[Ord. 558, 9/4/2012]
The OPAS Off-Premises Advertising Sign Overlay District is an
overlay zoning district whose purpose is to provide an area for the
placement of off-premises advertising signs, aka "billboards," in
the Township; to provide regulations for such signs — defined
as signs which advertise other than the business transacted, services
rendered, goods sold or produced on the premises, name of the business,
or the name of the person, firm or corporation occupying the premises;
to provide standards for construction of such signs; and to locate
such signs so that they are not adverse to the health, safety and
general welfare of the residents of Lower Southampton Township.
[Ord. 558, 9/4/2012]
The OPAS shall be considered an overlay zoning district in any
areas of the Township containing nonresidentially zoned property within
50 feet of the right-of-way established for the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
[Ord. 558, 9/4/2012; as amended by Ord. No. 606, 4/10/2024]
1.
An off-premises advertising sign, also known as a "billboard," shall
be permitted in the OPAS Off-Premises Advertising Sign Overlay District,
subject to the following requirements:
A.
Size of sign. An off-premises advertising sign may not exceed 672
square feet per side in area, with a maximum length of 48 feet and
a maximum width of 14 feet.
B.
Height and location of sign. The maximum height of an off-premises
advertising sign shall be the minimum necessary in order for the sign
to be reasonably viewed by the intended motorists and in no event
higher than 30 feet measured to the top of the sign. Off-premises
advertising signs shall be located no closer than 20 feet from any
property line.
C.
Spacing. Off-premises advertising signs may not be located closer
than 25 feet from any street measured from the ultimate right-of-way
of such street. Off-premises advertising signs may not be located
closer than 300 feet from another off-premises advertising sign measured
linearly.
D.
Number of signs per lot. There shall be no more than one off-premises
advertising sign containing not more than two sides per sign on any
single lot. Lots containing more than 10,000 square feet of land area
may have one sign containing not more than two sides per sign for
every 15,000 square feet of lot area as a special exception.
E.
Content. Off-premises advertising signs shall not contain advertisements
for gentlemen's clubs, adult entertainment or adult businesses.
G.
LED billboards shall be permitted as a special exception subject
to the following requirements:
(2)
One screen image every minute must be reserved for public service
messages, amber alerts, or other Township-designed content.
(3)
The applicant must demonstrate that the proposed LED sign will
have no adverse impact on any adjacent property.
(4)
The applicant must demonstrate that the proposed LED sign will
not have an adverse impact on the general health, safety, and welfare
of the Township.
H.
Lot size. The minimum lot size for a property on which an off-premises
advertising sign may be located is 10,000 square feet.
I.
Maintenance of sign. All off-premises advertising signs shall be
structurally sound and maintained in good condition. If the signs
are not structurally sound or are in poor condition, the signs shall
be immediately removed at the sole cost and expense of the owner of
the sign in accordance with the provisions of this section. If an
off-premises advertising sign is not structurally sound or remains
in poor condition, Lower Southampton Township shall notify the owner
of the property on which the sign is located and provide the owner
60 days' written notice by certified mail, sent to the owner's last
known address, to remove the sign. If the sign is not removed within
60 days from the date of the notice, the Township may remove the sign,
and the cost thereof shall be paid by the owner of the property on
which the sign is erected. Lower Southampton Township may file a lien
against the property or take any action authorized by law to collect
the cost of removal if it is not paid by the owner of the property.
J.
Landscaping. Landscaping shall be provided at the base of all off-premises
advertising signs in order to shield from view the base, structural
elements and foundation of the sign. Trees and shrubbery including
evergreen and flowering trees of sufficient size and quantity shall
be used to achieve the purpose of this section. A landscaping plan
which meets the following minimum requirements shall be submitted,
reviewed and approved by the Township Engineer:
(1)
Five evergreen trees with a height of five feet to six feet,
planted within a forty-foot radius on the sides and rear of the base
of the sign;
(2)
Four flowering trees with a height of eight feet to 10 feet,
planted within a fifty-foot radius on the sides and rear of the base
of the sign; and
(3)
One shrub tree with a height of three feet to four feet for
each three lineal feet of road frontage along the parcel or 40 shrubs,
whichever is greater, to be placed in front of the sign.
[Ord. 558, 9/4/2012]
All off-premises advertising signs shall comply with any and
all applicable zoning regulations not specifically established herein
and any and all Township, state and/or federal Regulations, including,
but not limited to, the Lower Southampton Township Building Code and
all applicable Pennsylvania Department of Transportation regulations.
