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 IO-2 Interchange Office Support Districts to provide standards for office uses and developments which will provide complementary services for nearby Interchange Office District developments.
A. To encourage
the development of office and related services in locations at or
near interchanges of State Route 422 (the Pottstown Expressway) that
are convenient to the larger-scale corporate headquarters and office
developments in IO-1 Districts.
B. To provide such
areas either immediately abutting or surrounded by existing IO-1 Districts.
C. To function as a service district to the IO-1 District, IO-2 Districts should only be applied to the Township
Zoning Map subsequent to the development of a sufficient amount of nearby development in an IO-1 District, or alternatively, upon final approval of a sufficient amount of such development, so as to provide demonstrated need for such support services as would be provided in the IO-2 Districts.
D. To provide ancillary
commercial uses, as conditional uses, which provide retail goods and/or
services for the employees in this district.
E. To provide for
a limited array of freestanding commercial uses, also as conditional
uses, which will provide certain essential services for employees
of the broader employment centers around the Route 422 interchanges,
including developments in both IO-1 and IO-2 Districts.
F. To be applied
in locations so as to reduce conflicts and traffic congestion on major
arterial highways which traverse these areas, by minimizing travel
outside the interchange area.
G. To provide certain
development flexibility afforded by permitting a limited amount of
land subdivision for tracts of land whose physical characteristics
discourage creation of a singular development site, and to ensure
that when such subdivision is permitted, it is done in strict conformity
with a recorded master plan and accompanying set of restricted covenants,
assuring continual adherence to an approved development concept.
H. To provide development
regulations which ensure the preservation of the Township's rural
character.
I. To recognize the desirability
of mixed-use communities to reduce automobile trips on Township streets
by allowing a limited amount of residential development within an
IO-2 Master Plan development. This will provide housing choices for
employees in the IO-2 development and also enable greater use of walking
and bicycling as a means of commuting.
[Added 12-3-2012 by Ord. No. 524]
In an IO-2 Interchange Office Support District,
a building or group of buildings may be erected, altered or used and
a lot may be used for any of the following uses or a combination of
the following uses and none others:
A. Business or
administrative office.
C. Communications antennas, in accordance with the provisions of §
300-25, mounted on an existing public utility transmission tower, existing building or other existing structure, and communications equipment buildings.
[Added 6-1-1998 by Ord. No. 372]
[Added 6-1-1998 by Ord. No. 372]
The following special exception uses shall be
permitted:
A. As a special exception only, communications antennas mounted on a communications tower and communications equipment buildings, only upon a showing, in addition to any other that may be required under this chapter, that denial of such a special exception would have the effect of prohibiting the provision of personal wireless service and that it is not feasible to mount the communications antenna on an existing public utility transmission tower, existing building, or other existing structure. Communications antennas shall conform to the requirements of §
300-25 and communications towers shall conform to the requirements of §
300-25.
The following general regulations shall apply
in the IO-2 Interchange Office Support District:
A. Ownership. The tract of land to be developed shall be in one ownership or shall be the subject of an application filed jointly by the owners of the entire tract, and it shall be agreed that the tract shall be developed under single direction in accordance with an approved master plan and declaration of restrictive covenants, pursuant to §§
300-456 and
300-457 herein, respectively, and in accordance with approved subdivision and/or land development plans as shall be required. The Master Plan, declaration of restrictive covenants and development agreement required in Subsection
D shall be binding upon all assignees or purchasers of property in the district.
B. Sewer and water
facilities. The tract of land shall be served by public sewer facilities
and public water facilities deemed acceptable by the Board of Supervisors,
upon recommendation of the Municipal Authority Engineer and review
by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and
the Lower Perkiomen Valley Regional Sewer Authority.
[Amended 6-2-2008 by Ord. No. 490]
C. Development plans. In addition to the master plan required pursuant to §
300-456 herein, actual application for development of all or part of a tract of land in this district shall be accompanied by subdivision and/or land development plans which shall comply with Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development. The plans shall be subject to the tentative, preliminary and final plan stages, in accordance with that ordinance.
D. Development agreement. In addition to the declaration of restrictive covenants required pursuant to §
300-457 herein, approved development of all or any portion(s) of a tract in this district shall be executed in accordance with a development agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Township. The owner, developer and Township shall enter into said agreement embodying all details regarding compliance with this article to assure the binding nature thereof on the overall tract and its development, which agreement shall be recorded with the final development plan for the tract or portion(s) thereof, as appropriate. Should any final plans be amended subsequent to original recording, an approved amended final plan shall be recorded, together with an amended development agreement, as necessary.
The requirements in this section are applicable to any tract of land to be developed pursuant to this article. These requirements shall apply to the tract as a whole, regardless of any subdivision which may be permitted pursuant to §
300-455 herein. All building setback, parking setback, building spacing and building height regulations contained herein shall apply to any permitted use buildings or conditional use buildings which may be permitted pursuant to § 300-452A(3) herein. All building and parking setbacks from a roadway shall be from the ultimate right-of-way of that roadway; in the case of setbacks from an internal road serving to access buildings within a development, the setbacks shall be measured from the assumed right-of-way for said roadway if that roadway is not public. All buffers required pursuant to this section shall be installed in accordance with the specifications contained in § 300-459C herein.
Tract Development Requirement
|
Dimension
|
---|
Minimum tract size (acres)
|
25
|
Minimum width measured along the ultimate right-of-way
line (feet) [Amended 12-16-1991 by Ord. No. 307]
|
500
|
Minimum building setbacks (feet)
|
|
|
From internal roads serving to access buildings
within a development (Buffer Type 1 required)
|
20
|
|
From a limited access highway (Buffer Type 2
required)
|
50
|
|
From an existing controlled or semicontrolled
access highway (Buffer Type 2 required)
|
75
|
|
From an existing collector, feeder or road of
any other classification (Buffer Type 3 required)
|
100
|
|
From a residential or institutional district
boundary line (Buffer Type 3 required)
|
200
|
|
From any other district boundary line (Buffer
Type 2 required)
|
50
|
|
From a parcel in single and separate ownership
and residentially used, not part of a master planned tract (Buffer
Type 2A required)
|
75
|
Minimum parking setbacks (feet)
|
|
|
From internal roads serving to access buildings
within a development (Buffer Type 1A required)
|
20
|
|
From a limited access highway (Buffer Type 2A
required)
|
30
|
|
From an existing controlled or semicontrolled
access highway (Buffer Type 2A required)
|
40
|
|
From an existing collector, feeder or road of
any other classification (Buffer Type 3 required)
|
50
|
|
From any building (not applicable to loading areas required by reference in § 300-458 herein) (Buffer Type 4 required)
|
20
|
|
From a residential or institutional district
boundary line (Buffer Type 3 required)
|
100
|
|
From any other district boundary line (Buffer
Type 2A required)
|
50
|
|
From a parcel in single and separate ownership
and residentially used, not part of a master planned tract (Buffer
Type 2A required)
|
75
|
Maximum building height (feet)
|
55, but with a limit of no more than 4 habitable or occupied stories; except for a hotel pursuant to § 300-451A(3)(c), which may have 5 habitable or occupied stories within said 55 feet
|
Minimum building separation between any 2 buildings
in a grouping
|
A distance equal to the height of the tallest
building
|
Maximum building coverage (percent)
|
10
|
Maximum impervious coverage (percent)
|
35
|
[Amended 2-7-2011 by Ord. No. 513]
Limited subdivision of any tract proposed for development in accordance with this article may be permitted subject to the requirements of this section and also subject to the requirements for a master plan and declaration of restrictive covenants required in §§
300-456 and
300-457, respectively, herein. As a result of the nature of any subdivision executed under the restrictions of this article, the requirement for public road frontage in §
300-12 of this chapter shall not be mandatory. To determine the subdivision potential of any tract pursuant to this section, lots devoted to either permitted uses per §
300-450 herein and/or to freestanding conditional uses per §
300-451A(3) herein shall be considered. Regardless of the use(s) to which the lot is put, no additional lots beyond which would be permitted pursuant to this section will be permitted. A lot used solely for a utility purpose shall be exempt from these regulations. The pertinent requirements for subdivision pursuant to this article shall be as follows:
Subdivision Requirements
|
Dimensions
|
---|
Minimum lot size (acres)
|
4
|
Minimum lot width (feet)
|
250
|
Average lot size (acres)
|
8
|
Parking allotment
|
Minimum of 50% of parking shall be on same lot
as the building it serves
|
In any development pursuant to this article in which subdivision in accordance with §
300-455 herein is proposed, a master plan of the entire development tract shall be submitted for approval by the Board of Supervisors. Once approved, said plan shall be recorded prior to or simultaneously with the recording of the initial subdivision and/or land development plan for any portion of the tract. The following are the minimum requirements for said plan:
A. At a minimum, said plan shall be drawn to tentative sketch plan requirements, pursuant to §
270-31 of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development. The master plan shall show relationships among the various lots, buildings and parking areas and shall show how development of the entire tract, once executed in accordance with this plan, will function cohesively as an integrated development. The master plan shall depict proposed lot lines, vehicular circulation, buildings, parking and generalized landscaping scheme for the entire tract.
B. Preservation
of natural features shall be assured; demonstration of this shall
be documented through the master plan and on subsequently required
subdivision and/or land development plans and landscape plans. The
following shall be addressed in terms of natural features preservation:
(1) Floodplains and wetlands shall be protected in accordance with Article
V, Floodplain Conservation District, of this chapter, and §
270-32C(5)(d) of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, respectively, as well as all applicable state and federal regulations.
(2) Steep slopes shall be protected in accordance with Article
VI, Steep Slope Conservation District, of this chapter. When, in the opinion of the Township Engineer, soils information does not adequately depict steep slopes, topographic information shall be used to supplement it.
(3) Disturbance of woodlands and other vegetation shall be minimized. Section
270-66B of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, regarding tree preservation, shall be enforced. When more than 25% of the trees with a minimum of a six-inch caliper must be removed, compensatory planting shall be provided at a rate of one inch of new caliper for every four inches of caliper removed. Every replacement tree shall have a minimum of two-and-one-half-inch caliper. Alternative types of compensatory planting may be permitted, with the concurrence of the Township. No grade changes, installation of impervious cover or equipment storage shall be permitted within the drip line of any tree to be preserved; fencing shall be placed at the drip line before any site work is begun, including tree removal or grubbing.
(4) Topsoil shall be protected in accordance with §
270-66C of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, regarding topsoil preservation.
C. Pedestrian accommodations
shall be included on the development tract in locations logical to
provide pedestrian movement between buildings, between buildings and
parking areas and between building and parking areas and open spaces.
Said pedestrian accommodations shall be reflected on each subsequently
approved land development plan. Actual installation of pedestrian
paths may be deferred for a maximum of six months from the date the
occupancy permit is issued for the final building in said land development
to provide sufficient time to observe actual pedestrian movements.
D. Any change to
proposed lots, buildings, circulation, parking, landscaping or extent
of natural features preservation which is substantive in the opinion
of the Board of Supervisors will necessitate a revised master plan
to be submitted, approved and recorded to replace any prior master
plan(s). No subdivision or land development for any development on
the subject development tract shall be approved without a current
recorded master plan.
E. The most current
recorded master plan must contain a tabulation of the ratio of open
space provided on the development tract, current through the most
recently approved subdivision and/or land development. A revised master
plan must be recorded simultaneously with the recording of each subsequently
approved subdivision and/or land development in order that the open
space ratio is continually updated. In addition, as each land development
plan is approved on an individual lot, a perpetual deed restriction
shall be placed on that lot restricting any further subdivision of
that lot, and further restricting the amount of impervious coverage,
to that percentage which was approved as part of the land development
plan.
Accompanying the master plan, a declaration
of restrictive covenants must be approved by the Township and recorded.
Said declaration shall provide all of the restrictions necessary to
assure that a proposed development will operate as depicted on the
master plan. The following are the minimum requirements for the declaration:
A. Provisions for
the establishment of an association with mandatory membership by the
current owner of each lot represented in the master plan.
B. Parties to the
declaration of restrictive covenants shall be bound by all restrictions
contained therein, and shall include, at a minimum, the aforementioned
association, developer, mortgagees of any lot and/or building on the
tract, tenants and any other parties having any interest in all or
any part of the proposed development and the Township. Provisions
shall be included to permit Township enforcement of the restrictions
contained in the declaration in the event that the association fails
to do so.
C. Cross easements
shall be included, which shall assure proper circulation throughout
the development and access to all parking areas.
D. Maintenance
provisions shall be included for the circulation network, parking
areas, landscaping and all other common areas.
E. Provisions to
ensure that all buildings within the development will be architecturally
compatible and that compatible building materials are used throughout.
F. Provisions to
ensure that development of any buildings, parking or other similar
improvements be prohibited on any lots to be utilized solely for open
space purposes, as indicated on the most currently approved master
plan.
G. Provisions to
guarantee public right to use of the interior roads and common open
space areas; also provisions stipulating each lot owner/occupant rights
with respect to common open space areas.
H. Any additional
restrictions which will be applied to the development which are stricter
than existing Township regulations.
I. Any change to
cross easements, maintenance responsibilities, architectural controls
or other applicable restrictions, which is substantive in the opinion
of the Board of Supervisors, will necessitate a revised declaration
of restrictive covenants to be submitted, approved and recorded to
replace any prior such document. No subdivision or land development
for any development on the subject development tract shall be approved
without a current recorded declaration of restrictive covenants.
[Amended 12-16-1991 by Ord. No. 307]
All requirements in §
300-438 of this chapter shall be applicable to any development pursuant to this article; the traffic impact study and community impact analysis requirements of §§
300-438E and
I, respectively, shall be interpreted to apply to all permitted and conditional uses, as well as to any request for a rezoning to this district. In addition to all requirements of §
300-438 all parking in any development built pursuant to this article shall utilize the applicable requirements contained in Article
XXXII, Off-Street Parking and Loading, of this chapter.
[Amended 9-21-1998 by Ord. No. 376]
Landscaping and buffers shall be in accordance with §
270-68, Planting, in Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development. A landscape plan in accordance with §
270-32G, complying with all landscaping requirements, shall be submitted along with all preliminary land development plans.
[Added 12-3-2012 by Ord. No. 524]
A. Legislative intent, tract requirements.
(1) In expansion of the statement of community development objectives contained in §
300-2 of this chapter, it is hereby declared to be the intent of this section, with respect to an RUG-2, to establish reasonable controls and standards of performance for residential multifamily dwellings in those areas of Upper Providence Township where the existing community presence or planned extension of sewer and water facilities would most readily accommodate the intensity of residential dwelling types permitted in the Township, for the benefit of the residents of the development and in furtherance of the general welfare of Upper Providence Township.
(2) RUG-2 shall be applicable
to parcels of land within an IO-2 Master Planned community which meet
all the following criteria:
(a) The entire tract is located
within the IO-2 Zoning District;
(b) The parcel or lot has
frontage of at least 500 feet on an arterial or collector road;
(c) The tract under development
for the RUG-2 is at least 15 acres in size.
B. Permitted uses. In an RUG-2, by conditional use when authorized in accordance with §
300-60, a building may be erected, altered, or used, and a lot may be used or occupied, for any of the following uses and no others:
(1) Residential buildings which
contain any combination of attached dwellings and multifamily dwellings.
These dwellings may only be open-market communities.
(2) A principal use permitted
herein may be constructed on the same lot with another permitted principal
use(s).
(3) Additional 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 residential use, appropriate accessory uses may be developed
in conjunction with any of the uses; provided, however, that none
is intended as an independent freestanding commercial use, but which
may include the following:
(a) Indoor or outdoor recreation
facilities, community center, or similar use.
(c) No-impact home-based businesses in accordance with the standards set forth in §
300-26 herein.
C. Residential Use Group-2 regulations.
The following regulations shall apply in an RUG-2:
(1) General regulations.
(a) Ownership. The tract
of land to be developed shall be in one ownership or shall be the
subject of an application filed jointly by the owners of the entire
tract, and it shall be agreed that the tract will be developed under
single direction in accordance with an approved plan.
(b) Sewer and water facilities.
The tract of land shall be served by public water facilities and public
sewer facilities deemed acceptable by the Board of Supervisors, upon
recommendation of the Township Engineer.
(c) Development plan. The application for conditional use shall be accompanied by a traffic impact analysis consistent with the requirements of §
300-438E, a community impact analysis consistent with the requirements of §
300-438I, and a sketch plan complying with the sketch plan requirements of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development. Within one year, unless extended by the Board of Supervisors, following the grant of conditional use approval, the applicant shall file a plan or plans showing the detailed use of the entire tract, which plan or plans also shall comply with all requirements of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, and other applicable ordinances, unless these ordinances are relaxed in accordance with §
300-460D herein. The plan shall clearly designate the proposed uses(s) of each area of tract.
(d) Development stages and
permits. The development of a tract, carried out in either a single
phase or in stages, shall be executed in accordance with a development
agreement. The owner, developer and Township shall enter into said
agreement embodying all details regarding compliance with this article
to assure the binding nature thereof on the overall tract and its
development, which agreement shall be recorded with the final development
plan.
(2) Development regulations.
The following development regulations shall be followed by all proposed
developments in an RUG-2:
(a) Utilities. All utility
lines (electrical, telephone, etc.) shall be placed underground.
(b) Height regulations. The maximum height (as defined in §
300-90) of buildings or structures erected or enlarged in an RUG-2 shall be a maximum of 40 feet. Accessory buildings shall not exceed one story or 25 feet; except that a clubhouse building shall not exceed 35 feet.
(c) Parking regulations.
Parking requirements for in RUG-2 shall be as follows:
[1] For the residents
of each dwelling unit, no fewer than two off-street automobile parking
spaces shall be required. The required spaces, when they are not an
integral part of the building design, shall be arranged within a court
or separate parking area(s). If one or more parking spaces are provided
within a garage for that unit, the off-street area in front of the
garage may also be counted as a parking space.
[2] If a clubhouse, recreation facility, community center or common facility is provided, parking for that facility will be provided pursuant to the requirements for a private meeting room or place of private assembly pursuant to §
300-576B(1)(d).
[3] No parking area of
three or more cars shall be located closer than 25 feet to a perimeter
property line or to an ultimate right-of-way line of any abutting
road classified as a limited-access highway on the Upper Providence
Township Ultimate Rights-of-Way Map, or closer than 50 feet to the
right-of-way line of any other abutting road. This provision shall
not apply to parking for resident access adjacent to mailbox facilities
provided within the community.
[4] In parking areas storing 10 or more cars, not less than 10% of the area devoted to parking facilities shall consist of interior parking lot landscaping. As a requirement of RUG-2, such landscaping shall be designated on a separate landscape plan as set forth in §
300-460C(2)(i) and in accordance with Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of the Township of Upper Providence.
[5] When conditions warrant, the use of reserved parking is encouraged. The requirements of §
300-577 of this chapter shall be applicable.
(d) Signs. Signs shall be permitted, subject to the requirements of Article
XXXIII of this chapter.
(e) Access. Provision shall
be made for safe and efficient ingress and egress to and from public
streets and highways serving the residential development, without
causing undue confusion or interference with the normal traffic flow.
(f) Common areas and facilities.
The provision of certain facilities serving the entire development,
such as parking lots, interior pedestrianways, driveways and alleys,
lighting facilities, landscape planting areas, buffers, open space
and recreation facilities, etc., is hereby encouraged. In cases where
they are provided in common areas, provisions satisfactory to the
Board of Supervisors must be made for their perpetual maintenance
and care. The use of these facilities may be restricted to the residents
of the development, where practical, and may be maintained by the
developer, a homeowners' association or a similar entity. In addition
to the foregoing, RUG-2 developments shall provide the following facilities
for the general public:
[1] Bus stop for mass
transit, if on an existing mass transit route, or area set aside for
a future bus stop for mass transit, if none exists; and
[2] Public walkways or
trails connecting the community to surrounding properties and existing
or planned pedestrian circulation systems.
(g) Property maintenance
area. A suitable outdoor area shall be provided on site for the storage
of landscaping, snow removal, and other property-maintenance-related
materials if it is determined that such areas are necessary for the
operation of the use. Such area shall not occupy any required parking
spaces and shall be located screened from view from public roads and
surrounding properties to the extent feasible.
(h) Lighting facilities. Lighting facilities shall be provided as needed and arranged in a manner which will protect the highway and neighboring properties from unreasonable direct glare or hazardous interference of any kind. Lighting facilities shall be required for the safety and welfare of the residents of the development and shall be installed by the developer at his/her expense and shall be in accordance with the provisions of §
270-76 of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of the Township of Upper Providence.
(i) Landscape planting. A
separate landscape plan shall be submitted as part of the land development
approvals, stipulating buffer and street tree landscaping proposed
in connection with the development of RUG-2 residential units.
[1] Shade trees shall be provided along street frontage occupied by an RUG-2 residential development in accordance with the requirements of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of the Township of Upper Providence.
[2] Buffer area. A permanent landscape planting area of at least 25 feet in depth, designed for filtering from view any uses which are adjoining and contiguous to the development, will be provided. In addition, this buffer will be applied to street frontages where the rear of dwellings faces the street. All required buffers shall comply with the evergreen and deciduous percentages of a Type 3 buffer pursuant to §
270-68D(5)(e) of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of the Township of Upper Providence, unless modified by the Board of Supervisors during the land development process.
(j) Design standards. The architectural design standards set forth in §
270-70 shall apply.
(3) Density and dimensional
requirements.
(a) The following maximum
density shall apply in an RUG-2:
[1] For residential dwellings,
the maximum permitted density shall be 12 dwelling units per developable
acre of the lot or parcel being developed with a residential use.
[2] The gross square footage
of all residential uses shall not exceed 40% of the gross square footage
approved on the Master Plan.
(b) Building coverage shall
comply with the underlying district requirement: maximum of 10%.
(c) Impervious coverage shall
comply with the underlying district requirement: maximum of 35%.
(d) All coverages shall be
measured over the entire Master Plan development and not on an individual
lot basis.
(e) Setback from property
lines and streets. A building setback of 75 feet shall be provided
along the right-of-way of any street. A building setback of 100 feet
shall be provided from all other property lines.
(f) Building separation:
[1] A distance of 30 feet
between buildings containing attached dwellings or a distance equal
to the height of the adjacent buildings, whichever is greater.
[2] A setback of 15 feet
from internal private streets and alleys for the front, sides, and
rear of buildings.
[3] A setback of 15 feet
from parking spaces.
[4] A setback of at least
200 feet between any residential use building and any nonresidential
use building.
(g) Building length. The
maximum length of any residential building shall be 160 feet.
D. Plan modifications. The Board of Supervisors may grant modifications from the specific requirements herein, and those of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, provided that the spirit and intent of this article and the statement of community development objectives contained in §
300-2 are observed and that the overall densities specified herein are maintained.
E. A revised Master Plan for the entire development tract shall be submitted as part of the conditional use application in accordance with §
300-456D.
F. In the case of a conflict between the provisions of the Residential Use Group-2 regulations and those of the IO-2 District, or any other provision of this chapter or Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, the provisions of the Residential Use Group-2 shall prevail.