This chapter and attached Zoning Map shall be known as and may be cited as the "Slippery Rock Borough Zoning Ordinance," Chapter 375, Zoning, of the Code of the Borough of Slippery Rock and Official Zoning Map in accordance with and exercising the authority of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, as amended,[1] to:
A. 
Regulate and restrict the location and use of buildings, structures and land for residence, agriculture, trade, commerce, industrial and other purposes which were in existence at the time of adoption of this chapter and all future land and structures added within the boundaries of Slippery Rock Borough.
B. 
Regulate the height, number of stories, size and placement of buildings and other structures which were in existence at the time of adoption of this chapter and all future land and structures added within the boundaries of Slippery Rock Borough.
C. 
Divide the Borough or any portion thereof into districts of such size, shape and area, and to establish such Official Maps as may be deemed best suited to carry out the regulations and provide for their enforcement.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
A. 
This chapter has been adopted in order to:
(1) 
Establish zoning districts. Establish zoning districts and to regulate therein the use of land and structures for residential, commercial, manufacturing and other purposes, all in accordance with the Slippery Rock Borough Comprehensive Plan and its goals and objectives.
(2) 
Regulate buildings and population density. Regulate the location, height, bulk, use and size of buildings and structures, the size of yards, courts and open spaces, the percentage of a lot which may be occupied by a building or a structure, and the density of population.
B. 
Continuation of effect. The provisions of this chapter, so far as they are common to those zoning regulations in force immediately prior to the enactment of this chapter, are intended as a continuation of such prior regulations and not as new enactments. Such parts of the prior regulations that are omitted from this chapter shall be deemed as abrogated, except as they may continue to apply to uses, structures, and subdivided lots existing legally as of the date of enactment of this chapter and protected by express provisions of this chapter.
Such regulations are deemed necessary in order to:
A. 
Promote and protect the public health, safety, morals and general welfare;
B. 
Facilitate coordinated and practical community development;
C. 
Promote the proper density of population;
D. 
Provide adequate light and air, police protection, vehicle parking and loading space, transportation, water supply, sewerage, schools, public grounds and parks, and other public requirements;
E. 
Conserve and stabilize property values; and
F. 
Prevent the overcrowding of land, blight, danger and congestion in travel and transportation, loss of health, life or property from fire, panic and other dangers.
The aforementioned goals are intended to further facilitate the implementation of the following selected community development objectives of Slippery Rock Borough:
A. 
General objectives:
(1) 
To further develop and maintain a pleasant, attractive, healthful, and safe environment for those living in or visiting the Borough. This would include adequate provision for basic human needs in relation to living and working activities; maximum feasible choice in regard to the location and kind of living units desired; proper distribution of population at adequate densities; rational and integrated land use relationships and patterns; and the minimization of health and safety hazards.
(2) 
Assurance of a safe, adequate and attractive housing inventory for the entire Borough population.
(3) 
Development of a transportation system that provides safe and efficient movement of people and goods in and through the Borough.
(4) 
Provision of public facilities and services capable of providing adequate levels of service and located so as to be conveniently accessible to existing and future population.
(5) 
Preservation of the natural and man-made historic, scenic, and other amenities of the Borough.
(6) 
Coordination of local planning efforts and activities with those of other agencies, groups, organizations, and governmental units in time, space, and in relation to expenditures.
(7) 
Preservation and enhancement of the Borough's economic resources.
(8) 
Reduction to the lowest possible levels of activities or actions that contribute directly or indirectly to unhealthful environmental pollution or unnecessary environmental intrusions.
(9) 
To integrate to the greatest feasible extent plans for expansion of and/or addition to the Slippery Rock University.
B. 
Land use objectives:
(1) 
Regulations of land developmental patterns with the intent of discouraging urban sprawl, incompatible and/or unrelated land use groupings, and the excessive and unrealistic extension or alteration of public utilities and facilities created thereby.
(2) 
Promotion of the use of land in harmony with its inherent natural characteristics to avoid adverse effects upon both the man-made and natural environment resulting from disregard of those characteristics.
(3) 
Provision for and promotion of the use of the most advanced mechanisms or methods for land development as applicable or necessary for the orderly and up-to-date development of the Borough.
(4) 
Provision of reasonable amounts of land area for the various land uses deemed necessary to a viable functioning of the Borough as well as provision of such land areas in adequate locations to insure their efficient, convenient and safe utilization, especially those uses serving a distinctly public purpose.
C. 
Housing objectives:
(1) 
Promotion of all responsible public and private efforts directed towards the protection, conservation and/or increased availability of sound housing and the rehabilitation or removal of unsound housing.
(2) 
Development of programs to provide safe and decent housing for the elderly or disadvantaged.
(3) 
Provision of an adequate mixture of residential structural types and densities to satisfy the existing and potential needs or demands of the Borough's population.
(4) 
Provision of adequate regulations, controls, or other devices to upgrade, maintain or otherwise increase the aesthetic and physical attractiveness of residential areas in general and individual home sites in particular.
D. 
Community facility and utility objectives:
(1) 
Promotion of public and private efforts to improve the number, appearance and levels of service provided by institutional, recreational or open space facilities.
(2) 
Coordination with and the provision of all possible assistance to public and private organizations supplying these and other utilities and facilities to avoid duplication of efforts and unnecessary expenditures and further to promote the creation of the widest range of such services as is possible at the lowest feasible social and economic costs.
(3) 
Institution of land use concepts capable of affording adequate population and structural densities to avoid inefficient utilization of such utilities and facilities.
(4) 
Location of public facilities and utilities to stimulate and complement future or existing development without bias and based upon rational and logical planning considerations.
E. 
Transportation objectives:
(1) 
Provision of vehicular and pedestrian circulation systems that conflict with each other at a minimal level.
(2) 
Encouragement of the separation of through traffic from local traffic.
(3) 
Foster efforts aimed at increasing the accessibility of Borough residents to places within the Borough by means of public and private transportation, especially for those unable to fulfill their personal transportation needs due to infirmity or other similar physical or age-related constraints.
(4) 
Promotion of increased off-street parking facilities and limitation of grades and intersections to avoid street congestion, eliminate safety hazards, and generally improve circulation characteristics.
(5) 
Development of a cohesive, integrated, and logical street system to avoid unnecessary construction of new streets that would result in untoward public expenditures for maintenance and undesirable design of lots.