intersections: two minor arterial streets,
a minor arterial and a collector street or a minor arterial street
and a major arterial ramp.
G.
Setback of access points within a PO/B District. Any
access point involving left-hand turns onto and off of a minor arterial
street within a PO/B District shall be set back a minimum of 500 feet
from any other access point onto that street from within a PO/B District.
H.
Interior streets. All uses within a PO/B tract shall
make maximum possible use of a coordinated interior street system,
as opposed to individual access onto minor arterial streets.
I.
Easements for access. The Board of Supervisors may
at the time of approval of a subdivision or land development within
a PO/B District, require a lot or tract to grant an easement for vehicular
traffic to adjoining tracts to allow an efficient interior access
system.
J.
Subdivision. All subdivision of land within a PO/B
District into tracts or lots shall only occur if it would not result
in fragmented patterns of ownership and development that would prevent
a carefully coordinated interior road system and minimization of access
points to minor arterial streets.
K.
Variance reviews. Any request for a variance to the
requirements of this section shall first be reviewed by the Planning
Commission and the Board of Supervisors prior to any hearing on the
matter by the Zoning Hearing Board.
