In A-O Apartment Office Districts, the regulations contained
in this article shall apply.
[Added 11-19-2011 by Ord.
No. 2011-04; amended 3-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-02; 10-28-2013 by Ord.
No. 2013-11]
A building may be erected or used and a lot may be used or occupied
for any of the following purposes and no other:
E. Accessory uses on the same lot with and customarily incidental to
the foregoing permitted uses. The term "accessory use" does not include
a business, but may include a recreational use when authorized as
a special exception by the Zoning Hearing Board, when using, as standards
and guides generally, the requirements of this chapter, and specifically,
the requirements of this article.
[Added 11-19-2011 by Ord.
No. 2011-04; amended 3-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-02; 10-28-2013 by Ord.
No. 2013-11]
A. Tract area and frontage. The following tract areas shall be provided:
(1) In locations where there is no access to an operating municipal sewage
treatment plant, one or more on-site sewage treatment systems must
be provided, subject to the approval of the Board of Supervisors and
the requirements of the Sanitary Water Board and/or Department of
Health of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
(2) Where a tract will contain a multifamily dwelling building or a group
of multifamily dwelling buildings, there shall be a street frontage
of not less than 150 feet on a major highway or a secondary road,
having a minimum tract area of two acres and a maximum of 12 living
or family units per gross acre.
(3) Where a tract will contain townhouses, the overall tract shall have
a minimum lot area of two acres and a maximum density of 10 dwelling
units per gross acre. Each individual townhouse shall have a minimum
front yard of 20 feet from the right-of-way along which the townhouse
fronts. If the townhouse fronts on a major highway, arterial or collector
street, then such townhouse shall have a minimum front yard of 40
feet except that all buildings shall be set back a minimum distance
of 200 feet from the current right-of-way of both Route 252 north
of Winding Way and along Goshen Road, but in no case shall a building
be set back less than 100 feet from any property outside of the tract
zoned R1 or R2. Driveways and parking are permitted in the foregoing
setback. If there is no right-of-way, each townhouse building shall
be set back a minimum of 20 feet to the edge of an adjacent sidewalk
or, if there is no sidewalk, then to the edge of the adjacent curb.
(4) The height of a townhouse shall not exceed 35 feet or three stories,
whichever is more. The height of a two-family dwelling building shall
not exceed 3 1/2 stories or 45 feet, whichever is greater. The
height of a multifamily building shall be no more than five stories
or 65 feet, whichever is greater.
(5) Where a tract will contain two-family dwellings, the overall tract
shall have a minimum lot area of two acres and a maximum density of
12 units per gross acre. For each individual two-family dwelling,
there shall be a minimum building width of 20 feet.
(6) Where an overall tract is used for a mixed residential development
consisting of townhouses, two-family dwellings and/or multifamily
dwellings, the maximum density for the overall development shall be
12 dwelling units per gross acre, regardless of other density provisions
contained herein.
B. Building area. Not more than 25% of the overall tract shall be occupied
by multifamily dwelling buildings; townhouse buildings in the aggregate
may occupy not more than 25% of the overall tract; and an office building
may occupy up to 40% of the overall tract.
C. Impervious coverage. Maximum impervious coverage shall not exceed
50% of the overall tract.
D. Side yards. Whether there is one or more separate buildings, there
shall be two separate side yards measured from the perimeter of the
overall tract boundary lines, neither of which shall be less than
40 feet for multifamily dwelling buildings, 20 feet for townhouse
and two-family dwelling buildings or less than 30 feet for office
buildings. However, in case of a group of multifamily dwelling buildings,
there shall not be less than 50 feet between buildings at any point.
When located at the end of a row of townhouses, there shall be a minimum
side yard of five feet. Each group or row of attached townhouses and/or
two-family dwelling buildings shall have a minimum separation distance
of 20 feet from another group or row of attached townhouses and/or
two-family dwelling buildings.
E. Rear yards. With respect to the overall tract, there shall be a rear
yard measured from the perimeter of the overall tract rear boundary
line, the depth of which shall be at least 30 feet. Each townhouse
and two-family dwelling shall have a minimum rear yard of 20 feet,
which may include:
(1) Attached decks or patios having a maximum width of 10 feet from the
rear wall of the townhouse or two-family dwelling building;
(2) Vehicular parking spaces; and/or
F. Building frontage, depth or length. The greatest dimension in frontage,
length or depth of a building erected, altered or used under this
article shall not exceed 220 feet, and not more than three such buildings
may be attached to each other, and buildings so attached shall be
at an angle of 90° under the requirements of this subsection,
but may be altered or changed upon application by way of special exception
to the Zoning Hearing Board.
G. Buffer area. There shall be a buffer area along each tract boundary
line, the depth of which shall be at least 15 feet measured from the
tract boundary line. The buffer area may be included in any tract
setback, front, side or rear yard areas required under the provisions
of this section. The buffer area shall be planted with trees, shrubbery
and ground cover for screening in accordance with an overall landscape
plan approved by the Planning Commission and shall be maintained continually
in a neat and attractive manner by the property owner. As applied
to townhouses and two-family dwelling buildings, the required buffer
area shall apply only to the overall tract boundaries.
H. Total office lot area coverage. Not more than 70% of each tract shall
be used for the construction of service office buildings, office parking
facilities and/or other commercial improvements of any nature so that
not less than 30% of the tract area shall remain as open space.
Pedestrian circulation shall be provided as follows:
A. Exterior walks. Concrete sidewalks, not less than four feet in width,
shall be constructed to Township standards along all public streets
by which the site is bounded. In townhouse developments, concrete
sidewalks not less than four feet in width shall be provided along
a minimum of one side of all streets, regardless of whether the streets
are public or private.
[Amended 3-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-02]
B. Interior walks. Concrete walks, not less than four feet in width,
shall provide convenient and safe pedestrian access from all apartment
and office entrances to other apartment and office entrances and to
accessory recreation areas, laundry facilities, parking compounds,
carports or garages and to the sidewalks along bounding public streets.
(1) Such interior walks may be surfaced with brick or flagstone.
(2) Where interior walks cross vehicular 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, difference in elevation, etc., shall
be used to lessen the likelihood of any parked vehicle encroaching
on such walk.
Vehicular circulation shall be provided as follows:
A. Interior drives. Hard-surfaced driveways of concrete or bituminous
concrete shall provide vehicular access from the public street to
all buildings, parking spaces, carports and garages.
B. Off-street parking and loading.
(1) Multifamily dwellings shall have not less than 1.75 garage spaces
or paved off-street parking spaces for each unit.
[Amended 10-9-1978 by Ord. No. 1978-9; 10-28-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-11]
(2) Service office buildings shall have one parking or garage space for
each 200 square feet of gross floor area, including basement floor
area, but in no event fewer than three parking or garage spaces for
each separate office, such spaces to be 200 square feet.
(3) Where angle parking spaces front toward a walk, building or usable
open space area, curbing or firmly anchored wheel block devices shall
be provided not less than six feet from the far edge of the walk,
six feet from the wall of the building or three feet from the near
edge of the usable open space area.
(4) The boundary lines between all adjacent parking spaces shall be embedded
or marked upon the pavement in a conspicuous and durable manner.
(5) Areas of adequate size and number for loading and unloading of delivery
trucks, moving vans and other vehicles and for the servicing of refuse
collection, fuel and other services shall be provided, so arranged
that they may be used without blockage or interference with the use
of driveways or automobile parking facilities.
(6) No part of any required front yard is to be used for parking or loading.
(7) In addition to the above, parking facilities shall be provided in accordance with Article
XXIV.
[Amended 10-9-1978 by Ord. No. 1978-9]
Not less than 10% of the lot area shall be devoted to usable
open space for the benefit of residents if the lot is used for construction
of apartment house buildings. Such usable open space shall be provided
in accordance with the following standards:
A. Usable open space requirements may be met in one or several areas
within the lot boundaries.
B. Usable open space may be developed for any of the following uses,
or a combination thereof:
(1) Active recreation facilities for any age group.
(3) Landscaped lawn or garden areas.
(4) Other similar outdoor living activities.
C. The following shall not be eligible for meeting usable open space
requirements:
(1) Vehicular or pedestrian circulation areas, including parking.