The official title of this chapter shall be the Zoning Ordinance
of Port Allegany Borough, hereinafter referred to as "chapter."
This chapter is adopted by virtue of the authority granted to the borough under Article
VI of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247 of 1968, as amended by Act 170 of 1988) (as further amended by Act 209 of 1990 and Act 131 of 1992), hereinafter referred to as "MPC." The provisions of this Zoning Ordinance are designed to:
A. Promote, protect and facilitate one or more of the following: the
public health, safety, morals, general welfare, coordinated and practical
community development, proper density of population, civil defense,
disaster evacuation, airports and national defense facilities, the
provision of adequate light and air, police protection, vehicle parking
and land space, transportation, water, sewage, schools, public grounds
and other public requirements.
B. Prevent one or more of the following: overcrowding of land, blight,
danger and congestion in travel and transportation, loss of health,
life or property from fire, flood, panic or other dangers.
C. Be in accordance with an overall program and with consideration for
the character of the municipality, its various parts and suitability
of the various parts for particular uses and structures.
This section shall serve as the statement of community development
objectives for the Port Allegany Borough Zoning Ordinance as required
by Section 606 of the MPC. The Zoning Ordinance reflects the policy goals of the
borough as stated in the following community development objectives
and has been developed as a legislative and administrative tool of
the borough to implement said objectives. It is the overall goal of
Port Allegany Borough to develop and preserve a pleasant, attractive,
healthy, safe, moral and convenient environment for living, working,
shopping and enjoying the recreation in the borough.
A. General. The general objectives are to:
(1) Encourage a pattern of development and growth which maintains and
enhances the quiet, smalltown atmosphere of Port Allegany Borough.
(2) Prevent undesirable land use relationships and protect property values
by avoiding the mixing of incompatible, conflicting land uses.
(3) Discourage the indiscriminate spread of commercial and industrial
use and concentrate such uses to ensure future economic viability.
(4) Prevent overcrowding and overdevelopment.
B. Economic. The economic objectives are to provide adequate shopping
and employment opportunities for Port Allegany Borough area residents
while at the same time preserving a healthful, secure and pleasant
residential environment by:
(1) Maintaining existing businesses and encouraging new businesses which
provide convenient day-to-day goods and services for Port Allegany
Borough area residents.
(2) Providing specific areas for the concentration of commercial and
industrial development and reserving adequate land areas to meet future
anticipated needs and demands.
(3) Encouraging the orderly development of business and industry and
minimizing the undesirable impacts of sight, noise, odor or other
public hazards and nuisances generated by commercial and industrial
development.
C. Housing. The housing objectives are to provide and maintain an adequate
supply of sound, safe and sanitary housing in a variety of price ranges
for all the residents of Port Allegany Borough by:
(1) Conserving the existing housing supply and maintaining Port Allegany
Borough's attractive small-town atmosphere by encouraging home
maintenance and home improvements.
(2) Preserving the residential character and quality of existing and
newly developing residential areas.
(3) Providing for a diversity in housing styles in the community so that
every family or individual has a choice of residential environment
and lifestyle.
(4) Controlling the placement and development of mobile home parks in
order to ensure their conformity with the aesthetics and neighborhood
character of existing residential areas in the borough.
(5) Controlling the density of residential development to minimize overcrowding.
D. Community facilities and services. The objectives of the community
facilities and services shall be to provide for facilities, services
and utilities in the quantity and quality necessary to meet the physical,
social, cultural, recreational and aesthetic needs of the community
by:
(1) Providing adequate land area for the provision and maintenance of
essential public facilities and services such as water and sewer,
streets, recreation, schools, police and fire protection and human
services.
(2) Encouraging an orderly and efficient pattern of development which
facilitates and minimizes the cost of provision of community faculties
and services.
(3) Providing for efficient traffic circulation and preventing congestion
of streets and pedestrian ways.
(4) Discouraging land use development which would create safety hazards
to vehicular and pedestrian travel.
E. Environment and aesthetics. The environmental and aesthetic objectives
shall be to enrich the lives of all residents and to promote Port
Allegany Borough's attractive, small-town atmosphere by striving
to improve the aesthetic quality and visual impact of the man-made
environment and to preserve and enhance the natural environment by:
(1) Eliminating or carefully controlling all causes of pollution, including
but not limited to noise, water, air and surface pollution.
(2) Discouraging uncontrolled development in areas subject to flooding.
(3) Encouraging the elimination, isolation or screening of all man-made
scenic detriment.
(4) Encouraging the use of aesthetically pleasing landscaping practices
to enhance the visual quality of the man-made environment.
(5) Controlling the use of signs in terms of number, type, size and location.
Signs should be controlled in order to encourage their effective use
as a means of communication in the borough, to maintain and enhance
the aesthetic environment and the borough's ability to attract
sources of economic development and growth, to improve pedestrian
and traffic safety and to minimize the possible adverse effect of
signs on nearby public and private property.
No structure shall be located, erected, demolished, constructed,
moved, altered externally, converted or enlarged, nor shall any structure
or land be used or be designed to be used, nor shall any interior
alteration be performed to any nonresidential building for the purpose
of accomplishing a change in the principal use of said building, nor
shall any building be converted from one nonconforming use to another
nonconforming use, except in full compliance with all the provisions
of this chapter and after the lawful issuance of all permits and certifications
required by this chapter.
Whenever the provisions of this chapter are at a variance with
any other lawfully adopted rules, regulations or ordinances, the more
restrictive requirements shall govern.