Article XV Planned Office Center District

Business and professional offices, excluding offices with on-site facilities for diagnosis, treatment or care;

Hotel, motel or inn, provided that the Board of Supervisors shall find that such use clearly is designed so as to constitute a logical and harmonious element of the overall development plan for the district in accordance with provisions of this article.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: Original Sec. 1201A3, Private garage, which immediately followed this use, was repealed at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).

Permitted accessory uses:

Accessory uses on the same lot and customarily incidental to the principal uses permitted in § 365-101A herein.

Storage of documents, records and personal property within a completely enclosed building in conjunction with a permitted use.

A cafeteria, restaurant or other service facility such as a barbershop or beauty shop, cigar counter and newsstand located within a principal building and operated primarily for the use of occupants of the building or complex.

A recreational area for occupants and parking in accordance with the development standards provided herein.

Signs in accordance with § 365-103E of this article and the development standards provided therein, as well as those regulations set forth in Article XXI.

Conditional uses. (Refer to Article XXXII, § 365-191.) The following use and related accessory uses, provided a satisfactory environmental impact assessment report is prepared, as set forth in Article XXII.

Wireless facilities and equipment in accordance with Article XXIV.

§ 365-103 Special development regulations.

Outdoor advertising in accordance with Article XXX.

§ 365-102 Area and height regulations.

Lot area and width. Every lot on which a building or combination of buildings is hereafter erected or used shall have a lot area of not less than 10 acres and such lot shall be not less than 300 feet at the building line.

Lot width at the street line. Every lot on which a building is hereafter erected or used shall have a lot width at the street line of not less than 300 feet.

Building area. Not more than 20% of the area of any lot may be occupied by buildings, and a total of not more than 60% of the area of any lot may be occupied by buildings, parking areas and other impervious surfaces.

Building placement. No building shall be located less than 100 feet from a street right-of-way line nor less than 100 feet from any property line. No accessory building shall be located in any setback area nor shall it exceed 18 feet in height or 800 square feet of floor area. Accessory buildings shall not be located closer than 30 feet from a principal permitted building.

Where more than one office building is proposed to be built or where there is proposed an office building or buildings and a hotel, motel or inn, no two principal buildings shall be located closer than 75 feet to each other, and the buildings shall be offset from each other so as to provide a harmonious and attractive development.

No building or structure shall exceed 45 feet in height, except as otherwise provided in Articles XXII, XXIV and XXX.

General standards.

Each building shall be designed so as to minimize its commercial appearance and shall, insofar as practical, afford minimum external evidence of the nature of the use conducted therein.

A hotel, motel or inn shall be designed so as to blend, insofar as possible, with the site and nearby buildings.

No products or goods shall be publicly displayed on the exterior of the premises.

Along with side or rear property line which directly abuts a residence district in the Township or a similar district in an adjoining municipality, a buffer planting strip not less than 35 feet in width shall be provided.

Each room within a hotel, motel or inn shall have minimum area of 180 square feet.

Parking standards.

No parking area shall be located closer than 50 feet to a public highway or public right-of-way or closer than 35 feet to any property line or residentially zoned district.

Parking areas shall not consist of more than 60 spaces in any one area, and each parking area shall be separated from any other parking area by a buffer planting strip not less than 10 feet in width and 18 feet in length.

[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]

Parking, loading and service areas shall be located entirely within the lot lines of the office center and shall be physically separated from public and private streets, accessways and buildings.

Under no circumstances shall parking be permitted on private streets, access roads, or service areas.

Except as set forth herein above, parking shall otherwise be in compliance with Article XX.

Lighting. Exterior lighting shall be designed so as not to project trespass glare or hazardous or annoying interference upon neighboring properties or districts or upon any road, street or highway.

Utilities, water and sewerage service.

All utility lines shall be underground.

Any development under this article shall be served by public water supply and public sewerage system, except that a single office building having no more than 15,000 square feet may be built to be served by an on-site water supply and an on-site sewage disposal system.

Signs. Signs shall be in accordance with Article XXI.

Development in stages. If the development of the planned office center is to be carried out in stages, each stage shall be so planned that the requirements and intent of this chapter shall be fully complied with at the completion of each stage.

Design considerations. The general plan for a planned office center shall be executed in accordance with the following essential conditions:

The development shall consist of a harmonious selection of uses and groupings of buildings, service and parking areas, circulation and open spaces planned and designed as an integrated unit in such a manner as to constitute a safe, efficient and convenient office center.

The proposed development shall be constructed in accordance with an overall plan and shall be designed with complementary architectural concepts and with appropriate landscaping.

All buildings shall be arranged in a well-related manner.

Adequate areas at each individual office building shall be provided for loading and unloading of delivery trucks and other vehicles; servicing of offices by refuse collection, fuel, fire and other service vehicles; automobile accessways and pedestrian walks, all of which shall be constructed in accordance with Township standards. Service areas shall be screened from view from any abutting public highways or access road and from the parking area. No service area shall be located closer than 35 feet to a property line.

Service areas shall not be located forward of the front building line, shall not be located in the public right-of-way or parking areas, and shall occupy a minimum space of not less than 12 feet by 50 feet by 14 feet high. The use of said service areas should not block or interfere with the use of the building, accessory buildings or parking areas.

(6)

Provision shall be made for the safe ingress from and egress to public streets and highways servicing the planned office center without undue congestion to or interference with normal traffic flow. The Board of Supervisors shall approve the location, size and type of the access to the public highway, determine the need for acceleration and deceleration lanes on said highway, and determine the need for a traffic control system at the point of access in conjunction with PA DOT. Any system or improvement required shall be installed at the sole expense of the landowner or developer.

(7)

All private streets or access roads shall be constructed with concrete curbing or rolled curbs and gutters. No private streets or access road shall have a grade greater than 10%.

(8)

Where a Planned Office Center District abuts a residential district, there shall be a buffer planting strip which shall be at least 35 feet measured from the residential district line. Said buffer area(s) shall be used for no purpose other than planting and landscaping. There shall also be a twenty-five-foot buffer area along all street frontage occupied by a Planned Office Center District, which area shall be used for no purpose other than planting and landscaping. A landscaping plan shall be submitted for approval in accordance with Article XX and Chapter 305, Subdivision and Land Development.

(9)

A stormwater runoff system shall be provided and designed subject to the approval of the Board of Supervisors:

(a)

To ensure that excessive amounts of stormwater shall not drain onto adjacent properties. In no event shall a system be provided which exceeds a zero increased rate of runoff.

(b)

To minimize erosion and flooding by the use of catchment basins, soil traps and the like.

(10)

All materials, including trash, supplies, rubbish, refuse, and the like, shall be stored either inside the building or in specially constructed, fireproof buildings. They shall not be handled so as to give rise to smoke, odor or litter and shall be disposed of by private collectors.

All environmental controls of Article XXIII shall apply.

§ 365-104 Procedural regulations.

Except for the construction of a single office building of not more than 15,000 square feet, which such construction shall be in accordance with the development standards of this article and shall be permitted as of right, every use and all construction proposed to be made under this article shall be by conditional use, which shall be subject to the procedural requirements of this section and to the provisions of Article XXXII, § 365-191.

Proposals for development under and in accordance with this article shall be submitted to the Planning Commission and shall be in accordance with Chapter 305, Subdivision and Land Development. Proposals shall conform to said chapter and shall include floor plans and elevations indicating architectural and construction materials.

A fee in the amount set by resolution for consideration of conditional use applications by the Board of Supervisors shall be paid, together with an initial deposit also set by resolution, which shall be used to defray the Township's review costs, including but not limited to land planning consultant, engineering and legal review costs, and shall be added to by the applicant to increase the amount of the original deposit when such deposit is reduced to 25% of the original deposit. Any funds unexpended for review shall be refunded to the applicant.

The Planning Commission shall consider such application for conditional use at its next regularly scheduled meeting and shall thereafter render an advisory report to the Board of Supervisors.

The Board of Supervisors shall consider the conditional use application at its next regularly scheduled meeting after receipt of the Planning Commission's report, but in no event more than 90 days after the initial review of the Planning Commission. It shall thereafter grant or deny the conditional use application or to grant it with conditions. In considering the application, the Board shall use the following standards and criteria, as well as those provided for in Article XXXII, § 365-191:

The size, scope, extent and character of the proposed development are consistent with the area and topography of the tract involved and promote the harmonious and orderly development of the district.

The proposed development constitutes an appropriate use consistent with the character and type of development in the area and will not substantially injure or detract from the use of surrounding property.

The proposed use is suitable with respect to traffic and highways in the area and provides for adequate internal circulation and access, loading and unloading and off-street parking arrangements in order to protect major streets and highways from undue congestion and hazard.

Major street and highway frontage will be developed so as to limit the total number of access points and to encourage the frontage of buildings on parallel marginal roads or roads perpendicular to a major street or highway.