The official title of this Ordinance is "The Zoning Ordinance
of the Borough of Rosslyn Farms" or The Zoning Ordinance."
This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon adoption by
the Borough Council of Rosslyn Farms.
This Ordinance is adopted by virtue of the authority granted
to the Borough by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the Pennsylvania
Planning Code, Act 247 of 1968, as amended by Act 170 of 1988 (P.S.
10101 et seq., as may be amended from time to time.
When the language of this Ordinance is clear and there are conflicts
between the provisions of this Ordinance and any other ordinance or
regulation, the more restrictive provisions shall apply.
The provisions of this Ordinance shall be considered minimum
requirements adopted for the promotion of the health, safety and general
welfare of the public and any applicant can exceed these minimum requirements.
When the language of this Ordinance is ambiguous, in determining
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 Borough Council, in favor of
the property owner and against any implied extension of the restriction.
The goals and objectives of the 1991 CRT Comprehensive Plan,
as amended, and the 2004 Rosslyn Farms Updated Land Use Element are
hereby incorporated by reference. The general community development
objectives on which this Ordinance is based are:
A.
The general objective for the development of the Borough of Rosslyn
Farms is to provide a pleasant, attractive, healthy, safe and convenient
environment for living, working, education, shopping and recreation.
This objective shall be pursued by the creation and implementation
of land use plans to:
1.
Preserve and improve the natural environment;
2.
Provide safe, adequate and attractive housing;
3.
Increase property values, employment opportunities, and the economic
base of the community;
4.
Provide the necessary infra-structure of utilities and transportation
arteries; and,
5.
Provide recreational and community facilities;
B.
The preservation and improvement of the environment shall be pursued
by:
1.
The elimination of visual and physical blight such as overhead utility
lines, concentration of signs of excessive size and proximity, large
expanses of uninterrupted pavement, dilapidated structures and trash;
2.
The preservation of existing trees and green space, natural topography
and wooded slopelands, including the limiting of hillside development
beyond a reasonable gradient, the control of flood plains and water
sheds;
3.
The reclamation of derelict land; and,
4.
The municipal acquisition and the promotion of the dedication of
natural open space and wooded slopeland to link the existing and proposed
park sites and neighborhoods, and to prevent ecological problems resulting
from wooded slopeland development.
C.
The provision of safe, adequate and attractive housing for the entire
population of the community shall be pursued by:
1.
The provision of a wide range of housing density alternatives; preservation
of a mix of housing types; correlation of residential density and
housing type with topography, existing conditions and the capacity
of and distance from existing and proposed utilities, streets and
community facilities;
2.
The rehabilitation and removal of deteriorating housing, the maintenance
of sound housing and the development of new housing; and,
3.
The promotion of an attractive residential environment through the
implementation of the other objectives set forth herein.
D.
The increase of property values, employment opportunities and the
economic base of the community shall be pursued by:
1.
The promotion of industrial growth and employment opportunities;
2.
The concentration of commercial and industrial uses in the areas
where streets and utilities can provide the necessary services and
where conflicts with other uses can be minimized through site design
and transitional provisions; and,
3.
The implementation of the other objectives set forth herein.
E.
The provision of the necessary infra-structure of utilities and transportation
arteries shall be pursued by;
1.
The extension of the municipal improvements of water lines, storm
and sanitary sewers and roads and their improvement where economically
feasible to guide and promote development;
2.
The encouragement of public utilities to improve and extend services
consistent with the objectives set forth herein;
3.
Traffic planning and control which will provide safe, rapid and convenient
movement of people and goods within and through the municipalities,
with a separation of through and local traffic, and minimal disruption
of existing and proposed development patterns and community integrity;
and
4.
Promote safe and convenient circulation for pedestrians and bicycles.
F.
The provision of recreational and community facilities shall be pursued
by:
1.
The creation of outdoor and indoor recreational facilities to accommodate
the existing and future population;
2.
The promotion of schools and parks in close proximity to decrease
duplication of services and provide the greatest value for public
expenditures;
3.
The promotion of acquisition or dedication of natural open space
for park and recreational purposes;
4.
The provision of residential areas with adequate commercial, governmental,
recreational and educational facilities; and,
5.
The preservation of historical landmarks.
G.
The creation and implementation of land use plans shall seek to achieve
the foregoing objectives and to:
1.
Achieve the purpose for which each Zoning District is intended, as
stated in the Purpose Statements for each Article of this Ordinance
which are to be considered a part of these development objectives,
and incorporated herein;
2.
Protect against the detrimental effect of incompatible land uses
through planting, open space and natural breaks in topography;
3.
Concentrate development where possible to prevent sprawl, conserve
open space and make full use of utilities and services; and,
4.
Provide site plan control.
This Ordinance, including the Zoning District Map, together
with all amendments thereto, shall be on file and may be viewed by
any interested person in the office of the Borough Secretary.
No structure shall be located, erected, constructed, reconstructed, moved, altered, converted or enlarged; nor shall any structure or land be used or designed to be used, except in full compliance with all the provisions of this Ordinance and after the lawful issuance of all permits and certificates required by Article XVII of this Ordinance.
The regulations of this Ordinance shall not apply to any existing
or proposed structure or use or extension thereof, used or to be used
by a public utility corporation, if upon petition of the corporation,
the Public Utility Commission, after a public hearing, decides that
the present or proposed situation of the structure in question is
reasonably necessary for the welfare of the public, provided no threat
to the health or safety to the public is presented.
If any of the provisions of this Ordinance or the application
of any provision to particular circumstances is held to be invalid,
the remainder of the Ordinance or the application of such provision
to other circumstances shall not be affected.
