The Gateway Redevelopment Overlay (GRO) District shall apply
to a mapped area located within the established redevelopment area
boundary, as created by the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority
within the Municipal boundary of Morristown Municipality, Montgomery
County, Pennsylvania, as of the date of the adoption of this article,
and the following regulations shall apply in addition to those of
the underlying zones.
The purpose of the Gateway Redevelopment Overlay District is
to encourage and permit uses that are compatible and complementary
with the historic character of the community and its downtown, to
assist in its revitalization, and which are in accordance with the
goals and objectives of the redevelopment plan, the Norristown economic
redevelopment strategy and other applicable policies. Pedestrian-oriented
uses and an urban character of design are permitted and encouraged,
while automobile-related uses and design qualities that promote a
suburban mall or strip commercial appearance are restricted. Also,
uses that traditionally accompany and strengthen the commercial core
are permitted, such as office, cultural, residential, educational,
entertainment, recreational and related uses. Parking lots shall be
separated and buffered from streets and sidewalks by low-lying walls
and decorative fences, while new construction should utilize traditional
building materials and accepted principles of urban design. Furthermore,
all new construction shall preserve the existing streetscape by requiring
that all new buildings be built at or close to the edge of the public
sidewalk. It is also the intention of this district to provide year-round
opportunities for outdoor recreation within for occupants, residents
and the general public, to the riverfront as a public amenity both
visually and physically, and to facilitate circulation for pedestrians
to and throughout the district and along the riverfront.
A traffic impact study prepared by a professional traffic engineer licensed in the state of Pennsylvania shall be provided with each development proposal, and it shall demonstrate conformity of the incremental improvements with the needed overall improvements as defined in the adopted Lafayette Street Corridor Study prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc., dated September 2000, any other traffic studies adopted subsequently by Municipal Council and the plans referenced in §
320-265.