[Added 5-3-2016 by Ord. No. 4-239]
In expansion of the statement contained in Article III (Community Development Objectives), § 160-8 (Statement of community development objectives), of this chapter, and pursuant to the Whitpain Township Comprehensive Plan Update 2006, it is hereby declared to be the intent of this article with respect to the Airport Overlay District to allow for and to regulate the development and operation of a public-use, general aviation airport and associated facilities. Specifically, it is the intent of this article to:
A. 
Provide safe, state-of-the art facilities for pilots, general aviation aircraft, passengers, and the businesses that support them.
B. 
Protect the quality of life of the community in consideration of the airport's immediate proximity to residential areas as well as concerns expressed by residents of the Township in neighborhoods adjacent to the airport about quality of life, noise and environmental issues.
C. 
Support regional transportation systems.
D. 
Provide support for emergency medical air transportation services for the greater Philadelphia area.
E. 
Preserve the land that surrounds the airport in its natural state, to provide for agricultural use and habitat for wildlife and natural and indigenous vegetation harmoniously with airport operations.
F. 
Retain and enhance, to the greatest extent possible, desirable characteristics, such as mature trees, historic structures and open space.
G. 
Provide aviation related educational opportunities.
[Amended 10-18-2022 by Ord. No. 4-260]
H. 
Stimulate self-sustaining economic development and growth within the Township and region.
A building or buildings may be erected, altered or used and a lot or premises may be used or occupied for any one or more of the following purposes and no others:
A. 
Airport, including the following, specifically related to such airport: runway and taxiways, aprons, helipads, hangars, tie downs, aircraft transient parking, aircraft repair and maintenance facilities, equipment storage, terminal buildings, airport management offices, aircraft management offices, aircraft sales and leasing offices, aircraft charter services, aviation related insurance sales, aviation education facilities, aircraft maintenance training facilities, aviation fuel storage and sales, aviation control facilities, navigational aids, weather station, aviation communication facilities, runway and taxiway identification lights, (not including airport approach lighting systems), and rotating beacons.
B. 
Accessory uses customarily incidental to the foregoing airport use, including:
(1) 
Aviation-related sales not to exceed 500 square feet of building area.
(2) 
Food vending machines.
(3) 
Car rental located within the terminal building.
(4) 
Signs, erected and maintained in accordance with Article XXIII of this chapter, not specifically superseded by the special regulations set forth in § 160-181.7C of the Zoning Code and the table contained therein.
[Amended 10-18-2022 by Ord. No. 4-260]
(5) 
Parking.
(6) 
Emergency air medical transportation (EMT) services, including ground support, ground crew and crew quarters.
(7) 
The following accessory uses may be permitted by conditional use in the Airport Overlay District, subject to the requirements contained in this section and the procedures set forth in § 160-235:
(a) 
Restaurant, excluding a drive-through window, not to exceed 1,200 square feet of patron seating area with daily hours of operation between 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
(b) 
Education center/transportation museum, not to exceed a total building area of 50,000 square feet.
C. 
Farm.
D. 
Private aviation club not to exceed 10,000 square feet of building area with one accessory swimming pool and one accessory tennis court. The aviation club shall be a private membership facility providing dining, beverage service, food preparation space, meeting space, club staff office, restrooms, and storage.
E. 
The following uses may be permitted by conditional use in the Airport Overlay District, subject to the requirements contained in this section and the procedures set forth in § 160-235:
(1) 
Cluster housing in accordance with the provisions of §§ 160-181.8 and 160-66.
[Amended 10-18-2022 by Ord. No. 4-260]
A. 
Land area. The airport land area as defined in the Township Code of not less than 200 contiguous acres shall be provided for any property proposed to be developed in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Airport Overlay District.
B. 
Hangar coverage. The total maximum building coverage allocated to hangar space shall not exceed 2.0% of the airport land area.
C. 
Preserved land. A minimum of 60% of the airport land area shall be retained as green area and considered preserved land and specified as such on the Airport Development Plan required by § 160-181.3. Uses such as a farm, stormwater management facilities, unpaved access driveways and trails (pervious and impervious), fences, permitted signage, runway and taxiway identification lights, and unpaved airport operation safety and operations areas/facilities (i.e., AWOS area, runway safety area, runway obstruction free zone) only shall be permitted within the Preserved land and counted as green area.
[Amended 10-18-2022 by Ord. No. 4-260]
D. 
Maximum impervious cover. The maximum impervious cover within the airport land area shall be no more 20%. The maximum impervious cover within the airport operations area shall be no more than 75%.
E. 
Building setbacks. No building shall be erected or parking installed within 75 feet of the tract boundary or the ultimate roadway right of-way. When directly abutting and contiguous with a residential use or district, the tract setback shall be increased to 150 feet, except that such increased setback shall not apply where the building abuts a public or private street. Individual buildings shall be located no closer than 30 feet to other buildings.
F. 
Airport operations area. The airport operations area shall be clearly delineated by metes and bounds on the Airport Development Plan. A copy of the Airport Development Plan, showing the location of proposed areas of uses as permitted by right or as conditional uses together with, inter alia, the delineation of the airport operations area, is attached hereto as Exhibit "A" and incorporated herein by reference.[1] Upon adoption of the Airport Overlay District Ordinance, the Airport Development Plan may thereafter only be amended by a subsequent ordinance.
[1]
Editor's Note: A copy of Exhibit A is on file in the Township offices.
[Amended 10-18-2022 by Ord. No. 4-260]
The maximum height of any building erected shall not exceed 40 feet as defined under § 160-7B, excluding any structures where the height of such structure is required by state or federal regulations.
A. 
Any airport in the Airport Overlay District shall not make application for, obtain or maintain an airport operating certificate from the federal government in accordance with Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 139, as amended.
B. 
Any airport in the Airport Overlay District shall be limited to one runway with a length no greater than 3,800 linear feet.
C. 
Sign regulations. In the Airport Overlay District, the following signs may be erected and maintained:
(1) 
A single, existing, nonconforming, freestanding-type ground sign of 128 square feet located at the 6-points intersection (Narcissa Road/Stenton Avenue/Norristown Road) and one at the main access drive to the airport. The sign at the main drive may be double-faced, with each face not to exceed 50 square feet. The height of the sign shall not exceed 10 feet.
(2) 
One building identification sign per building. If such building identification sign is facing a public street, it shall be located a minimum distance of 150 feet from the public street.
(3) 
Internal, site directory signs not to exceed 36 square feet.
(4) 
Any signs required by state and/or federal regulations shall be exempted from the provisions of this article.
One area of the airport land area may be developed for cluster housing in accordance with the provisions of § 160-66, except as follows:
A. 
Maximum tract area allowed for cluster housing: 10 acres.
B. 
Maximum gross density: one unit per two acres of allocated land.
C. 
Access to public street: All units shall share one means of vehicular access to an existing public street.