[Added 8-17-2020 by Ord. No. 275]
The purpose of an Historic District is to encourage the preservation
of natural and historic amenities and to provide standards for historic,
cultural, and educational uses of land in a manner that preserves
its historic and cultural value, while also permitting limited commercial
activities incidental to and furthering those historic and cultural
activities without overwhelming their historic and cultural nature.
While a property may be deemed historic for a wide variety of reasons,
for purposes of interpreting this article, a greater emphasis should
be placed on features and structures that are at least over 50 years
old.
A.
Single-family and two-family detached dwellings in historic residences.
B.
Churches or similar places of worship, including parish houses and
parsonages.
C.
Gardens, parks, playgrounds, and recreation areas when open to the
public.
D.
Historic or educational agriculture and agriculturally related operations.
Agriculture or agriculturally related operations include the following:
(1)
Granaries, sawmills, gristmills, and similar agriculturally
related activities.
(2)
Forest reserves, tree farming and crop farming, to include forage,
sod, grain, and feed.
(3)
Vineyards, orchards, and nurseries.
(4)
Animal husbandry; beekeeping; milk processing; livestock production,
including breeding of dairy and beef cattle, sheep, swine, horses,
ponies, mules, goats, poultry, game birds, fowl, fur animals, and
associated farm animals, excluding farm operations involving indoor
confinement or concentrated animal or animal feed operations (CAO/CAFO).
(5)
Commercial production of fruits, vegetables, grains, flowers,
plants and similar products.
(6)
The sale of the products produced by the activities in Subsection D(1) through (5) in buildings in which the retail area shall not exceed 1,000 square feet in floor area, and set back a minimum of 35 feet from any property line and 50 feet from any street right-of-way, with off-street parking provided.
E.
Museums, science centers, petting zoos, aquariums, libraries, archives,
historical sites, art galleries and similar cultural and educational
institutions serving the public.
F.
Federal, state, and local municipal buildings and uses, essential
services and essential municipal services facilities.
G.
Greenhouses, when the total buildings are under 50,000 square feet.
H.
Stables, riding academies, and therapeutic horse centers.
I.
Public, private and parochial schools, and day-care centers for the
educational needs of the community, provided all outside active play
areas are screened from adjacent residential properties.
J.
Forestry activities, including, but not limited to, timber harvesting.
K.
Replicas, reconstructions, or reproductions of any previously existing
historic building for another permitted use.
L.
Signs, when erected and maintained in accordance with the applicable provisions of Article V, Signs, of this chapter.
M.
Accessory buildings and uses on the same lot with and customarily
incidental to any of the above permitted uses, including:
(1)
A single-family residence housing a permanent, on-site caretaker
for the property.
(2)
Home occupations and no-impact home-based businesses, when properly
conducted from a residence.
(3)
Gift shops and concession stands for visitors.
(4)
Offices for administrative personnel connected to other permitted
uses and approved conditional uses.
(5)
Workshops for the restoration of historical objects and artifacts
related to the historical site.
(6)
The farming, sublease, or tenant farming of land for commercial
agriculture or agriculturally related operations, incidental and subordinate
to the principal use of the property for historic or educational agriculture
and agriculturally related operations.
A.
Outdoor recreational facilities and organizations, such as playgrounds,
fishing and hunting clubs, swimming clubs and golf clubs, tennis courts
and similar activities, subject to the following conditions and whatever
other conditions the Board of Supervisors deem appropriate:
(1)
That such use shall occupy a lot with an area of not less than
five acres.
(2)
That all lighting which is necessary as incident to such use
shall be shielded from adjacent properties.
(3)
Along all property lines adjacent to a residential use, a 100-foot-wide
landscaped buffer strip shall be provided.
B.
Bed-and-breakfast operations.
C.
Cemeteries and related uses, provided no graves or structures shall
be located within 50 feet of any property line of the cemetery.
D.
Spelunking sites and historic and educational mining operations.
E.
Historic theaters and playhouses.
F.
Radio and television transmission facilities, electric or telephone
substations, natural and propane gas facilities.
G.
Neighborhood outdoor recreational facilities and organizations when
not operated for gain or profit.
H.
Limited small businesses (excluding establishments primarily designed
to provide drive-in or drive-through facilities) in historic buildings,
subject to the following restrictions, in addition to any conditions
imposed by the Supervisors:
(1)
The lot on which the small business is located must have been
a lot of record on the date of enactment of this amendment and must
be a lot of a minimum of one acre. Existing small businesses in this
district are not subject to lot size requirements, but must register
with the Township office within six months of being rezoned to this
district. Failure to register within that time will require application
for a conditional use for the small business.
(2)
All small businesses shall be secondary to the primary use of
the lot and shall be owned and operated by the primary user. No leases
or subleases for small businesses shall be permitted.
(3)
No more than three employees other than family members are permitted.
Appropriate records of employees must be maintained at all times and
must be provided to the Washington Township officials upon request.
(4)
No offending noise or air pollution may be caused by the small
business.
(5)
No open burning may be done by any small business.
(6)
Sufficient off-street parking, as well as safe entrance and
exit of site, shall be provided.
(7)
All other local, state and federal regulations must be followed.
(8)
Limited small businesses may erect no more than one nonlighted
business identification ground sign, not to exceed 25 square feet
and 10 feet in height, and/or wall signs not to exceed 5% of the building
facade.
I.
Replicas, reconstructions, or reproductions of any previously existing
historic building for another conditional use.
J.
Assembly and event space for gatherings, such as weddings, festivals,
fundraisers, conferences, and parties, subject to the following restrictions,
in addition to any conditions imposed by the Supervisors:
(1)
Adequate parking must be available for the number of people
in attendance. The size of the event cannot exceed the available parking
on site. Additional temporary parking for events may be obtained by
written agreement with neighboring landowners, but such agreements
must be provided as part of the conditional use application.
(2)
Events must be adequately screened from neighboring properties
in a way appropriate to the time and circumstances of the event and
the nature of the neighboring properties.
K.
Communications towers.
A.
A. Regardless of whether they would otherwise be a permitted or conditional
use, the following activities shall always be prohibited in an Historic
District:
A.
All buildings, including accessory buildings, shall not cover more
than 30% of the area of the lot.
C.
When on-lot sewer facilities are to be utilized, the minimum lot
size may be increased by the Township Sewage Enforcement Officer or
the Department of Environmental Protection for factors relating to
health and sanitation.
