Township of Raccoon, PA A Agricultural District (A-1 General Agricultural Subdistrict); A-2 Prime Agricultural Subdistrict

All activities shall be conducted in a private detached single family residence.

Activities shall be limited to functions normally associated with the part-time tending of children and shall not include overnight lodging.

Activities shall be conducted within a home atmosphere that is void of any special facilities or appurtenances other than secure play areas and/or apparatus that are deemed to be normal single family accessory uses within the immediate neighborhood.

Safe off-street pickup and dropoff areas shall be provided at the site.

Outdoor play areas shall be fenced to control access to adjacent properties and vehicular ways. No portion of the outside play areas shall be less than 25 feet from a neighboring dwelling without the owner's written consent. Outdoor play shall be limited to the hours between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., prevailing local time.

A minimum of 100 square feet of usable outdoor play space and 20 square feet of usable indoor space shall be provided for each child present at the facility, including resident children.

Day-care services shall be limited to a total of six children at any one time for the following categories of clientele: (A mix of categories shall be permitted)

Infants and toddlers. There shall be no more than four infants and/or toddlers in a family day care home at any one time, including relatives of the caregivers. (NOTE: For purposes of these requirements, "relative" shall be deemed to be a child, stepchild, grandchild, brother, sister, half brother, half sister, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, stepbrother or stepsister.)

Preschoolers. At no time shall the number of children in care exceed six, excluding relatives of the caregiver. (NOTE: For purposes of these requirements, "relative" shall be deemed to be a child, stepchild, grandchild, brother, sister, half brother, half sister, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, stepbrother or stepsister.)

School age children. At no time shall the number of children in care exceed six children, excluding relatives of the caregiver. (NOTE: For purposes of these requirements, "relative" shall be deemed to be a child, stepchild, grandchild, brother, sister, half brother, half sister, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, stepbrother or stepsister.)

(8)

Day-care/family day-care homes shall comply with the then current editions of the BOCA (Building Officials & Code Administrators International, Inc.) National Fire Prevention Code and the BOCA (Building Officials & Code Administrators International, Inc.) National Building Code and with the Pennsylvania Fire and Panic Act and regulations promulgated pursuant to that Act.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: See 35 P.S. § 1221 et seq.

(9)

All rules, requirements and guidelines promulgated in the Day Care Service For Children Regulations-Family Day Care Homes, Chapter II, Section 8c of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Social Services Manual, effective June 13, 1981, and any amendments subsequent thereto, shall be strictly observed. All required state licenses and certifications shall be obtained as conditions precedent to granting of required Township zoning and occupancy permits.

Day-care center.

Day-care centers shall be located only in commercial, public or semipublic institutional buildings, such as schools, churches, governmental or similar structures that meet all requirements specified by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare for such activities. Day-care centers shall not be conducted in conjunction with single-family residential dwellings. When conducted on multifamily premises, all day-care center operators shall be completely separate and distinct from residential uses.

Activities shall be limited to functions normally associated with part-time tending of children and shall not include overnight or drop-in care.

Operational hours shall be limited to the hours between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., prevailing local time.

Day-care centers shall comply with the then current editions of the BOCA National Fire Prevention Code and the BOCA National Building Code and with the Pennsylvania Fire and Panic Act and regulations promulgated pursuant to that Act.

All rules, requirements and guidelines promulgated in the Regulations for Child Day Care Centers, Chapter II, Section 8A of the Department of Public Welfare Social Services Manual, effective April 2, 1978, and any amendments subsequent thereto, shall be strictly observed. All required state licenses and certifications shall be obtained as conditions precedent to granting of required Township zoning and occupancy permits.

Recreation/private and commercial, indoor and outdoor.

No use activities shall be permitted or conducted in any required front, side or rear setback area.

No use activities shall be permitted or conducted within 100 feet of any adjoining R-1 or R-2 Residential District.

All lot boundaries abutting any adjoining R-1 or R-2 District shall be enclosed by a landscaped buffer that meets the requirements set forth in Article XIII of this chapter.

Fencing may be required in cases where deemed necessary by the Township Supervisors or the developer for purposes of safety, security or design. The installation, material and design of the fencing shall be subject to recommendations and final approval of the Board of Supervisors.

Loud speakers and similar sound amplification devices for entertainment purposes shall not exceed the noise levels for steady-state noise as specified in Article XIII of this chapter.

All lighting shall be designed and utilized in a manner that is compatible with residential uses within viewing distance of the site.

Provisions shall be made for the safety of individuals and property both on-site and off-site, consistent with the projected use.

Home occupation.

A home occupation that involves an activity or operation that is construed as being capable of adversely influencing surrounding residential uses through any of the following conditions shall not be permitted:

Changes the external residential appearance of the dwelling;

Generates traffic, parking or other congestion in excess of normal levels in the neighborhood;

Creates hazards to persons or property;

(d)

Creates interference or a nuisance;

(e)

Involves outside overnight (twenty-four-hour) storage, display or operations.

(f)

Is operated in a multifamily dwelling unit.

The accessory use shall be located in the principal dwelling or an accessory building. The accessory use shall be limited to not more than 30% of the ground floor area of the principal dwelling structure. The total area utilized for home occupation activities shall not exceed 1,000 square feet.

Maximum sign size shall not exceed six square feet in area.

Only members of the family residing on the premises shall be engaged in such occupation, plus two nonfamily assistants may be employed.

Off-street parking requirements for home occupations shall be provided on the immediate site and to the rear of the required front yard setback line. A minimum of three off-street spaces shall be provided in addition to normal residential requirements.

Activities shall be limited to the following types and categories of use:

Professional, technical or business pursuits that involve only office related functions and practices.

Light handicrafts, sewing, photography and objects of art.

Teaching instruction, limited to groups of no more than four students at any one time.

(d)

Small appliance and minor equipment repair and servicing, including saws and private residential lawn equipment.

(e)

Beautician, barber and similar services, limited to facilities for service to no more than two clients at any given time.

(f)

Telephone answering services.

The following types and categories of use shall not be authorized as home occupations:

Automotive repair and painting.

Restaurants and tea rooms.

Tourist homes.

(8)

Any proposed home occupation that is not specifically cited as an acceptable activity (Subsection D(6) of this section) or as not acceptable (Subsection D(7) of this section) may be submitted to the Planning Commission and the Township Supervisors for consideration as a conditional use.

Specialized animal raising.

Farm animals may be kept in conjunction with residential use, provided that the property contains a minimum of two contiguous acres of land.

[Amended 11-14-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-5]

Animals may be kept only for noncommercial purposes: for 4H projects, food production, and/or recreational use of the resident family.

Stock shall be limited to one animal per acre. Fowl and small mammals shall be limited to numbers consistent with the exclusive noncommercial use of the resident family.

Stock shelters shall be set back a minimum distance of 50 feet from property line.

[Amended 11-14-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-5]

Except for pasture areas, all feeding, care and maintenance facilities shall be set back a minimum distance of 50 feet from property lines.

No manure, debris or other by-products or supplies associated with the animal keeping shall be permitted to accumulate or to be stored in a manner that results in runoff, odor or other nuisances that cause legitimate offense to adjacent residential properties.

Mobile home park. Mobile home park development and operation shall be subject to the requirements of Chapter 161, Article XVII, Mobile Home Parks, as amended.

Adult daily living home facility.

The services shall be provided in a family environment as opposed to an institutional structure or setting.

No facility shall include any separate business or professional offices, nor any separate business activities, nor fraternal or social clubs, nor provide child care or hospital care, or any other type of activity that would not be ancillary to customary operation of an adult daily living home facility. (hospitals, clinics or other such activities.)

The number of clients in any single facility shall be limited to no more than eight clients.

Supervision shall be provided by responsible and appropriately qualified adults on duty on the premises at all times.

No facility shall be located less then 2,500 lineal feet from any other group residential facility, child day-care facility or adult daily living home facility.

In addition to normal residential requirements, sufficient off-street parking shall be provided to accommodate all traffic associated with the facility at the rate of one space for each staff member on duty and 1/2 for each patron.

Obstructive-free accessways for emergency vehicles and services shall be provided.

(8)

Signs shall be limited to identification boards, emblems or similar devices not to exceed four square feet in total area.

(9)

All outdoor lighting shall be compatible with the standards and generally accepted uses prevailing in the immediate residential vicinity.

(10)

A minimum of 500 square feet of usable indoor space (exclusive of kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, storage areas, garages and accessory buildings) shall be provided for use of facility clients and a minimum of 800 square feet of appropriate outdoor space shall be provided for passive recreation purposes. All lot, area and dimensional requirements of the zoning district shall apply to this use.

(11)

All facilities shall comply with the current editions of the BOCA National Fire Prevention Code and the CABO One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code and with the Pennsylvania Fire and Panic Act[2] and regulations promulgated pursuant to that Act. The facility operator shall be responsible for submitting certification of compliance with these codes and regulations to the Township.

[2]

Editor's Note: See 35 P.S. § 1221 et seq.

(12)

A license or certification if required by law shall be obtained from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Aging under the Pennsylvania Code, Title 6, Chapter 11 and other state or county agencies having jurisdiction, prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy.

(13)

Operations of the facility shall be limited to day care during the hours between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. and shall not include overnight accommodations for clients.

(14)

The operator shall file annually with the Township Secretary and the Zoning Officer, information certifying that the facility continues to operate. If the facility ceases to operate for a period of 90 consecutive days during an annual licensing period, the conditional use permit shall be terminated.

(15)

In considering a request for establishment of a facility under the provisions for conditional uses in the Township, the Planning Commission may recommend, and the Township Supervisors may attach, any reasonable conditions and safeguards beyond those expressed in this chapter and other applicable codes duly enacted.

Adult daily living center.

Adult daily living center shall be located only in commercial, public or semipublic institutional buildings, such as schools, churches, governmental or similar structures that meet all requirements specified by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging for such activities. Centers shall not be conducted in any single family residential dwellings. When conducted on multifamily premises, all operations shall be completely separate and distinct from residential use.

Activities and functions shall be limited to those within the scope of the use as defined in the chapter and the criteria cited herein below.

Centers shall be limited to and conducted as specified by the standards and criteria enumerated by Subsections G(4), (6), (7), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14) and (15), Article VI, § 185-13 of this chapter, to the extent that said subsections are not inconsistent with or contrary to, any requirements specified by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging for such activity.

All lot, area and dimensional requirements of the zoning district shall apply to this use.

Institutional facility: subject to the standards and criteria of Article VIII, § 185-21C of this chapter.

Cellular communication tower/antenna: subject to the standards and criteria of Article XIII, § 185-58, of this chapter.

§ 185-14 Special exception provisions.

The following special exceptions may be authorized by the Zoning Hearing Board pursuant to the standards and criteria specified herewith:

Conversion apartment.

Each living unit shall contain a minimum of 400 square feet of gross floor area.

Each living unit shall contain not less than one private bedroom and one additional habitable room in addition to separate and private kitchen and bathroom facilities.

The Chief of the Township Fire Department, or designated agent thereof, shall inspect the premises to evaluate access, fire hazard potential, fire escape provisions, structural layout and adequacy of smoke and fire alarm devices. No special exception shall be granted prior to an unqualified approval of such authority.

A maximum of two dwelling units shall be permitted in any single structure.

Two off-street parking spaces shall be provided for each living unit.

On-lot sewage disposal systems shall be inspected and certified by the Sewage Enforcement Officer as capable of meeting the demands of the additional dwelling unit.

Junkyards.

All junkyards shall be completely screened from roads and developed adjacent areas with a solid fence of wall of six feet or more in height, maintained in good condition, or with suitable planting.

No junkyard may be established within 100 feet of a public right-of-way.