The purpose of the Town Center II District is to encourage and
permit uses in areas that are adjacent to, and compatible with the
urban core of downtown Norristown. Uses shall complement the Town
Center District and support urban core redevelopment.
Permitted uses. A building may be erected, altered or used and a
lot may be used or occupied for one or more of the following purposes,
with uses allowed to be mixed within a building or mixed in separate
buildings on a property, and no other:
A building may be erected, altered or used for any of the following
nonresidential uses provided that each property contains a minimum
of 20 feet of frontage along either East Main Street or Lafayette
Street.
Retail establishments, including variety and general merchandise,
books, magazines, food, medical supplies, drugs, pets, flowers and
floral arrangements, furnishings or other household supplies and the
sale and repair of jewelry, watches, clocks, optical goods or musical,
professional or scientific instruments.
Restaurants, tearooms, delicatessens, luncheonettes, coffee
shops, retail bakers, confectionery or ice cream shops, bars, taverns
or other places serving food or beverages, provided that no drive-through
restaurants or similar uses disbursing food and beverages by means
of a drive-in window shall be permitted, while outdoor dining shall
be permitted as an accessory use.
Accessory uses on the same lot with and customarily incidental
to any principal use permitted by this section, including no-impact
home-based business.
Special exceptions. Any of the following uses, provided that each property contains a minimum of 20 feet of frontage along either East Main Street or Lafayette Street, when authorized by the Zoning Hearing Board pursuant to Article XXI.
One hundred percent of the area of any lot under 5,000 square
feet in area may be occupied by buildings. No more than 90% of the
area of any lot 5,000 square feet or more in area may be covered by
buildings.
Any principal structure constructed, modified or remodeled in
this district must have its front facade built to the edge of the
public sidewalk, unless the structure is utilizing an existing historic
facade as part of a redevelopment project. Corner properties shall
be considered as having two front facades. Rear facades are exempt
from this requirement.
The off-street parking regulations, including requirements for a minimum number of parking spaces, of Article XXVI, Off-Street Parking and Loading, shall not apply in the Town Center II District.
Adequate provision for loading shall be provided for each use in
the TC II District, unless provision of loading areas is not feasible
due to existing buildings or site constraints.
Surface parking lots shall not be located between any front
facade and any street. On corner properties, surface parking lots
shall not be located between the two front facades and the two streets.
On through lots, where the property has frontage on two generally
parallel streets, surface parking lots shall not be located between
the front facade and the street of higher classification, with Main
Street and Lafayette Street always having the highest street classification
for purposes of this chapter.
When properties do not have access to two generally parallel streets
or to a street and an alley, surface parking lots may be located to
the rear or side of principal buildings, in accordance with the following
standards:
Surface parking lots shall be screened from view from streets
through the use of low-lying decorative walls not to exceed three
feet in height, decorative iron fencing, and evergreen plantings.
Preliminary architectural elevations shall be prepared by a registered
architect. Such elevations shall illustrate the general design, character,
and materials for facades of buildings visible from public streets,
walkways, and other lands available for public use.
The architectural design of all buildings should provide a variety
of rooflines and treatments when viewed from public streets, walkways,
and other lands available for public use. Buildings shall not have
the exterior appearance of large monolithic structures. Instead, large
buildings shall have the appearance of connected smaller buildings.
Building walls shall not have an unbroken single appearance for more
than 75 feet on the average in horizontal length. Instead, variations
in materials, colors, textures, overhangs, setbacks of at least five
feet, display windows, and/or entranceways shall be used to provide
visual interest.
All primary building entrances shall be accentuated. Permitted entrance
accents include: recessed, protruding, canopy, cupola, tower, portico,
or overhang.
Buildings shall be similar in height and size or shall be articulated
and subdivided into vertical and horizontal massing that is more or
less proportional to adjacent structures and maintains the existing
architectural rhythm on the block.
New infill development shall attempt to maintain the horizontal rhythm
of Town Center facades by using a similar alignment of windows, floor
spacing, cornices, awnings, and other elements. Portions of buildings
that are substantially taller than surrounding buildings shall be
set back five or more feet from the ground level front facade to minimize
the impact of the building on the horizontal building rhythms established
on the block.
Blank walls shall not be permitted along any exterior wall facing
a street, parking area, or pedestrian walkway. These walls shall comprise
a minimum of 30% window area and a maximum of 70% window area, with
the following exception.
The ground floor front facades of buildings facing arterial
streets shall consist of a minimum of 50% window area and a maximum
of 85% window area, with views provided through these windows into
the business or lobby area. The lower edge of ground floor windows
for retail, restaurant, and related uses shall be a maximum of 12
inches to 30 inches above the sidewalk.
Rooftop heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning equipment shall
be screened from view from adjacent buildings, public streets, walkways
and other lands available for public use in a manner that is consistent
with the architectural design.
Loading and unloading docks, dumpsters, and exterior compactors shall
be located, designed, and screened in a manner that minimizes their
visibility from adjacent public streets, walkways, and other lands
available for public use and dwellings. No outdoor storage is permitted.
Sidewalks and streetscape improvements shall match the most recent
improvements installed by Norristown along portions of the same street
within the Town Center District area.
All proposed developments shall be reviewed by the Historical Architectural Review Board when this board has jurisdiction. When the Historical Architectural Review Board does not have jurisdiction, all proposed developments shall be reviewed by a Design Review Board in accordance with standards and criteria of § 320-243.