Borough of Narberth, PA Standards for Site Plans

The dimensional standards for site planning and building placement found in Table (4), Site Planning, of this chapter shall be satisfied according to the zoning district in which the property is located. Additional site plan standards are found in § 500-502, Building type, for the building type proposed.

[Amended 9-20-2018 by Ord. No. 1008; 11-20-2018 by Ord. No. 1010; 2-4-2021 by Ord. No. 1028; 5-19-2022 by Ord. No. 1045]

Table (4) Site Planning
Table (4) Site Planning
Dimensional Standard	3a	3b	3c	4a	4b	5a	5b
Minimum Lot Size (square feet)
Detached house	7,500 for existing lot 10,500 for proposed lot	6,000	6,000	4,000	4,000	▪	▪
Twin house, each half	▪	3,000	3,000	3,000	2,000	▪	▪
Twin house, each half, H District	▪	1,750	1,750	▪	▪	▪	▪
Row house	▪	▪	▪	▪	1,400	▪	▪
Multifamily house	▪	3,000 per family	3,000 per family	3,000 per family	2,000 per family	4,000	▪
Cottage, H District	3,000	3,000	3,000	▪	▪	▪	▪
Apartment building	▪	▪	8,000	8,000	6,000	4,000	4,000
Civic institutional building	▪	18,000	18,000	18,000	18,000	18,000	18,000
Commercial building	▪	▪	▪	▪	▪	4,000 square feet	4,000 square feet
Mixed-use building	▪	▪	▪	▪	2,000	2,000	4,000
Minimum Lot Width (feet)
Detached house	50	40	40	40	40	▪	▪
Twin house, each half	▪	25	25	25	20	▪	▪
Twin house, each half, H District	▪	22	22	▪	▪	▪	▪
Row house	▪	▪	▪	▪	14	▪	▪
Multifamily house	▪	60	60	60	50	40	▪
Cottage, H District	None	None	None	▪	▪	▪	▪
Apartment building	▪	▪	80	80	60	40	40
Civic institutional building	▪	100	100	100	100	100	100
Commercial building	▪	▪	▪	▪	▪	40	40
Mixed-use building	▪	▪	▪	▪	20	20	40
Setback (feet)
Front, principal building(s)	Median	Median	Median	25 minimum	Mid-block: 20 Corner lot: 0 minimum; 6 maximum	Edge of sidewalk or 6 feet from curb whichever is greater; maximum 12	3 feet 6 inches minimum; 9 feet 6 inches maximum
Minimum side, principal building(s)	10	7 for all building types, except 0 for twin house building type at the party wall only	7 for all building types, except 0 for twin house building type at the party wall only	7 for all building types except 0 for twin house building type at the party wall only	5 for all building types except row houses and twin houses where 0 shall apply to vertical party walls. 0 for all side yards mixed-use building type	0	5
Minimum aggregate side, principal building(s)	20	14	14	14	10 for all building types, except 0 for mixed-use building type	0	10
Minimum rear, principal building(s)	25	15	15	15	15	15	25
Minimum rear, accessory building(s)	3	3	3	3	0	0	15
Minimum side, accessory building(s)	3	3	3	3	0	0	5
Minimum side fronting a street, accessory building(s)	30	25	25	25	25	25	25
Minimum front, cottage, H District	Median	Median	Median	▪	▪	▪	▪
Apartment building or mixed-use building						See § 500-301C
Maximum Floor Area (square feet)
Cottage, H District	1,800	1,800	1,800	▪	▪	▪	▪
Lot Coverage
Maximum building coverage: all building types except those listed below	30% of first 7,500 square feet of lot area plus 3% of additional lot area greater than 7,500 square feet	55% of first 4,000 square feet of lot area plus 5% of additional lot area greater than 4,000 square feet	40% of first 7,500 square feet of lot area plus 8% of additional lot area greater than 7,500 square feet	50% of first 6,000 square feet of lot area plus 7% of additional lot area greater than 6,000 square feet	80% of lot area	80% of lot area	80% of lot area
Maximum building coverage: apartment building type	▪	▪	40% of first 7,500 square feet of lot area + 8% of additional lot area greater than 7,500 square feet	45% of lot area	80% of lot area	80% of lot area	80% of lot area
Maximum building coverage: civic institutional building type	▪	45% of lot area	45% of lot area	45% of lot area	80% of lot area	80% of lot area	80% of lot area
Maximum impervious coverage	50% of lot area	60% of lot area	60% of lot area	60% of lot area	90% of lot area	90% of lot area	90% of lot area
Building Placement
Minimum frontage build-out	40% of lot width at the frontage build-out line or 42 feet, whichever is less	40% of lot width at the frontage build-out line or 42 feet, whichever is less	40% of lot width	40% of lot width	40% of lot width	90% of lot width on Haverford Avenue; 75% all other frontages	75% of lot width on Montgomery Avenue frontage only
Maximum frontage build-out: all other building types	60% of lot width at the frontage build-out line or 42 feet, whichever is less	65% of lot width at the frontage build-out line or 42 feet, whichever is less	65% of lot width	60% of lot width	100% of lot width	100% of lot width	100% of lot width on Montgomery Avenue frontage; 50% on all other frontages
Maximum frontage build-out: twin building type	▪	72% of lot width	72% of lot width	72% of lot width	75% of lot width	▪	▪
Minimum frontage build-out: cottage, H District	None	None	None	▪	▪	▪	▪
Maximum frontage build-out: cottage, H District	28 feet	28 feet	28 feet	▪	▪	▪	▪
Lot Layer, Depth
First layer	fs, sfs	fs, sfs	fs, sfs	fs, sfs	fs, sfs	fs, sfs	fs, sfs
Second layer	30 feet	30 feet	30 feet	30 feet	20 feet	20 feet	20 feet
Third layer	To rear lot line	To rear lot line	To rear lot line	To rear lot line	To rear lot line	To rear lot line	To rear lot line

fs	Front setback
sfs	Secondary front setback
▪	Not applicable
Median	The median of all existing residential building types on a block per Table (13)[1] as measured from the curbline.

Editor's Note: See § 500A-6, Table (13), Front Yard Setbacks by Block.

Buildings located mid-block shall be designed with a front facade facing the street. In the case of corner lots, the front facade may face either street with a preference for the street with a greater number of existing homes on the block. Where a more appropriate orientation exists, Borough Council or the Zoning Officer shall have the authority to identify the front facade and primary frontage line. On corner lots, the rear yard shall be located opposite the front yard.

Front facades shall be built on the primary frontage line. In cases where the street is curved, the primary frontage line shall be located on a line parallel to a line tangent to the street center line, or a private or public open space as the case may be, at a distance no less than the minimum front setback of the zoning district.

(4)

For properties located in multiple zoning districts, the requirements of Articles 4, 5, 6 of each zoning district shall apply to each respective portion of the lot in that district.

(5)

Buildings may be constructed such that the footprint of the building is in more than one zoning district by special exception pursuant to the standards of § 500-302C, Special exception criteria specific to building located in more than one zoning district, and § 500-902, Special exception standards and criteria.

(6)

Impervious coverage credit for pervious paving designed as a stormwater treatment facility. When pervious paving materials are designed as a stormwater treatment facility that satisfies the standards for groundwater recharge or water quality of the Narberth Borough Stormwater Management Ordinance, § 441-55 or 441-56, the area paved in pervious materials may be deducted from a site's overall impervious coverage, with the deduction not to exceed 10% of the lot area. For the purposes of calculating the volume of water to be treated by the stormwater facility and evaluating whether an impervious deduction is possible, the retention volume or water quality volume shall be calculated using the area of pervious paving for the contributing impervious area for which the credit is being sought. Stormwater facilities shall be evaluated by the Borough Engineer to determine whether the standards have been satisfied.

(7)

When a community association is proposed, a site plan shall be prepared demonstrating compliance with the standards of this chapter.

[Amended 5-16-2018 by Ord. No. 1005]

(8)

Specific to corner lots: Buildings on corner lots shall have a secondary facade which faces the street not faced by the front facade. The secondary facade shall be composed of the same building materials as the front facade and shall follow all other design standards required for that building type's front facade, as specified in § 500-502, with the exception that frontages shall be permitted, but not required, for secondary facades, and shall not be subject to the minimum frontage build-out requirements.

[Added 11-20-2018 by Ord. No. 1010; amended7-20-2023 by Ord. No. 1056 ]

Specific to the 3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, and 4b Zoning Districts.

No more than one principal building shall be permitted per lot, except in cases where conditional uses are authorized in these districts.

For corner properties, the setback for the principal building's secondary facade, known as "secondary facade setback (SFS)," shall be set back according to front yard setback standards of the secondary street, or the minimum side yard setback standards when no other homes face the secondary street.

[Added 11-20-2018 by Ord. No. 1010]

Specific to 5a, 5b Zoning Districts.

[Amended 11-20-2018 by Ord. No. 1010; 2-4-2021 by Ord. No. 1028]

Properties may include more than one principal building on a lot when approved by conditional use.

Any properties proposed to include more than one principal building shall be developed in accordance with a master plan that is to be filed with the Borough for approval.

Any land area proposed for development through a master plan shall be under single ownership and shall be within the same zoning district.

An application for a master plan shall contain all requirements for a preliminary plan set forth under the Borough's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance,[2] and shall have the following additional requirements:

[Amended 9-21-2023 by Ord. No. 1059]

The master plan shall indicate lot layers and architectural elevations for each principal building sufficient to evaluate conformity with site planning, building type, and frontage type provisions of this Code.

When a master plan is submitted showing multiple principal buildings to be constructed in phases, exterior architectural renderings, elevations, and exterior building material descriptions of the structure(s) to be constructed shall only be required for those structure(s) that will be approved concurrently with the preliminary plan.

Editor’s Note: See Ch. 450, Subdivision and Land Development.

When there is more than one principal building on a lot, the following standards shall be met:

All principal buildings shall be a building type allowable within the applicable zoning district and shall meet all frontage requirements for the applicable building type and district.

All principal buildings shall have a front facade along the primary frontage line facing a street, except as provided below.

For buildings that front a street:

Lot layers, building heights and required setbacks shall be calculated independently for each principal building, based on the site planning and building height requirements identified in Table (4) and Table (5), or as noted elsewhere in this chapter, for each building, and shall be shown on the master plan.

The sum of the building frontage lengths shall be calculated for each street and shall demonstrate compliance with the minimum and maximum frontage buildout standards articulated in Table (4), Site Planning, for buildings within the applicable district.

If all street frontage requirements are met as provided above, additional principal buildings may be proposed for other areas of the lot. The primary frontage of such buildings shall be determined by Council as part of the conditional use approval.

(d)

Building coverage and impervious surface coverage shall be calculated for the entire site, including any preexisting features to remain.

(e)

Off-street parking shall be provided in accordance with § 500-601, Parking. Total parking requirements shall be aggregated among all principal buildings and uses and shall be located on the lot so that parking is accessible to all building users. Shared parking ratios may be applied where permitted.

(f)

Dedicated pedestrian connections must be made between all buildings and adjacent buildings and any streets onto which the property fronts.

Specific to lots in the 3a, 3b, and 3c Districts that are also in the H District, and upon which a contributing resource is located:

[Added 5-19-2022 by Ord. No. 1045[3]]

The following provisions apply only to lots that would be wide enough to be subdivided into two or more lots, were they not occupied by a contributing resource, based on the minimum lot widths required by § 500-401A(1) Table (4), Site Planning, for the underlying zoning district.

More than one principal building may be located on a lot when the following requirements are met, and when approved by conditional use.

The number of principal buildings on the lot shall not exceed the number of principal buildings that could be built if the contributing resource were not present and the lot were subdivided according to the minimum lot widths required by § 500-401A(1), Table (4), Site Planning, for the underlying zoning district.

The number of accessory dwelling units on the lot shall not exceed the number of accessory dwelling units that could have been built prior to the application for conditional use, as allowed by § 500-602C(1).

(d)

The existing contributing resource shall be considered a principal building and must be classified as a building type that is permitted in the underlying zoning district. The existing contributing resource shall not be considered a cottage.

(e)

New principal buildings shall be any building type that is permitted in the underlying zoning district or by the "H" District.

(f)

The minimum area of the lot shall be the sum of the minimum lot areas required for each principal building by § 500-401A(1), Table (4), Site Planning, minimum lot size.

(g)

The total building coverage shall not exceed the greater of the building coverage allowed in the underlying district or 35%.

(h)

The primary frontage line shall be the front yard setback that is required by Table (13), Front Yard Setbacks by Block,[4] for new buildings on the block where the lot is located. If Table (13) is not applicable, the primary frontage line of the contributing resource shall be considered the primary frontage line for the purposes of located new principal buildings.

[Amended 9-21-2023 by Ord. No. 1059]

[4]

Editor's Note: See § 500A-6, Table (13), Front Yard Setbacks by Block.

(i)

New principal buildings shall be built on the primary frontage line so that the aggregate frontage of buildings meets the minimum frontage build-out width for the underlying zoning district before any other new principal buildings may be constructed elsewhere in the lot, unless Council determines during the conditional use hearing on the application:

The location of the contributing resource on the lot is such that the remaining width of the lot is not sufficient to accommodate the same number of principal buildings that could have been built if the contributing resource were not present and the lot were subdivided according to the minimum lot width provisions required by § 500-401A(1), Table (4), Site Planning, for the underlying zoning district; or

An alternative site plan is advantageous because of topographical features, a floodplain, the preservation of specimen tree(s) or other similar natural resources; to otherwise prevent a negative environmental impact; or because the lot is a corner lot, a through-block lot or irregularly shaped lot.

(j)

Setbacks from the side and rear lot lines shall be the same as required by § 500-401A(1), Table (4), Site Planning, setback.

(k)

Each principal building on the primary frontage line shall have a frontage type as required by § 500-503, Frontage type.

(l)

Each principal building shall conform to the facade area requirement for the block on which the property is located.

(m)

Each principal building shall have a pedestrian connection to the street. Pedestrian connections may be shared among multiple principal buildings.

(n)

Parking requirements for each principal building may be met through any credits for on-street parking spaces adjacent to the lot, and by parking located anywhere on the lot, except parking located in a garage or carport within or attached to a different principal building.

The construction of an additional dwelling on a lot that results in a total of two or more residential buildings on the lot shall be considered a land development and shall comply with the requirements of Chapter 450, Subdivision and Land Development.

Editor's Note: This ordinance also redesignated former Subsections D through F as Subsections H through J.

Specific to parcels in the 3a, 3b, and 3c Districts that are also in the "H" District, and upon which a contributing resource is located, or which have been subdivided from such a lot.

[Added 5-19-2022 by Ord. No. 1045]

The following provisions apply only to lots that would be wide enough to be subdivided into two or more lots, were they not occupied by a contributing resource, based on the minimum lot widths required by § 500-401A(1), Table (4), Site Planning, for the underlying zoning district, or to lots that have been subdivided from such a lot.

Cottages shall only be permitted subject to the site planning standards in § 500-401A(1), Table (4).

The calculation of floor areas for cottages shall exclude garages, basements, and unenclosed porches and stoops.

A contributing resource shall not be permitted to be classified or reclassified as a cottage.

(d)

Twin houses shall only be permitted subject to the site planning standards in § 500-401A(1), Table (4).

Specific to parcels in the 3a, 3b, and 3c Districts that are also in the "H" District, and upon which a contributing resource is located.

[Added 5-19-2022 by Ord. No. 1045]

The following provision applies only to lots that would be wide enough to be subdivided into two or more lots, were they not occupied by a contributing resource, based on the minimum lot widths required by § 500-401A(1), Table (4), Site Planning, for the underlying zoning district.

The required minimum lot area for any new lot in a subdivision that preserves a contributing resource may be reduced below the minimum lot area otherwise required by § 500-401A(1), Table (4), Site Planning, minimum lot size, provided: (i) the total area of all lots in the subdivision would be sufficient to permit that same development through multiple principal buildings on a single lot; and (ii) the minimum setback, and maximum building coverage and impervious coverage required by § 500-401A(1), Table (4), Site Planning, are met on each lot; and (iii) land development is pursued simultaneously with the subdivision.

Specific to through-block lots in the 3a, 3b, and 3c Districts that are also in the "H" District, and upon which a contributing resource is located, or to lots that have been subdivided from such a lot.

[Added 5-19-2022 by Ord. No. 1045]

The following provisions apply to construction of a principal buildings, either through land development or construction after a subdivision, or through a conditional use approval pursuant to § 500-401D (as amended herein), on lots that have both a principal street and a rear street prior to land development/subdivision:

The primary frontage shall face the street that the existing principal building on the property faced prior to land development or subdivision. This street shall remain the principal street.

The minimum setback requirement from a rear street shall be determined by one of the following methods:

The existing requirement, for the underlying zoning district, for the rear setback on lots that face the principal street;

The front setback requirement for the pertinent block of the rear street; or

The mean distance that all principal and accessory buildings are set back from the curbline of the pertinent block of the rear street.

The applicant shall establish during the conditional use hearing, through the land development plan application process, or through the building permit process, as applicable, the minimum setback from the rear street that best allows the new development to fit in with surrounding conditions.

Specific to corner lots in the 5b Zoning District:

[Amended 2-20-2019 by Ord. No. 1014]

Montgomery Avenue shall be considered the principal street, and all cross streets shall be considered the secondary street.

[Amended 2-4-2021 by Ord. No. 1028]

Garage entrances are not permitted in the front facade.

[Amended 2-4-2021 by Ord. No. 1028]

The site plan standards established under § 500-401D may be modified by special exception as set forth below:

The minimum frontage build-out on Montgomery Avenue may be reduced to 50%.

The maximum frontage build-out on other frontages may exceed 50%, but not exceed 75%, as long as the minimum rear setback is maintained.

Modification of such site plan standards shall only be permitted by special exception if the following standards are fulfilled:

The overall impervious surface and overall building footprint shall not exceed the applicable limits in Table (4), Site Planning.

Dedicated off-street sidewalks or similar connections must be made between all buildings on the site, and to all streets that adjoin the property, along the most direct routes possible. Where possible, dedicated off-street sidewalks or similar connections shall also be made to nonresidential buildings on adjacent properties.

The site shall be buffered from adjacent residential properties along the rear property line, using screen buffer standards as set forth in the Narberth Borough Landscape Ordinance No. 854.[5]

[5]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 348, Landscaping.

[4]

Primary and secondary frontages not occupied by building fronts or driveways shall be landscaped, using soft buffer standards as set forth in the Narberth Borough Landscape Ordinance No. 854.

[5]

Any trees removed shall be replaced on the site on a 1:1 basis, measured by caliper.

Specific to corner lots in the 5a Zoning District:

[Added 2-4-2021 by Ord. No. 1028[6]]

Corner properties shall follow the following hierarchy to determine the primary street frontage.

For properties with one frontage on Haverford Avenue and one frontage on any other street, Haverford Avenue shall be considered the principal street.

For properties with one frontage on Windsor Avenue and one frontage on either Essex Avenue, Forrest Avenue, or Narberth Avenue; Windsor Avenue shall be considered the secondary street. The other street shall be considered the principal street.

[6]

Editor's Note: This ordinance also redesignated former Subsection E as Subsection F.

Nonconforming structures with regard to site plan standards of this section.

When no alterations or additions are proposed, a lawfully existing principal building may be continued to be used although it does not conform to the provisions of Article 4 of this chapter.

Nonconformance with regard to setback requirements. Additions to structures where a portion of the structure is located in setback areas shall create no additional building coverage in setback areas except in cases where the addition or alteration is authorized as an encroachment in this chapter.