[Added 1-28-1980 by Ord.
No. 1980-2]
In R-5 Residence Districts, the regulations contained in this
article shall apply.
R-5 Residence Districts shall be designed to make special provisions
for housing for retired and elderly people, utilizing housing types
suited to their needs on adequate land areas, with appropriate specialized
accessory facilities to make such developments especially desirable
to the retired and elderly, consistent with reasonable and appropriate
land use regulations.
A building or buildings may be erected or used and a lot may
be used or occupied for the following purposes and no other:
A.
Housing for the elderly utilizing apartment house buildings and/or
townhouses or row houses and/or single-family detached dwelling units.
C.
Only the following accessory uses are permitted under the conditions
specified. Unless indicated otherwise, no accessory use is permitted
within a rear yard, side yard, front yard or courtyard as required
herein:
(1)
Parking areas, private garages and minor garages.
(2)
Maintenance garages, so that all storage for other than passenger
vehicles shall be structurally enclosed.
(3)
Laundry, provided it is for the exclusive use of the residents of
the site.
(4)
Laundry drying areas, provided they are screened from adjoining property
and public view by walls, fences or hedges.
(5)
Recreation facilities and eating facilities, provided that they are
for the exclusive use of the residents of the site and their guests.
(6)
Medical care facilities, including intermediate skill care facilities for the exclusive use of residents of the site, so long as the number of beds provided for such care does not exceed one bed for each four beds provided under Subsection A hereof.
[Amended 9-24-1984 by Ord. No. 1984-10]
(7)
Swimming pools, tennis courts and other similar recreational uses
and patios or terraces for the exclusive use for the residents of
the site and their guests.
(8)
Refuse collection centers accessible to the street system, provided
that they are screened from adjoining property and from public view
by walls, fences or hedges.
(9)
Management offices.
(10)
Any other uses that are similar to those set forth above in
this subsection and that are customarily incidental to and related
to housing for the elderly, subject to the approval of the Board of
Supervisors.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection D, regarding private, profit-making
and charitable uses, which immediately followed, was repealed 8-12-2019
by Ord. No. 2019-02.
A.
Lot area and frontage. Where a lot is to be used for housing for
the elderly, there shall be a street frontage of not less than 50
feet, a minimum lot area of 10 acres and a maximum of 10 dwelling
units per acre.
B.
Building area. Not more than 20% of each lot shall be occupied by
buildings, and not more than 40% of the lot shall be covered by impervious
surfaces and buildings.
C.
Front yard. There shall be a front yard on each street upon which
the lot abuts, the depth of which shall be at least 75 feet where
abutting an R-1, R-1A, R-2 and R-3 Residence District and 50 feet
where abutting all other districts. The front yard area shall be planted
with trees, shrubbery and ground cover for screening in accordance
with an overall landscape plan approved by the Newtown Township Planning
Commission and shall be maintained continuously in a neat and attractive
manner by the property owner, with existing trees and grading preserved
insofar as possible.
D.
Height regulations.
[Amended 9-11-2000 by Ord. No. 2000-4]
(1)
The height of any building shall not exceed three floors or 45 feet,
and the height of any building shall not exceed the distance from
adjacent property lines as determined below:
(a)
The difference in elevation between the top of any element of
the building and the elevation at the property line shall not exceed
the horizontal distance from the property line to the building element.
This requirement shall be met for all points along the property line
and for all elements of the building.
(2)
The height of the building shall be measured in accordance with the
definition of "building height" contained in this chapter.
E.
Side and rear yards. For each building, there shall be separate side
and rear yards, neither of which shall be less than 50 feet. Further,
in the case of a group of buildings, there shall be not less than
50 feet between buildings at any point where walls contain windows,
excluding enclosed walkways. In all other cases, there shall be no
less than 30 feet between buildings.
F.
Buffer area. There shall be a buffer area along each property line,
the depth of which shall be at least 20 feet measured from the property
line. The buffer area may be included in any front, side or rear yard
areas required under the provisions of this article. The buffer area
shall be planted with trees, shrubbery and ground cover for screening
in accordance with an overall landscape plan approved by the Newtown
Township Planning Commission and shall be maintained continuously
in a neat and attractive manner by the property owner. Existing trees
and grades are to be preserved insofar as possible.
G.
Building frontage, depth or length. The greatest dimension in frontage,
length or depth of the building section erected, altered or used under
this article, excluding covered walkways, enclosed corridors and bridges,
shall not exceed 150 feet. However, the Board of Supervisors, upon
recommendation of the Newtown Township Planning Commission, may, in
connection with any land development application, approve buildings
with greater dimensions if it determines that such buildings are architecturally
pleasing and suitable for housing elderly people and avoid monotony
and excessive bulk.
A.
No part of any front yard shall be used for off-street parking purposes.
B.
There shall be no outside storage of any kind.
C.
A separate toilet room and bathing facilities shall be provided for
each dwelling unit.
D.
All driveways and off-street parking facilities shall be paved.
E.
All facilities shall be designed and constructed for use by the handicapped
and elderly. Site design and traffic circulation design shall allow
for the safe movement of handicapped and elderly people.
F.
Each development shall be serviced with public water and fire hydrants.
G.
The development shall be serviced with public sanitary sewer facilities.
H.
All utility services in the development shall be underground, and
any aboveground equipment shall be screened by landscaping.
I.
The development shall be constructed in accordance with an overall
plan and shall be designed as a single architectural theme with appropriate
common landscaping. All buildings shall be arranged in a group or
groups, and mechanical and site utility equipment projecting from
buildings shall be screened from public view.
J.
In addition to requirements contained within the Township Building
Code[1] and other Township and state requirements, the following
safety provisions shall be provided:
(1)
Ramps or elevators shall be provided for access to all areas to be
utilized by residents. Elevators shall be designed for handling litters.
(2)
Nonskid floors shall be provided.
(3)
Doors of sufficient width to accommodate wheelchairs into all rooms
shall be provided.
(4)
Where cooking facilities are provided, they shall be electric.
(5)
In at least 50% of all dwelling units, showers in place of tubs shall
be provided.
(6)
Electrical outlets shall be at least 24 inches above the floor.
(7)
Grab bars around bathroom tubs and around toilets shall be provided.
(8)
Handle-type spigots and door knobs shall be provided.
(9)
Emergency signals which ring at a central location shall be provided.
[Amended 9-24-1984 by Ord. No. 1984-10]
Pedestrian circulation shall be provided as follows:
A.
Exterior walks. Concrete walks not less than six feet in width shall
be constructed to Township standards along all public streets by which
the site is bounded, except that the Board of Supervisors, as part
of a land development application, may reduce the width to that required
by other provisions of Township ordinances if it is demonstrated by
the applicant that such a requirement is unnecessary.
B.
Interior walks. Concrete walks not less than six feet in width shall
provide convenient and safe pedestrian access from all building entrances
to other buildings and to accessory recreation areas, including laundry
facilities, parking compounds, carports or garages, and to sidewalks
adjacent to public streets, provided that, upon demonstration by the
applicant, as part of a land development application, that such a
requirement in unnecessary, the Board of Supervisors may reduce the
width at specific locations to not less than four feet in width.
C.
Where interior walks cross vehicle areas, such as parking compounds
or driveways, the walkway shall be continued uninterrupted across
the vehicular area in such a way that it is permanently and readily
distinguishable therefrom. In addition, other appropriate means, such
as signs, curbing, wheel blocks, differentiation in elevation and
other similar devices, shall be used to lessen the likelihood of any
parked vehicles encroaching on such walks.
