[Ord. 96-267, 5/2/1996]
The following rules of construction shall apply to this chapter:
A.
The particular shall control the general.
B.
In case of any difference in meaning or implication between the text
of this chapter and any caption or illustration, the text shall control.
C.
The word "shall" is mandatory and not discretionary. The word "may"
is permissive.
D.
Words used in the present tense shall include the future; words used
in the singular number shall include the plural, and the plural the
singular, unless the context clearly indicates the contrary.
E.
The phrase "used for" includes "arranged for," "designed for," "intended
for," "maintained for" and/or "occupied for."
[Ord. 96-267, 5/2/1996; as amended by Ord. 96-272, 9/5/1996,
§§ 1, 2, 4-7; by Ord. 97-278, 6/5/1997, §§ 1-3,
17; by Ord. 97-284, §§ 1-5; by Ord. 98-288, 3/26/1998,
§ 1; by Ord. 99-293, 4/1/1999, § 1; by Ord. 99-300,
11/23/1999, § 1; by Ord. 2000-305, 8/3/2000, § 1;
by Ord. 2001-311, 3/1/2001, § 1; by Ord. 2001-317, 9/6/2001,
§ 1; by Ord. 2002-332, 9/5/2002, §§ 1, 2;
by Ord. 2002-334, 11/7/2002, § 1; by Ord. 2003-342, 7/1/2003,
§ 1; by Ord. 2003-343, 7/1/2003, § 1; by Ord.
2004-351, 6/2/2004, § 1; by Ord. 2004-352, 7/1/2004, § 1;
by Ord. 2005-354, 2/3/2005, § 1; by Ord. 2005-357, 2/3/2005,
§ 1; by Ord. 2005-361, 9/1/2005, § 1; by Ord.
2005-362, 12/15/2005; by Ord. 2006-366, 3/2/2006; by Ord. 2008-381,
3/6/2008; by Ord. 2008-387, 6/5/2008, § 5; by Ord. 2009-395,
11/5/2009, § 1; by Ord. 2010-397, 6/24/2010; by Ord. 2010-403,
10/7/2010; by Ord. 2010-406, 10/7/2010, § 1; by Ord. 2011-411,
3/3/2011; by Ord. 2011-412, 3/3/2011; by Ord. 2012-425, 1/3/2012;
by Ord. 2012-430, 8/2/2012; by Ord. 2013-435, 3/27/2013; by Ord. 2013-438,
9/5/2013; by Ord. 2014-448, 10/2/2014; by Ord. 2015-453, 5/6/2015;
by Ord. 2015-457, 9/3/2015; by Ord. 2015-460, 12/3/2015; by Ord. 2016-464,
6/30/2016; by Ord. 2016-468, 12/15/2016; by Ord. No. 2018-480, 3/1/2018;
by Ord. No. 2018-482, 8/2/2018; by Ord. No. 2018-485, 11/1/2018; by Ord. No. 2020-500, 12/10/2020; by Ord. No. 2022-505, 1/27/2022; by Ord. No. 2022-507, 3/3/2022; by Ord. No. 2022-508, 3/31/2022; by Ord. No. 2022-509, 10/6/2022; by Ord. No. 2023-512, 8/3/2023; by Ord.
No. 2024-515, 5/2/2024; by Ord. No. 2024-517, 5/30/2024]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
A residential accessory use that consists of creating living
space for individuals which is attached to the principal structure
via a breezeway or the like that is no longer than 30 feet and has
its own bathroom facility and often includes its own kitchen area.
Only one accessory dwelling unit or accessory dwelling quarters is
allowed on any single lot in addition to the principal structure.
Accessory dwelling units shall have a gross floor area of at least
400 square feet and shall comprise no more than 50% of the gross floor
area of the principal structure on the lot that they are associated
with, and shall not exceed 1,200 square gross feet for the accessory
unit.
A residential accessory use that consists of creating separate
living space within a single-family structure for other individuals
that is connected internally. Such uses shall be part of the principal
home structure or may be via an addition to the home but shall not
be by an unattached residential structure. Single parcels shall only
be allowed one accessory dwelling quarters or accessory dwelling unit.
A detached structure customarily incidental and subordinate
to the principal structure or use of the lot.
A use customarily incidental and subordinate to the principal
use of the lot.
Any place to which the public is permitted or invited wherein
coin-operated, slug-operated, or for any form of consideration, or
electronically, electrically, or mechanically controlled still or
motion-picture machines, projectors, video or laser disc players,
or other image-producing devices are maintained, not located within
viewing booths, to show images to five or fewer persons per machine
at any one time, and where the images so displayed are distinguished
or characterized by the depicting or describing of specified sexual
activities or specified anatomical areas.
A nightclub, bar, restaurant, or other commercial establishment
which regularly features:
Persons who appear in a state of nudity or seminudity.
Live performances which are characterized by the exposure of
specified anatomical areas or by specified sexual activities.
Films, motion pictures, video cassettes, slides, or other photographic
reproductions or visual presentations of any other kind which are
characterized by the depiction or description of specified sexual
activities or specified anatomical areas.
A facility that provides community-based programs that include
a variety of health, social and support services in a protective setting
during daytime hours as licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of
Aging or current regulatory state agency.
A commercial establishment where, for any form of consideration,
films, motion pictures, video cassettes, slides, or similar photographic
reproductions or visual presentations of any kind are regularly shown
which are characterized by the depiction or description of specified
sexual activities or specified anatomical areas.
A theater, concert hall, auditorium, or similar commercial
establishment which regularly features persons who appear in a state
of nudity or seminudity, or live performances which are characterized
by the exposure of specified anatomical areas or by specified sexual
activities.
A sales price or rent within the means of a low or moderate-income
household as defined by state or federal legislation. Housing units
where the occupant is paying no more than 30% of gross income for
housing costs, including taxes and utilities for a household of the
size which may occupy the unit in question.
Activities including, but not limited to, livestock and poultry
raising; field, row and tree crops; forest and tree products; sale
of products produced on the premises; and other customary farm structures.
Not included are farm-oriented commercial or industrial activities
or operations, such as food or livestock processing plants, holding
pens, slaughterhouses, or similar uses which handle products not produced
on the immediate premises.
An enterprise that is actively engaged in the commercial
production and preparation for market of crops, including the growing
of medical marijuana, livestock and livestock products and in the
production, harvesting, and preparation for market or use of agricultural,
agronomic, horticultural, silvicultural, and aquacultural crops and
commodities. The term includes any enterprise that implements changes
in production practices and procedures or types of crops, livestock,
livestock products, or commodities produced consistent with practices
and procedures that are normally engaged in by farmers or are consistent
with technological development within the agricultural industry.
Any structure or object, natural or man-made, or use of land
which obstructs the airspace required for flight of aircraft in landing
or taking off at an airport or is otherwise hazardous to the landing
or taking off of aircraft as defined in 14 CFR Part 77 and 74 Pa.C.S.A.
§ 5102.
Any area of land or water upon which an airport hazard might
be established if not prevented as provided for in this chapter and
Act 164 of 1984 (Airport Zoning Act), 74 Pa.C.S.A. § 5911
et seq.
An arrangement of street trees whereby a canopy effect is
created due to the regular and combined spacing of the trees.
A narrow service access to the rear of more-urban buildings
providing service areas, parking access, and utility easements. (Alleys,
as they are used by trucks and must accommodate dumpsters, should
be paved from building face to building face, with drainage by inverted
crown at the center).
A thoroughfare that originates from an intersecting street,
provides rear vehicular access to buildings, and terminates in a turnaround.
As applied to a building or structure, a change or rearrangement
in the structural parts or in the exit facilities, or an enlargement,
whether by extending on a side or by increasing in height, or the
moving from one location to another, or any change in use from that
of one zoning district classification to another.
Any change in the supporting members of a building, such
as bearing walls, columns, beams, girders, or foundations.
Any mechanical, electrical or electromechanical device, machine
or apparatus whatsoever for the playing of games of skill or chance
and amusements, which devices or apparatus are commonly known as "pinball
machines," "video games," "jukeboxes," "skill games" and "games of
chance" or upon which games are played, or any device on which music
is played after the insertion therein of a coin or other disc, debit
or prepaid card, slug or token or for which fees are paid to an attendant.
An establishment existing primarily for entertainment purposes
and offering rides and exhibitions for a fee.
Changing of a message or background of a sign in a manner
or method of display characterized by motion or pictorial imagery,
which may or may not include text and depicts action or a special
effect to imitate movement, the presentation of pictorials or graphics
displayed in a progression of frames which give the illusion of motion,
including but not limited to the illusion of moving objects, moving
patterns or bands of light, or expanding or contracting shapes. Video
display signs include projected images or messages with these characteristics
onto buildings or other objects.
A room or suite of rooms in a multistory, multiple-family
dwelling, which is used as a single housekeeping unit and which contains
complete kitchen, bath and toilet facilities permanently installed.
A landowner or developer, as hereinafter defined, who has
filed an application for development, including his heirs, successors,
and assigns.
Every application, whether preliminary or final, required
to be filed and approved prior to the start of construction or development
or use, including, but not limited to, an application for zoning approval,
for the approval of a subdivision or land development or for the approval
of a development plan. Every application for development must include
the form designated by the Township Manager and all other plans and
information required by this Code.
The application for development for final approval of a planned residential development to be submitted by a developer to the Zoning Officer in accordance with Part 9.
The application for development for tentative approval of a planned residential development to be submitted by a developer to the Zoning Officer in accordance with Part 9.
An architect registered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The total of area taken on a horizontal plane at the main
grade level of the principal building, exclusive of uncovered porches,
terraces, and steps.
The area of a lot measured on a horizontal plane bounded
by the front, side and rear lot lines of the lot.
The site area less any portions of the site located in environmentally
sensitive areas, those areas designated for nonresidential uses, including,
but not limited to, limited neighborhood commercial areas and common
open space, and those areas consisting of streets and utilities.
The total area of the lot or lots comprising a site.
A completely enclosed structure with fixed seating for not
more than 20,000 persons which is designed to accommodate sporting,
entertainment and assembly events and which may include accessory
dining and retail uses. An arena may be operated by a public or private
agency, authority or corporation.
See "junkyard."
Facility that auctions motor vehicles to automobile dealers
and not to the general public.
Any building, premises, or land in which or upon which a
business or individual performs or renders a service involving the
detailing and servicing of an automobile or other motor vehicle. Detailing
and servicing shall include any cleaning, buffing, striping, glass
replacement, and audio installation or repair. Automobile detail shall
not include any service defined as "automobile repair."
Any building, premises, and land in which or upon which a
business, service, or industry performs or renders a service involving
the maintenance, servicing, repair, or painting of vehicles, not including
commercial motor vehicle repair.
Any building, site, or premises or portions thereof used
for washing automobiles.
A building(s), premises or portions thereof which are used,
arranged, designed, or intended to be used for the retail sale of
gasoline or other fuel sources for motor vehicles, boats or aircraft,
including electric charging stations.
A sign intended to be hung either with or without a frame
possessing characters, letters, illustrations or ornamentations applied
to paper, plastic, or fabric of any kind excluding flags, emblems,
and insignias or political, professional, religious, education, or
corporate organizations providing that such flags, emblems, and insignia
are displayed for noncommercial purposes.
A story partly underground but having at least 1/2 of its
height above the average level of the adjoining ground. A basement
shall be counted as a story for the purpose of height measurement
if the vertical distance between the ceiling and the average level
of the adjoining ground is five feet or more or if the basement is
used for business or dwelling purposes. For floodplain management
purposes, a basement is defined as any area of the building having
its floor below ground level on all sides.
Any light with one or more beams directed into the atmosphere
or directed at one or more points not on the same lot or site as the
light source; also, any light with one or more beams that rotate or
move.
An owner-occupied single-family dwelling that contains not
more than five guest bedrooms in which lodging, long or short-term,
is provided for compensation and in which meals for lodgers may also
be provided. This use shall not include group homes.
A room marketed, designed, or otherwise likely to function
primarily for sleeping.
An off-premises sign which advertises an establishment, an
activity, a person, a product, or a service which is unrelated to
or unavailable on the premises on which the sign is located.
The Zoning Hearing Board of Cranberry Township.
A retail establishment devoted primarily to selling or renting
any of the following: newspaper, magazines, books, and other printed
material and video recordings.
A strip of land which is planted and maintained in shrubs,
bushes, trees, grass or other landscaping material and within which
no structure is permitted except a wall or fence, or sign in compliance
with this chapter.
A structure having a roof supported by columns or walls for
the shelter of persons, animals, chattels or property. When separated
by walls which are common with the walls of adjoining dwellings, each
portion of such structure shall be considered a separate building.
Building Code.
That portion of any exterior elevation on the building extending
from finished grade to top of the parapet, wall, or eaves and the
entire width of the building elevation.
The facade that includes the primary entrance is the front
facade.
The ground floor area of any building, excluding residential
garages and accessory sheds, measured from the outside of the exterior
walls.
The vertical distance measured from the average elevation
of the proposed finished grade at the front of the building to the
highest point of the roof for flat roofs, to the deck line of mansard
roofs and to the mean height between eaves and ridge for gable, hip,
and gambrel roofs or the maximum height of any part of the structure
including signage.
The line of that face of the building nearest the front line
of the lot. This face includes sun parlors and covered porches, whether
enclosed or unenclosed, but does not include walks, steps, and terraces.
The building in which the principal use of a lot or site
is conducted. Lots or sites with multiple principal uses may have
multiple buildings, but storage buildings, garages, and other clearly
accessory uses shall not be considered principal buildings.
The line which defines the placement of the building from the street on which the building fronts, measured from the street right-of-way. The build-to line of the building typically forms the street wall line as shown in Exhibit B to § 27-506.[1] On a corner lot, the build-to line is located on each
side of a lot abutting a street.
A place for storage of petroleum and other fuels usually
transported in large volumes rather than in packages or boxes.
Of a tree trunk is a diameter measurement taken six inches
above the ground for trees up to and including four-inch caliper size
and 12 inches above the ground for larger sizes. Caliper of trees
is a standard measurement used in the grading of nursery stock.
Large shade tree with deciduous foliage (leaves lasting only
one growing season, bare in winter) generally reaching at least 40
feet in height at maturity.
See "common CCD open space."
A portion of a building having 1/2 or more of its height
below the average grade of the adjoining ground.
See "religious establishment."
The vertical infrastructure of a Community Character Development
(CCD) Overlay District comprised of features such as pavilions, pergolas,
benches, sculpture gardens, fountains, monuments, and the like, as
described and illustrated in Exhibit B, the General Manual of Written
and Graphic Design Guidelines for the CCD - Community Character Development
Districts.[2]
A public or private not-for-profit use, such as a meeting
hall, fire station, mail facility, post office, school, church, library,
museum or other like type place that is a community facility located
within a CCD Overlay District.
A thoroughfare with one-way, counter-clockwise access that
surrounds a public green space on at least three sides, as described
and illustrated in Exhibit B, the General Manual of Written and Graphic
Design Guidelines for the CCD - Community Character Development Districts.[3]
A development design technique used in planned residential
development that concentrates buildings on a part of the site to allow
the remaining land to be used for recreation, common open space, and
preservation of environmentally sensitive areas.
A method of arranging buildings that have a vital spatial
relationship to one another and to public space by placing buildings
in compact groupings, as described and illustrated in Exhibit B, the
General Manual of Written and Graphic Design Guidelines for the CCD
- Community Character Development Districts.[4]
The Code of Ordinances for the Township of Cranberry as adopted by the Board of Supervisors by Ord. 2005-362, 12/15/20005, and as may be subsequently amended by the Board of Supervisors. The Code of Ordinances of Cranberry Township contains all Township ordinances of a general and permanent nature as is more fully described in Chapter 1, Part 1, of this Code.
An indoor and/or outdoor facility used for swimming, tennis
club, rink, track, alley, cage, course, field throwing, or other similar
types of uses in which the patrons pay a fee and/or are members to
participate in or view a recreational or entertainment physical activity,
including activities which include motorized vehicles and the like.
Small retail uses customarily incidental to residential uses
and limited to food, medical supplies, and sundries stores; personal
services such as barber and beauty salons, laundromat and dry cleaners
(for individual use), and day-care centers; retail food restaurant;
and professional offices.
Any sign wording, logo, or other representation that, directly
or indirectly, names, advertises, or calls attention to a business,
product, service or other commercial activity.
A motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles used in
commerce to transport passengers or property if the motor vehicle:
Has a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 or more pounds
inclusive of a towed unit with a gross vehicle weight rating of more
than 10,000 pounds.
Has a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 or more pounds.
Is designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the
driver.
Is of any size and is used in the transportation of materials
found to be hazardous for the purposes of the Hazardous Materials
Transportation Act, 49 USCA § 5101 et seq. and which requires
the motor vehicle to be placarded under the hazardous materials regulations
49 CFR, Chapter 173.
Any building, premises, and land in which or upon which a
business, service, or industry performs or renders a service involving
the maintenance, servicing, repair, or painting of a commercial motor
vehicle.
The use of a building or premises involving the sale of goods
or services carried out for profit.
That area in a subdivision or planned residential development,
including common open space, owned or leased and maintained by an
association or other combination of persons for the benefit of the
residents of the planned residential development and, if owned under
the Pennsylvania Uniform Condominium Act, 68 Pa.C.S.A. § 3101
et seq., including all common elements designated for the use of all
dwelling unit owners.
A parcel or parcels of land or an area of water, or a combination
of land and water within a CCD Overlay District site and designed
and intended for the use or enjoyment of residents of the CCD Overlay
District, not including streets, off-street parking lots, areas set
aside for public facilities, and stormwater detention basins unless
designed and constructed as a wet basin or a naturalized stormwater
management basin as provided in the Township Public and Private Improvements
Code.[5] Common open space includes usable common open space and
passive open space. The common CCD Overlay District open space shall
consist of active and passive open space and recreational areas, as
well as areas for natural resource conservation, which may include
greens, parks, squares, plazas, playgrounds, tot lots, playfields,
and the like.
A parcel or parcels of land or an area of water, or a combination
of land and water within a development site and designed and intended
for the use or enjoyment of residents of a development, not including
streets, off-street parking lots, areas set aside for public facilities,
and stormwater detention basins unless designed and constructed as
a wet basin or a naturalized basin as provided in the Township Public
and Private Improvements Code. Common open space includes usable common
open space and passive common open space.
Common open space meeting the criteria of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance [Chapter 22], for recreation open space and not containing environmentally sensitive areas as defined herein.
A clubhouse or similar structure owned by a homeowners' association
for use by residents of a PRD or specific subdivision, including recreational
facilities and social rooms.
A form of land development within a CCD Overlay District in accordance with Part 5, § 27-506, and consistent with Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) as per Article VII-A of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), as amended, wherein a TND is defined as follows: an area of land typically developed for a compatible mixture of residential units for various income levels and nonresidential commercial and workplace uses, including some structures that provide for a mix of uses within the same building. Residences, shops, offices, workplaces, public buildings and parks are interwoven within the neighborhood so that all are within relatively close proximity to each other. Traditional neighborhood development is relatively compact and oriented toward pedestrian activity. It has an identifiable center and discernible edge. The center of the neighborhood is in the form of a public park, commons, plaza, square or prominent intersection of two or more major streets. Generally, there is a hierarchy of streets laid out with an interconnected network of streets and blocks that provides multiple routes from origins to destinations and is appropriately designed to serve the needs of pedestrians and vehicles equally.
A controlled process of degrading organic matter by microorganisms,
including but not limited to the following methods: (1) mechanical;
(2) ventilated cell; and (3) windrow. The process may be anaerobic
or aerobic.
A facility in which composting takes place, but not including
composting by a single-family lot owner for personal use.
The overall policy guide for the physical development of
the Township adopted by the Supervisors as the Comprehensive Plan
of the Township either as a whole or in parts, consisting of documents,
maps, drawings, and charts in accordance with the MPC and as amended
from time to time. The Township Comprehensive Plan includes, but is
not limited to, the Cranberry Township Community Development Plan
adopted May 4, 1995, by the Supervisors and readopted August 31, 1995,
and designs or plans or any studies or surveys emanating therefrom.
A use authorized by this chapter which may be granted only
by the Supervisors pursuant to express standards and criteria after
recommendation by the Planning Advisory Commission and after a public
hearing held in accordance with the requirements of this chapter.
A design concept applicable to transportation networks, development
patterns, streets, alleys, buildings, architecture, pedestrian amenities,
open spaces, landscaping, streetscaping, accessory structures, utility
poles, wireless communications facilities, and the like, in which
the design of the aforementioned item(s) is complimentary to and integrated
with the aesthetics of its adjacent environs, which may range in scope,
at the discretion of the Township, from the immediate area surrounding
the item in question to the Township as a whole; also may be referred
to as "context sensitivity."
A development within a CCD Overlay District on a property of less than the minimum required acreage and adjacent to an existing CCD or adjacent to a site with an approved CCD plan, that is regulated in § 27-506.
A facility that contains dwelling units intended or designed
to be used, rented, leased, let, or hired out to be occupied for living
purposes based on resident needs. Types of continuing care facilities
shall include:
SKILLED OR INTERMEDIATE NURSING FACILITIESFacilities that provide professionally supervised nursing care and related medical and other health services provided for a period exceeding 24 hours to an individual not in need of hospitalization as licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health or current regulatory state agency.
ASSISTED LIVING RESIDENCESFacilities that provide food, shelter, assisted living services, and supplemental health care services to four or more adults who are not relatives of the operator as licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging or current regulatory state agency.
PERSONAL CARE HOMESFacilities that provide food, shelter, and personal assistance or supervision to four or more adults who are not relatives of the operator and who do not require a nursing home level of care as licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare or current regulatory state agency.
Any public or private facility that sells, dispenses, distributes,
provides and/or administers any controlled substance, as that term
is defined in the Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. § 802
et seq., as the same may be amended from time to time, including,
but not limited to, methadone or suboxone or similar anti-opioids,
to any person known or believed by such facility or to any employee,
agent or individual otherwise connected to such facility, to be physically
or psychologically dependent on the use of such controlled substances,
for the detoxification treatment or maintenance treatment of such
dependency, unless said controlled substance is sold, dispensed, distributed,
provided and/or administered for the cure or treatment of an illness,
malady or disease other than controlled substance dependency. Such
facilities include but are not limited to any facility licensed by
the Pennsylvania Department of Health for such operations.
The construction, reconstruction, renovation, repair, extension,
expansion, alteration or relocation of a structure, including the
placement of mobile homes.
A person employed as a forester by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's
Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Forestry, or a person
listed on said Bureau of Forestry's Register of Consulting Foresters
as being a graduate of a forestry school accredited by the Society
of American Foresters and employed full-time as a private forestry
consultant.
A facility in a completely enclosed building used for corporate,
trade and professional meetings, seminars, training, trade shows and/or
exhibition of products and technology and which may include supporting
dining, lodging and recreational facilities as accessory uses.
Any dwelling unit created by combining space within an existing
structure. Conversion apartments must exit onto a common hallway or
directly to the exterior of a structure.
A small commercial building that is less than 4,000 square
feet in gross floor area, in which the sale of retail items, including
groceries, is offered for the convenience of the neighborhood within
a one-fourth-mile walk of most of the homes in a TND Overlay District.
Public or privately operated facilities housing persons awaiting
trial or persons serving a sentence after being found guilty of a
criminal offense, including but not limited to jails, prisons, and
juvenile detention centers.
The County of Butler, Pennsylvania.
That percentage of the lot area covered by the building area.
A facility licensed by the commonwealth, located within a
building not used as a dwelling unit, for the care, during part of
a twenty-four-hour day, of children under the age of 16 years of age,
or handicapped or elderly persons.
A unit of measurement of the intensity (loudness) of sound.
Sound-level meters which are employed to measure the intensity of
sound are calibrated in decibels.
The number of dwelling units per acre of net site area.
The number of dwelling units per acre of site area.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
A stormwater facility that collects and temporarily stores
surface runoff and releases it at a controlled rate. Detention basins
may be classified into the following categories:
NATURALIZED BASINA detention basin designed to completely drain following a storm event and which blends into the surrounding environment by being curvilinear in shape and using native plants to provide soil stabilization. (See Chapter 17.)
UNDERGROUND BASINDetention storage located in underground tanks or vaults designed to provide water quantity control through detention of stormwater runoff.
Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate,
including, but not limited to, the construction, reconstruction, renovation,
repair, expansion, or alteration of buildings or other structures;
the placement of mobile buildings or mobile homes; streets, and other
paving; utilities; filling, grading and excavation; mining; dredging;
drilling operations; storage or equipment or materials; and the subdivision
of land.
Development other than planned residential development.
The provisions for development, including a planned residential
development, a plat of subdivision, all covenants relating to use,
location and bulk of buildings and other structures, intensity of
use or density of development, streets, ways and parking facilities,
common open space and public facilities. The phrase "provisions of
the development plan" shall mean the written and graphic materials
referred to in this definition.
Any landowner, agent of a landowner or tenant with permission
of such landowner, who makes an application for development.
A measurement of the size of a tree equal to the diameter
of its trunk measured 4.5 feet above natural grade.
A facility designed to store products, goods, and/or packages
that will be redistributed to wholesalers, retailers, or consumers.
"Distribution warehouse centers" may also include "pick up" services
available to the public. "Distribution warehouse centers" also includes
"fulfillment centers" and "bulk mail centers."
A section of the Township for which uniform regulations governing
the use, height, area and intensity of use of buildings and land and
open spaces about buildings are herein established.
A restaurant with or without a drive-thru, where the food
is primarily brought to and consumed within a patron's vehicle. An
outdoor seating area may be provided.
An establishment which offers in-car service or take-out
service, including, but not limited to, financial institutions, food
stores, and restaurants, but not including drive-in theaters.
See "restaurant, drive-thru."
A private area used exclusively for circulation and ingress
and egress to a street by the landowner or visitors of the lot.
A building, or portion thereof, which is designed for or
occupied in whole or in part for residential use, having one or more
dwelling units, but not including motels, boardinghouses, continuing
care facilities, personal-care homes, intermediate-care facilities,
or skilled nursing facilities.
An apartment not greater than 600 square feet, sharing utility
connections with a principal building. A carriage house may or may
not be within an outbuilding (defined as an ancillary building, usually
located toward the rear of the same lot as the principal building).
(Carriage house dwellings do not count toward maximum density calculations.)
See "two-family dwelling" or "single-family semidetached
dwelling."
A group of two or more single-family, two-family or multiple-family
dwellings occupying a lot in one ownership and having a yard in common.
A dwelling or group of dwellings on one plot or lot not exceeding
three stories, containing separate living units as dwelling units
for three or more families, providing for direct or indirect access
to the outdoors, but which may have joint services or facilities,
or both.
A multiple-family dwelling of four or more floors where individual
dwelling units do not have direct access to the outdoors, as opposed
to townhouse dwellings.
A building in a square or generally square configuration,
designed for or occupied by four families living independently of
each other, with separate dwelling unit entrances and no internal
connection between the four dwelling units. Each dwelling unit shall
have direct outdoor access.
A dwelling or building, designed for or occupied by three
or more families living independently of each other, divided by party
walls into distinct and noncommunicating units. Buildings shall not
exceed three stories in height. Each dwelling unit shall have direct
access to the outdoors.
A detached building designed for or occupied exclusively
by one family.
A dwelling used by one family, having one side yard and one
party wall common with another dwelling.
See "row or townhouse dwelling."
A building designed for or occupied exclusively by two families
living independently of each other, with separate dwelling unit entrances
and no internal connection between the two dwelling units. A single-family
semidetached dwelling is also a two-family dwelling.
A building designed for or occupied exclusively by two families
living independently of each other, having one party wall or ceiling/floor
in common with another dwelling, with separate dwelling unit entrances
and no internal connection between the two dwelling units.
One or more living or sleeping rooms with cooking and sanitary
facilities for one person or one family.
A structure, part of a structure, or structures designed
and used for training and teaching of children, youths or adults,
including laboratories appurtenant thereto.
An accessory use which is used, arranged, designed, or intended
to provide an electric charge for motor vehicles.
Any service to citizens for injury or life-threatening events,
including but not limited to ambulance, paramedic, or fire and rescue
services provided by a privately owned entity.
A person who performs any service on the premises of a sexually
oriented business on a full-time, part-time, or contract basis, whether
or not the person is denominated an employee, independent contractor,
agent, or otherwise, and whether or not said person is paid a salary,
wage, or other compensation by the operator of said business. "Employee"
does not include a person exclusively on the premises for repair or
maintenance of the premises or equipment on the premises, or for the
delivery of goods to the premises.
A notice as provided in § 616.1 of the MPC, 53
P.S. § 10616.1, sent by the Township to the owner or occupant
of record of a parcel on which a violation of this chapter has occurred,
to any person who has filed a written request to receive enforcement
notices regarding that parcel, and to any other person requested in
writing by the owner or occupant of record, the purpose of which is
to initiate enforcement proceedings.
A professional engineer registered by the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.
Vinyl siding such as beaded siding, textured siding, german
lapboard siding, and the like.
An assessment of the impact of a use on the (1) natural environment,
i.e., geology, topography, soils, hydrology, vegetation, wildlife,
wetland's, and air quality; and (2) the cultural environment, i.e.,
lot use, utilities, traffic, population, economics, services, historic
assets, and general character of the neighborhood. The assessment
of traffic impact must include a complete traffic analysis prepared
and sealed by a professional traffic engineer identifying the impact
of the proposed development on existing traffic and circulation patterns
and proposing solutions to problems which may arise as a consequence
of the proposed development.
A person who, for consideration, agrees, or offers to act
as a companion, guide, or date for another person, or who agrees or
offers to privately model lingerie or to privately perform a striptease
for another person.
A person or business association who furnishes, offers to
furnish, or advertises to furnish escorts as one of its primary businesses
for a fee, tip, or other consideration.
Includes any of the following:
The opening or commencement of any sexually oriented business
as a new business.
The conversion of an existing business, whether or not a sexually
oriented business, to any sexually oriented business.
The addition of any sexually oriented business to any other
existing sexually oriented business or to a non-sexually oriented
business.
The relocation of any sexually oriented business.
A facility designed to accommodate events attended by comparatively
large groups of people, such as business meetings, conferences, seminars,
weddings, wedding receptions, banquets, parties, and/or meetings of
a public or private agency or group where food may be prepared on
site.
A woody plant capable of reaching a minimum mature height
of 20 feet with foliage (needles) persistent for more than one full
year, resulting in a year-round (evergreen) foliage screening capacity.
A manufactured home park or subdivision for which the construction
of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes
are to be affixed (including, at a minimum, the installation of utilities,
the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the
pouring of concrete pads) is completed before the effective date of
the floodplain management regulations adopted by a community.
The preparation of additional sites by the construction of
facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes
are to be affixed (including the installation of utilities, the construction
of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete
pads).
Any use consisting of the mining and extraction of coal or
other minerals.
The area within which the residential building shall be located,
at the build-to line or within four to six feet of the build-to line,
depending on which CCD Overlay District applies, as described and
illustrated in Exhibit B, the General Manual of Written and Graphic
Design Guidelines for the CCD - Community Character Development Districts.[6]
One or more individuals who live together. Members of the
family do not need to be related by blood, marriage or in any other
legal capacity. Family members who are away from the household for
a certain period of time may be considered part of the family. Live-in
aides are also considered a family member.
A retail establishment at which fruits, vegetables, breads,
eggs, milk, cheese, meat, flowers, and the like are sold by persons
who typically grow, harvest, or process such items from their farm
or agricultural operation.
Federal Communications Commission.
The ultimate approval of a planned residential development granted by the Supervisors which follows tentative approval and filing of the final development plan, all granted in accordance with Part 9 of this chapter.
Any commercial establishment that lends money or engages
in a finance-related business, but not including stockbrokerage firms,
investment firms and securities firms.
Surety, in a form acceptable to the Township Solicitor, in
the form of cash, a certified check or irrevocable letter of credit
and restrictive or escrow account or set-aside agreement from a federal
or commonwealth-chartered lending institution, or a corporate performance
bond or a labor-and-material payment bond from a surety company authorized
to conduct business in the commonwealth, which may be classified as
the following:
IMPROVEMENT SECURITYA financial security which guarantees the satisfactory completion of improvements required by this chapter.
MAINTENANCE SECURITYA financial security which guarantees the structural functioning and integrity of improvements required by this chapter for a specified period after their completion and acceptance by the Township.
Any fabric, banner, or bunting containing distinctive colors,
patterns, or symbols, used as a symbol of a government, political
subdivision, religious, education, or corporate organization, providing
that such flags are displayed for noncommercial purposes.
Any portion of a sign that changes light intensity, switches
on and off in a pattern, or contains moving parts or the optical illusion
of motion caused by use of electrical energy or illumination, with
a display that appears for less than fifteen consecutive seconds;
a sign or any portion thereof where there is a pattern of changing
light illumination, where the sign illumination alternates suddenly
between fully illuminated and fully nonilluminated or alternates between
various levels of illumination for the purpose of drawing attention;
illumination that is intermittently on and off so as to flash or blink
or the intensity varies so as to appear to flash or blink or where
there is a pattern of changing light illumination.
Relatively flat or low land area(s) which is/are subject
to partial or complete inundation from an adjoining or nearby stream,
river, or watercourse; and/or any area subject to the unusual and
rapid accumulation of surface waters from any source.
The channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent
land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood
without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than
one foot.
The lowest floor of the lowest fully enclosed area, including
basement. An unfinished, flood-resistant, partially enclosed area,
used solely for parking of vehicles, building access, and incidental
storage, in an area other than a basement area is not considered the
lowest floor of a building, provided that such space is not designed
and built so that the structure is in violation of the applicable
nonelevation design requirements of this chapter.
The management of forests and timberlands when practiced
in accordance with accepted silvicultural principles, through developing,
cultivating, harvesting, transporting and selling trees for commercial
purposes, which does not involve any land development.
The management, cultivating, maintaining, and harvesting
of timber from a site. Forestry activities do not include the production
or processing of lumber mills or similar activities/uses of timber,
whether grown on site or off site.
Signifies the number of oscillations per second in a sound
wave and is an index of the pitch of the resulting sound.
An area extending outward from a particular structure in
any direction, facing a public or private right-of-way, which is the
width and/or length of said structure's facade. See 27 Attachment
9, Drawing Z-16, in this chapter for more detail.[7]
An accessory use which is attached to or an integral part
of a residential building or dwelling unit, or an accessory structure
used for the storage of motor vehicles and other personal property
owned and used by the residents of the residential building or dwelling
unit.
A building or structure available to the general public in
which motor vehicles are temporarily stored but which is not used
for the repair or maintenance thereof.
A one-, two- or three-bedroom dwelling unit built predominantly
on one level and used as a single housekeeping unit, containing complete
kitchen, bathroom and toilet facilities, constructed in conjunction
with other units to a maximum of three stories.
Natural gas, methane gas, coal bed methane gas, propane,
butane and/or any other constituents or similar substances that are
produced by drilling a well of any depth into, through, and below
the surface of the earth.
The well site preparation, well site construction, drilling,
hydraulic fracturing, and/or site restoration associated with a gas
well of any depth; water and other fluid storage, impoundment and
transportation used for such activities; and the installation and
use of all associated equipment, including tanks, meters and other
equipment and structures, whether permanent or temporary; and the
site preparation, construction, installation, maintenance and repair
of gas pipelines and associated equipment and other equipment and
activities associated with the exploration for and production and
transportation of gas.
A site that consists of the area occupied by the facilities,
structures, materials, and equipment, whether temporary or permanent,
necessary for or incidental to the drilling, production, or operation
of a gas well.
The highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior
to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure.
See "accessory dwelling unit."
A plaza, square, courtyard, green court, green court lot,
pocket park, tot lot, playground, walkway, promenade, lawn area, or
other type of common CCD open space in which features such as pavers,
benches, gazebos, pergolas, trellises, planters, plantings, lighting,
sculpture, and the like are installed and maintained, and in which
public seating, outdoor dining, and the like, take place.
Buildings designed in accordance with the green plans as
established by the Pennsylvania Governors Green Government Council
established March 25, 1998, and any recommendations, regulations or
requirements promulgated hereafter.
A common CCD open space amenity that is internal to or along
the edge of a block; a lot with rear vehicular access that fronts
on a public space.
A structure whether permanent or temporary whose roof and
sides are made largely of glass or other transparent or translucent
material and in which the temperature and humidity can be regulated
for the cultivation of plants for subsequent resale.
A public or private roadway designed in an interconnecting
block pattern containing no dead ends or culs-de-sac and allowing
for on-street parallel parking but not permitting angled or perpendicular
parking spaces direct access to the street.
A dwelling unit where room and board are provided to not
more than eight permanent residents who are not family, who need supervision
and/or specialized services, and caretakers provide health, social
and/or rehabilitative services to the residents. A group home does
not include housing for persons assigned by a court of law or public
or semipublic agency on a short-term basis for supervision, care and
counseling for a specified period of time, including alcoholic recovery,
shelters for battered persons and their children, community reentry
services following incarceration and other such transitional and/or
supervised short-term assignments.
The sum of all gross horizontal areas of several floors of
a building or buildings, measured from the exterior faces of exterior
walls or from the center line of common walls separating buildings.
This includes stairwells, all rest rooms, lobby areas, floor space
for mechanical equipment and all other common areas and basements.
The total building area for tenant occupancy and exclusive
use, including any basements, mezzanines, or upper floors, expressed
in square feet and measured from the center line of joint partitions
and from outside wall faces. Gross leasable area is that area of a
building for which a tenant pays rent.
That area of the structure including the exterior walls,
or to the center line of demising walls, and shall include all areas
above grade suitable for habitation and finished or unfinished below-grade
space; provided, that such space has a minimum of three feet of exterior
wall surface exposed above grade for at least 50% of its linear exterior
wall surface.
The location on the site where timber harvesting occurs.
A commercial recreation and entertainment facility or private
club which has as a principal use a gymnasium, swimming pool or other
sports facility and which may offer massages, whirlpool baths, steam
rooms, saunas or medical facilities as accessory uses to the principal
use.
See "building height."
See "multistory, multiple-family dwelling."
Any structure that is:
Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places
(a listing maintained by the Department of Interior) or preliminarily
determined by the Secretary of the Interior as meeting the requirements
for individual listing on the National Register.
Certified or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the
Interior as contributing to the historical significance of a registered
historic district or a district preliminarily determined by the Secretary
to qualify as a registered historic district.
Individually listed on a state inventory of historic places
in states with historic preservation programs which have been approved
by the Secretary of Interior.
Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places
in communities with historic preservation programs that have been
certified either:
An institution providing acute medical or surgical care and
treatment for sick or injured humans, as defined in current state
licensure requirements.
A facility offering transient lodging accommodations to the
general public and which may provide additional services, such as
restaurants, meeting rooms, and recreational facilities.
Any type of dwelling unit within a Community Character Development
(CCD).
Those surfaces which do not absorb water. They consist of
all buildings, parking lots, streets, sidewalks, and any areas of
concrete or asphalt or nonabsorbent material. In the case of lumberyards,
areas of stored lumber constitute impervious surfaces.
A device used to burn waste substances and in which all the
combustion factors, temperature, retention time, turbulence, and combustion
air can be controlled.
An area of land occupied by a group of three or more industrial
uses arranged and constructed in accordance with a plan, each use
contained on a separate lot having direct access to a public road.
An indoor and/or outdoor facility used for shooting and/or
firing of guns, rifles and other similar weapons on a range(s) to
an intended target of any type.
A facility located completely indoors used for fitness centers,
gymnastics/tumbling centers, dance studios, martial arts instruction,
yoga instruction, movie theaters, health spas, bowling alleys and
other similar types of uses in which patrons pay and/or are members
to participate in or view a recreational or entertainment physical
activity, excluding activities which include the use of firearms or
motorized vehicles.
Any scrap, waste, reclaimable material or debris, whether
or not stored, for sale or in the process of being dismantled, destroyed,
processed, salvaged, stored, baled, disposed, or other use or disposition,
including, but not limited to: unregistered, inoperable vehicles;
tires; vehicle parts; equipment; paper; rugs; metal; glass; household
appliances; machinery, and building materials.
Any lot, site, parcel, building, or structure, or part thereof,
used for the storage, collection, processing, purchase, sale, salvage,
or disposal of junk.
A use of land and structures in combination wherein seven
or more dogs, six months or older, are groomed, bred, trained, and/or
boarded or kept, with or without compensation. As an exception to
the preceding, individual lots with a lot area larger than 20 acres
may have up to 10 dogs six months or older without being classified
as a kennel under this chapter unless the dogs are boarded for compensation
on the property.
A use in conjunction with a veterinary office which includes
interior housing for animals only and no outdoor operations.
Any of the following activities:
The improvement of one lot or two or more contiguous lots, tracts
or parcels of land for any purpose involving:
A group of two or more residential or nonresidential buildings,
whether proposed initially or cumulatively, or a single nonresidential
building on a lot or lots regardless of the number of occupants or
tenure.
The division or allocation of land or space, whether initially
or cumulatively, between or among two or more existing or prospective
occupants by means of, or for the purpose of, streets, common areas,
leaseholds, condominiums, building groups or other features.
A subdivision of land.
A disposed site in which refuse and earth, or other suitable
cover material, is deposited and compacted in alternative layers as
required by the federal and/or state agency having jurisdiction.
A designated location on land where the harvested timber,
including logs, pulpwood, or firewood, is assembled for transportation
off site to processing facilities.
The legal or beneficial owner or owners of land, including
the holder of an option or contract to purchase (whether or not such
option or contract is subject to any condition), a lessee if he is
authorized under the lease to exercise the right of the landowner,
or other person having a proprietary interest in land.
A landscape architect registered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The outstanding qualities that distinguish the outdoor landscape
elements of a place, including integration, connectivity, space articulation,
repetition, contrast, balance and sustainability, as described and
illustrated in Exhibit B, the General Manual of Written and Graphic
Design Guidelines for the CCD - Community Character Development Districts.[8]
A landscape plan prepared by a landscape architect identifying
each tree and shrub by size, type and scientific name, ball and burlap
or bare root, and location, together with a planting diagram and such
other diagrams or reports necessary to show method of planting, staking
and mulching, grass seeding specifications and mixtures and existing
trees over six inches in diameter at breast height.
Any nonresidential land development that has a building area
of 75,000 square feet or more or a gross floor area of 75,000 square
feet or more.
Light emitting diode.
Smaller stores and service businesses that are connected
and form the frontage of a building, typically in conjunction with
a larger building such as a junior anchor store.
A commercial use, such as a shop, studio, office, cafe, deli,
personal service establishment or other place of business, in combination
with a dwelling unit or units located above such place of business.
A person or persons other than the proprietor of the business may
occupy a live-work unit. The dwelling should have the appearance of
a townhouse.
A space within the main building or on the same lot therewith
providing for the standing, loading, or unloading of vehicles.
A designated parcel, tract or area of land established by
a plat or otherwise as permitted by law and to be used, developed,
or built upon as a unit.
See "area, lot."
A lot at the junction of two or more intersecting streets
and having frontage on two or more of such streets.
The mean horizontal distance between the front lot line and
rear lot line, measured midway between the side lot lines.
A lot other than a corner lot or a through lot.
A line bounding a lot which divides one lot from another
or from a street or any other public or private space.
A lot line or lines which separate a lot from a public street
or streets.
The lot line which is parallel to and most distant from the
front lot line of the lot.
Any lot line other than a front or rear lot line.
A lot having frontage on two parallel or approximately parallel
streets and which is not a corner lot.
The dimension of a lot measured between the side lot lines
on the front yard setback line.
The technique of providing diversity in the width of lots
to add visual interest and a modulation of light, air, and visual
enjoyment.
A public street which serves large volumes of high-speed
and long-distance traffic, including and limited to the Pennsylvania
Turnpike, Interstate 79, U.S. Route 228 and U.S. Route 19.
A document that provides written and graphic design guidelines for the Streetscape Enhancement Overlay and CCD Overlay Districts in accordance with Part 3, § 27-324, and Part 5, § 27-506, respectively, and Exhibits A and B.[9] Exhibit B is a general manual that shall be accompanied
by a specific manual, also known as a pattern book, prepared by the
applicant and submitted with the conditional use application.
A structure, transportable in one or more sections, which
is built on a permanent chassis and is designed for use with or without
a permanent foundation when attached to the required utilities. The
term includes park trailers, travel trailers, recreational and other
similar vehicles which are placed on a site for more than 180 consecutive
days; also referred to as a "mobile home."
A parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land divided into two
or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale; also referred to
as a "mobile home."
The process of making wares by hand, by machinery or by other
agency, often with the provision of labor and the use of machinery.
Manufacturing, including the production, processing, cleaning,
testing and distribution of materials, goods, foodstuffs and products,
for which, due to the nature of the materials, equipment or process
utilized, the manufacturing operation is considered to be unclean,
noisy, hazardous or is associated with other objectionable elements.
Manufacturing, including the production, processing, cleaning,
testing and distribution of materials, goods, foodstuffs and products,
which, by the nature of the materials, equipment and process utilized,
is to a considerable measure clean, quiet, and free of any objectionable
or hazardous element.
Any permanent roof-like structure projecting beyond a building
or extending along and projecting beyond the wall of the building,
generally designed and constructed to provide protection from the
weather.
A building used by one retail owner or tenant with more than
5,000 square feet on the ground floor.
An establishment that brews, distills, produces and/or serves
465,000 gallons or less per year of alcoholic beverages for consumption
on site with distribution. Such uses may be in combination with restaurants
or remain independent and they may also have "tasting rooms" and retails
sales of the products.
Any aggregate or mass of mineral matter, whether or not coherent.
The term includes, but is not limited to, limestone and dolomite,
sand and gravel, rock and stone, earth, fill, slag, iron ore, zinc
ore, vermiculite and clay, anthracite and bituminous coal, coal refuse,
peat and crude oil and natural gas.
A building consisting of individual self-contained, self-service
storage spaces, where each unit is not greater than 500 square feet,
and the units are rented for the storage of business and household
goods.
The conduct of two or more principal uses within one principal
building, or one lot or site.
A two- or three-story building which houses nonresidential
uses, including retail shops and offices, on the ground floor. Uses
within the upper floors include apartments and/or professional offices.
The street-level facade has individual expression by creating a very
regular pattern of large storefront openings (to include windows and
glass doors). The upper floors include simple individual window compositions
with vertically hung sashes. The front facade has parapet walls with
cornice expression, e.g.: See Drawing Z-1.
A transportable building intended for permanent occupancy,
contained in one or more sections, built on a permanent chassis, which
arrives at a site completed and ready for occupancy except for minor
and incidental unpacking and assembly operations, and constructed
so that it may be used with or without a permanent foundation. The
term includes park trailers, travel trailers, recreational and other
similar vehicles which are placed on a site for more than 180 consecutive
days.
A transportable, single-family dwelling intended for permanent
occupancy, contained in one unit, or in two or more units designed
to be joined into one integral unit capable of again being separated
for repeated towing, which arrives at a site complete and ready for
occupancy except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations.
A parcel of land in a mobile home park, improved with the
necessary utility connections and other appurtenances necessary for
the erection thereon of a single mobile home.
A parcel or contiguous parcels of land which has been so
designated and improved that it contains two or more mobile home lots
for the placement thereon of mobile homes for nontransient use.
A structure in which lodging is provided for the accommodation
of guests, offered to the public for compensation, which contains
an office supervised by a person in charge at all hours with a majority
of all rooms having direct access to the outside. "Motel" does not
include boardinghouse, lodging house, rooming house or personal-care
home, or group home.
The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, Act 247 of
1968, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq., and as it may be amended.
A sign with two identical sign faces placed back to back
so that both faces cannot be viewed from any one point at the same
time and when such sign faces are part of the same sign structure
and are not more than 36 inches apart.
A group of uses consisting of three or more nonretail establishments
forming a cohesive group of uses in a single building having direct
access to the outdoors or in a group of two or more buildings arranged
and constructed on a lot or site according to a plan and sometimes
having common parking.
A facility for the temporary storage of stormwater runoff
that is landscaped with grasses and native plants and is designed,
constructed, and maintained in accordance with recognized best management
practice techniques as recommended by the Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection.
The area within a CCD where commercial and civic uses are
located.
Structures for which the start of construction commenced
on or after the effective start date of the Floodplain Management
Ordinance, and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
Any construction started after April 1, 1982, and before the effective
start date of the Floodplain Management Ordinance is subject to the
ordinance in effect at the time the permit was issued, provided the
start of construction was within 180 days of permit issuance.
A manufactured home park or subdivision for which the construction
of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes
are to be affixed (including at a minimum, the installation of utilities,
the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the
pouring of concrete pads) is completed on or after the effective date
of floodplain management regulations adopted by a community.
A place of assembly, other than a dwelling unit, including
private clubs which may offer food, drink, and entertainment, either
live or recorded, and characterized by low light levels and closely
packed tables, whether or not the consumption of alcoholic beverages
is permitted or allowed on the premises. A nightclub may also operate
as a restaurant during all or part of its hours of operation. An adult
cabaret shall not be considered a nightclub, but shall be considered
a sexually oriented business.
A unit of measure used for lighting expressed as candelas
per meter squared.
A business or commercial activity administered or conducted
as an accessory use which is clearly secondary to the uses as a residential
dwelling and which involves no customer, client, or patient traffic,
whether vehicular or pedestrian, pickup, delivery or removal functions
to or from the premises, in excess of those normally associated with
residential use. The business or commercial activity must satisfy
the following requirements:
The business activity shall be compatible with the residential
use of the property and surrounding residential uses.
The business shall employ no employees other than family members
residing in the dwelling.
There shall be no display or sale of retail goods and no stockpiling
of inventory of a substantial nature.
There shall be no outside appearance of a business use, including,
but not limited to, parking, signs, or lights.
The business activity may not use any equipment or process which
creates noise, vibration, glare, fumes, odors, or electrical or electronic
interference, including interference with radio or television reception,
which is detectable in the neighborhood.
The business activity may not generate any solid waste or sewage
discharge, in volume or type, which is not normally associated with
residential use in the neighborhood.
The business activity shall be conducted only within the dwelling
and may not occupy more than 25% of the habitable floor area.
The business may not involve any illegal activity.
A lot, the area or dimension of which was lawful prior to
the adoption or amendment of this chapter, but which fails to conform
to the requirements of the zoning district in which it is located
by reason of such adoption or amendment.
A structure or part of a structure manifestly not designed
to comply with the applicable use or extent of use provisions in this
chapter or amendment heretofore of hereafter enacted, where such structure
lawfully existed prior to the enactment of such ordinance or amendment,
or prior to the application of such ordinance or amendment to its
location by reason of annexation.
A building or use of land lawfully existing on the effective
date of this chapter that does not completely conform to the use regulations
for the zoning district in which it is located.
Any place where a person appears seminude, in a state of
nudity, or displays specified anatomical areas and is provided to
be observed, sketched, drawn, painted, sculpted, photographed, or
similarly depicted by other persons who pay money or any form of consideration.
Nude model studio shall not include a proprietant school licensed
by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or a college, junior college,
or university supported entirely or in part by public taxation; a
private college or university which maintains and operates educational
programs in which credits are transferable to a college, junior college,
or university supported entirely or partly by taxation; or a structure:
That has no sign visible from the exterior of the structure
and no other advertising that indicates a nude or seminude person
is available for viewing.
Where in order to participate in a class a student must enroll
at least three days in advance of the class.
Where no more than one nude or seminude model is on the premises
at any one time.
The showing of the human male or female genitals, pubic area,
vulva, anus, anal cleft or cleavage with less than a fully opaque
covering, the showing of the female breast with less than a fully
opaque covering of any part of the nipple, or the showing of the covered
male genitals in a discernibly turgid state.
A school designed to provide daytime care or instruction
for two or more children of preschool age.
Land or greenhouses used to raise flowers, shrubs, trees
and plants for resale. (See "greenhouse.")
The physical possession upon, on or within any lot or structure
for a use.
A prescribed interval of sound frequencies which permits
classifying sound according to its pitch.
Any matter or material that produces a response in the normal
human nose.
A map adopted by ordinance by the Supervisors pursuant to
Article IV of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S.
§ 10401 et seq.
An office for such business as insurance, utilities, stenographic
service, employment service, real estate, post office, sales such
as those by a manufacturer's representative, legal, medical, dental,
engineering and surveying, architectural and stock brokerage firms,
securities and investment firms or any enterprise conducted for gain
which primarily offers services to the general populace, such as shoe
repair, valet service, watch repair, barbershop, tanning salon, nail
salon, therapeutic massage establishments, beauty parlor, and similar
services and activities related to the personal needs of people.
Parking that is adjoining the curbline of a street and that
is either parallel to or at an angle from the curbline.
The provision of two or more types of open space, such as
plazas, greens, playgrounds, parks, and buffers.
Deciduous trees with characteristic flower or foliage color
of ornamental/aesthetic value. Ornamental trees are generally smaller,
20 to 40 feet at mature height, than canopy/shade trees.
An area of the Township subject to the restrictions set forth in Part 5 of this chapter.
The person or persons having the right of legal title to,
beneficial interest in, or a contractual right to purchase a lot or
parcel.
The parking module consisting of one or two rows of parking
spaces and the aisle from which motor vehicles enter and leave the
spaces.
A surface parking lot or a deck parking lot surrounded on
all four sides with buildings and accessed through a portal typically
located in a mid-block location.
A principal use, the purpose of which is the storage of motor
vehicles, including a public garage.
Any lot, parcel, or yard used in whole or in part for the
storage or parking of two or more vehicles where such usage is not
incidental to or in conjunction with a single-family or two-family
dwelling.
The act of hiding parking lots by placing buildings or plantings
to block views of off-street parking.
An off-street space available for the parking of one motor
vehicle and having dimensions not less than nine feet by 18 feet,
exclusive of passageways and driveways appurtenant thereto and giving
access thereto, and having direct access to a street, alley, or aisle.
An area of land used for informal leisure time activities
such as picnicking, nature study, bird watching, and nature photography.
A public space for pedestrians, not to be used for overnight
activities, that includes a variety of opportunities for sitting,
relaxation, reading, and informal picnicking.
A public gathering place that is designed and maintained
with features such as benches, sitting walls, plantings, and other
landscape features as depicted in the General Manual of Written and
Graphic Design Guidelines.
Any lightweight plastic, fabric, or other material, whether
or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire,
or string, usually in a series, designed to move in the wind.
Any property owner, or individual, partnership, company,
firm, association, or corporation representing a property owner, to
whom a timber harvesting permit is issued.
An individual, partnership, public, or private association
or corporation, firm, trust, estate, municipality, governmental unit,
public utility or any other legal entity whatsoever which is recognized
by law as the subject of rights and duties.
A public gathering place that is designed and maintained
with features such as benches, sitting, walls, plantings, pet-oriented
amenities, and other landscape features.
A retail store which primarily sells prescription drugs,
patent medicines, and surgical and sickroom supplies.
A retail establishment for the purpose of photographing subjects
and processing photographs for commercial purposes for business.
A retail establishment for the purpose of photographing subjects
and processing photographs for commercial purposes, but not including
photography requiring professional models.
An area of land, controlled by a landowner, to be developed
as a single entity for a number of dwelling units, or combination
of residential and nonresidential uses, the development plan for which
does not correspond in lot size, bulk, type of dwelling, or use, density,
or intensity, lot coverage and required common open space to the regulations
established in any one zoning district created, from time to time,
under the provisions of this chapter.
The Planning Advisory Commission of Cranberry Township.
The map or plan of a subdivision or land development, whether
preliminary or final.
A public gathering place that is designed and maintained
with pavers, benches, plantings, and other landscape features as depicted
in the General Manual of Written and Graphic Design Guidelines.[10]
An unenclosed extension of a building no smaller than five
feet deep by 12 feet wide.
The entrance to a building that most pedestrians are expected
to use. Generally, each building has one primary entrance. It is the
widest entrance of those provided for use by pedestrians. In multitenant
buildings, primary entrances open directly into the building's lobby
or principal interior ground level circulation space. When a multitenant
building does not have a lobby or common interior circulation space,
each tenant's outside entrance is a primary entrance. In single-tenant
buildings, primary entrances open directly into lobby, reception,
or sales areas. The primary entrance shall be located within the front
building facade of the building.
The facade of a building where the front entrance door is
located. On a corner lot, there shall be two primary facades, one
of which shall be designated with a front entrance door.
All improvements to be owned, maintained or operated by a private entity such as an individual, corporation or homeowners' association, including roads, streets, walkways, parking lots, gutters, curbs, waterlines, sewers, stormwater management facilities, landscaping, lighting, traffic control devices and other facilities for which plans and specifications must comply with the minimum requirements of this chapter, the Public Improvements Code [Chapter 17], the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance [Chapter 22], and/or conditions attached to the granting of zoning approval or conditional use approval, including temporary erosion and sedimentation control and stormwater management control methods undertaken during construction.
Owned, operated or controlled by a federal, state, or local
government agency.
A formal meeting held pursuant to public notice by the Supervisors
or planning agency, intended to inform and obtain public comment,
prior to taking action in accordance with this act.
All roads, streets, walkways, sidewalks, gutters, curbs,
sewers, waterlines, stormwater management facilities, landscaping,
street lighting, traffic control devices and other facilities to be
dedicated to or maintained by the Township for which plans and specifications
must comply with the Public Improvements Code.
Chapter 17 of this Code entitled Public and Private Improvements Code.
A notice published once each week for two successive weeks
in a newspaper of general circulation in the Township. Such notice
shall state the time and place of the public hearing and the particular
nature of the matter to be considered at the public hearing. The first
publication shall be not more than 30 days and the second publication
shall be not less than seven days from the date of the hearing.
A facility owned by a public or quasi-public body designed
for the preservation of historic or scenic property or recreational
use by the general public.
Open space in a Community Character Development Overlay District
that is available to the public, sized and graded to be useful for
outdoor passive and active recreational pursuits, and usually framed
by buildings on two or three sides to provide a distinctive look and
feel.
The Cranberry Township Municipal Sewer and Water Authority
or its successor and assigns, or any supplier of utility services
regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
All of the buildings, wells, dams, reservoirs, plant and
equipment of a public utility, including all tangible and intangible
real and personal property without limitation, and any and all means
and instrumentalities in any manner owned, operated, leased, licensed,
used, controlled, furnished, or supplied for, by or in connection
with the business of any public utility.
A studio engaged in transmitting oral and visual programs
to the public, but not including the transmitter and/or antennas for
such broadcasting.
That area of land meeting the requirements of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance [Chapter 22], for recreation open space, which is defined as "that area of land suitable for the development of specific active recreation facilities for leisure time activities, usually of a formal nature and often performed with others, requiring equipment and taking place at prescribed places, sites or fields including, but not limited to, baseball fields, soccer fields, football fields, tennis, basketball and other court games, hockey facilities, multipurpose fields and community swimming pools and attendant facilities."
A vehicle which is (1) built on a single chassis; (2) not
more than 400 square feet, measured at the largest horizontal projections;
(3) designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light-duty
truck; (4) not designed for use as a permanent dwelling but as temporary
living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use.
Center for the acceptance of recyclable material from the
public by donation, redemption, or purchase. A collection facility
may include: reverse vending machines, a small recycling collection
facility, and a large recycling collection facility.
A recycling collection facility which occupies an area of
more than 500 square feet and may include permanent structures.
A recycling collection facility occupying an area of not
more than 500 square feet, and which may include: (1) a mobile recycling
unit; (2) a single bulk reverse vending machine or a group of reverse
vending machines which occupy an area of more than 50 square feet;
(3) kiosk-type units which may include a permanent structure; or (4)
unattended containers placed for the donation of recyclable materials.
A facility which provides room and board and specialized
services for residents who have been adjudicated by the court system
or assigned by a court of law or public or semipublic agency on a
short-term basis for supervision, care and counseling for a specified
period of time, including alcoholic recovery, shelters for battered
persons and their children, community reentry services following incarceration
and other such transitional and/or supervised short-term assignments.
A building used as a place of religious worship and teaching,
which may include schools, day-care centers, auditoriums, residences
for persons serving the particular facility, and recreational facilities.
A structure or complex of structures designed or used primarily
for research development functions related to industry and similar
fields of endeavor.
An establishment designed and operated for the express purpose
of providing food and beverage service within the confines of a structure
and generally excluding any encouragement, orientation or accommodation
of services or products to the patrons' automobiles, on or within
the premises.
A fast-food restaurant characterized by a limited menu and
catering to drive-thru traffic.
The sale of commodities and service directly to consumers.
A retail store that is incidental to, and subordinate to,
the principal use of a building and serves a purpose which does not
change the character of the principal use. Ancillary retail is designed
to serve only the employees and business visitors of a particular
nonresidential development.
A fixed small retail facility in which food or drink is offered
or prepared primarily for retail sale where no consumption takes place
inside the establishment. Such facilities may include take-out pizza
shops, delicatessen, and ice cream stands.
One or more retail uses that have between 5,000 and 14,999
square feet of gross floor area. Retail developments over 14,999 square
feet of gross floor area that don't meet the definition of a "shopping
center" shall be considered as "large retail."
A retail store with less than 5,000 square feet of gross
floor area.
An automated mechanical device for the redemption of recyclable
beverage containers which accepts empty recyclable beverage containers
and may issue credit. Reverse vending machines include machines that
sort and process containers mechanically, provided that the entire
process is enclosed within the machine.
A reverse vending machine that is larger than 50 square feet,
is designed to accept more than one container at a time, and may issue
credit by weight instead of by container.
Any establishment where horses are kept for riding, driving,
stabling for compensation or incidental to the operation of any club,
association, ranch, or similar establishment.
Includes the entire area reserved or dedicated for the purpose
of this chapter. ROW shall also include streets and roads owned by
Butler County, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and any other state
or federal agencies.
A chart, described in the United States Bureau of Mines Information
Circular 6888 or its successor, on which are illustrated graduated
shades of gray for use in estimating the light-obscuring capacity
of smoke.
The number appearing on the Ringelmann Chart ascribed by
the observer to the density of the smoke emission. Where the density
of the light-obstructing capacity of the smoke as observed falls between
two consecutive Ringelmann numbers, the lowest number shall be considered
the density of the smoke observed.
Any extension from the ground or from an existing permanent
structure, including but not limited to fencing, man-made partitions,
stacked material or prearranged plant material.
A business that provides home-type washing, drying or ironing
machines or dry-cleaning machines for hire to be used by customers
on the premises.
The state of dress in which clothing partially or nonopaquely
covers specified anatomical areas.
A multifamily building or structure that contains dwelling
units intended or designed to be used, rented, leased, let, or hired
out to be occupied for living purposes based on age. A senior facility
does not provide any level of personal care.
A thoroughfare type, such as a common driveway or alley,
which provides access to multifamily and/or nonresidential development.
A line parallel to a lot line, at a distance from the lot
line in accordance with the yard, perimeter or setback requirements
of this chapter.
An establishment having a substantial or significant portion
of its stock and trade in, or an establishment which as one of its
principal business purposes offers for sale, rental, or other consideration,
the following:
Books, magazines, periodicals or other printed matter, or photographs,
films, motion pictures, video cassettes, or video reproductions, slides,
CD ROM discs or other computer software, or other visual representations
which are characterized by the depiction or description of specified
sexual activities or specified anatomical areas.
Instruments, devices, or paraphernalia which are designed for
use in connection with specified sexual activities.
The use of viewing booths.
A business or commercial enterprise that, as one of its principal
business purposes, offers for any form of consideration:
An adult arcade, adult bookstore, adult novelty store, adult
video store, adult cabaret, adult motion-picture theater, adult theater,
escort agency, nude model studio, or sexual encounter center.
One or more retail uses with a cumulative square footage
of 15,000 square feet of gross floor area or more, developed as a
single entity, whether developed at one time or in phases or by different
owners.
A shopping center having from 100,000 to 300,000 square feet
of gross floor area.
A shopping center having between 15,000 square feet and 99,999
square feet of gross floor area.
A shopping center having in excess of 300,000 square feet
of gross floor area.
A woody plant, usually with multiple stems, each of which
has a diameter at breast height (dbh) of less than three inches. Shrubs
are generally less than 20 feet tall at maturity.
Any device, fixture, placard, or structure that uses any
color, form graphic, illumination, symbol, or writing to identify
and communicate, announce the purpose of, or identify the purpose
of a person or entity, or to communicate information of any kind to
the public.
Any sign or part of a sign that changes physical position
or light intensity by any movement or rotation or that gives the visual
impression of such movement or rotation.
Any sign that is a part of or attached to an awning, canopy,
or other fabric, plastic or structural protective cover over a door,
entrance, window or outdoor service area. A marquee is not a canopy.
Any sign attached to any part of a building, as contrasted
to a freestanding sign.
A freestanding street graphic that is permanently suspended
in a fixed location by a structure of pole(s), uprights or braces
from the ground and not supported by a building or base structure.
A sign generally informational, that has a purpose secondary
to the use of the lot or site on which it is located, such as "No
Parking," "Entrance," "Exit," "One Way," "Loading Only," "Telephone,"
and other similar directives, and provided that such sign does not
exceed five square feet. Directional, incidental sign shall be located
only in conjunction with site drive entrances and/or internal traffic
drive aisles.
Any sign or portion thereof that displays electronic images,
graphics, or pictures, with or without textual information, using
LEDs, fiberoptics, light bulbs, or other illumination devices or combination
thereof within the display area and where a static message change
sequence is accomplished immediately or by means of fade, repixalation,
dissolve or other such modes, devices, processes, products, applications
or technologies from a proximate or remote location. Such signs include
computer-programmable and microprocessor-controlled electronic displays.
Any sign supported by structures or supports that are placed
on, or anchored in, the ground and that are independent from any building
or other structure.
The gasoline pricing portion of a sign shall mean the static
numeric display of gasoline prices only, with no solid background
color other than black and no other picture, word, symbol or display
of any type. A sign on which the only copy that changes is the electronic
or mechanical indication of gasoline prices associated with an automotive
fueling station shall be considered a gasoline pricing sign and not
an electronic message center sign or a manual or mechanical changeable-copy
sign.
Any sign in which the entire bottom is in contact with or
is close to the ground and is independent from any building or other
structure. A ground sign is also a freestanding sign.
A sign or portion thereof with characters, letters, or illustrations
that can be changed or rearranged without altering the face or the
surface of the sign.
Any sign attached to, in any manner, or made a part of a
marquee and which provides an area for manual or electronic changeable
copy.
A sign in which a stone or brick structure is used to mount
the sign area on, in or as an integral part of such structure. The
permissible sign area of such sign shall begin at a height not greater
than four feet above normal grade.
Any sign that does not conform to the requirements of this
chapter.
A sign used to identify the name of a nonresidential development
of three or more lots for nonretail use, containing no commercial
message, and located at the principal entrances of such subdivision,
such as an office park, industrial park, medical center, or business
park.
Any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other
permanent structure, or a sign designed to be transported, including,
but not limited to, signs designed to be transported by means of wheels;
signs converted to A- or T-frames; sandwich board signs; balloons
used as signs; umbrellas used for advertising; and signs attached
to or painted on vehicles parked and visible from the public right-of-way,
unless the vehicle is used in the normal day-to-day operations of
the business.
A sign used to identify the coming of a new business or an
intent to hire for a new business.
Any sign affixed to a building or wall in such a manner that
any edge of such sign extends more than 12 inches beyond the surface
of such building or wall, but does not project above the wall, roofline,
or surface to which it is mounted nor in any way interfere with normal
pedestrian or vehicular traffic or obstruct upper-story windows or
openings.
Any sign located in a district zoned for residential uses
that contains no commercial message except advertising for goods or
services legally offered on the premises where the sign is located,
if offering such service at such location conforms with all requirements
of this chapter.
Any sign used to identify the name of a residential development,
containing no commercial message and located at the principal entrances
of such development.
Any sign erected and constructed wholly on and over the roof
of a building, supported by the roof structure and extending vertically
above the top walk or edge of a flat roof, the eave line of a building
with a gambrel, gable, or hip roof or the deckline of a building with
a mansard roof.
Any sign erected or constructed as an integral part of a
normal roof structure of any design such that no part of the sign
extends vertically above the highest portion of the roof and such
that no part of the sign is separate from the rest of the roof by
a space of more than six inches. A sign constructed between the eaves
and deckline of a mansard roof shall be considered a roof integral
sign for the purposes of this chapter.
Any sign that is suspended from the underside of a horizontal
plane surface and is supported by such surface.
Any sign that is used only temporarily and is not permanently
mounted.
Any sign used to offer for sale, lease or rent any premises.
The time-and-temperature portion of a sign shall mean the
static display of the time and temperature only, with no solid background
color other than black, and no other picture, word, symbol or display
of any type shall be permitted. A sign on which the only copy that
changes is an electronic or mechanical indication of time or temperature
shall be considered a time-and-temperature portion of a sign and not
an electronic message center sign or manual or mechanical changeable-copy
sign.
A cloth or other nonstructural covering that either is permanently
attached to a building or can be raised or retracted to a position
against the building when not in use.
Any sign displayed on a parked vehicle, where the primary
purpose of the vehicle is to advertise a product or business or to
direct people to a business or activity during all or part of the
day. For the purposes of this chapter, vehicular signs shall not include
business logos, identification, or advertising on vehicles primarily
used for other business purposes.
Any sign attached parallel to, but within 12 inches of, a
wall, painted on the wall surface of, or erected and confined within
the limits of an outside wall of any building or structure, which
is supported by such wall or building, and which displays only one
sign surface. A wall sign is a type of building sign.
Any sign, picture, symbol or combination thereof, designed
to communicate information about an activity, business, commodity,
event, sale or service, that is placed inside a window or upon the
window panes or glass and is visible from the exterior of the window.
A sign with one sign face.
A parcel of land located in the Township, established by
a plat or otherwise as permitted by law, which is the subject of an
application for development. A site may include more than one lot.
A plan prepared by a surveyor, engineer, or architect for
a zoning approval which includes all requirements set forth in this
chapter.
The process of dragging trees on the ground, by any means
necessary, from the harvest area to the landing area.
The trail, path, temporary roadway, or any other unencumbered
route, utilized by the timber harvesting operator to move felled trees
form the harvest area to the landing area.
The woody debris left on the land after timber harvesting,
including logs, chunks, bark, branches, uprooted stumps, and broken
or uprooted trees or shrubs.
A building used by one retail owner or tenant with 5,000
square feet or less on the ground floor.
A solar cell, module, array or other solar energy device,
and its associated solar related equipment, the primary purpose of
which is to provide for the collection, inversion, storage and/or
distribution of solar energy for electricity generation, space heating,
space cooling or water heating.
Radiant energy (direct, diffuse and/or reflective) received
from the sun.
An area of land or other area used for a solar collection
system principally used to capture solar energy, convert it to electrical
energy or thermal power and supply electrical or thermal power primarily
for off-site use. Solar energy facilities consist of one or more ground-mounted
solar energy devices, solar related equipment, and other associated
infrastructure required for the production, storage, or transmission
of electricity.
An area of land or other area used for a solar collection
system used to capture solar energy, convert it to electrical energy
or thermal power and supply electrical or thermal power primarily
for on-site use. Solar energy systems are located on the power beneficiary's
parcel, are primarily intended to offset part or all of the beneficiary's
electricity consumption and are accessory to the principal land use
of the property. Solar energy systems may be building-mounted or ground-mounted.
Items including a solar photovoltaic cell, module (or panel),
or array, or solar hot air or water collector device panels, lines,
pumps, batteries, mounting brackets, framing and possibly foundations
or other structures used for or intended to be used for collection
of solar energy.
SOLAR CELLThe smallest basic solar electric device which generates electricity when exposed to light.
SOLAR MODULE (OR PANEL)A grouping of solar cells with the purpose of collecting solar energy.
SOLAR ARRAYA grouping of multiple solar modules with the purpose of collecting solar energy.
 |
The intensity of sound, measured in decibels, produced by
the operation of a permitted use.
An instrument standardized by the American Standards Association
for measurement of intensity of sound.
An area in the floodplain subject to a 1% or greater chance
of flooding in any given year. It is shown on the FIRM as Zone A,
AO, A1-A30, AE, A99, or AH.
Human genitals, pubic region, anus, buttocks, female breast(s)
below a point immediately above the top of the areola, or human male
genitals in a discernibly turgid state, even if completely covered.
Any of the following:
Any accessory building in which horses are kept for riding,
driving, stabling for private use and not for hire or sale.
A contiguous community of trees sufficiently uniform in composition,
structure, age, size, class, distribution, spatial arrangement, site
quality, condition, or location to distinguish it from adjacent ecological
communities.
For floodplain management purposes, "start of construction"
includes substantial improvement and other proposed new development
and means the date the permit was issued, provided the actual start
of construction, repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition,
placement, or other improvement was within 180 days after the date
of the permit and shall be completed within 12 months after the date
of issuance of the permit, unless a time extension is granted, in
writing, by the floodplain administrator. The "actual start" means
either the first placement of permanent construction of a structure
on a site, such as the pouring of slab or footings, the installation
of piles, the construction of columns, or any work beyond the stage
of excavation; or the placement of a manufactured home on a foundation.
Permanent construction does not include land preparation, such as
clearing, grading, and filling; nor does it include the installation
of streets and walkways; nor does it include excavation for a basement,
footings, piers, or foundations or the erection of temporary forms;
nor does it include the installation on the property of accessory
buildings, such as garages or sheds not occupied as dwelling units
or not part of the main structure. For a substantial improvement,
the "actual start of construction" means the first alteration of any
wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of a building, whether
or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the building.
Land area where the inclination of the land's surface from
the horizontal plane is 15% or greater. Man-made slopes shall not
be considered steep slopes.
That portion of a building included between the surface of
any floor and the surface of the floor next above it, or if there
is no floor above it, then the space between the floor and the ceiling
next above it.
A public or private way which affords vehicular access to
abutting properties, but not including driveways, parking lots, or
walkways. Street includes the entire right-of-way. If there is no
officially established grade, the Township Engineer shall establish
same.
A roadway that provides for high mobility and limited access.
These roadways connect urban centers and convey traffic for distances
more than one mile. Arterials often connect urban centers with outlying
communities and employment.
A roadway that is intended to provide for a greater degree
of mobility than for land access. Collectors generally convey traffic
for medium travel distances (generally greater than one mile). Collectors
serve motorists between local streets and arterial roads.
The embellishment of the street right-of-way with features
such as street trees, sidewalk, streetlights, hedges, fences, walls,
or a combination thereof.
A tree lawn, or unit paver area, located between the sidewalk
and the curb of a street in the CCD Overlay Districts as set forth
in Exhibit B.[11]
A street located internal to a development site, which may connect at one or both ends to a perimeter public street or adjacent development. The internal street system is intended to provide vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle access and circulation to all uses within a development site. The internal street shall provide access to parking via a minimum number of curb cuts. It shall be constructed in accordance with Chapter 17 of the Township Code, Public and Private Improvements.
An internal main street is the focus of a pedestrian-oriented
mixed-use design. Front building facades face a main street on one
or both sides of the street. On-street parking may be included but
is done so in a manner to maintain safe pedestrian circulation.
A street primarily intended to provide immediate access to
adjoining residential land use, intended to serve residential dwellings
and be short in length within a suburban development. In outlying
rural areas, local streets may have greater distances. Local streets
are intended to only provide for transportation within a particular
neighborhood, or to another type of street classification.
The space formed by buildings located close to the street,
which is embellished with such features as sidewalks, street trees,
streetlights, curbs, on-street parking, benches, and waste receptacles
and cartways. The streetscape is framed by buildings which create
the outdoor-room character of the CCD Overlay Districts.
The wall of a building adjoining a sidewalk at the edge of
the street right-of-way; or architectural elements, such as walls,
piers, pillars, fences, colonnades, porches, and porticoes, in lieu
of a building wall when a building is set back from the street wall
line.
Any man-made object having an ascertainable stationary location
on or in land or water, whether or not affixed to the land. For floodplain
management purposes, a "structure" is defined as a walled and roofed
building, including a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally
above ground, as well as a manufactured home.
A one-bedroom efficiency dwelling used as a single housekeeping
unit, containing complete kitchen, bathroom and toilet facilities.
The division or redivision of a lot, tract or parcel of land
by any means into two or more lots, tracts, parcels or other divisions
of land, including changes in existing lot lines for the purpose,
whether immediate or future, of lease, partition by the court for
distribution to heirs or devisees, transfer of ownership or building
or lot development; provided, however, that the subdivision by lease
of land for agricultural purposes into parcels of more than 10 acres,
not involving any new street or easement of access or any residential
dwelling, shall be exempted.
Damage from any cause sustained by a structure whereby the
cost of restoring the structure to its before-damaged condition would
equal or exceed 50% or more of the market value of the structure before
the damage occurred.
Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement
of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50% of the market
value of the structure before the start of construction of the improvement.
This term includes structures which have incurred substantial damage,
regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not,
however, include either:
Any project for improvement of a structure to correct existing
violations of state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications
which have been identified by the local code enforcement official
and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions.
Any alteration of an historic structure, provided that the alteration
will not preclude the structure's continued designation as an historic
structure.
The Board of Supervisors of the Township.
A surveyor registered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Any structure which is erected to be in place for not more
than 12 months, including, but not limited to, tents, air-supported
structures, portable bandstands, reviewing stands, bleachers, mobile
office units, construction sheds, sales offices for lots or dwellings
or other structures of a similar character.
A tenant space with a gross floor area of less than 15,000
square feet and more than 5,000 square feet.
Approval of an application for development of a planned residential development by the Supervisors granted in accordance with Part 9 of this chapter.
An open view corridor that is terminated by a building or
a structure in a public space such as a pavilion, gazebo, or other
like-type feature.
A facility that employs professional massage therapists to
perform professional massage therapy intended to improve the health
and wellness of persons and not including any activity or service
that could be defined as a sexually oriented business.
The cutting down and removal of trees and logs to be converted
to any forest product or for sale to others or for other purposes.
Timber harvesting shall not include the removal of dead or diseased
trees or a homeowner cutting on his own property for his own use.
Any individual, partnership, company, firm, association or
corporation engaged in timber harvesting, including agents, subcontractors,
and employees thereof.
The time and temperature portion of a sign shall mean the
display of the time and temperature only; no other picture, word,
symbol or display of any type shall be permitted.
The upper portion of a felled tree that is unmarketable because
of small size, taper, or defect.
The Township of Cranberry, a second class township, Butler
County, Pennsylvania.
The differentiation of neighborhoods from mostly urban, to
urban and suburban.
A facility for private taxicab, limousine, bus service and
similar passenger service.
A vehicle registered gross or combination weight in pounds,
17,001 pounds or more as provided by the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle
Code, 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 101 et seq.
Land and buildings used primarily for the storage and maintenance
of trucks and/or trailers and/or to transfer freight from one truck
and/or trailer to another. The terminal shall not be used for storage
of freight. The terminal may include storage areas for trucks, and
buildings for the repair of trucks associated with the terminal.
The specific purpose for which land or a building is designed,
arranged or intended or for which it may be occupied or maintained.
The term "authorized use" or its equivalent shall not be deemed to
include any nonconforming use.
Any principal or accessory use allowed by this chapter as
a use by right, conditional use, use by planned residential development,
or use by special exception.
An authorized use permitted by administrative decision of
the Zoning Officer.
An authorized use which may be granted only by the Board
in accordance with express standards and criteria.
The specific primary purpose for which a lot or site is used.
Detached accessory equipment associated with the storage
and protection of equipment related to utilities such as gas, electric,
cable, wireless communications, and the like. These structures shall
not be habitable and shall be used only for the storage and protection
of equipment for the utility to which they are accessory.
A modification of the literal provisions of this chapter
which the Zoning Hearing Board is permitted to grant when strict enforcement
of said provisions would cause undue hardship owing to circumstances
unique to the individual property on which the variance is sought.
A facility for the sales, rental, and service of automobiles,
trucks, buses, boats and marine equipment, motorcycles, campers, motor
homes, recreational vehicles, and other vehicles, but not including
heavy equipment.
Booths, stalls, partitioned portions of a room, rooms or
other enclosures which are available for viewing:
Films, movies, videos, or visual reproductions of any kind depicting
or describing specified sexual activities or specified anatomical
areas.
Persons who appear in a state of nudity or seminudity or who
offer performances or presentations characterized by the exposure
of specified anatomical areas or by specified sexual activities.
For floodplain management purposes, "violation" means the
failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant
with the community's floodplain management regulations. A structure
or other development without the elevation certificate, other certifications,
or other evidence of compliance required in 44 CFR 60.3(b)(5), (c)(4),
(c)(10), (d)(3), (e)(2), (e)(4), or (e)(5) is presumed to be in violation
until such time as that documentation is provided.
A facility designed to store raw material or bulk inventory
that is typically not "ready-to-sell" directly to retailers or consumers.
A "warehouse" is typically designed to store inventory for long periods
of time beyond six months and is not directly accessible to the public.
A facility which receives and temporarily stores waste at
a location other than the lot or site where it is generated, which
may or may not involve the treatment of the waste, and which facilitates
the transfer of the waste to a facility for further processing or
disposal.
Any area meeting the criteria of the appropriate state or
federal agency to be a wetland.
Kinetic energy inherent to the movement of air in the atmosphere.
A wind turbine or other device, the primary purpose of which
is to convert wind energy into electrical or mechanical energy.
An area of land or other area used for a wind energy conversion
system principally used to capture wind energy, convert it to electrical
energy and supply electrical power primarily for off-site use. They
consist of one or more wind turbines and other accessory structures
and buildings, including substations, meteorological towers, electrical
infrastructure, transmission lines and other appurtenant structures
and facilities.
An area of land or other area used for a wind energy conversion
system principally used to capture wind energy, convert it to electrical
energy and supply electrical power primarily for on-site use. Wind
energy systems are located on the power beneficiary's premises, are
primarily intended to offset part or all of the beneficiary's electricity
consumption and are accessory to the principal land use of the property.
A wind energy conversion system that converts wind energy
into electricity through the use of a wind turbine generator, and
includes the nacelle, rotor, tower, and pad transformer, if any.
A ground area measured rectilinearly bounded by a vertical
line tangent to the swept area of the blades and the furthest front
and rear extent of the rotor.
 |
A plant community composed predominantly of healthy trees
and other woody vegetation, well-stocked and growing more or less
closely together.
A required open space unoccupied by any use or by any structure
from the ground upward, except as otherwise provided herein:
FRONTA yard extending along the full length of a front lot line and back to a line drawn parallel to the front lot line at a horizontal distance therefrom equal to the depth of the required front yard.
REARA yard extending along the full length of the rear lot line and back to a line drawn parallel to the rear lot line at a horizontal distance therefrom equal to the depth of the required rear yard.
SIDEA yard extending along a side lot line and back to a line drawn parallel to the side lot line at a horizontal distance therefrom equal to the width of the required minimum side yard but excluding any area encompassed within a front yard or rear yard. Dimensions of minimum side yards specified in the district regulations of this chapter refer to the required width of each side yard rather than to the total width of both side yards, unless otherwise specified.[12]
Approval under the provisions of this chapter certifying
that an application for development or application for zoning approval
for occupancy and use has fulfilled the requirements of this chapter.
An area in the Township in which regulations under this chapter
uniformly apply, including overlay districts.
The person appointed by the Supervisors in accordance with
this chapter whose duty it shall be to administer this chapter and
such other chapters as may be assigned by the Supervisors. The Zoning
Officer shall be the Zoning Officer as required by the Pennsylvania
Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq. The
Zoning Officer shall have all the powers and be subject to all the
provisions as set forth in the Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S.
§ 10101 et seq., with respect to Zoning Officers.
[1]
Editor's Note: Exhibit B is included as an attachment to this chapter.
[2]
Editor's Note: Exhibit B, General Manual of Written and Graphic
Design Guidelines – Community Character Development (CCD) Overlay
Districts, is included in the on-line version of the Code of Ordinances
of the Township of Cranberry (eCode360®). Exhibit B is also on
file in the Township offices.
[3]
Editor's Note: Exhibit B, General Manual of Written and Graphic
Design Guidelines – Community Character Development (CCD) Overlay
Districts, is included in the on-line version of the Code of Ordinances
of the Township of Cranberry (eCode360®). Exhibit B is also on
file in the Township offices.
[4]
Editor's Note: Exhibit B, General Manual of Written and Graphic
Design Guidelines — Community Character Development (CCD) Overlay
Districts, is included in the on-line version of the Code of Ordinances
of the Township of Cranberry (eCode360®). Exhibit B is also on
file in the Township offices.
[6]
Editor's Note: Exhibit B, General Manual of Written and Graphic
Design Guidelines — Community Character Development (CCD) Overlay
Districts, is included in the on-line version of the Code of Ordinances
of the Township of Cranberry (eCode360®). Exhibit B is also on
file in the Township offices.
[7]
Editor's Note: Drawing Z-16 is included as an attachment to this chapter.
[8]
Editor's Note: Exhibit B, General Manual of Written and Graphic
Design Guidelines – Community Character Development (CCD) Overlay
Districts, is included in the on-line version of the Code of Ordinances
of the Township of Cranberry (eCode360®). Exhibit B is also on
file in the Township offices.
[9]
Editor's Note: Exhibit A, General Manual of Written and Graphic
Design Guidelines — Streetscape Enhancement Overlay District,
and Exhibit B, General Manual of Written and Graphic Design Guidelines
— Community Character Development (CCD) Overlay Districts, are
included in the on-line version of the Code of Ordinances of the Township
of Cranberry (eCode360®). Exhibits A and B are also on file in
the Township offices.
[10]
Editor’s Note: Exhibit B, General Manual of Written
and Graphic Design Guidelines – Community Character Development
(CCD) Overlay Districts, is included in the on-line version of the
Code of Ordinances of the Township of Cranberry (eCode360®). Exhibit
B is also on file in the Township offices.
[11]
Editor’s Note: Exhibit B, General Manual of Written
and Graphic Design Guidelines – Community Character Development
(CCD) Overlay Districts, is included in the on-line version of the
Code of Ordinances of the Township of Cranberry (eCode360®). Exhibit
B is also on file in the Township offices.
[12]
Editor's Note: See Drawing Z-2, Lot Examples, included as an attachment to this chapter.
