[Ord. 2227, 12-10-2013; as amended by Ord. 2016-2264, 6/14/2016; and by Ord. 2016-2268, 11/1/2016]
Streets, Alleys and Sidewalks
Street Type
Residential
Nonresidential
Alley [1]
Sidewalk
5 feet
10 feet
NA
Planting strip
4 feet, min.
NA
NA
Curb
0.5 foot
0.5 foot
NA
Parking lane
7 feet
7 feet
NA
Travel lane
8.5 feet
11 feet
8 feet
Total cartway
31 feet
36 feet
16 feet
Right-of-way
50 feet
60 feet
20 feet
Amenities
Corner bump-out
NA
Yes
NA
Street trees [2]
40 feet OC
40 feet OC
NA
NOTES:
1.
One-way alley: eight-foot minimum cartway and ten-foot minimum right-of-way
2.
Street trees to be planted in planting strip along residential streets, tree wells along commercial streets.
3.
The values indicated above are minimum values.
[Ord. 2227, 12-10-2013]
1. 
The following are general land development standards for the design of new streets and blocks. While the length and depth of blocks shall fall within these standards, they are not meant to imply that they have to conform to a rigid grid pattern. Street and block layout should be modified as necessary to meet site conditions, such as site topographic and hydrologic features.
2. 
New blocks shall be connected to the Borough network of streets, alleys and sidewalks to enable a continuous vehicular and pedestrian network.
Blocks
Residential
Commercial
Length
400 to 600 feet
400 to 800 feet
Depth (street to street)
250 to 300 feet
300 to 400 feet
Residential Block
Commercial Block
[Ord. 2227, 12-10-2013; as amended by Ord. 2016-2268, 11/1/2016; by Ord. No. 2019-2308, 10/8/2019; and by Ord. No. 2022-2353, 9/13/2022]
1. 
Parking shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of § 27-405 of this chapter.
2. 
Vehicular access to a property's parking facilities shall not be provided through a front yard when alley access is available.
3. 
When visible from and facing a street abutting a front yard, all garage doors, carports, parking areas or similar shall have a front yard setback at least 20 feet greater than the primary facade of the principal building(s).
4. 
While buildings are to be placed at the required build-to line in their respective zoning districts, municipal/institutional buildings may be set back farther than the build-to-line in order to enhance their architecture and civic function along the street.
5. 
Identified by the primary point of ingress/egress of a structure, the primary facade of dwellings and nonresidential buildings shall be oriented parallel to/facing existing streets when present, and to new streets when being proposed. When abutting more than one street, the primary facade shall be oriented toward the street of higher classification or, if both streets are of the same classification, the more trafficked street.
6. 
Mechanical equipment, such as air conditioning and heating units, shall not be located in the front yard and in all other cases shall be screened from public views of the property through the use of fencing, walls, landscaping or a combination thereof.
[Ord. 2227, 12-10-2013; as amended by Ord. 2017-2279, 9/12/2017]
1. 
Principal Buildings.
[Amended by Ord. No. 2019-2303, 5/14/2019]
A. 
In all districts other than the Industrial District, individual buildings with street frontage shall not have any street wall greater than 150 feet in length without a mid-building change in the street wall plane for a minimum of eight feet in depth and 20 feet in width.
B. 
Mid-building change in any street wall plane shall provide adequate architectural detail, buffering and/or screening. In no case shall a single building or a contiguous block of attached buildings be greater than 300 feet in width, regardless of changes in street wall planes.
C. 
Mid-block spacing shall meet the requirements of the District Specifications' building spacing requirement.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: District Specifications are included as an attachment to this chapter.
2. 
Accessory Buildings. Accessory buildings shall be designed to be:
A. 
Subordinate, incidental and complementary to the scale and design of the principal building.
B. 
Smaller in scale and bulk to the principal building.
(1) 
The building footprint shall be no more than 2/3 that of the principal building.
(2) 
The building height shall be no more than two stories or 2/3 the principal building height, whichever is less. If the principal building is one story, an accessory building shall not exceed the height of the principal building.
(3) 
The number of accessory buildings shall be no more than two.
[Ord. 2227, 12-10-2013]
1. 
Off-street parking shall be provided to meet the demand for the proposed land use. The applicant shall calculate this demand based on accepted standards, such as published in the Institute of Transportation Engineer's Parking Generation Reports. Mixed-use projects shall provide parking according to a shared parking analysis that projects parking needs based on the peak hour of parking demand. For example, a building with first-floor retail and office space and upper-floor residential will be able to adjust total parking demand to address the fact that peak residential parking demand will occur in the evening, while peak office parking demand will occur during the day. This analysis shall be based on accepted methodologies, such as the Urban Land Institute Shared Parking Study.
[Amended by Ord. 2235, 7/8/2014]
2. 
Mixed-use projects shall provide parking according to a shared parking analysis that projects parking needs based on the peak hour of parking demand. For example, a building with first-floor retail and office space and upper-floor residential will be able to adjust total parking demand to address the fact that peak residential parking demand will occur in the evening, while peak office parking demand will occur during the day. This analysis shall be based on accepted methodologies, such as the Urban Land Institute Shared Parking Study.
3. 
The parking demand projections and methodologies shall be subject to approval by the Borough.
4. 
Town Center Zoning District. Parking is not required for buildings fronting Main Street, Gay Street, and Bridge Street east of Church Street.
[Added by Ord. 2235, 7/8/2014]
5. 
Additional parking is required for changes to existing buildings:
[Added by Ord. 2235, 7/8/2014]
A. 
When land development approval is required.
B. 
Any project proposing an increase in the number of dwelling units.
6. 
Whenever feasible, vehicular access to buildings shall not be accessed directly from the primary street frontage and there shall be no parking in the front yard, particularly if alley access is available. When front yard access is necessary, it shall be designed to avoid vehicle parking in the front yard, and garage doors shall be set back at least 20 feet from the front building facade.
[Added by Ord. 2017-2279, 9/12/2017]
7. 
When parking in the rear yard for detached and twin residential building lots with no alley access requires excessive paving and a resultant increase in impervious coverage and decrease in usable rear yard occurs, space alternative parking designs shall be permitted as follows:
[Added Ord. No. 2019-2308, 10/8/2019]
A. 
When garages are proposed, they may be detached and located in the rear yard or between the principal buildings or may be attached to the principal buildings. Garage doors shall be set back at least 20 feet from the front building facade.
B. 
When no garages are proposed, parking shall be between the buildings and set back at least 40 feet from the front building facade to accommodate two cars without extending in the front yard.
[Ord. 2227, 12-10-2013]
1. 
Street trees provide shade and enhance the streetscape in a manner that serves to buffer pedestrian sidewalks and trails from the street. Street tree types, sizes, and characteristics shall be in accordance with the Phoenixville Borough Tree Ordinance and Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. Where feasible, street trees should be installed in the planting strip between the sidewalk and curb. Alternative tree locations may be considered for unique site conditions, such as overhead utility lines.
[Amended Ord. No. 2019-2308, 10/8/2019]
2. 
All buffering and screening shall be installed and maintained, shall be designed in accordance with the Phoenixville Borough Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, and shall be subject to approval by the Borough for the following:
A. 
Off-street parking and loading areas that can be viewed from public streets shall be screened through the use of landscaping, fencing and/or walls.
B. 
Kennels shall have a twenty-five-foot-wide buffer yard and shall be screened through the use of landscaping.
C. 
Commercial and/or office developments in the MG District shall have a twenty-foot-wide buffer yard, when adjoining the RI District, and shall be screened through the use of landscaping and fencing.
D. 
Industrial developments in the I District shall have a twenty-five-foot-wide buffer yard and shall be screened through the use of landscaping or fencing.
E. 
Any windowless building in the MG and I Districts shall be screened through the use of fencing, landscaping or a combination thereof.
F. 
Permanent or pad-mounted mechanical equipment, such as air conditioning and heating units, shall be screened from public views of the property through the use of fencing, walls, landscaping or a combination thereof.
[Added Ord. No. 2019-2308, 10/8/2019]
G. 
Views of plumbing vent pipes, electric/phone/cable terminals and utility meters in front yards and on front building facades shall be screened or partially screened to help mitigate views of this equipment.
[Added Ord. No. 2019-2308, 10/8/2019]
[Ord. 2227, 12-10-2013]
1. 
New public open space shall be provided in new land development projects in the Mixed Use Growth District and shall be designed as spaces to be used by the public. Spaces of 500 to 2,000 square feet can be designed as plazas. Plazas should be built according to a detailed landscape plan that can include ornamental structures, such as fountains, along with benches, low walls and gazebos for sitting. Greens are larger public spaces of 2,000 to 10,000 square feet that provide open lawn areas for informal play or picnicking. All public spaces should be built according to a detailed landscape plan that meets the minimum requirements of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance and is subject to approval of the Borough. At the Borough's discretion, public open space shall be managed privately, by a property owners' association, or subject to a continuous offer of dedication to the Borough.
2. 
Public open space shall also be permitted to be considerably larger in size and improved with various public amenities which may be deemed to qualify as a new use within the designated tract area, subject to the sole discretion and approval of the Borough.