It is the specific intent of this article:
A. 
To provide for suitable areas within the Township to accommodate institutional uses;
B. 
To designate the portion of Route 29 between the villages of Rahns and Graterford as the governmental core of the Township; and
C. 
To provide design and regulatory standards for institutional facilities which will ensure the compatibility of adjacent uses and which will minimize any adverse traffic and environmental impacts.
The Institutional Overlay District shall be an overlay to the existing or hereafter created underlying districts as shown on the Zoning Map. The following provisions shall also apply to the overlay district:
A. 
The provisions of the Institutional Overlay District shall serve as a supplement to the underlying district provisions.
B. 
In the case of conflict between the provisions or regulations of the Institutional Overlay District and those of the underlying district, the more restrictive provisions shall apply.
C. 
A change in the underlying zoning shall not affect the classification of any land approved as an Institutional Overlay District.
D. 
Whenever the Institutional Overlay District is declared inapplicable to any land by administrative or judicial action or whenever the Township deletes land from the district, the underlying zoning classification for the subject land shall apply.
Institutional use classes. All institutional uses located within the specified zoning districts shall be permitted only by conditional use and shall comply with the dimensional standards of the class to which they were grouped as well as to any other applicable regulations elsewhere in the Township Code.
A. 
Class One uses are allowed in all zoning districts and shall include the following:
(1) 
Community center.
(2) 
Day-care center.
(3) 
Public structures, buildings or uses operated by county or commonwealth agencies.
(4) 
Public utilities, provided they are approved and regulated by appropriate commonwealth and federal agencies, excluding radio or television towers or cellular phone antennas and/or towers which are regulated in Article VIII, General Regulations, § 310-59, and Article XXV of this chapter.
(5) 
Public or nonprofit recreational facilities, parks and playgrounds. Outdoor play areas shall be sufficiently screened and insulated so as to protect the neighborhood from noise and other disturbances.
(6) 
Fire stations.
(7) 
Any other similar use, as determined by the Board of Supervisors.
B. 
Class Two uses are allowed in all zoning districts unless otherwise specified below and shall include the following:
(1) 
Cemetery, burial place or graveyard, including mausoleum.
(2) 
Institutional headquarters for nonprofit organizations, in which no part of their operation is operated for profit.
(3) 
Fraternal organization without lodging facilities or regularly scheduled meal service, subject to the following additional provisions:
(a) 
The use shall not be conducted as a private gainful business.
(b) 
The use shall be for members and their authorized guests only.
(4) 
Place of worship: places of religious worship and their adjunct residential dwellings for clergy and support staff; adjunct school, recreational and educational uses directly administered by the religious institution, and nursery school and kindergarten. Access shall be to major collector or arterial streets.
(5) 
Convents, monasteries or other similar religious facilities as a primary use.
(6) 
Skilled nursing care facility or nursing homes shall be allowed only in the CR District, R-2 Zoning District and IN Industrial District.
(7) 
Community residential facilities.
(8) 
Any other similar use, as determined by the Board of Supervisors.
C. 
Class Three uses are allowed only in the specified zoning districts and shall include the following:
(1) 
School: public and religious, sectarian and nonsectarian, denominational schools and adjunct dormitories and other uses customarily incidental to a school, provided that they are only allowed in the R-1, R-2 or CR District, and outdoor play areas shall be sufficiently screened and insulated so as to protect the adjacent properties from noise and other disturbances.
(2) 
Hospitals or emergency medical clinics, provided they are only allowed in the CR and the VCR-1 or VCR-2 District.
(3) 
Any other similar use, as determined by the Board of Supervisors.
D. 
Change of use. No institutional use shall be changed to another class of institutional use or a use within the same class without review by the Township Planning Commission and the approval of the Board of Supervisors.
The following table lists the minimum dimensional standards required of institutional uses in accordance with the classification of uses:
Class One
Class Two
Class Three
A1.
Lot size (underlying residential districts)
43,560 square feet in R-1 District; 30,000 square feet in all other districts
2 acres
5 acres
A2.
Lot size (underlying commercial industrial districts)
20,000 square feet
2 acres
5 acres
B.
Lot width
100 feet
200 feet
300 feet
C.
Building setbacks:
1.
From streets
Regulations of underlying zoning district
75 feet
100 feet
2.
From property lines
30 feet, residential districts; 25 feet, other districts
75 feet
100 feet
D.
Parking and driveway setbacks:
1.
From streets
25 feet
50 feet
50 feet
2.
From property lines
25 feet
50 feet
75 feet
3.
From buildings
15 feet
15 feet
25 feet
E.
Accessory building or use:
1.
From streets
Regulations of underlying zoning district
75 feet
100 feet
2.
From property lines
25 feet
50 feet
75 feet
3.
From driveways
15 feet
15 feet
75 feet
F.
Maximum building coverage
Regulations of the underlying zoning district
G1.
Maximum impervious coverage (residential district, including VCR-1 and VCR-2 Districts)
50%
50%
50%
G2.
Maximum impervious coverage (commercial/industrial districts, excluding VCR-1 and VCR-2 Districts)
75%
75%
75%
H.
Maximum building height
Regulations of the underlying zoning district
I.
Minimum distance between buildings
40 feet
40 feet
40 feet
J.
Where an institutional use abuts an existing permitted commercial or industrial use, the side and/or rear building and parking setbacks may be reduced to conform with the regulations of the appropriate commercial or industrial districts, with the approval of the Board of Supervisors. However, in no case shall parking areas or driveways be located closer than 10 feet to any side or rear property lines.
The rezoning of a subject tract to the Institutional Overlay District shall be subject to approval as a conditional use to permit a specific institutional activity on the subject tract. Conditional use approval shall be subject to the express standards and criteria of this article as listed below and mandated in Article VIII, General Regulations, § 310-53, of this chapter.
A. 
Character of the surrounding area. The impact of the proposed institution on the surrounding properties shall be considered. If the proposal is adjacent to a residential district, the scale of the institution shall relate to and complement the surrounding area.
B. 
Sewage disposal. All institutional uses shall be served by public sewers.
C. 
Water supply. Sufficient water must be available to accommodate all the needs of the proposed institution. If public water is not available, an on-site well will be permitted only if the applicant can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Board of Supervisors that it would not adversely affect existing water supply systems in the area, upon recommendation of the Township Engineer and approval of the Montgomery County Health Department.
D. 
Traffic. The road system must be able to accommodate the peak traffic generated by the institution in a safe and efficient manner. The proposed institutional facility shall not materially increase traffic congestion in existing residential areas. In order to evaluate the effect of the increased traffic, the Board of Supervisors may require a traffic impact statement as described below:
(1) 
A traffic impact study shall present enough information to enable the Township to assess the impact of the proposed institution on the roads within the Township. The study must demonstrate that the proposed use will not adversely affect surrounding areas or traffic circulation generally in the Township or else identify any traffic problems that might be caused or aggravated by the proposed use and suggest solutions to those problems. Based upon the findings of the study, the Township may require other improvements, both on site and off site, which would alleviate hazardous or congested situations directly attributable to the proposed development as a condition of approval.
(2) 
The traffic impact study shall be prepared for a study area extending a minimum of one mile on all abutting roads from the boundaries of the proposed institution. This area may be modified at the discretion of the Board of Supervisors.
(3) 
The traffic impact study shall be prepared by a qualified traffic engineer who possesses the credentials outlined for a municipal traffic engineer defined in Title 67 Pennsylvania Code Chapter 205, as last amended, entitled "Municipal Traffic Engineering Certifications."
E. 
Lighting. Lighting shall be designed as to prevent glare to adjoining properties.
F. 
Parking and loading. Adequate parking and loading areas shall be provided for each activity, either main or accessory, as required by Article IX of this chapter.
G. 
Community impact analysis. The Board of Supervisors may require the applicant to submit a community impact analysis, described below, prior to any conditional use approval, showing:
(1) 
The compatibility of the proposed development with land uses that are adjacent to the site and consistency with the Perkiomen Township Comprehensive Plan.
(2) 
The impact of the proposed development on sensitive natural areas, including floodplains, steep slopes, woodlands, waterways, recreational areas, and conservation areas.
(3) 
The impact of the development on public utilities, including sewage disposal, water supply, solid waste disposal, storm drainage, and electrical utilities, and the provision of police and fire protection.
(4) 
Documentation of any on-site or off-site improvements proposed to alleviate any projected adverse impacts of the development.