Borough of Lansdale, PA Article VI Class C Residential District

[Amended 12-15-2010 by Ord. No. 1801[1]]

[1] Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed original Art. X, Class C Residential District, amended 5-6-1992 by Ord. No. 1477; 10-4-1996 by Ord. No. 1596; 10-16-1996 by Ord. No. 1583; 10-16-1996 by Ord. No. 1585; 12-8-1996 by Ord. No. 1597; and 9-6-2000 by Ord. No. 1658, which article consisted of §§ 122-1000 to 122-1009.

§ 405-601 Legislative intent.

The following is an expansion of the purpose in § 405-102 of this chapter. It is the intent of this article to provide well-designed residential land uses and uses accessory to the same in conformance with the goals and objectives of the Borough of Lansdale Comprehensive Plan in addition to the following:

A. Maintain and enhance the residential environment of neighborhoods, promoting uniformity of sizes and densities.

B. Require new development in existing neighborhoods to be compatible with nearby residential development.

C. Retain neighborhood character by promoting flexible dimensional standards.

D. Continue to promote a variety of housing types in congruence with existing conditions.

§ 405-602 Permitted uses.

[Amended 5-16-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-1821[1]]

A building may be erected, altered or used and a lot or premises may be used for the following uses and no other.

Residential uses
	Single-family detached dwelling	Permitted
	Single-family semidetached dwelling	Permitted
	Two-family duplex dwelling	Permitted
	Single-family attached dwelling	Permitted
	Home occupations (according to § 405-1908)	Permitted
	No-impact home-based business (according to § 405-1910)	Permitted
	Group homes (according to § 405-1909)	Permitted
	Mobile home parks*	Permitted
	Unlotted developments	Permitted
	Unlotted traditional neighborhood development option	Conditional
	Family day-care home (in accordance with Article XXIX)	Conditional
	Conversion of single-family detached dwellings to other uses	Not permitted
Recreation uses
	Public playgrounds or parks	Special exception
Institutional uses
	Municipal uses	Special exception
	Schools	Special exception
	Churches	Special exception
	Headquarters for educational, fraternal, professional, religious or other nonprofit organization	Special exception
Miscellaneous uses
	Forestry	Permitted

NOTES:
*	Provided that the requirements of Article XXIX are met.

[1] Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).

§ 405-603 Dimensional criteria for special exceptions.

The following dimensional standards apply to uses by special exception, in addition to the special exception standards of § 405-2205.

A. Minimum lot area: 60,000 square feet.

B. Minimum lot width: 200 feet.

C. Minimum front yard: 25 feet, with a maximum of 50 feet.

D. Minimum side yard: not less than 20 feet each, with an aggregate width of not less than 50 feet.

E. Maximum building coverage: 40%.

F. Maximum impervious coverage: 75%.

G. Maximum building height: 35 feet.

§ 405-604 Standard dimensional criteria.

All new construction on vacant land and redevelopment of residential properties at a density greater than existed prior to beginning work, whether a new building(s) or expansion/conversion of an existing structure, must conform to the following criteria:

A. Minimum lot area per dwelling unit.

(1) Single-family detached: 4,500 square feet.

(2) Single-family semidetached: 2,250 square feet.

(3) Two-family duplex dwelling: 4,500 square feet.

(4) Single-family attached dwelling: 1,800 square feet.

B. Minimum lot width per dwelling unit.

(1) Single-family detached: 32 feet.

(2) Single-family semidetached: 24 feet.

(3) Two-family duplex dwelling: 32 feet.

(4) Single-family attached dwelling: 15 feet for interior units or 21 feet for end units.

C. Front yard. The minimum front yard shall be the median of all lots on the block of the subject property that are a permitted use in the district. In no case may the front yard be greater than 10 feet of the median. At least 75% of the front facade, at ground level, must be located within the front yard setback area. Where a block lacks residential properties, the minimum front yard shall be 24 feet.

D. Minimum side yard.

(1) Single-family detached, two-family duplex: eight feet.

(2) Single-family semidetached: six feet with no side yard for the party wall portion of the lot, provided that, in the event that any unit is ever extended upon the lot to the rear of the dwelling, a four-foot setback from the common property line between the units shall be provided.

(3) Single-family attached: six feet for end units, with no side yard for interior units.

E. Rear yard: The minimum rear yard shall be 20 feet.

F. Building coverage shall not exceed 40% of the lot area.

G. Impervious coverage shall not exceed 75% of the lot area.

H. Building height shall not exceed 35 feet or three stories.

§ 405-605 Unlotted development dimensional criteria.

[Amended 5-16-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-1821]

A. General unlotted development criteria. Triplex, quadruplex and townhouse buildings may be developed without separate lots for each dwelling unit. In such cases, all of the dimensional standards outlined above, except for minimum lot size, minimum lot width, rear yard setback and side yard setback must be met. Unlotted developments must also meet the following requirements:

(1) Where walls of two unattached structures are facing (see definition of "facing walls") and where surface area of each wall includes 3% or less window or other transparent surface, the structures shall be set back at least 25 feet from each other.

(2) Where walls of two unattached structures are facing and where surface area of either wall includes more than 3% window or other transparent surface, the structures shall be set back at least 50 feet from each other.

B. Unlotted traditional neighborhood development. Single-family detached, single-family semidetached, and single-family attached dwellings may be developed without separate lots for each dwelling unit on tracts comprised of five acres or more. For the traditional neighborhood option, the dimensional standards outlined above in §§ 405-604 and 405-606 shall not apply. In addition to the procedures and standards for conditional use approval in § 405-2206 of this chapter, unlotted traditional neighborhood developments shall meet the following requirements:

(1) Minimum tract area. The minimum tract area shall be five acres.

(2) Tract boundary setback. The minimum tract boundary setback shall be 20 feet; provided, however, on existing street lines where there are adjacent blocks that have a prevailing setback and orientation, the proposed structures may maintain consistency with the prevailing setback and orientation of existing units on the adjacent blocks.

(3) Open space. The minimum open space provided shall be 15% of the tract area. Open space shall be common open space. Open spaces shall consist exclusive of common areas as defined in § 405-201 and shall, at a minimum, include:

(a) Traditional neighborhood development shall contain a central commons or pocket park of no less than 12,000 square feet in size. The central commons or pocket park shall be an improved landscaped area.

(b) Common open space areas shall be no less than 15 feet in width unless the area contains a walking trail.

(c) Common open space areas shall not be located closer than 12 feet to the front or side of any building or 15 feet from the rear of any building.

(d) Common open space areas shall not include any driveways, streets, alleys, or parking areas. Common open space areas may include parking areas serving active or passive recreational facilities.

(4) Minimum equivalent lot area per unit. The minimum equivalent lot area per unit shall be as follows:

(a) For single-family detached, 4,500 square feet.

(b) For single-family semidetached, 2,250 square feet.

(c) For single-family attached, 1,800 square feet.

(5) Minimum width per unit. The minimum equivalent lot width per unit shall be as follows:

(a) For single-family detached, 32 feet.

(b) For single-family semidetached, 24 feet.

(c) For single-family attached, 18 feet.

(6) Required setbacks. Required setbacks shall be as follows:

(a) For single-family detached units (measured from face of curb nearest the building):

[1] Front yard.

[a] Twelve feet minimum from the edge of the curb for units with rear-loaded garages.

[b] Twenty-five feet minimum from the edge of the curb for units with front-loaded garages.

[c] Front yard setbacks shall be consistent for all buildings along each side of an entire block.

[2] Side yard.

[a] Eight feet minimum measured from the edge of the curb.

[3] Rear yard.

[a] Twenty feet minimum from edge of alley for units with rear-loaded garages. For units with front-loaded garages, the back-to-back building separation requirements set forth in § 405-605B(7)(d) shall apply.

(b) For single-family semidetached and single-family attached units (measured from face of curb nearest to the building):

[1] Front yard.

[a] Twelve feet minimum from the edge of the curb for units with rear-loaded garages.

[b] Twenty-five feet minimum from the edge of the curb for units with front-loaded garages.

[c] Front yard setbacks shall be consistent for all buildings along each side of the entire block.

[2] Side yard.

[a] Eight feet minimum from the edge of the curb for end units.

[3] Rear yard.

[a] Twenty feet minimum from edge of alley for units with rear-loaded garages. For units with front-loaded garages, the back-to-back building separation requirements set forth in § 405-605B(7)(d) below shall apply.

(7) Building separations. The minimum building separations for single-family detached, single-family semidetached, and single-family attached units shall be:

(a) Front-to-front: 50 feet.

(b) Front- or back-to-side: 30 feet.

(c) Side-to-side: 25 feet.

(d) Back-to-back: 45 feet.

(8) Building coverage. Building coverage shall not exceed 40% of the tract.

(9) Impervious coverage. Impervious coverage shall not exceed 75% of the tract.

(10) Building height. Building height shall not exceed 35 feet.

(11) Garages and vehicle access. All residential dwelling units must have at least a one-car garage. No less than 70% of garages in the development must be either rear-loaded and accessed by alleys, or side-loaded. Additionally, garages of single-family attached units do not have to comply with § 405-3702F(3), which requires front-facing garages to be set back a minimum of 10 feet from the closest point to the street line of the front facade. All front-loaded garages in single-family attached units shall be a one-car garage only.

(12) Sidewalks. Sidewalks may be constructed within the front yard and side yard building setbacks.

(13) Maximum number attached single-family units. The maximum number of single-family attached units in a single building shall be eight units.

(14) Front facade. No more than three single-family attached units shall be situated in a row without an offset to the front facade plane. The minimum offset shall be two feet.

(15) Private streets permitted. Private streets shall be permitted; provided, however, in the event private streets are proposed, the provisions of § 402.3 of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance[1] shall apply and all private streets shall be built to the same construction standards as public streets.

[1] Editor's Note: The Borough's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance is on file and available for inspection or sale at Borough offices.

(16) Extension of existing streets and alleys. Existing streets and alleys abutting the property shall be extended where reasonably practicable in the judgment of the Borough Engineer.

(17) Parking. A minimum of 0.3 spaces of visitor parking per unit shall be provided in addition to the two spaces required per unit in Article XVII. Where reasonably practicable in the judgment of the Borough Engineer, visitor parking shall be on-street parallel parking.

§ 405-606 Flexible dimensional criteria.

A. The following flexible dimensional standards are applicable to all lots that meet any of the following conditions:

(1) Existing properties of residential use, excluding mixes of residential and nonresidential uses.

(2) Alterations or additions to residential structures that do not result in an increase in residential density.

(3) New residential construction that is either equal to or at a lesser density than existing conditions.

B. The Borough of Lansdale Residential Design Review Manual, copies of which are available from the Code Enforcement Officer of the Borough of Lansdale, contains median lot size and setback data for all residential neighborhoods and uses.

(1) Lot area: The minimum lot area for each dwelling unit shall be the median of all lots on the block that are of the same residential use classification. Where fewer than two lots of the same residential use are located on the block, the lot area from § 405-604 (Standard dimensional criteria) shall be used.

(2) Lot width: The minimum lot width for each dwelling unit shall be the median of all lots on the block that are of the same residential use classification. Where fewer than two lots of the same residential use are located on the block, the lot width from § 405-604 (Standard dimensional criteria) shall be used.

(3) Front yard: The minimum front yard shall be the median of all lots on the block of the subject property that are a permitted use in the district. In no case may the front yard be greater than 10 feet of the median. At least 75% of the front facade, at ground level, must be located within the front yard setback area.

(4) Side yard: The minimum side yard shall be the following.

(a) Single-family detached, two-family duplex: eight feet.

(b) Single-family semidetached: six feet with no side yard for the party wall portion of the lot, provided that, in the event that any unit is ever extended upon the lot to the rear of the dwelling, a four-foot setback from the common property line between the units shall be provided.

(c) Single-family attached: six feet for end units with no side yard for interior units.

(5) Rear yard: The minimum rear yard shall be 20 feet.

(6) Building coverage shall not exceed 40% of the lot area.

(7) Impervious coverage shall not exceed 75% of the lot area.

(8) Building height shall not exceed 35 feet or three stories.

§ 405-607 Design standards for residential infill development.

A. Applicability. The following activities shall conform to the standards of Article XXXVII (Traditional Residential Infill Development Standards) within the district:

(1) All new construction, whether on a vacant lot or the result of demolition of an existing building.

(2) Additions to an existing residential dwelling visible on the front facade of the building, such as a second-story addition.

(3) Major renovations to the front facade of buildings, which may include but are not limited to a change in exterior surface materials, new porches, enclosing porches, changes in the ratio of openings to wall, rooflines, etc.

B. Exceptions. Design standards for infill development shall not be enforced for the repainting, repair, restoration or reconstruction of existing features such as doors, windows and siding where such work maintains the outer dimensions and surface relationships of the existing structure. Design review is not required for the replacement of doors, windows or other transparent surfaces, provided that they are replaced with similar-looking materials that do not substantially alter the front facade of the building.