Off-street vehicular parking facilities shall be provided in
accordance with the Zoning Ordinance.
A. Parking compounds. Parking compound dimensions shall be no less than
those listed in Appendix No. 17.
B. Buffer planting. Buffer planting shall be provided where parking
compounds are adjacent to residential properties. The buffer planting
area shall be at least 15 feet wide. Buffer planting shall be installed
in accordance with § 609A. Buffer plantings shall not restrict
sight distances.
C. Horizontal curves. Not less than five-foot radius of curvature shall
be permitted for horizontal curves in parking areas.
D. Access. All dead-end parking lots shall be designed to provide sufficient
backup area for all end stalls.
E. Circulation. Painted lines, arrows, and dividers shall be provided
and maintained to control parking when necessary to direct vehicular
circulation.
F. Lighting. Parking areas, main entrances, and exits which are open
to the public shall be lighted to a minimum average of two footcandles
at an elevation of three feet above the surface. All lighting shall
be so arranged as to reflect the light away from adjoining premises
and public rights of way.
Easements for sanitary sewer facilities, stormwater drainage
facilities, public utilities, or pedestrian access shall meet the
following standards:
A. To the fullest extent possible, easements shall be adjacent to property
lines.
B. Nothing shall be placed, planted, set, or put within the area of
an easement that would adversely affect the function of the easement
or conflict with the easement agreement. This requirement shall be
noted on the final plan and shall be included in all deeds for lots
which contain an easement.
C. Pedestrian easements shall have a minimum width of six feet.
D. Utility easements shall have a minimum width of 30 feet, and all
utility companies are encouraged to use common easements.
E. The applicant shall reserve easements where stormwater or surface
water drainage facilities are existing or proposed, whether located
within or beyond the boundaries of the property. Easements shall have
a minimum width of 20 feet and shall be adequately designed to provide
area for the collection and discharge of water, the maintenance, repair,
and reconstruction of the drainage facilities, and clearly identify
who has the right-of-access and responsibility of maintenance. This
requirement shall be noted on the final plan and shall be included
in all deeds for lots which contain an easement.
F. Where any petroleum or petroleum product transmission line traverses
a subdivision or land development, the applicant shall confer with
the applicable transmission or distribution company to determine the
minimum distance which shall be required between each structure and
the center line of such petroleum or petroleum product transmission
line. Additionally, the Board will require, with the final plan application,
a letter from the owner of the transmission line stating any conditions
on the use of the tract which shall contain the above. In no instance
shall any buildings or dwellings be placed within 75 feet of any portion
of such right-of-way.
All stormwater management, collection, conveyance, erosion control
and floodplain considerations shall be accomplished in accordance
with the provisions of the Township Stormwater Management Ordinance as well as the following:
A. Erosion and sedimentation. All development applications which involve
grading or excavation shall conform to the requirements of Chapter
102 of the regulations of the Department of Environmental Resources, as amended from time to time. It shall be the responsibility
of the applicant to secure all approvals required by the Department
of Environmental Resources, and approval of plans by the Board shall
not be construed as approval under any regulation of the Department
of Environmental Resources or other regulatory body.
B. Floodplains. Floodplain areas shall be established and preserved
as provided by the more restrictive of Article 600 of the Zoning Ordinance
or as provided below:
1. A one-hundred-year floodplain shall be established for all watercourses
and shall be delineated by one of the following methods:
a.
A hydrologic report prepared by an individual registered in
the Commonwealth to perform such duties.
b.
A hydrologic report prepared by an agency of the county, state
or federal government.
2. Whenever a floodplain is located within or along a lot, the plan
shall include the boundary of the floodplain and the elevation or
locational dimensions from the center line of the watercourse; a plan
note that the floodplain shall be kept free of structures, fill and
other encroachments; and a plan note that floor elevations for all
structures adjacent to the floodplain shall be one foot above the
one-hundred-year flood elevation. The foregoing shall not be construed
as a prohibition of the following uses and structures, provided such
uses and structures are in compliance with Subsection B(3) below and
all other requirements of this ordinance and the Zoning Ordinance:
a.
Stormwater management facilities.
b.
Stream improvements whose sole purpose is to improve aquatic
life habitat and which are approved by the Pennsylvania Fish Commission.
d.
Flood-proofing and flood hazard reduction structures to protect
existing buildings.
e.
Public and private utility facilities, except buildings.
f.
Water-oriented uses (except buildings) such as docks, piers,
boat launching ramps, and hatcheries.
g.
Water monitoring devices.
h.
Culverts, bridges and their approaches for floodplain crossings
by streets, alleys and driveways.
3. Plans for any of the uses and structures listed in Subsection B(2)
above shall be incorporated into the design plans and shall be subject
to approval by the Board. The plans shall demonstrate that the proposed
uses or structures do not increase the height or the frequency of
floodplain water; allow the unrestricted passage of floodplain water;
are installed so as to withstand the maximum volume, velocity and
force of the floodplain water; are floodproof and flotationproof;
do not create unhealthy or unsanitary conditions; do not degrade the
quality of surface or groundwater; and do not violate the provisions
of the Zoning Ordinance.
4. The inclusion of a floodplain with lots in order to meet the minimum
lot area and/or yard requirements shall be permitted, provided each
such lot contains sufficient area exclusive of the floodplain for
buildings and, when applicable, on-lot sewage system.
5. It is recommended that the five-hundred-year floodplain corridor
be identified on plans and that any structures located between the
one-hundred- and five-hundred-year floodplains be floodproofed to
the limits of the five-hundred-year floodplain corridor.
The Board of Supervisors has adopted a Comprehensive Recreation
and Park Plan for West Hempfield Township. To implement this Recreation
and Park Plan, all residential subdivisions and land developments
proposing to create 10 or more dwelling units shall be provided with
park and recreation land which shall be dedicated to the Township.
The developer may request that the Township not require the dedication
of land, and any such request shall be accompanied by an offer to
pay a fee in lieu of dedication of the land, computed in accordance
with the regulations provided herein, an offer to construct recreational
facilities and/or an offer to privately reserve land for park or recreation
purposes.
A. The land reserved for park, recreation and open space usage shall
be a single lot which shall comply with the requirements of this ordinance
relating to length to depth ratios and which shall be accessible to
the public. No more than 15% of the lot shall consist of floodplain,
wetlands, or other features which shall render the lot undevelopable.
No stormwater management facilities designed to retain or detain water
from other portions of the development shall be permitted on such
land reserved for park, recreation and open space usage.
1. In the event that the tract contains natural features which are worthy
of preservation, the developer may request that the Board of Supervisors
permit the provision of recreational land configured in such a manner
as to best preserve natural features.
2. The park, recreation and open space land shall be accessible to utilities
such as sewer, water and power that are provided with the subdivision,
and, if so requested by the municipality that will accept dedication
of the land, the developer shall extend such utilities to the park,
recreation and open space land.
B. In accordance with the recommendations of the Comprehensive Recreation
and Park Plan, a minimum of 0.04 acres of land shall be reserved as
park or recreational land for each residential lot created in a subdivision
or each dwelling unit created in a land development. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, in all cases the minimum area of land reserved as park
and recreation land shall be equal to the minimum lot size in the
district in which the subdivision or land development is located.
Such land shall be suitable for development as a children's play
area if less than one acre in size or play field if greater than one
acre in size.
1. In order to implement the recommendations of the Comprehensive Park
and Recreation Plan, if the adjoining property is undeveloped land,
the Board of Supervisors shall require that such land be provided
at the property boundary of the development in order that it may be
added to land provided for park and recreation purposes on an adjacent
tract at such time as the adjoining property is developed.
2. If the adjoining property has previously been developed and recreational
land has been provided at the boundary of that previously developed
property, the Board of Supervisors shall require that the recreational
land required of the development shall be located adjoining the previously
provided recreational land.
C. The developer may request that the Board of Supervisors permit the
provision of park and recreation land other than through public dedication
of land as set forth above. The developer shall set forth, in writing,
the means by which he/she will fulfill this requirement, which may
include the payment of a fee in lieu of dedication of all or a portion
of the amount of land required to be dedicated, construction of recreational
facilities, the private reservation of land, or any combination of
dedication, fees, construction of recreational facilities, or private
reservation.
1. If a fee in lieu of dedication is proposed by the developer, said
fee shall be the fair market value of the land required to be dedicated
under Subsection B above. Payment of all such fees shall be a condition
of final plan approval, and no plans shall be signed by the Board
of Supervisors until such fees are paid. The developer shall provide
the Board with all information necessary to determine the fair market
value of the land, including, but not limited to, a copy of the agreement
of sale if the developer is an equitable owner or has purchased the
land within the past two years or an appraisal of the property by
an MAI appraiser acceptable to the Township. Fair market value shall
be computed by dividing the total price for the tract by the number
of acres within the tract and then multiplying that number by the
amount of land required to be dedicated. All fees shall be held and
used by the Township in accordance with the requirements of Article
V of the Municipalities Planning Code. It is the intent of the Board
of Supervisors that such fees shall be used for one of the following
purposes in accordance with Specific Goal and Policy Numbers 2 and
3 of the Comprehensive Park and Recreation Plan:
a.
In the purchase and development of a centrally located park
to serve all Township residents; or
b.
If the development is located in the area between Oyster Point-Mountville
and Columbia, in the purchase and development of a smaller, neighborhood
park in accordance with standards for such park set forth in the Comprehensive
Park and Recreation Plan; or
c.
If the development is located in the area between Oyster Point-Mountville,
Ironville-Farmdale and Salunga, in the purchase and development of
a smaller, neighborhood park in accordance with standards for such
park set forth in the Comprehensive Park and Recreation Plan.
2. If the developer proposes to construct recreational facilities, the
developer shall present a sketch plan of such facilities and an estimate
of the cost of construction.
3. If the developer proposes the private reservation of land, the developer shall provide for the maintenance of such land through either the inclusion of such land as common elements of a condominium or the creation of a homeowners' association which shall meet the requirements for a unit owners' association contained in the Pennsylvania Uniform Condominium Act, 68 Pa.C.S.A. § 3101 et seq. Such documentation shall be recorded, shall provide that the land cannot be further developed and shall give the Township the rights to maintain the land as set forth in Article
VII of the Municipalities Planning Code, dealing with the maintenance of common open space in planned residential developments. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the developer may request that the Board of Supervisors approve transfer of the land to an organization dedicated to the conservation of natural resources with deed restrictions preventing further development acceptable to the Township Solicitor.
4. The developer shall enter into an agreement with the Township setting
for the fees to be paid, the facilities to be constructed, or the
land to be privately reserved and the method of its maintenance. All
such agreements shall be in a form satisfactory to the Township Solicitor.
All subdivisions or land developments containing 50 or more
dwelling units, or nonresidential buildings containing 20,000 or greater
square feet of gross floor area shall be provided with at least two
separate and distinct means of access of the subdivision or land development.
A. Access may be provided through the location of two or more public
or private streets, each of which intersects with an existing public
street. Such public or private streets shall meet all the requirements
of this ordinance concerning design and construction.
B. Access for a land development may be provided through two or more
driveways into the land development. Such driveways shall be separated
by a distance of at least 150 feet and shall comply with all requirements
of this ordinance.
C. If the applicant is unable to provide access to the subdivision or
land development through two or more public or private streets, each
of which intersect with an existing public street, or two or more
driveways which intersect with one or more existing public streets,
an emergency access shall be provided.
1. The emergency access shall be improved so that emergency vehicles
may safely transverse it and shall be indicated on the plans.
2. The emergency access shall be acceptable to the providers of emergency
services within the Township. Applicants proposing to provide emergency
access shall submit evidence of such approval.
3. The emergency access may be located so that access to the subdivision
or land development is gained from a public street at a location unsuitable
for regular access with an existing public street.
4. The emergency access may be located so that access is gained from
an adjacent tract. For example, a subdivision or land development
adjoining a parking lot of another use may provide emergency access
through a point with a break chain. Applicants with plans indicating
emergency access through an adjoining private tract shall provide
evidence that the adjoining property owner has consented to such emergency
access location.