[1]
Editor's Note: Maps showing the Central Business District
boundaries on the Zoning Map, as adopted in 1994, and the 2006 adopted
Central Business District Boundaries, based upon recommendations of
the Nittany Valley Joint Comprehensive Plan, are on file in the Borough
offices, where they are available for inspection.
The intent of the Central Business District is to promote the
following:
A.
To serve as the Nittany Valley Region's commercial, cultural and
civic core;
B.
To provide for retail, service and office uses of appropriate scale
in appropriate locations.
C.
To promote uses oriented towards pedestrian customers and create
continuous shopping frontage;
D.
To maintain Bellefonte's historic character;
E.
To promote adaptive reuse of existing buildings;
F.
To encourage mixed-use commercial and residential opportunities;
and
G.
To meet minimum standards of health, safety and welfare by protecting
against hazards and nuisances.
A.
All construction, alteration and/or demolition for buildings located
within the Central Business District and the boundaries of the Historical
Architectural Review Board District shall be subject to the guidelines,
standards and approval processes of the Bellefonte Historic District
and the Historical Architectural Review Board.
B.
To maintain the unique character of historic Bellefonte, buildings
should not be branded using an architectural style of a company. Therefore,
franchise architecture (building design that is trademarked or identified
with a particular chain or corporation and is generic in nature) shall
not be permitted.
Only uses listed below shall be permitted in the Central Business
District. All uses must conform to the lot, yard setback, and maximum
height requirements stipulated herein, as well as other appropriate
requirements of this chapter. Adult-oriented businesses shall not
be permitted within the Central Business District.
A.
Permitted uses.
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Amusement enterprises
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Art and dance studios
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Art galleries
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Bakeries with retail sales
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Banks
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Bed-and-breakfasts
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Clubs, lodges and fraternal organizations
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Computer and software sales
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Community centers (includes senior centers and youth centers)
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Dry cleaner service retailers with no dry cleaner operation
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Eating and drinking establishments
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Essential services
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Farmers market
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Florists
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Government offices
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Health and fitness centers
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Hotels
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Jewelry stores
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Laundromats
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Libraries
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Live/work units
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Medical and dental offices
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Motion picture and other theaters
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Multifamily residential*
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Multi-shop arcade stores**
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Museums and galleries
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Neighborhood retail stores
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Opticians and optical goods dealers
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Personal services
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Pharmacies
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Photocopy and office supply stores
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Photography studios
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Places of worship
[Added 5-3-2010 by Ord. No. 05032010-01] |
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Professional offices
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Public or private schools
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Repair establishments (including small appliance, shoe and electronic,
but excluding automotive)
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Special events, contingent upon Borough Council approval
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Tailors and seamstresses
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Tattoo establishments
[Added 4-16-2018 by Ord.
No. 041618-01] |
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Transportation terminals
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NOTES:
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*
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Multifamily residential development shall not be permitted on
the ground floor of any structure, except for those units developed
within residential condominiums by conditional use.
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**
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The development of multi-shop arcade stores shall be limited
to the adaptive reuse of existing buildings.
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B.
Accessory uses.
(1)
Customary. All uses customary to the uses listed above.
(2)
Residential. Residential uses shall be permitted on the upper stories
of mixed-use buildings (ground-floor residential development shall
not be permitted) and in existing residential buildings and carriage
houses (the construction of new accessory buildings, outbuildings,
carriage houses, or other accessory units shall not be permitted for
residential use).
(3)
Craft/artisan studio/limited manufacturing. Studios/limited manufacturing
may be permitted subject to the following criteria:
(a)
Retail sales activities must occupy the ground-floor storefront
portion of the building.
(b)
Manufacturing activities are limited to the rear of the ground-floor
portion of the building.
(c)
Manufacturing is limited to products made for on-site retail
sales, off-site art and craft sales, and e-commerce sale.
(d)
Manufacturing facilities may occupy no more than 50% of the
total floor area.
(e)
Craft and artisan studios containing health and environmental
hazards that reach beyond the limits of the property shall not be
permitted. (For example: noise and/or odors associated with the fabrication
process may limit studio activity.)
(f)
Welding and/or machining shall not be permitted in the craft/artisan
studio or limited manufacturing space.
(4)
Outdoor cafes.
(a)
Outdoor seating may be provided as an accessory use to eating
and drinking establishments.
(b)
At a minimum, a sidewalk width of six feet must be maintained
between the limits of the outdoor seating area and the roadway edge
of the sidewalk.
(c)
The applicant shall secure a permit from Bellefonte Borough
prior to providing outdoor seating. At the request of the applicant,
this permit may be renewed on an annual basis by Bellefonte Borough.
(5)
Youth day care. Youth day-care facilities shall be permitted as an
accessory use to churches, health and fitness centers, or in adaptive
reuse of residential buildings.
A.
Height requirement.
(1)
The height of any building constructed within the Central Business
District shall be within 10% of the average height of all buildings
along the shared street front of the block within which the building
is to be constructed. However, no building shall be constructed that
is less than 30 feet in height or more than 50 feet in height, except
as provided for in the conditional use provisions of this district.
(2)
To encourage architectural detailing and features consistent with
the historic character of Bellefonte's downtown, the height of buildings
within the Central Business District shall be measured from the average
of the ground-floor elevation to the finished ceiling of the highest
habitable space.
B.
Front yard setback. The front yard setback of any building constructed
within the Central Business District shall be, at a minimum, zero
feet from the interior edge of the sidewalk and, at a maximum, within
10% of the average setback of all buildings along the shared street
front of the block within which the building is to be constructed.
However, no building shall be constructed with a front yard setback
that is greater than five feet.
C.
Side yard setback: no minimum.
D.
Rear yard setback: no minimum.
A.
Building size. The total footprint of any building constructed within
the Central Business District shall not exceed 30,000 square feet,
except as provided for in the conditional use provisions of this district.
C.
Facade standards. Buildings constructed on assembled lots with a
total width greater than 50 feet shall have facades that vary the
plane of the front facade and shall contain varied roof shapes using
height and architectural features.
D.
Building materials. All materials to be used in the construction
or alteration of buildings located within, or to be constructed within,
the Bellefonte Historic District shall be subject to the Bellefonte
Historical and Architectural Review Board process.
A.
Outdoor sales and storage of merchandise and/or materials shall be permitted in accordance with § 495-15, Display of merchandise on sidewalks.
B.
The dispensing of and retail sale of gasoline products for vehicular
use shall not be permitted.
C.
Adult businesses shall not be permitted.
D.
New ground-floor residential uses shall not be permitted (except
for those developed by conditional use within residential condominium
developments).
E.
Street venders shall be permitted as an extension of an existing
business, by permit only, with necessary permits, sales tax number,
DEP food handler's permit, health permits, and/or insurance.
The building height restriction may be expanded by 10 feet (to
a maximum height of 60 feet); the maximum building footprint may be
expanded by up to 20,000 additional square feet (to a maximum of 50,000
square feet); the maximum building width may be expanded by up to
150 additional feet (to a maximum of 250 feet) and/or the front yard
setback may be extended, by conditional use, subject to the following:
A.
The project must meet the definition of a residential condominium,
which is hereby defined as "a building dedicated for multifamily residential
use within which each individual dwelling unit is owned by an individual
person or persons with a requirement that the building itself and
all related facilities and common areas are owned and maintained by
a condominium property owners' association."
B.
The maximum number of living units that can be constructed on the
property shall be 35 units per acre.
C.
The project must provide for various sizes of condominium living
units.
D.
Site design shall be sensitive to environmental concerns and shall
minimize impervious coverage to the greatest extent possible. Blasting
shall be specifically addressed and reviewed by Borough Council. Only
upon determination of no adverse effect will blasting be permitted.
E.
The design of landscaping, outdoor lighting, and outdoor space shall
be a component of the plan.
F.
Parking shall be provided at a minimum of two spaces per residential
dwelling unit.
G.
All required parking (surface, structure and/or underground) shall be located on site and subject to the requirements of Chapter 500, Subdivision and Land Development. Preference will be given to parking located to the rear of the building, except as follows:
(1)
Side yard or front yard parking may be permitted to provide connectivity
to adjacent parking areas and allow for an overall improvement to
the district's parking network.
(2)
Side yard or front yard parking that does not connect to adjacent
parking areas may be provided through construction of an on-site parking
structure.
H.
If all required parking cannot be accommodated on site, the applicant
shall provide 1.5 spaces per living unit on site, include specific
conditions on providing off-site parking, include design during the
subdivision and land development process for the required two spaces
per unit, and post surety for the remainder (the number of parking
spaces above 1.5 spaces per unit that cannot be built on site) with
the stipulation that a traffic study be done to evaluate need and
establish the threshold for completion of the additional spaces. Upon
reaching the established and agreed upon thresholds, the developer
would be required to construct the additional spaces.
J.
Other provisions as are determined by the Borough Council to be necessary
to provide for the general public health, safety and welfare.
The maximum building footprint may be expanded by up to 20,000
additional square feet (to a maximum of 50,000 square feet); the maximum
building width may be expanded by up to 150 additional feet (to a
maximum of 250 feet); and/or the front yard setback may be extended
by conditional use, subject to the following:
