In expansion of the community development objectives contained in Article
I, §
300-2 of this chapter, it is hereby declared to be the intent of this article with respect to an open space residential community to establish reasonable standards and criteria to permit such a community as a conditional use in appropriate locations within the Township, based upon a specialized set of development regulations appropriate for such a development.
A. To provide for
such development in areas consistent with the goals of the Township's
Comprehensive Plan, which would be compatible with and protect the
existing community character.
B. To protect the
existing vistas into and rural character of large tracts of undeveloped
land in the Township.
C. To provide for
creative use of land in areas where it is desirable to preserve open
space, stream valleys, agricultural land heritage, tree cover, historic
buildings and other natural and man-made amenities.
D. To allow for
a modest increase in permitted density in return for the preservation
of extensive areas of open space and/or parkland in portions of the
R-1 District where mixed-use development are appropriate.
E. To encourage
the creation of individual neighborhoods unified by the open space
features of the development.
F. To permanently
protect areas of open space and parkland from future development and,
in so doing, implement the goals and recommendations of the Township's
adopted Open Space and Recreation Plan.
An open space residential community is allowed only as a conditional use in the R-1 Residential District, provided that the tract proposed for such development meets the criteria specified in §
300-310 of this article, and that the procedural requirements for conditional uses, set forth in §
300-60 of this chapter, are followed. An open space residential community shall be construed to mean a planned development consisting of single-family and low-density single-family attached residential use(s) combined with the preservation of extensive areas of open space and/or parkland, along with any appropriate recreational uses and uses incidental to such a development, as hereinafter provided. Uses specifically permitted in an open space residential community shall be the following:
A. Single-family
detached dwellings.
B. Single-family
attached dwellings.
C. Neighborhood
or community park.
E. Accessory uses
on the same lot or premises with and incidental to the other uses
permitted in this article. In addition to accessory uses customarily
incidental to a dwelling unit, appropriate accessory uses may be permitted
in a park, including but not limited to uses such as rest rooms, parking
for park users and other similar uses, subject to approval by the
Township.
(1) Accessory
uses in an OSR-2 District may include a single-family house occupied
by a groundskeeper, security guard, maintenance worker or by an individual(s)
performing similar functions.
F. Communications antennas, in accordance with the provisions of §
300-25 of this chapter, mounted on an existing public utility transmission tower, existing building or other existing structure, and communications equipment buildings. Communications towers are permitted only as a conditional use pursuant to §
300-25 herein.
G. No-impact home-based businesses in accordance with the standards set forth in §
300-26 herein.
H. Home occupations, provided that all of the requirements of §
300-27 shall be met.
The following prerequisites shall be met for
each application for approval of an open space residential community:
A. Any tract of
ground or contiguous group of tracts which are the subject of an application
for conditional use approval as an Open Space Residential Community-2,
pursuant to this article, shall contain a minimum of 100 acres.
B. Any tract of
ground or contiguous group of tracts which are the subject of an application
for conditional use approval as an open space residential community
pursuant to this article shall have a minimum of 250 feet of frontage,
measured along the ultimate rights-of-way, on roads with an arterial
classification that additionally has an interchange with the Route
422 Expressway, according to the Township's adopted Ultimate Right-of-Way
Map.
C. A traffic impact study and community impact analysis, submitted in forms as described in §
300-438E and
I of this chapter, respectively, shall be required for any conditional use application submitted pursuant to this article. Evaluation of the community impact analysis shall be in accordance with the procedure set forth in §
300-207 of the chapter. In addition to those requirements of §
300-438I, the community impact analysis shall demonstrate how the proposed application meets the legislative intent of this article. The community impact analysis shall also demonstrate the probable recreational demand for any proposed park, including the specific recreational amenities proposed. Said section shall include, but not be limited to, a description of amount and location of any tract(s) proposed as a park and all proposed facilities to be developed therein. Said section shall indicate how the proposed land and facilities relate to the specific findings and recommendations of the Township's adopted Open Space and Environmental Resource Protection Plan.
Any development proposed under the OSR-2 Open Space Residential Community District-2 shall follow the district regulations under the OSR-1 Open Space Residential Community District, §
300-293 and the specific Master Plan requirements as detailed in §
300-296.
Landscaping throughout the community shall be
planned in accordance with the following guidelines:
A. Shade trees shall be installed along all public and private streets, in accordance with the requirements of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of the Township, §
270-68C. However, if it is more appropriate, based upon the site design proposed, some or all of these trees may be redistributed elsewhere throughout the community, with the approval of the Township.
B. Based upon review
of the submitted landscape plan, the Township may require landscaping
in addition to those minimal requirements herein where unusual field
conditions exist or if circumstances arise which were not contemplated
by this article.
C. General buffering requirements. General buffer requirements shall be followed, as stipulated in this section; specifications for the various buffer types listed herein shall be as stipulated in Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, § 270-66D(5). In those instances in which berms are not required, they may be used as a substitute for some of the plant material in a specific buffer situation, if the Township concurs in its review of the landscape plan that the beans equal or exceed the buffering qualities necessary in that specific buffer situation. Buffers shall be installed in those situations as prescribed herein unless berms are permitted by the Township as substitutions.
(1) Buffers
for dwelling units:
(a) Between
a dwelling unit and an existing frontage roadway: Buffer Type 3 required.
(b) Between
a dwelling unit and an abutting, off-site residential use or district:
Buffer Type 2 required.
(c) Between
a dwelling unit and an abutting, off-site nonresidential use or district:
Buffer Type 3 required.
(d) Between
a dwelling unit and parking areas for residential units: Buffer Type
1 required.
(e) Between
a dwelling unit and parking area serving a nonresidential use: Buffer
Type 2A required.
(f) Between
a dwelling unit and any other permitted building within the age-restricted
development: Buffer Type 2 required.
(g) Between
a dwelling unit and an outdoor recreational facility associated with
the development, but not housed in a building: Buffer Type I required.
(h) Between
two dwelling unit groupings of single-family attached units within
the OSR-2 residential community: Buffer Type I required.
(i) Between
a grouping of single-family attached and single-family detached dwelling
lots within the OSR-2 residential community: Buffer Type 2 required.