This article is adopted to implement the purposes and intent of planned residential development as defined and authorized by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code ("MPC") and to establish qualifications, procedures and standards for such development. The Township, acknowledging that the technology of land development and the demand for housing are undergoing substantial and rapid changes, and recognizing the applicability of the objectives set forth in Article
VII of the MPC, adopts this article for the purposes of:
A. Providing increased flexibility in the laws governing the development
of those areas in the Township which are now substantially open land
in close proximity to existing expressway interchanges and major arterial
highways and encouraging such development in directions that will
recognize both the changes in design and technology in the building
industry and the demands in the housing market;
B. Insuring that the uniform regulations appropriate to previously developed
residential neighborhoods do not operate to discourage efficient and
imaginative development of said substantially open areas consistent
with the reasonable enjoyment of neighboring properties;
C. Encouraging the more efficient use of land;
D. Extending opportunities for housing;
E. Allowing for compact, integrated, and sustainable development;
F. Encouraging the efficient allocation and maintenance by private initiative
of common open space ancillary to new residential areas;
G. Minimizing traffic congestion; and
H. Fostering a sense of place and community.
The Township hereby elects to adopt the provisions of and exercise the powers granted by Article
VII of the MPC. In support thereof, the Board makes the following findings:
A. Planned residential development is a way of designing residential
neighborhoods which can provide a better environment for the people
who live there. Its provisions encourage more productive use of open
space, the preservation of salient existing natural features of the
landscape, more varied and better design, increased pedestrian and
vehicular safety, and greater design and planning flexibility than
in conventional subdivisions and land developments.
B. The Board finds that it is in the best interest of the Township to
take full advantage of modern design, construction, technology and
planning methods and thus seeks to permit planned residential development,
under certain conditions meeting certain design standards of the Township.
The objectives to be accomplished by this article (the "PRD objectives")
shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1)
To encourage innovative and flexible development plans that
will contribute to the quality of life in the community through well-planned
land uses and amenities.
(2)
To provide an optional approach to community development with
provisions to permit more efficient use of land on other than a lot-by-lot
basis and to recognize changes in design and technology in the building
industry, new demands in the housing market, and the continuing evolution
of community form.
(3)
To encourage the efficient allocation and maintenance of common
open space ancillary to new residential areas.
(4)
To provide for the future housing needs of the Township while
minimizing traffic impact by encouraging higher intensity residential
development on substantially open land in proximity to existing expressway
interchanges and adjacent to major arterial highways.
(5)
To encourage innovations in residential development so that
the growing demand for housing and other development may be met by
greater variety in type, density, design and layout of dwellings and
other buildings and structures and by the conservation and more efficient
use of open space ancillary to said dwellings and uses.
(6)
To assure that the flexibility of regulations herein is carried
out pursuant to sound, expeditious and fair administrative standards
and procedures.
For the purpose of this article, certain terms, phrases and
words are defined as follows:
DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE
A schedule approved with the tentative PRD plan showing proposed
time frames within which the applicant shall submit final plans for
each development section.
DEVELOPMENT SECTIONS
Areas delineated in a PRD tentative plan for which separate
applications for final plan approval may be filed. Development sections
shall have no minimum or maximum acreage and may include one or more
permitted uses.
GREEN
A plaza, square, courtyard, pocket park, tot lot, playground,
walkway, promenade, lawn area, or other outdoor space in which features
such as pavers, benches, gazebos, pergolas, trellises, planters, plantings,
lighting, sculpture, and the like, are installed and maintained, and
in which public seating, gathering, outdoor dining, and other forms
of passive and active recreation takes place.
LOT COVERAGE
The percentage of the PRD gross tract area which can be covered
by impervious surfaces.
PLANNED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT (PRD)
An area of land within the Planned Residential Development
(PRD) District to be developed pursuant to this article as a single
entity for a number of dwelling units, or a combination of residential
uses, the development plan for which does not correspond in lot size,
bulk, type of dwelling, or use, density, or intensity, lot coverage
and required open space to the regulations established in any one
district created, from time to time, under the provisions of the Caln
Township Zoning Ordinance. Planned residential development occurring
within the Planned Residential Development District must comply with
the regulations of the Planned Residential Development District and
need not comply with the regulations applicable to the base zoning
district in which the tract is located.
PRD COMMON OPEN SPACE
A parcel or parcels of land or an area of water, or a combination
of land and water within a tract and designed and intended for the
use or enjoyment of residents of a PRD. Common open spaces shall include
greens, green courts, plazas, outdoor recreation areas such as pools
and tennis courts and their associated parking areas, structures such
as garden pavilions and pergolas intended to be part of and enhance
common open spaces, stormwater management areas, utility easement
areas, and other areas greater than 20 feet in width. Common open
space shall not be within five feet of a residential or nonresidential
structure and shall not include private lots, dwelling units and accessory
buildings, streets, driveways, rear lanes and residential and nonresidential
parking areas.
PRD GROSS TRACT AREA
The total area within the title lines of a PRD tract. With
respect to a PRD tentative plan, the calculation of gross tract area
shall not include any deductions of any kind and shall include but
not be limited to rights-of-way, open space, waters, constrained lands
and uses of all kinds. The gross tract area of an approved PRD tentative
plan shall not be reduced or changed as portions of the PRD are conveyed
by the applicant to other parties.
REAR LANE
An all-weather surfaced minor road or alley that provides
access to the rear or side of a property. A rear lane shall be privately
owned. Rear lanes may be contained within an on-lot easement or private
right-of-way. There shall be no limitation on the number of units
that may be served by a single rear lane provided that all such units
may be accessed by fire and emergency vehicles.
The application for tentative approval shall be submitted to
the Township Engineer and shall comply with and be subject to the
requirements and procedures of Section 707 of the MPC.
After the filing of an application for tentative plan approval pursuant to §
155-190 of this article, a public hearing on the application shall be held by the Board in accordance with the requirements and procedures of Section 708 of the MPC.
The Board, in accordance with and subject to the requirements
and procedures of Section 709 of the MPC, shall, within 60 days following
the conclusion of the public hearing, by official written communication
to the applicant, either:
A. Grant tentative approval of the development plan as submitted;
B. Grant tentative approval subject to specified conditions not included
in the development plan as submitted, or
C. Deny tentative approval to the development plan.
Where tentative approval has been granted, the same shall be
noted on the Township Zoning Map and the tentative plan shall have
the status established by and be subject to the provisions of Section
710 of the MPC.
An application for final approval, or any section thereof, shall
be submitted to the Township Engineer and shall comply with and be
subject to the requirements and procedures of Section 711 of the MPC.
The provisions of Article
XIII of this chapter, as amended, titled "Administration and Enforcement," shall be fully applicable to the PRD application and development plan submitted therewith as finally approved insofar as the provisions thereof are consistent with the provisions of this article and the conditions of final approval.
The following residential uses are permitted within a PRD: single-family
detached, multifamily townhouse, multifamily apartments, accessory
residential uses, or any combination thereof.
The "Residential Land Use and Development Requirements" contained in Article
VII and the "Nonresidential Land Use and Development Requirements" contained in Article
VIII of this chapter, and the "Design Standards" contained in Article
IV of the Caln Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance ("SALDO") shall apply to all uses, buildings and structures within a PRD except where superseded by the requirements of this article or if the Board approves a waiver or modification of such provisions as part of the tentative or final plan approval. At the time of tentative or final plan approval, the Board shall have the discretion to waive or modify the specifications otherwise applicable where the applicant has demonstrated that a waiver or modification of the otherwise applicable regulation is appropriate. Applicant shall submit with the application for tentative plan approval a list of all sections of this chapter and the SALDO for which applicant requests a waiver or modification as part of its tentative plan approval.
The plan shall contain such proposed covenants, easements, and
other provisions relating to the bulk, location, and density of such
residential units, public and community facilities as are necessary
for the welfare of the residents of the planned residential development.
Said covenants, easements, and other provisions, if part of the tentative
and final PRD plan as finally approved, may be modified, enforced,
removed or released only in accordance with the provisions of the
MPC.
The applicant shall designate divisible geographic sections
of the development plan as well as the number and type of dwellings
contained therein and shall, in such case, specify in the development
schedule the time periods within which development of each such section
is to commence. The construction commencement date for each section
thereof may be modified from time to time by the Board upon the showing
of good cause by the applicant. Prior to recordation of the final
PRD plan or any segment thereof, the applicant shall execute such
easements, covenants and other arrangements and furnish such escrow
funds as may be required by Section 711(d) of the MPC.
The applicant shall incorporate green building methods, materials,
and technology in the design and construction of buildings within
a PRD and shall demonstrate to the Board which methods of green building
it intends to use which would qualify the buildings for "green" certification
from a qualified organization such as U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC), National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), or any other
approved agency in which a percentage of efficiency rating is achieved
with respect to lighting, heating, cooling, and other utilities used
in the development. The Board may require as a condition of tentative
plan approval that the applicant incorporate specific green building
methods, materials and technology in the design and construction of
the buildings within the PRD.
The landowner or applicant may amend an approved final plan, in accordance with and subject to the requirements and procedures of Section 706 of the MPC by submitting the amended plan to the Board. The Board shall review the amended final plan in the same manner as an initial final plan submission as described in §
155-193 of this article.