This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Official
Zoning Ordinance of the Hopewell Township and West Middletown Borough."
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Zoning
Ordinance of Hopewell Township and West Middletown Borough" and the
Zoning Map shall be known and cited as the "Zoning Map of Hopewell
Township and West Middletown Borough."
This chapter is enacted and ordained under the grant of powers
by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Municipalities
Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
These zoning regulations are enacted for the purpose of promoting
and facilitating the public health, safety and the general welfare;
coordinated and practical community development and proper density
of population; emergency management preparedness and operations; the
provision of adequate light and air, access to incident solar energy;
police protection; vehicle parking and loading space; reliable sewage
facilities, stormwater facilities; recreational facilities and public
uses; the provision of a safe, reliable and adequate water supply
for domestic, commercial, agricultural, industrial and firefighting
use; the preservation of natural, scenic and historic values in the
environment; the preservation of forests; wetlands; aquifers; and
floodplains. Furthermore, this chapter has been developed to prevent
the overcrowding of land, blight, danger and congestion in traveling
and transportation; loss of health, life or property from fire, flood,
panic and other dangers. This chapter further strives to accommodate
the preservation of prime agricultural and sensitive environmental
areas; to provide for the use of land for residential housing of all
basic forms; to accommodate reasonable overall community growth; and
to provide for opportunities for development of a variety of nonresidential
uses. This chapter has been developed in accordance with Hopewell
Township and West Middletown Borough et al. Multimunicipal Comprehensive
Plan as adopted by the municipal elected officials.
In interpreting and applying this chapter, its provisions shall
be held to be the minimum requirements for promotion of health, safety,
morals and general welfare of the Township. This chapter is not intended
to interfere with, abrogate, annul, supersede or cancel any easements,
covenants, restrictions or reservations contained in deeds or other
agreements. Any use permitted subject to the regulations prescribed
by the provisions of this chapter shall conform with all regulations
for the zoning district in which it is located and with all other
pertinent regulations of this and other related ordinances, but that
if this chapter imposes more stringent restrictions upon the use of
buildings and land than are elsewhere established, the provisions
of this chapter shall prevail. In interpreting the language of this
chapter, to determine the extent of the restriction upon the use of
the property, the language shall be interpreted, where doubt exists
as to the intended meaning of the language adopted by the municipal
elected officials, in favor of the property owner and against any
implied extension of the restriction.
The provisions of this chapter are severable, and, if any section,
sentence, clause, part, or provision hereof shall be held to be illegal,
invalid, or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction,
such decision of the court shall not affect or impair the remaining
sections, sentences, clauses, parts or provisions of this chapter.
It is hereby declared to be the intent of the Board of Supervisors
that this chapter would have been enacted if such illegal, invalid,
or unconstitutional section, sentence, clause, part, or provision
had not been included herein.