[Added 2-18-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-01; amended 5-19-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02; 10-21-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-05]
A. Purpose. The primary purpose and intent of the Riverfront Cultural District is to support and enhance downtown New Hope as the cultural and historic center of New Hope Borough, with a focus on the Delaware River. The design of the Riverfront Cultural District is to promote the goals and objectives of the 2008 New Hope Borough Riverfront Revitalization Strategic Plan, as amended, as adopted by Council. Those goals and objectives include, but are not limited to:
(1) The continued use of existing historic, cultural and entertainment enterprises on properties within the zoning district;
(2) The provision of permanent public access to the Delaware River and adjoining parkland;
(3) The revitalization of existing structures on properties with frontage along the Delaware River;
(4) The development of facilities that will support and complement the cultural institutions within the zoning district; and
(5) The development and redevelopment of land, either individually or collectively, in support of the 2008 New Hope Borough Riverfront Revitalization Strategic Plan, as amended.
B. Overlay zoning district effect.
(1) The Riverfront Cultural District is an overlay zone, designed to encourage the goals and objectives set forth in Subsection
A. It provides an alternative set of regulations to those set forth in the primary zoning district classification established by this Zoning chapter.
(2) Within the areas mapped as the Riverfront Cultural Zoning District, a property may be used for any use permitted in either the Riverfront Cultural Zoning District or the primary zoning district, but not both. Not all uses permitted in the primary zoning district are permitted in the Riverfront Cultural Zoning District, and vice versa. Not all properties located within the Riverfront Cultural Zoning District will meet the minimum requirements to conduct a use permitted in the Riverfront Cultural Zoning District. Such properties will remain subject to the regulations applicable to the primary zoning district classification, and the Riverfront Cultural Zoning District regulations will have no effect on such properties.
(3) In any case where the standards and requirements of a use permitted in the Riverfront Cultural District vary from those set forth in Article
IV, Use Regulations, of this chapter, the standards and requirements of the Riverfront Cultural District shall apply.
C. Uses permitted. Subject to the requirements of this section, a building or structure in the Riverfront Cultural District may be erected or altered to be used either in whole or in part, and a lot may be used or occupied for any one of the following uses and no other, provided that every use, building and structure shall comply with all additional applicable regulations of this chapter, including yards, lot area, lot width, building area and height, impervious surface, buffers, easements, off-street parking, and other requirements as specified by this chapter.
(1) Uses by right.
(a) The use in §
275-17H, theater, as modified in this section.
(b) The use in §
275-17I, inn, as modified in this section.
(c) The use in §
275-22A, no-impact home business.
(e) The use in §
275-22C, accessory building, structure or use.
(f) The use in §
275-22D, temporary structure or use.
(g) The use in §
275-22E, temporary tent or canopy, as modified in this section.
(2) Uses by special exception.
(a) The use in § 273-22H, vending machine.
(3) Uses by conditional use: none.
D. Additional use criteria; area and dimensional requirements.
(1) (a) In addition to performances, a theater use may be conducted or be used for business meetings, educational programs, fund-raising or community events, private events and receptions and other similar activities.
(b) Noise and sound; hours. The provisions of §
275-17H(2) shall not apply to the sound or noise, or the hours, of the activities conducted in connection with a theater use in the Riverfront Cultural District. The following shall apply:
[1] Outdoor performances shall be conducted only in an area of the property adjacent to the building's front facade, but not in any area reserved for parking.
[2] Nonperformance-type functions, such as community, private or business events, may be conducted in any area of the property except those areas reserved for parking.
[3] All outdoor activities shall end no later than the hours prescribed for the sale of liquor issued under a performing arts facility license under the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
[4] All sound, noise and music, whether indoor or outdoor, generated by any activity at a theater use shall be subject to the New Hope Borough Noise Ordinance, as amended; the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board; and any other governmental agency having jurisdiction.
(c) Eating activities. A theater use may serve food and beverages as an accessory use. The provisions of §
275-17H(1) shall not apply to the accessory beverage or eating activities conducted in connection with the theater use in the Riverfront Cultural District. The eating and beverage activities shall be subject to the following criteria:
[1] Any outdoor eating area shall be limited to table or counter service only. There shall be no outdoor food or beverage preparation. Subject to Subsection
D(1)(c)[7] below, there shall be no outdoor food or beverage service areas, such as bars, concession area(s) or similar service amenities.
[2] The outdoor eating and beverage area may not occupy a street right-of-way, sidewalk area or the required minimum width of the promenade/riverwalk area.
[3] The outdoor eating and beverage area may be covered by a retractable and/or removable awning, umbrella, canopy, tent or roof.
[4] Any sale of alcohol shall be subject to the hours and rules and regulations of the specific liquor license issued by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
[5] A specific accessory use/occupancy permit is required for the eating and beverage activities. All requirements of the Bucks County Health Department and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board shall be met before issuance of a use/occupancy permit for the eating and beverage activities.
[6] The eating and beverage activities must be connected to public water and public sanitary sewer facilities.
[7] An outdoor bar and/or concession area shall be permitted on a temporary basis if all the following criteria are met:
[a] The theater use is being conducted in an existing building or structure that is designated an historic structure (significant resource) in the New Hope Borough Historic District.
[b] The outdoor bar and/or concession area is used in the front yard, is used only for the duration of a performance or nonperformance event at the theater, and is limited to 215 square feet.
[c] If the outdoor bar and/or concession area is in the rear yard, the owner and/or operator of the theater use must intend to rehabilitate the historic structure and enclose the temporary outdoor bar and/or concession area within one year from the effective date of a revision to the floodplain map applicable to the property issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[d] The Borough Council may, upon conditional use approval, extend the temporary outdoor bar and/or concession area in the rear yard for additional periods of up to one-hundred-eighty-day increments, provided that the owner and/or operator of the theater use is making substantial progress in its efforts to secure a revision to the floodplain map and its construction efforts to enclose the area.
[e] The temporary outdoor bar and/or concession area shall meet the criteria applicable to outdoor service as set forth in this Subsection
D(1)(c).
[f] After the temporary outdoor bar and/or concession area in the rear yard is enclosed as required by this Subsection
D(1)(c)[7], the restrictions contained in Subsection
D(1)(c)[1] shall apply.
(d) Area and dimensional requirements:
[1] Minimum lot area: one acre.
[2] Maximum impervious surface coverage: 75%.
[3] Maximum building coverage: 50%.
[4] Minimum lot width at the street line: 40 feet.
[5] Maximum building height: 35 feet.
[7] Where a yard abuts or contains a floodway, the minimum yard shall be the greater of the floodway line or the applicable yard setback.
(e) Off-street parking. Subject to the provisions of this Subsection
D(1)(e), all requirements of Article
VIII, Off-Street Parking, of Chapter
275 of the Code shall be met for a theater use conducted in the Riverfront Cultural District. The Borough Council may, upon conditional use approval, reduce the number of off-street parking spaces required for a theater use and any accessory use conducted in connection with the theater use where the applicant demonstrates that no additional on-site parking can be provided.
(f) Parking area; use size. To the extent located in the New Hope Borough Historic District, the restrictions set forth in §
275-46C(8)(c) and
(e) shall not apply to a theater use conducted in the Riverfront Cultural District.
(2) (a) For purposes of the Riverfront Cultural District, an "inn" shall mean a single building containing at least 12 rooms for rent for the accommodation of transient guests, with permitted accessory activities as described in this subsection.
(b) An inn use conducted in the Riverfront Cultural District may contain a restaurant and/or village restaurant, with related bar/tavern areas, as an accessory use. Such restaurant use shall meet the criteria of §
275-17D or
S, as applicable, of this chapter, except as follows:
[1] An outdoor eating area that is part of the building containing the inn use may be covered with a permanent roof; and if such area is at least at or above the second story, such area may project up to five feet beyond the building wall.
[2] Outdoor eating areas not part of the building containing the inn use shall meet the applicable setbacks for the Riverfront Cultural District; provided, however, that the outdoor eating area may not occupy any area of a riverwalk/promenade required under Subsection
E below to remain unobstructed.
(c) An inn may also include, as accessory uses, conference rooms, business meeting or private function rooms, retail shops, retail stores and/or accessory offices in connection with the inn and its accessory activities.
(d) Area and dimensional requirements:
[1] Minimum lot area: 20,000 square feet.
[2] Maximum impervious surface coverage: 75%.
[3] Maximum building coverage: 50%.
[4] Minimum lot width at the street line: 40 feet.
[5] Maximum building height: 35 feet, subject to Subsection
D(2)(e) below.
[7] Where a yard abuts or contains a floodway, the minimum yard shall be the greater of the floodway line or the applicable yard setback.
(e) Building height. The architectural elements of a building or structure not designed or used for occupancy which are included solely for the purpose of enhancing the historic and cultural character of the Riverfront Cultural District or which cover transient aspects/spaces of the building (such as a stair tower) may exceed the 35 feet maximum upon conditional use approval by Borough Council. The following specific criteria shall be met:
[1] Any projection exceeding 35 feet shall be measured from the mean elevation of the finished grade at the street side of the building or structure to the highest point on the projection.
[2] Any projection exceeding 35 feet shall not exceed the height of any existing structure in the Riverfront Cultural District that is nonconforming with respect to height.
[3] Any projection exceeding 35 feet shall be designed to enhance the architectural and historic nature of the Riverfront Cultural District.
[4] Architectural drawings shall be submitted showing in detail the design, materials and scale of the proposed projection. Photo simulations of the proposed building shall be prepared to show the impact on surrounding areas.
[5] The area of the footprint of the projection exceeding 35 feet shall be no more than 10% of the footprint of the building to which it is attached.
(f) Off-street parking. All requirements of Article
VIII, Off-Street Parking, of Chapter
275 of the Code shall be met for an inn use conducted in the Riverfront Cultural District. The Borough Council may, upon conditional use approval, reduce the number of off-street parking spaces required for an inn use and any accessory use conducted in connection with the inn use where the applicant demonstrates that no additional on-site parking can be provided.
(g) Parking area; use size. To the extent located in the New Hope Borough Historic District, the restrictions set forth in §
275-46C(8)(c) and
(e) shall not apply to an inn use conducted in the Riverfront Cultural District.
(3) All other uses permitted in the Riverfront Cultural District shall meet the area and dimensional requirements for such uses as set forth in the CC Central Commercial Zoning District, except as set forth below:
(a) Any temporary tent or canopy accessory use (the use in §
275-22E) conducted in the Riverfront Cultural District shall not exceed 1,500 square feet.
E. Special Delaware River provisions.
(1) Required riverwalk. If a property in the Riverfront Cultural District has frontage along the Delaware River, in order to conduct a use permitted in the Riverfront Cultural District, such property must provide a hard surface trail, promenade and/or riverwalk along the entire length of the riverfront frontage, in accordance with the provisions of this Subsection
E. Where, upon the recommendation of the Borough Engineer, the property's physical characteristics do not permit strict compliance with the provisions of this Subsection
E, such relevant dimensional requirement may be reduced or altered by Council upon conditional use approval.
(2) Prior to the issuance of a building or other permit authorizing construction activities for the required trail, promenade and/or riverwalk, the required riverwalk shall be reviewed and approved by the New Hope Borough Engineer for compliance with the applicable provisions of the New Hope Borough Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance and the provisions of this Subsection
E.
(3) The trail, promenade and/or riverwalk shall be subject to the following criteria:
(a) The trail, promenade and/or riverwalk shall be generally consistent with the 2008 New Hope Borough Riverfront Revitalization Strategic Plan, as amended.
(b) The minimum width of the trail, promenade and/or riverwalk shall be 10 feet. No portion of the promenade may be occupied by any vendor, transient use or a use permitted in the Riverfront Cultural Overlay District or in the underlying primary zoning district. The foregoing restriction shall not be interpreted to prohibit use of the promenade by artists, photographers or other similar crafts for short-term (e.g., daily) noncommercial events, provided that such short-term occupancy does not block use of and access to and along the promenade by the public.
(c) Connections to the trail, promenade and/or riverwalk shall be provided to any adjacent properties with frontage along the Delaware River in the Riverfront Cultural District. Locations for permanent access to the trail, promenade and/or riverwalk shall be provided.
(d) The trail, promenade and/or riverwalk shall be located as close to the edge of the floodway of the Delaware River as possible, but in all cases shall comply with the provisions of §
275-43 of this chapter regarding floodplain regulations. The provisions of §
275-38 of this chapter shall not apply to the required trail, promenade and/or riverwalk.
(e) The owner shall submit a maintenance and easement agreement, in recordable form, to New Hope Borough for approval by the New Hope Borough Solicitor. The maintenance and easement shall establish a mechanism for permanent public access to the trail, maintenance and repair of the trail, insurance and indemnity provisions, and other customary provisions.
F. Modification of special dimensional and resource protection standards.
(1) The provisions of §
275-40 shall not apply to the Riverfront Cultural Overlay District.
(2) Subsection
B (regarding steep slopes), Subsection
C (regarding woodlands) and Subsection
F (regarding riparian buffer) of §
275-42 of this chapter may be modified upon conditional use approval by Borough Council, as necessary to accommodate the uses permitted and the riverwalk required in the Riverfront Cultural Overlay District.