Township of North Lebanon, PA I-1 INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS

[Ord. 6-4-84, 6/4/1984, § 13.02; as amended by Ord. 2-1993, 5/17/1993, § VIII; by Ord. 2-1995, 12/18/1995, § IX; by Ord. 1-1999, 8/16/1999, § XXXIII; by Ord. 5-2005, 12/19/2005, § XVI; and by Ord. 2-2014, 5/19/2014, § XI]

Any uses not otherwise prohibited by law of a manufacturing, fabricating, processing, compounding or treatment nature which, in the opinion of the Zoning Administrator, would be nonobjectionable in terms of smoke or dust emission, odors, noise or glare, and will not otherwise be injurious to the public health, safety and welfare and will not have an adverse effect on adjacent areas. Should the Zoning Administrator feel that there is any likelihood of the aforementioned dangers or nuisances, the applicant shall prove the contrary to the Zoning Hearing Board in an Administrative Review before a permit is issued. In such case, the Township Planning Commission shall be notified of the hearing in order to provide the Zoning Hearing Board with a recommendation.

Warehousing and wholesaling establishments and storage yards, not including junk yards.

Railroad, trucking, busing and other transit facilities including storage, repair and transfer operations.

Automobile body shops, repair garages and gasoline stations provided that the following, conditions are met:

All gasoline or other fuel pumps shall be located outside of buildings, no less than 35 feet from any road right-of-way line or lot line.

All fuel, oil or other combustible product storage tanks shall be located underground at least 35 feet from any road right-of-way line or lot line.

No mechanical or auto body repair work shall be performed out-of-doors.

All automotive parts, dismantled and derelict vehicles, and similar articles or parts thereof shall be stored only within an enclosed building.

Automotive vehicles without valid, current license plates and/or state inspection shall be restricted according to § 27-1218 of this chapter.

Any structure housing an automobile body shop shall be a minimum of 50 feet from any lot line when located adjacent to any residential district.

Flammable and/or combustible materials associated with the automobile body shop use shall be stored within a fireproof enclosure within the principal structure or within an accessory building located no less than 50 feet from any lot line.

Customary accessory uses and buildings incidental to any of the above permitted uses.

Communication facilities requiring transmission antennas, radio or television stations, satellite earth stations and similar uses, provided that the following conditions are met:

All communication equipment, including antennas and their associated structures or supports, shall meet principal building/structure setbacks and maximum height limitations and shall not be located in required buffer areas.

All ground-mounted antennas shall be completely enclosed by a minimum six-foot high fence.

Antennas and their associated structures or supports shall be neutral in color and shall not contain or be a part of any form of advertising message or sign.

Ionizing and nonionizing electromagnetic radiation emitted from communications equipment associated with the above uses shall comply with all state and federal requirements governing such uses.

There shall be no outside storage of any materials other than vehicles. All materials must be in completely enclosed buildings.

A bond shall be provided in such amount and for such purposes as the Board of Supervisors deems necessary to protect the interest of the Township, and the bond shall be for such term as the Board of Supervisors determines is necessary to protect the interests of the Township. In the event that the use of the transmission or communications antenna or tower ceases for a period of 12 months, the owner thereof shall remove the transmission tower within the next 90 days. All transmission or communications antennas or towers shall be erected to accommodate such additional users as is feasible and as is approved by the Board of Supervisors of North Lebanon Township.

Industrial enterprise offices, national and regional corporate headquarters, computer, clerical and operations centers for industrial enterprises, subject to the following criteria:

The industrial enterprise shall mean an enterprise other than a mercantile, commercial or retail enterprise.

The office operations are designed to attract little or no customer or client traffic other than the employees of the enterprise.

No outdoor storage shall be permitted within the front or side yards. In rear yards, all outdoor storage areas shall be screened from adjoining properties and roads utilizing screening that is approved by the Board of Supervisors of North Lebanon Township.

Upon approval by the Zoning Hearing Board, the following Special Exception uses are permitted provided that the use complies with the conditions listed herein and the applicable requirements specified in Part 20 of this chapter:

Automobile recycling and junk yards used for storage, wrecking and converting used or discarded materials provided that the following conditions are met:

(1)

Minimum lot area of 10 acres.

(2)

Such use shall be no closer than 150 feet to any road right-of-way and no less than 500 feet from any use district other than industrial.

(3)

Such use shall be completely enclosed by an evergreen screen planting to be planted and maintained at a height of not less than eight feet and backed by a solid fence not less than six feet in height.

Air fields, strips or landing facilities and buildings accessory thereto provided that the following conditions are met:

(1)

Minimum lot area of 10 acres.

(2)

Applicant shall submit a plot plan of the lot indicating the runway and approach areas and existing residences located within a five-hundred-foot radius of the runway.

(3)

Runway shall be no closer than 100 feet to any residential district, and no closer than 50 feet to any property line or road right-of-way.

(4)

A description of equipment and facilities to be utilized, and a description of overall development plans for the lot shall be made available to the Zoning Hearing Board.

(5)

The airport approach area shall be defined as a three-hundred-foot wide area lying within and below an inclined plan extending outward horizontally 1,000 feet at a ratio of one foot of height for each 20 feet from each end of the runway. No building, structure or airport hazard shall exceed one foot in height, for each 20 feet of length of an established airport runway, with no structure or airport hazard to exceed 35 feet in height anywhere within the lot.

(6)

Any pulsating or intermittent lighting is prohibited.

(7)

Floodlights, spotlights and other lighting devices shall be arranged or shielded so as to illuminate parallel to the ground and not in an upward direction.

(8)

Any radio or electronic device shall be permitted only with approval and license by the Federal Communications Commission.

(9)

All facilities of this nature shall conform and operate under the standards set by the FAA and the Pennsylvania Aeronautical Commission.

(10)

The Zoning Hearing Board may impose other conditions as are appropriate to public safety and welfare, including hours of operation, frequency of use and a location in relation to existing residences.

Sandpits, gravel pits, removal of topsoil and the excavation, extraction or removal of any natural resource from the land or ground for any purpose, are permitted subject to the following conditions:

(1)

Application for the special exception shall be accompanied by an approved Department of Environmental Resources permit authorizing said activities.

(2)

The proposed operation shall not adversely affect soil fertility, drainage and lateral support of abutting land or other properties, nor shall it contribute to soil erosion by water or wind.

(3)

Where any open excavation will have a depth of 10 feet or more and a slope of more than 30%, there shall be an appropriate, protective fence with suitable gates where necessary, effectively blocking access to the area in which extraction is located. Such fence shall be located no less than 50 feet from the edge of the excavation. All operations shall be screened from nearby residential uses as required by the Zoning Hearing Board.

(4)

That portion of access roads located within 100 feet of any lot in residential use or lot zoned residentially shall be provided with a dustless surface. Access roads shall connect to collector or major road networks avoiding undue movement through residential areas.

(5)

At all stages or operations, proper drainage shall be provided to prevent the collection and stagnation of water and to prevent harmful effects upon surrounding properties.

(6)

A site plan for rehabilitation, showing both existing and proposed final contours, shall be submitted. After any such operations, the site shall be made reusable for a use permitted in the Zoning District. Where topsoil is removed, sufficient arable soil shall be set aside for retention on the premises and shall be respread over the premises after the operation is terminated. Except where lakes are created and retained, the area shall be brought to final grade by a layer of earth at least two feet deep or to original thickness, whichever is less, and capable of supporting vegetation. Fill shall be of an acceptable material.

Upon approval by the Board of Supervisors of North Lebanon Township, multiple storage rental units, self-storage facilities, and mini-warehouses shall be a permitted use, provided that the applicant meets all conditions as required by the Board of Supervisors and provided the following conditions are met:

[Amended by Ord. No. 2-2020, 4/20/2020[1]]

Self-service storage facilities (mini-warehouses) are permitted, provided that the applicant has met his/her burden of proof that the proposed use meets all applicable regulations and ordinances.

Self-storage facilities proposed on a lot with an existing principal use shall be considered an additional principal use, and not an accessory use to the existing principal use. The erection of the second principal use shall be in compliance with § 27-1208 of this chapter and shown as part of the required land development plan.

One off-street parking space shall be provided for each 25 storage units, plus one per each 250 square feet of office space, plus two per any residential use associated with an on-site manager.

Parking shall be provided by parking/driving lanes adjacent to the buildings. These lanes shall be at least 26 feet wide when cubicles open onto one side of the lane only, and at least 30 feet wide when cubicles open onto both sides of the lane.

Required parking spaces may not be rented as, or used for, vehicular storage.

Except as noted above, all storage shall be kept within an enclosed building, except that the storage of flammable, highly combustible, explosive or hazardous chemicals shall be prohibited. Any fuel tanks and/or machinery or other apparatuses relying upon such fuels shall be stored only in an external storage area as described above.

Because of the danger from fire or explosion caused by the accumulation of vapors from gasoline, diesel fuel, paint, paint remover, and other flammable materials, the repair, construction, or reconstruction of any boat, engine, motor vehicle, or furniture is prohibited.

Warehouses shall be used solely for the dead storage of property. The applicant shall adequately demonstrate that all rental and/or use contracts shall specifically prohibit the following examples of uses expressly prohibited upon the site:

(1)

Auctions, commercial wholesale or retail sales, or garage sales.

(2)

Residential occupancy.

(3)

The servicing, repair, or fabrication or motor vehicles, boats, trailers, lawn mowers, appliances, or other similar equipment.

(4)

The operation of power tools, spray-painting equipment, table saws, lathes, compressors, welding equipment, kilns, or other similar equipment.

(5)

The establishment of a transfer and storage business.

(6)

Any use that is noxious or offensive because of odors, dust, noise, fumes, or vibrations.

The self-storage facilities will be surrounded by a six-foot- to eight-foot-high fence, with the construction plan and materials to be approved by the Board of Supervisors.

All outdoor lights shall be shielded to direct light and glare only onto the site and may be of sufficient intensity to discourage vandalism and theft. Said lighting and glare shall be deflected, shaded and focused away from all adjoining property.

Design Standards. Design review shall be required for all new construction and expansions of self-service storage buildings to ensure the development has a high-quality design and is appropriate to the desired character of the zone it is located in and the adjacent neighborhood.

(1)

Fences and Walls. Fences and walls, including entry gates, shall be constructed of high-quality materials and shall be compatible with the design and materials of the building(s) and site. The design guidelines for fences and walls and the following provisions shall apply to self-service storage facilities:

(a)

Decorative metal, wrought iron or chain-link fences are preferred.

(b)

Barbed or razor wire fences and walls made of precast concrete blocks are prohibited.

(c)

Street-front landscape areas required by the design guidelines or elsewhere in this Code shall not be fenced.

(2)

Self-service storage facilities shall be one story.

(3)

Materials. Self-service storage facility buildings shall be surfaced in high-quality materials that are approved by the Board of Supervisors.

(4)

All driveway and parking areas shall be paved.

(5)

Self-storage facilities and warehouses shall be constructed of high-quality materials.

[1]

Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Subsection 9, which stated: "Upon approval by the Board of Supervisors of North Lebanon Township, multiple storage rental units shall be a permitted use; provided, that the applicant meets all conditions as required by the Board of Supervisors."

10.

Upon approval by the Board of Supervisors of North Lebanon Township, solar farms and other solar energy systems or wind energy conversion systems installed for the commercial production, distribution, or sale of energy or other off-site distribution shall be a permitted as a conditional use, provided that the applicable requirements and conditions set forth in Chapter 27, Part 13, Environmental Improvements and Energy Conservation Requirements, § 27-1306, are met, along with any other reasonable conditions and safeguards that may be imposed by the Board of Supervisors as deemed necessary to implement the purposes of this chapter.

[Added by Ord. No. 5-2022, 3/21/2022]