Township of Springfield, PA SC-1 Shopping Center District

Shops and stores for retail purposes only, provided that no goods shall be displayed on the exterior of the premises.

Restaurant, only when such establishment is housed within or co-located on a parcel with a shopping center or shopping mall. A maximum of one restaurant shall be permitted as a freestanding use per shopping center.

Fast Food Restaurant, only when housed within the principal building of the shopping center or shopping mall.

Bank or financial institution.

The following personal retail service shops dealing directly with customers on the premises: beauty parlor, barbershop, retail dry-cleaning shop (drop and pick up only), tailor, photographer and travel agency, however, tattoo and body piercing shops and massage studios shall not be permitted in this District.

(6)

Bakery, pastry, candy, ice cream or confectionery shop, making such goods only for sale on the premises.

(7)

General servicing or repair shop, including watch or clock repair, jewelry repair, optical repair, radio or television repair, electrical-household-appliance repair and shoe repair, but excluding motor vehicle service stations.

(8)

Municipal use.

Permitted accessory uses.

Accessory use on the same lot with and customarily incidental to any of the above principal uses.

Parking which is accessory to uses set forth in § 143-59A above and in accordance with § 143-62 and with Article XV.

Signs which are accessory to uses set forth in § 143-59A above in accordance with Article XVI.

Public garage in accordance with §§ 143-60, 143-62, and Article XV.

Business office.

Conditional uses.

Movie theater, excluding an outdoor drive-in theater and adult theater.

Public transit station exclusive of transit vehicle storage, garage or service.

Any other use that the Board of Commissioners shall deem harmonious and consistent with an integrated shopping center, provided that no use shall be permitted which is noxious or offensive by reason of odor, dust, smoke, gas or noise or that is dangerous to public health or safety or is in violation of any of the environmental controls of Article XVII, § 143-113.

Conditional accessory uses.

Accessory use on the same lot with and customarily incidental to any of the above conditional principal uses.

Parking which is accessory to uses set forth in § 143-59C above and in accordance with Article XV.

Signs which are accessory to uses set forth in § 143-59C above and in accordance with Article XVI.

Public transit station parking area, provided that such parking area shall not exceed 50,000 square feet nor be created, maintained or otherwise established by any public rail transportation company unless in conjunction with an existing or planned station, and provided further that such parking area is entirely within 500 feet of said station and such parking area and its approaches are surfaced in a manner satisfactory to the Code Enforcement Official. It shall be the duty of any transit company desiring to create, establish or alter any such parking area to present to the Code Enforcement Official detailed specifications of the surfacing materials to be used and plans showing the size of the proposed parking area, its distance from the station and the location of the proposed means of ingress and/or egress, and no permit shall be issued until the Code Enforcement Official has determined that the proposed parking area is in conformity with the terms of this ordinance, the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, and the Stormwater Management Ordinance.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 123, Subdivision and Land Development, and Ch. 119, Stormwater Management, respectively.

Communications antennas, when mounted on one of the following existing locations: public utility transmission tower; public or municipal structure; public or municipal building; other building or structure. Proposed locations shall be considered in the order listed. After all viable options for each alternative have been exhausted, the next alternative may be considered. The applicant shall not propose one of the latter locations if a preceding alternative is available within a 1/2 mile radius of the proposed location.

(6)

Communications equipment buildings shall be permitted as a Conditional use and shall be no larger than 250 square feet in area.

(7)

Outdoor Seating as an accessory to a permitted Restaurant, provided that when such seating accommodates more than two tables or four people, whichever is less, such seating:

(a)

Shall not be permitted within 100 feet of any single-family attached or detached dwelling unit(s).

(b)

Shall preserve a minimum forty-eight-inch wide clear and usable walk area, if located on a sidewalk.

(c)

Shall be separated from the street by a type of street furnishing that will provide a partial enclosure to the area and help to delineate the area. The separation of spaces shall be accomplished by:

[1]

Black or dark colored fence made of steel, aluminum or wrought-iron, which shall be 36 to 42 inches in height.

[2]

Planter boxes made of wood, precast concrete, stone, brick, or other masonry, which shall be 36 to 42 inches in height. Such planter boxes shall be at least 12 inches wide and have drain holes in the bottom. Planter boxes shall contain dwarf evergreen shrubs, or a combination of flowers and vines, which shall be installed prior to opening the outdoor dining area, and shall be continuously maintained. Any plantings that die shall be replaced immediately thereafter.

[3]

A type of temporary barricade such as a wooden partition wall, or wooden partition fence, that shall be 36 to 42 inches in height, and built to be stable, vertical and plumb during hours of use.

[4]

Such fence, planter boxes, temporary barricade or other enclosure shall contain or enclose the Outdoor seating area on one to three sides, but shall not enclose it on four sides.

(d)

No exterior music shall be played on public sidewalks.

(e)

Outdoor service shall not be permitted after 11:00 p.m.

§ 143-60 Height regulations.

The maximum height of buildings and other structures attached to buildings which are erected, enlarged or used shall be 50 feet and three stories, except:

As provided in Article XVII, § 143-104;

Structures and buildings permitted within 100 feet of a street line pursuant to § 140-61D(1) shall not exceed 35 feet and two stories.

Except when located as described in § 143-60B above, a Parking Garage shall not contain more than three levels of parking, where each level is a maximum of 15 feet high, and shall in no case be taller than the principal building on the lot.

§ 143-61 Area and bulk regulations.

Tract area. A tract area of not less than 10 acres shall be provided.

Tract frontage. Each tract shall have a frontage of not less than 500 feet.

Building coverage and impervious surface. Not more than 20% of the total area shall be occupied by buildings, and not more than 75% of any tract shall be covered by impervious surfaces.

Building Setbacks. No building shall be erected:

Within 150 feet of a street line, provided however, one freestanding building not exceeding 4,000 S.F. may be erected with a setback of a minimum of 100 feet from a street line; or

Within 100 feet of any other property line; provided, however, that if the adjacent property is a residential use or zone, no building, off-street loading and unloading facility, or other permanent structure, may be erected within 200 feet of any existing dwelling.

§ 143-62 Special requirements.

Design and dimensional standards.

The proposed development shall be constructed in accordance with an overall plan and shall be designed as a single architectural scheme with common landscaping. In the event that the proposed development is to be constructed in more than one stage, the initial stage shall nevertheless include the installation of all of the planting strips and fencing required in the entire proposed development, while the parking areas to be constructed may be limited to the applicable ratio of parking to gross leasable area of the initial and successive stages as the case may be.

The shopping center shall be served by public sewer and water.

All buildings shall be arranged in a group or groups of buildings, and the distance, at the closest point, between any two buildings or groups of attached buildings shall be not less than 40 feet, except Co-Located buildings permitted under § 143-59A(2).

[Amended 11-10-2015 by Ord. No. 1564]

The tract of land on which each permitted use is conducted shall be held in single ownership and shall be operated under unified control and management. In the event of multiple ownership, a written agreement between the parties and owners involved shall be submitted to evidence that the development and management will be in accordance with a single plan with common authority and common responsibility.

Each use shall provide and maintain attractively landscaped grounds and include screening necessary to buffer adjacent property in accordance with a landscaping plan approved by the Code Enforcement Officer.

(6)

All utility lines servicing the shopping center shall be placed underground within the lot lines of the property.

(7)

All mechanical equipment which is not enclosed within a building shall be fully and completely screened from view in a manner compatible with the architectural and landscaping style of the overall property.

(8)

The physical design of the site plan shall provide for adequate control of vehicular traffic, make adequate provisions for public water, public sewer, erosion and sedimentation control, stormwater management, fire protection and other public services and further the amenities of light, air and visual enjoyment.

(9)

All buildings shall be designed and sited to reflect a sensitivity to existing natural features and to be responsive to solar orientation, wind exposure and energy efficiency.

(10)

All signs, lighting, benches and other structures shall be designed, built and maintained in keeping with the architectural character and theme of the shopping center.

(11)

Any development or redevelopment proposed in a TND Overlay District shall be in accordance with Article XIV.

(12)

No outdoor storage or display of retail goods shall be permitted.

Special buffer requirements.

A buffer planting strip with a minimum width of 35 feet shall be provided along all property and street lines within which shall be placed sidewalk areas, walls, hedges, evergreens, shrubbery, trees or other suitable planting in strict conformance with Article XV, § 143-98, and Article XVII, §§ 143-115 and 143-116 and in accordance with a landscaping plan approved by the Code Enforcement Officer.

A six-foot-high opaque fence shall be erected along property lines abutting or adjacent to residential use or district. The provisions of this subsection are not applicable to any interior property line within a shopping center district.

Vehicular access and traffic considerations.

Access barrier. Access to any public street shall be controlled in the interest of public safety. Each building or group of buildings, related parking, loading/unloading and service areas shall be physically separated from a public street by a curb planting strip or other suitable barrier against unchanneled ingress or egress of motor vehicles, except for accessways as authorized by Subsection C(2) below.

Accessways. Each separate use, or group of attached buildings or uses permitted as part of a single integrated project shall have no more than two accessways to any one public street. Neither such accessways shall be more than 50 feet in width. On urban principal arterials, adequate acceleration and deceleration lanes shall be provided. The intent of this provision is to encourage the use of common accessways by two or more permitted uses in order to reduce the number and spacing of access points along a roadway.

Traffic control devices and acceleration and deceleration lanes shall be provided at the expense of the owner.

All traffic controls shall be in accordance with Article XVII, § 143-113H.

Off-street parking and loading/unloading. Off-street parking and loading/unloading shall be in accordance with the provisions of Article XV.

Signs. Signs shall be in accordance with the provisions of Article XVI.

Public garage. A public garage shall be designed in accordance with the following:

A public garage shall be located behind the plane of the primary facade of any principal building.

Any facade of the public garage facing a public street (primary facade) shall be designed with first floor commercial space and liner shops as shown in the Manual of Design Guidelines for the Traditional Neighborhood Development Overlay District.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: Said manual is included at the end of this chapter as Exhibit A.

The primary facade of a public garage shall have an architectural character consistent with that of the principal buildings on the tract in terms of materials, fenestration and roofline.

Environmental controls.

No building may be erected, altered or used, and no lot or premises may be used for any trade, industry or business that is noxious or offensive by reason of odor, dust, smoke, gas or noise or that is dangerous to public health or safety or is in violation of any of the environmental controls of Article XVII, § 143-113.

Disposal requirements. All trash, garbage, recycling, rubbish and debris of every kind and nature shall be stored within the building in fireproofed rooms and shall be collected and disposed of, as often as may be necessary under the particular circumstances, by private collectors and at no cost to the Township. If dumpster-type containers are used, said containers must be located to the rear or side of the lot, screened from view in accordance with § 143-98 and in conformance with the Fire Code.[2] One central collection area shall be provided for all users in each building.

[2]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 45, Fire Prevention.