It is the intent of this article with respect to O Office Districts
to establish reasonable standards of performance and promote the desirable
benefits which well-located general and professional office uses will
have throughout the Township. Furthermore, it is the intent of this
article to provide for transitional use districts in those areas of
the Township which are changing from a single-family and two-family
residential character to a mixed, commercial office and multiple-residential
character.
The following uses shall be permitted in the O Office District:
A.
Office buildings. Professional, executive, administrative and governmental;
such uses shall include but not be limited to the following:
(1)
Insurance, real estate, bank, and other similar business and professional
offices;
(2)
Dental and medical clinics;
(3)
Private, vocational, business and professional schools except those
of an industrial character; and
(4)
Office buildings for companies and corporations in which no activity
is carried on catering to retail trade with the general public.
B.
Accessory uses customarily incidental to any of the above uses.
C.
Residential dwellings may be erected or used but must conform to all provisions of Article VI, R-3 Residence Districts.
D.
Any use of the same general character as any of the above-permitted
uses, when authorized as a special exception by the Zoning Hearing
Board, provided that such use shall be permitted subject to such reasonable
restrictions as the Board may determine and further provided that
no use shall be permitted which is either noxious or hazardous.
The following area, width and yard regulations shall apply in
the O Office District:
A.
Lot area. A lot area of not less than 7,000 square feet shall be
provided for every use or group of uses permitted in the O Office
District.
B.
Width. A lot width at the street line of not less than 70 feet shall
be provided.
C.
Building and impervious surface coverage. Maximum building area coverage
shall not exceed 30% of the lot area. Maximum impervious surface coverage
shall not exceed 60% of the lot area.
[Amended 9-12-2011 by Ord. No. 1602]
E.
Height. No building shall exceed 35 feet in height.
The following additional development regulations shall apply
in the O Office District:
A.
No building may be erected or used for any of the uses permitted in § 350-88 herein that has a usable first-floor area of less than 1,500 square feet all on the same level. Such level shall be at or within five feet above the mean level of the curb of the street upon what the building fronts, except when authorized as a variance by the Zoning Hearing Board.
B.
No building may be erected, altered or used for any of the uses permitted in § 350-88 herein, having a usable width of less than 19 feet (width shall be the distance measured parallel to the building line on which a building fronts), except when authorized as a variance by the Zoning Hearing Board.
C.
In order to minimize traffic congestion and hazard, and to encourage
the appropriate development of highway frontage:
(1)
No parking lot or area for off-street parking or for the storage
of motor vehicles shall abut directly upon a street or highway and
each such area shall be separated from a street or highway by a raised
curb, planting strip, wall or other suitable barrier against unchanneled
vehicular entrance or exit, except for necessary accessways or driveways.
(2)
Each separate use or group of buildings constructed as part of an
integrated plan shall have not more than two accessways to any one
street or highway and, where practicable, access to parking areas
shall be provided by a common service driveway or minor street in
order to avoid direct access on a major street or highway.
D.
Each use or group of uses shall be subject to the off-street parking, loading and sign requirements of Article XXIV herein and to any other pertinent provisions of this chapter.
E.
With any use permitted in this section adjoining a residential or multiple dwelling district or use, a minimum ten-foot buffer strip shall be required, landscaped in accordance with Chapter 300, Article V, § 300-43C, of the Upper Moreland Township Code to safeguard the character of the neighboring area.
