The primary purpose of the Traditional Neighborhood Development-1/Village
Overlay District is to encourage the continuation of historic land
use patterns in the Romansville Village area in a traditional manner
consistent with its special character and as enabled by Article VII-A
of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, entitled "Traditional
Neighborhood Development." In Romansville, new development is envisioned
to accommodate Township growth in a compact fashion where streetscapes
and buildings will be required to reflect traditional village design
principles in a manner that creates internal open space in the form
of commons, greens and play fields and external open space in the
form of a woodland preserve. The intent is to:
A. Create a variety of residential dwelling types and lot sizes and
a limited mix of nonresidential uses in keeping with the character
and scale of the traditional village setting.
B. Require land use designs to preserve natural, scenic and historic
values.
C. Ensure the new village edges are well-defined when adjacent to farmland
and woodlands in order to distinguish the village as a unique community.
D. Ensure compliance with the goals of the Comprehensive Plan and promote
innovative designs that contribute to the community character.
E. Establish a network of open space consistent with the recommendations
of the Township Open Space, Recreation and Environmental Protection
Plan, complementing the village pattern and promoting pedestrian circulation
to reinforce the community character.
F. Define landscaping, circulation, parking, signage and community facility/service
standards that are unique and compatible to the design of the village
setting.
G. Ensure that new development proposals are compatible with the availability
of essential services or facilities and that new demands as required
by the project are addressed.
The following definitions apply to the Traditional Neighborhood
Development-1 (TND-1)/Village Overlay District (VOD):
ADAPTIVE REUSE
The development of a new use for an older building or for
a building originally designed for a special or specific purpose.
CIVIC LAND
The lot, building and parking devoted to such uses as educational,
religious, community center, cultural facility, and municipal.
COMMERCIAL LAND
The lot, building and parking devoted to such uses as retail
shops, personal services, and professional offices.
LIVE-WORK UNITS
A dwelling unit in combination with a place of business within
the same building, whereby the resident occupant lives above the shop,
studio or other place of employment that is located below on the ground
floor of the building located in the village core.
OPEN SPACE
Public land on portions of the tract outside the village
center that serves as a greenbelt and may consist of environmentally
sensitive areas such as steep slopes, floodplains, wetlands and mature
woodlands.
PUBLIC LAND
Consists of village greens and open space throughout the
village, designed to be formal or informal, natural or managed, and
owned publicly or by village association.
RESIDENTIAL LAND
The lot, building and parking devoted to single-family detached,
semidetached (two-family) dwellings, and multifamily dwellings such
as townhouses and apartments.
STREETSCAPE
Defines the public space of a village street within which
buildings are placed close to the street and all structural features
such as dwelling facades, storefronts, street trees, streetlamps,
benches, sidewalks, picket fences, porches, awnings and canopies contribute
to a cohesive sense of character.
TRADITIONAL VILLAGE
Development on the tract that includes both a compact arrangement
of village lots and a traditional pattern and open space.
VILLAGE CENTER
The activity center of the TND-1/VOD consisting of a mix
of residential, commercial, civic and village green.
VILLAGE GREEN
Public open space land in the form of a park or square generally
laid out in a formal managed arrangement.
VILLAGE GREEN COURT LOT
A village lot used for single-family detached residential
dwellings which fronts on a village green and has vehicular access
from rear alleys.
VILLAGE LOT
Consists of two categories of land: that designated for development
(residential, commercial and civic); and that designated as public
land (permanent open space) in the form of village greens.
Development under the Traditional Neighborhood Development-1/Village Overlay District is permitted by conditional use, subject to following criteria of eligibility within this article and the procedural requirements of §§
450-34 and
450-64A of this chapter:
A. The Traditional Neighborhood Development-1/Village Overlay District
shall apply to tracts located within the Village of Romansville as
designated on the Township Zoning Map. The overlay shall become affixed
to the land as the base zoning for the tract, upon approval of the
land development plan by the Board of Supervisors.
B. The minimum tract size shall be 20 acres.
C. The maximum density of a Traditional Neighborhood Development-1/Village
Overlay District (TND-1/VOD) shall be three dwelling units per acre
of net tract area, as defined by this chapter.
[Amended 9-10-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-04]
D. Any tract of land proposed for TND-1/VOD shall be in one ownership
and shall be developed and operated under single direction, control
and management.
E. The TND-1/VOD shall be served by public or community sewer service
in accordance with the Township Act 537 Sewage Facilities Plan. All
lots within the Village of Romansville shall be served by public water
supply.
F. The applicant shall submit, with the conditional use application for a TND-1/VOD, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report as described in Appendix A, Environmental Impact Assessment Report, attached to Chapter
385, Subdivision and Land Development, and a traffic impact study as described in §
385-27 of that chapter. The EIA report and traffic impact study are not required to be submitted with the preliminary/final subdivision and land development plan application, unless the plan has been substantially revised in accordance with the decision and order granting condition use approval.
[Amended 9-10-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-04]
G. The following additional information shall accompany the conditional
use application for a TND-1/VOD and an individual lot within the village:
(1) A narrative describing how the proposed application complies with the intent statements of §
450-25 of this chapter.
(2) A narrative generally describing the proposed covenants, restrictions
and development standards for the property to be developed.
(3) A narrative description of the existing zoning and land uses on and
adjacent to the tract.
(4) An inventory of historical resources on and adjacent to the tract.
(5) A survey plan depicting the boundaries of the property, existing
topography using two-foot contour intervals, steeply sloped areas,
wetlands, identified floodplain areas, soil types, watercourses, vegetation
and existing structures.
[Amended 8-8-2017 by Ord.
No. 2017-05; 6-12-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-03]
H. Upon receipt of the decision and order granting conditional use approval, the applicant shall be entitled to submit a preliminary/final subdivision and land development plan in accordance with the conditions of approval and the requirements of §§
385-21 and
385-22 of Chapter
385, Subdivision and Land Development.
I. The regulations of this article shall take precedence over other provisions of this chapter and Chapter
385, Subdivision and Land Development to the extent this article specifies additional or modified requirements. Otherwise, all applicable sections of this chapter and Chapter
385, Subdivision and Land Development, shall apply. The provisions herein may be modified by the Board of Supervisors to allow relief whenever modifications to the ordinance are necessary where the applicant has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Board that modification from these standards results in a better design and a pattern of development more fully in compliance with the objectives of this section, as determined by the Board of Supervisors.
J. As part of the preliminary/final subdivision and land development plan application, the applicant shall submit detailed plans/drawings of the proposed dwellings and other buildings demonstrating compatibility with the range of dwelling and other building examples found within the Manual of Written and Graphic Design Guidelines, in accordance with §
450-34B to
D.
The following uses are permitted:
A. Residential land.
(1) Residential land includes any of the following uses:
(a)
Single-family detached dwelling;
(b)
Single-family semidetached dwelling;
(d)
Multifamily dwelling;
[Amended 6-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-04]
(e)
Dwelling unit on the second or third floor of a shop or office
in the village center; and
[Amended 6-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-04]
(f)
The following are uses and structures permitted as accessory to the above permitted uses, provided they meet the definition of an accessory use or structure and do not alter the character of any of the foregoing permitted uses in accordance with §
450-65 of this chapter:
[1]
Any customary use or structure that is accessory to the permitted
residential uses, provided any accessory structure shall be located
in the rear of the lot;
[2]
The following ancillary uses or structures which are accessory
to the permitted residential uses:
[a] Bed-and-breakfast home in accordance with §
450-62N of this chapter, except that the minimum lot size shall be 10,000 square feet and the structure for which the use is proposed must have existed prior to January 1, 2004.
[b] Parking lot or garage in accordance with §
450-68A of this chapter.
(2) Adaptive reuse of any structure existing prior to January 1, 2004,
in accordance with the applicable provisions of this chapter, to accommodate
any of the permitted residential uses.
B. Commercial land.
(1) Commercial land includes any of the following uses in the village
center:
(c)
Ice cream parlor, bakery and confectionery;
(f)
Personal service establishment;
(h)
Health spa or fitness center;
(j)
Multifamily dwellings on the second floor;
(l)
Accessory uses and structures in accordance §
450-65 of this chapter.
(2) Adaptive reuse of any structure existing prior to January 1, 2004,
in accordance with the applicable provisions of this chapter.
C. Civic land.
(1) Civic land includes any of the following uses in the village center:
(c)
Museum and cultural facility;
(d)
Visual and performance arts facility;
(e)
Library, post office or similar municipal use;
(h)
Day-care center, except that the minimum lot size shall be 10,000
square feet; and
(i)
Accessory uses and structures in accordance with §
450-65 of this chapter.
(2) Adaptive reuse of any structure existing prior to January 1, 2004,
in accordance with the applicable provisions of this chapter.
(3) Passive and active recreation land as per §
450-28D.
D. Public land.
(1) Public land includes any of the following uses:
(a)
Village greens owned by the village association or Township
that may consist of the following:
[2]
Stormwater retention systems (when reviewed and recommended
by the Planning Commission and approved by the Board of Supervisors);
and
[3]
Accessory uses and structures in accordance with §
450-65 of this chapter.
(b)
Open space owned by the village association or Township that
may consist of the following:
[3]
Stormwater retention systems (when reviewed and recommended
by the Planning Commission and approved by the Board of Supervisors);
and
[4]
Accessory uses and structures in accordance with §
450-65 of this chapter.
The following land use allocation shall apply to a traditional
neighborhood development in the TND-1 Zone only.
A. General.
(1) The buildings in the TND-1 shall relate to the context and fabric
of typical Chester County villages. The size and form of buildings
shall emulate the historic character of such villages and shall follow
principles of appropriateness, as documented in the Manual of Written
and Graphic Design Guidelines ("the Manual").
(2) No principal building shall include a flat roof. Roof pitches and
variations in rooflines shall be in accordance with the Manual.
(3) With respect to nonresidential buildings, blank walls shall not be
permitted along any exterior wall facing a street, public parking
area, or walking area. Exterior walls in these locations shall have
architectural treatments that are the same as the front facade, including
consistent style, materials, fenestration and details.
(4) Any phased development shall be fully described and defined on the
subdivision or land development plan.
B. Residential land.
(1) A minimum of 60% of the total new residential lots of the TND-1 shall
be single-family detached dwellings.
(2) A maximum of 30% of all new residential lots of the TND-1 may be
semidetached dwellings. Such semidetached dwellings shall be designed
to resemble traditional examples of twins, row homes or carriage houses
typical to Chester County as shown in the Manual of Written and Graphic
Design Guidelines.
(3) Up to 15% of the single-family detached lots may be on larger lots
between 10,000 square feet and 22,000 square feet. Lot sizes greater
than 15,000 square feet shall be designed on the periphery of the
village.
(4) A maximum of 40% of the total new residential lots of the TND-1 may
be multifamily dwellings. Such dwellings shall be designed either
to resemble traditional examples of row homes and carriage houses
typical to Chester County or shall be designed to resemble large single-family
residences (in the case of a building housing apartments).
(5) Second-story residential use above ground-level shops and offices
is also encouraged in the village center, and shared parking arrangements
shall be allowed. A maximum of 5% of the total residential dwellings
may be second-story residential units.
C. Commercial land.
(1) A maximum of 10% of the gross area of the village center may be designated
for commercial land.
(2) Commercial land shall not occupy more than 10% of the gross area
of the village center, or no more than 30,000 square feet of gross
floor area of all floors of all buildings, whichever is less, with
small retail shops (under 3,500 square feet of gross floor area per
shop per floor).
(3) Commercial land shall adjoin civic land or a village green.
D. Civic land.
(1) A maximum of 5% of the gross area of the village center may be designated
for civic land.
(2) Civic land shall be within or adjoin a village green.
E. Public land.
(1) Forty percent of the gross tract area of the TND-1 shall be public
land.
(2) A minimum of 5% of the gross area of the village center shall be
permanently allocated to village greens.
(3) The village center shall contain at least one village green no less
than one acre in size that shall be within 500 feet of the geographic
center of the village center.
(4) The remaining public land shall be distributed such that no developed
village lot is further than 500 feet from a village green or open
space.
(5) Village greens shall have a minimum of 20% of their perimeter abutting
internal street rights-of-ways.
(6) No more than 20% of the total public land in the TND may be comprised
of stormwater management facilities.
(7) Consideration shall be given to preserving, where appropriate, portions
of the tract lying within the wooded open space as identified on the
Official Map as of March 9, 2004, and shall be designated as common
open space.
(8) Pedestrian paths shall connect to the sidewalk system and meander
through the public land to provide a continuous system for walking.
(9) Public land shall meet the standards for ownership of open space
and open space management provisions contained in this chapter.
The principles of appropriateness, as documented in the Manual
of Written and Graphic Design Guidelines, are to be referenced for
the design of any TND or individual lot development within the Romansville
Village Overlay District (TND-1/VOD).
In addition to the conditional use regulations of §
450-64 of this chapter, and in particular §
450-64A(1) through
(8), the applicant shall have the burden of proving that the following criteria and conditions are satisfied.
A. A manual of written and graphic design guidelines shall be prepared
and submitted by the applicant and shall be adopted by the Township,
in accordance with Section 708-A of the Pennsylvania Municipalities
Planning Code.
B. The applicant shall submit a village concept sketch plan which reflects
compliance with all of the design elements required in the Manual
of Written and Graphic Design Guidelines.
C. The applicant shall submit a village concept sketch plan which reflects compliance with all of the requirements in §
450-28, Permitted uses; §
450-29, Use allocation; §
450-30, Area and bulk requirements; §
450-31, Streets and alleys; and §
450-32, Parking. The concept plan shall be in sufficient detail to demonstrate that the design requirements of these sections have been met.
D. The applicant shall submit all the information listed in §
450-27F, including the narratives, inventories, and survey plans described in §
450-27G, as part of the application for conditional use.
E. The applicant shall submit plans to depict a trail system within
the proposed open space. The trail system shall link to the internal
sidewalk network and to existing or proposed trails on adjacent properties
if connections to adjacent properties are topographically feasible.
F. The application for conditional use shall be deemed complete when the Township is in receipt of the accompanying fee and information required in §
450-27F. Upon receipt of a complete application for conditional use, the Board of Supervisors shall forward the application to the Planning Commission for review and recommendation. Upon receipt of the application, the Planning Commission shall begin its review of the conditional use at its next regularly scheduled meeting and offer its recommendation during the course of the public hearing process. The Board of Supervisors shall begin public hearings on the conditional use application within 60 days of the date the complete application is submitted to the Township pursuant to public notice, unless the applicant has authorized an extension. The public hearings shall commence with the applicant presenting testimony demonstrating compliance with the ordinance. Once the applicant has concluded its testimony, the Township shall have 100 days within which to present and conclude its testimony. The Board of Supervisors shall render a written decision within 45 days of the last public hearing.