The following regulations shall apply to the areas designated
Agricultural District (A) on the Zoning Map.
[Amended 10-4-2023 by Ord. No. 828]
The following table (Table IV-1) lists all permitted, special exception, and conditional uses in the Agriculture (A) District. Permitted, special exception, and conditional uses shall meet the requirements of Article XIV, § 245-14.1, and specific regulations for each use. All uses shall be permitted in the designated development areas only unless otherwise noted:
|
Table IV-1
Agriculture District (A)
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Use #
|
Use
|
Use Regulation
|
Specific Criteria
|
|
Agriculture and Conservation Uses
| |||
|
1
|
Active and low-impact passive commercial recreation areas (also
permitted in the conservation area)
|
C
|
§ 245-14.5
|
|
2
|
Agribusiness
|
P
| |
|
3
|
Agriculture, excluding confined livestock operations (conservation
area only)
|
P
|
§ 245-14.8
|
|
4
|
Confined livestock operations (conservation area only)
|
C
| |
|
5
|
Conservation of open land in its natural state (conservation
area only)
|
P
| |
|
6
|
Pasture land for horses used for recreational purposes
|
P
| |
|
7
|
Timber harvesting
|
P
|
§ 245-16.3
|
|
Residential Uses
| |||
|
8
|
Single-family, detached
|
P
| |
|
Nonresidential Uses
| |||
|
9
|
Animal hospital
|
SE
| |
|
10
|
Bed-and-breakfast home or inn
|
SE
| |
|
11
|
Camp and campgrounds
|
C
| |
|
12
|
Cemetery
|
P
| |
|
13
|
Contractor's offices, shops and yards
|
SE
| |
|
14
|
Cultural facilities
|
SE
| |
|
15
|
Golf course (development or conservation area)
|
C
| |
|
16
|
House of worship
|
P
| |
|
17
|
Kennel
|
P
| |
|
18
|
Landscaping and garden service, nonretail
|
SE
| |
|
19
|
Municipal uses and buildings
|
P
| |
|
20
|
Natural production uses
|
C
| |
|
21
|
Nursery, horticulture
|
P
| |
|
22
|
Private and semipublic outdoor recreation areas
|
SE
| |
|
23
|
Public parks and recreation areas
|
P
| |
|
24
|
Public uses and buildings
|
SE
| |
|
25
|
Public utility buildings and structures (development or conservation
area)
|
C
| |
|
26
|
Riding academy and boarding stable
|
P
| |
|
27
|
School, public or nonpublic
|
SE
| |
|
28
|
Shotgun, rifle, pistol, or archery range
|
C
| |
|
29
|
Wireless communications facilities (conservation area only)
|
C
| |
|
Accessory Uses
| |||
|
30
|
Accessory buildings and structures
|
P
| |
|
31
|
Agricultural uses, including uses on the farmstead (farmhouse,
accessory apartment, barns), outbuildings and farm structures. (conservation
area)
|
P
|
§ 245-14.2
|
|
32
|
Agritourism enterprise
|
P
|
§ 245-14.9
|
|
33
|
Apartment, accessory
|
SE
|
§ 245-14.3
|
|
34
|
Boardinghouse
|
SE
| |
|
35
|
Exotic wildlife, keeping of in a designated conservation area
|
P
| |
|
36
|
Family child-care home
|
P
| |
|
37
|
Farmers market
|
P
| |
|
38
|
Group child-care homes
|
SE
| |
|
39
|
Honeybee apiaries
|
P
| |
|
40
|
Keeping of animals and animal structures for noncommercial use
|
P
| |
|
41
|
Keeping of chickens or poultry
|
P
| |
|
42
|
Professional and other home occupations, no impact
|
P
| |
|
43
|
Professional and other home occupations, other than no-impact
home-based businesses (development and conservation area with a farmstead
area)
|
P
| |
|
44
|
Sale of agricultural products in a designated conservation area
|
P
| |
|
45
|
Solar energy systems
|
P
| |
|
46
|
Special occasion home
|
SE
| |
A.
Development options. Two conservation subdivision development options
are provided to retain the majority of the land for agriculture activity
and provide limited development potential for permitted, special exception,
and conditional nonagricultural uses.
(1)
Option 1, Basic Density and Conservation, provides for a minimum
of 60% of the tract to remain in agriculture use and allocates the
remaining lands for the development of moderate-density residential
and nonagricultural uses.
(2)
Option 2, Enhanced Density with Greater Conservation, provides
for a larger percentage of the tract to remain in agricultural use,
a minimum of 70%, in exchange for higher densities of residential
uses.
B.
Each tract shall have a minimum conservation area and a maximum development area. Determination of the minimum conservation area and the maximum development area, including the maximum permitted residential density, shall be by the adjusted tract method or the yield method in accordance with § 245-11.7 herein.
(2)
The residential density factor to be applied for the calculation
of the maximum residential density in the development area shall be
in accordance with the following standards. To provide space for parking,
stormwater management and buffering, each acre of nonresidential use
shall be equal to two residential units and shall be subtracted from
the maximum residential density.
C.
Permitted, special exception and conditional uses.
(2)
No more than one principal use shall occupy a lot in the development
area. The following standards shall apply to developments where both
residential and nonresidential lots are occupying the development
area.
D.
More than one principal use shall be allowed in the conservation
area.
E.
Lot requirements shall be in accordance with the following standards.
(1)
On tracts of less than six acres existing on the effective date
of this chapter, single-family detached dwellings are permitted on
conventional sixty-thousand-square-foot lots with no required greenway
land. The following dimensional requirements shall be met.
(a)
Minimum street frontage: 125 feet.
(c)
Maximum impervious coverage: 35% of the lot area.
(d)
Flag lots shall only be permitted when they will enable the preservation of some important natural or cultural feature (including productive farmland), which would otherwise be disturbed by conventional lotting techniques. Flag lots shall be permitted with a minimum street frontage of 50 feet, and then only in compliance with the specifications in Chapter 220, Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
[Added 10-7-2020 by Ord.
No. 797]
(2)
Lot size. To maximize flexibility in design, no minimum lot
sizes shall be required in the development area. With the exception
that, for lots using on-lot wastewater disposal systems, the minimum
lot size shall be the size required by the Township Sewage Enforcement
Officer. The septic field may be located on the conservation area
if it is held as common open space in the development.
(3)
Minimum setbacks.
(b)
Minimum side yard setbacks shall be in accordance with the following
standards:
[1]
Conservation area: 30 feet.
[2]
Development area: Distance between residential buildings on
adjacent lots shall be not less than 10 feet; however, no residential
lot shall have a minimum side setback less than five feet. A nonresidential
building shall be no closer than 20 feet to an adjacent building,
with no nonresidential lot having a side setback less than 10 feet.
(4)
Lot coverage.
(a)
Option 1 development areas. Not more than 30% for impervious
coverage for residential uses; not more than 30% building coverage
and 50% impervious coverage for nonresidential buildings.
(b)
Option 2 development areas. Not more than 35% for impervious
coverage for residential uses; not more than 35% building coverage
and 55% impervious coverage for nonresidential buildings.
(c)
Conservation area. Not more than 10% of the lot area shall be
occupied by buildings and impervious surface.
(5)
Buffers. Buffer yards shall be provided in accordance with the requirements contained in § 245-16.5, General buffer regulations. All grazing and pasture area shall be fenced to prevent livestock from roaming.
(6)
Building height limit. The maximum height of buildings hereafter
erected or altered shall be as follows:
F.
Developments in the A District shall meet the general regulations and design standards for conservation subdivisions in accordance with § 245-11.8 herein.
G.
In order to preserve a concentration of farmed land in Upper Allen
Township, conservation land shall be designed to include prime agricultural
soils as identified in the Upper Allen Township Comprehensive Plan,
contiguous farmed portions of the same tract and, where adjoining
another farm parcel, farmed land contiguous to farmed portions of
the adjoining tract.
Signs shall be permitted in accordance with Article XVIII, Signs, of this chapter.
Off-street parking and access requirements shall be provided in accordance with Article XVII, Off-Street Parking and Loading, of this chapter.
Lands within the Agricultural District are located within an
area where land is used for commercial agricultural production. Owners,
residents and other users of this property may be subjected to inconvenience,
discomfort and the possibility of injury to property and health arising
from normal and accepted agricultural practices and operations, including,
but not limited to, noise, odors, dust, the operation of machinery
of any kind, including aircraft, the storage and disposal of manure,
the application of fertilizers and soil amendments. Owners, occupants
and users of this property should be prepared to accept such inconveniences,
discomfort and possibility of injury from normal agricultural operations,
and are hereby put on official notice that Section 4 of the Pennsylvania
Act 133 of 1982, as amended, otherwise known as the "Right to Farm
Law,"[1] may bar them from obtaining legal judgment against such
normal agricultural operations used in a prudent manner.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 3 P.S. § 951 et seq.
