[Ord. 430, 7/16/2008; as amended by Ord. 438, 8/19/2009]
This chapter shall be known as and may be cited as the "Richland
Township Zoning Ordinance," in accordance with and exercising the
authority of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, as amended, to accomplish the purposes as established in §
27-102.
[Ord. 430, 7/16/2008; as amended by Ord. 438, 8/19/2009]
This chapter is deemed necessary:
A. To promote the public health, safety, morals and general welfare.
B. To encourage practical and coordinated community development.
C. To establish proper density of population in the various districts
and provide adequate light, air and amenity.
D. To facilitate the economical provision of adequate public highways
and streets, vehicle parking and loading, public transportation, water
supply, sewage disposal, public and private schools, parks and open
spaces and other public requirements, such as public utilities and
rights-of-way.
E. To prevent the overcrowding or improper or incompatible development
or use of land and to prevent blighting conditions and congestion
or hazard in travel and transportation.
F. To secure safety of health, life and lot from fire, flood, panic,
noise, noxious fumes, explosion and other dangers.
G. To conserve and stabilize lot values through encouragement of the
most appropriate uses of land in relation to one another.
H. To preserve forests, floodplains, steep hillsides, recreation and
agricultural lands from conflict with intense development and from
erosion and to manage the release of stormwater to minimize downstream
flooding.
I. To facilitate generally orderly and compatible growth and expansion
of the Township and public programming of improvements.
[Ord. 430, 7/16/2008; as amended by Ord. 438, 8/19/2009]
It is not intended by this chapter to repeal, abrogate, other than enumerated in §
27-104 herein, or interfere with any existing ordinance or enactment or with any rule, regulation or permit adopted or issued. If this chapter imposes greater restrictions upon the use of buildings or land, then the provisions of this chapter shall control.
[Ord. 430, 7/16/2008; as amended by Ord. 438, 8/19/2009]
This chapter repeals any prior zoning ordinances, including but not limited to those contained in Chapter
27 of the Richland Township Code of Ordinances.
[Ord. 430, 7/16/2008; as amended by Ord. 438, 8/19/2009]
Should any section or provision of this chapter be declared
by the courts to be unconstitutional or invalid, such decision shall
not affect the validity of this chapter as a whole or any part thereof
other than the part declared to be unconstitutional or invalid.
[Ord. 430, 7/16/2008; as amended by Ord. 438, 8/19/2009]
A. In the event of conflicts between the provisions of this chapter
and any other ordinance or regulation, the more-restrictive provisions
shall apply.
B. In interpreting and applying this chapter, its provisions shall be
considered minimum requirements adopted for the promotion of the health,
safety and general welfare of the public.
C. In interpreting the language of this chapter to determine the extent
of the restriction upon the use of property, the language shall be
interpreted, where doubt exists as to the intended meaning of the
language written and enacted by Richland Township, in favor of the
landowner and/or developer and against any implied extension of the
restriction.
D. Where any provision of this chapter incorporates by reference the
provisions of other chapters (or articles or sections thereof) of
the Richland Township Code, such referred-to and incorporated-by-reference
provisions shall be, for the purposes of this chapter, deemed to be
fully applicable to the activities and usages regulated by this chapter
in the same manner and to the same degree as if said referred-to and
incorporated provisions of such other chapters (or articles or sections
thereof) were set forth at length herein in their entirety.