[Added 7-10-1986 by Ord. No. 376, approved 7-10-1986[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance was passed over the Mayor's
veto 8-12-1986.
In expansion of the declaration of legislative intent and the
statement of community development objectives of this article, it
is hereby declared to be the intent of the O-1 Office District to
establish reasonable performance standards for the development of
office and selected commercial uses that will take advantage of the
location and highway accessibility offered by the interchanges of
the Schuylkill and Mid-County Expressways and promote employment within
the Borough, while protecting the Borough's sensitive environmental
features, including river banks, woods, etc. It is further the intent
of the article that development shall not have a detrimental effect
upon traffic conditions nor community services and facilities and
that development shall provide adequate parking and landscaping to
protect adjacent areas.
A.
A building may be erected, altered or used and a lot may be used
or occupied for any of the following uses and no other:
B.
The following uses shall be permitted, provided that the uses do
not occupy more than 30% of the total gross floor area of the building
in which they are occupied, unless authorized by special exception
by the Zoning Hearing Board:
Within this O-1 District, an average of 10% of the total lot
area shall be designated for recreation/open space use. The Borough
may but shall not be required to accept any portion or portions of
the open space, provided that such land is freely accessible to and
of benefit to the general public of the Borough and there are no acquisition
costs involved. The required recreation/open space herein may be located
other than on the same lot subject to the following conditions:
A.
Lot area. No lot area within the O-1 District shall be less than
3 1/2 acres, except under the following conditions:
B.
Lot width. A lot width of not less than 150 feet shall be provided
for each lot in this O-1 District.
C.
Building coverage. Not more than 35% of the area of each lot may
be occupied by buildings, excluding parking garages.
D.
Floor area ratio. No building, excluding parking garages, within
the O-1 District shall have a gross floor area greater than 95% of
the area of the lot except under the following conditions:
(1)
Two or more lots are involved in land development or subdivision.
(2)
The two or more lots are located within the O-1 District.
(3)
The average gross floor area, excluding parking garages, does
not exceed 95% of the cumulative total lot area.
(4)
In any such land development or subdivision, the apportioned
gloss floor area for each lot shall be stipulated on the subdivision
plan and in the deed indenture.
E.
Impervious surface coverage. Impervious surface coverage within the
O-1 District shall not exceed 85% of the lot area, except under the
following conditions:
F.
Height. The maximum height of any building, measured from the mean
elevation of surrounding grade, shall be 250 feet.
G.
Building setbacks. The following setbacks shall apply for any building,
excluding parking garages, except as otherwise noted, within this
district:
(1)
The minimum building setback measured from the existing center
line of any primary arterial roadway shall be 55 feet, but in no event
shall the building setback be less than 20 feet from any legal right-of-way
line.
(2)
The minimum building setback, excluding parking garages, measured
from any lot line shall be 20 feet, except that no building setback
is required from a railroad right-of-way.
[Amended 5-12-1987 by Ord. No. 381, approved 5-12-1987]
(3)
Notwithstanding anything contained in this article to the contrary,
no building setback is required from any roadway right-of-way that
is parallel to a railroad right-of-way, so long as the property owner
has agreed to maintain the roadway right-of-way, including roadway
structures and bridges. However, in no event shall a building or structure
be less than six feet from the paved edge of any roadway.
[Added 5-9-1989 by Ord. No. 398, approved 5-9-1989]
H.
Minimum distance between buildings. The minimum distance between
a building or group of buildings shall be 25 feet, except that all
structures connected by common rooflines or covered walkways shall
be considered one building.
I.
Parking setbacks. The following setbacks shall apply for any parking
area within this district:
(1)
The minimum surface parking setback measured from any street
curbline shall be 10 feet.
(2)
The minimum surface parking setback measured from any lot line
shall be 10 feet.
(3)
The minimum surface parking setback measured from any building
shall be 10 feet.
(4)
There shall be no setback requirement with respect to below-grade parking garages. For above-grade parking garages which do not exceed a height of 12 feet above grade or a height of 24 feet above grade, when approved by the Borough Council as a conditional use, the minimum setback measured from the existing center line of any primary arterial roadway shall be 40 feet; the setback shall be no less 10 feet from any legal right-of-way line, except that no setback shall be required from a railroad right-of-way. Where a parking garage exceeds a height of 12 feet above grade or exceeds a height of 24 feet above grade in the case of a conditional use permitting a height up to 24 feet, the setbacks shall be in accordance with Subsection G(1) of this section.
[Amended 5-12-1987 by Ord. No. 381, approved 5-12-1987]
(5)
Notwithstanding anything contained in this article to the contrary,
no parking setback, with regard to below- and above-grade parking,
is required from any roadway right-of-way that is parallel to a railroad
right-of-way, so long as the property owner has agreed to maintain
the roadway right-of-way, including roadway structures and bridges.
However, in no event shall any below- or above grade parking or parking
structure be less than six feet from the paved edge of any roadway.
[Added 5-9-1989 by Ord. No. 398, approved 5-9-1989]
A.
Off-street parking spaces shall be provided with proper access from
a street in the amounts indicated below. For any primary use, the
required parking spaces shall be all-weather and paved and located
on the same lot, except as provided within this article.
[Amended 9-6-2000 by Ord. No. 00-14, approved 9-7-2000]
|
Use
|
Number of Spaces
| |
|---|---|---|
|
Office
|
6 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area
| |
|
Theater, auditorium or other place of assemblage
|
1 per 3 seats
| |
|
Banks and other financial institutions
|
6 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area; in addition, where
a drive-in facility and/or automated banking machine is included,
6 in-line automobile waiting spaces for each bank teller and or remote
teller station or window
| |
|
Municipal building; community facility
|
1 per 500 square feet of gross floor area
| |
|
All other uses
|
The requirements of § 113-98 shall apply
|
B.
Mixed or multiple uses within one building or site shall require
parking as per the sum of the requirements of the various usages unless
approved by special exception.
The parking spaces required herein may be located elsewhere
other than on the same lot, subject to the following conditions:
All nonresidential parking lots shall be operated and maintained
in accordance with the following conditions:
A.
The minimum dimensions for all parking spaces shall be:
(1)
Parking garages: eight feet six inches by 18 feet clearly delineated for standard size, and seven feet nine inches by 16 feet measured from the face of the column clearly delineated for compact size. Notwithstanding this provision, however, the provisions of § 113-150A shall apply.
[Amended 5-12-1987 by Ord. No. 381, approved 5-12-1987]
(2)
Parking lots: nine feet by 18 feet clearly delineated.
B.
All parking lots shall include handicap parking spaces of sufficient
numbers and in close proximity to entrances. There shall be a minimum
of two or 1% of the total number of spaces per lot, whichever is greater,
to be devoted to handicap parking. The design of these spaces shall
be subject to all applicable federal, state and local codes.
C.
Parking lots shall not be used for sale, repair or dismantling of
vehicles, equipment, materials or supplies.
D.
Parking lots shall be properly graded for drainage, surfaced and
maintained in good condition.
E.
Lighting facilities in parking lots shall be so arranged that they
produce safe lighting levels without glare or disturbance to adjacent
residences nor interfere with traffic by either location nor glare.
F.
Trash receptacles located in parking areas shall be easily accessible
by trucks and shall be screened and buffered from view.
G.
In a parking garage with at least 25 spaces, the designation and
use of a maximum of 35% of the parking stalls in a garage or parking
area as compact size is permitted.
[Added 5-12-1987 by Ord. No. 381, approved 5-12-1987]
In this O-1 District, off-street loading berths shall be provided
and maintained in accordance with the following:
A.
For any building or use, a minimum of two off-street loading spaces
shall be provided. The loading spaces shall not be in conflict with
parking spaces nor vehicular circulation.
B.
Safe ingress and egress to adjacent streets or driveways shall exist.
C.
Proper location in relation to vehicular circulation in adjacent
uses shall be considered.
D.
The nature of the establishment and its required schedule for loading
shall be considered in the design of loading areas.
[Amended 11-14-1995 by Ord. No. 95-436, approved 11-14-1995]
Landscaping, including buffers, screens, parking lot landscaping, street trees and preservation of existing vegetation, shall be provided according to the requirements of Chapter 102, Subdivision and Land Development.
A.
Trash and refuse areas. The design of buildings in this district
shall include either a provision for storage of trash, refuse and
garbage inside the building or within a screened area outside of the
building. The trash and refuse area must be shielded from the direct
view from any adjacent property by using walls, opaque fences and/or
evergreen screens which must be at least eight feet high.
B.
Storage. No storage of materials, equipment or goods shall be permitted
outside of a building.
C.
Outside lighting. All outside lighting shall be shielded so that
the source of light shall not be visible from any point off the lot
on which the light is located. In no case shall lights be permitted
to be directed or reflected towards any residential district, and
there shall be no glare or hazardous interference of any kind on any
roadway.
D.
Utilities. All new utility lines (electrical, telephone, etc.) shall
be placed underground.
E.
Water and sewer. All uses shall be in conformance with all requirements
relating to public water and sewer services of the Borough codes and
ordinances.
A traffic study shall be submitted for review by the Borough
Council and shall indicate that satisfactory provisions are being
made to prevent traffic congestion and hazardous road conditions resulting
from the proposed development. This study shall be prepared by a professional
traffic engineer and shall contain the following information:
A.
A study impact area agreed to by the Borough Engineer.
B.
An inventory of site conditions which shall include:
(1)
A sketch plan of the proposed development.
(2)
Existing average daily traffic (ADT) on roads within the study area.
This shall include traffic volumes at peak highway hours and at peak
development generated hours.
(3)
Existing levels of service (A through F) on roads and intersections
within the study area.
(4)
Other information requested by the Borough Engineer.
C.
The impact of the proposed development on the area's transportation
system, which shall include:
(1)
The number of trips generated by the proposed development (in
and out and at peak hours).
(2)
The estimated average daily traffic on roads within the study
area with the proposed development.
(3)
The level of service (A through F) with the anticipated development.
(4)
Documentation of the source(s) of generated traffic estimates
(such as the Institute of Transportation Engineers, Trip Generation
Report).
(5)
Evaluation of the adequacy of the development's ingress and
egress point.
D.
Documentation of on-site or off-site improvements proposed to mitigate
any projected adverse transportation impacts of the proposed development.
This shall include, when warranted, such improvements as road widening,
intersection improvements, acceleration/deceleration lanes, traffic
control devices, signs or other improvements deemed necessary by the
Borough Engineer.
