[Amended 2-19-1985 by Ord. No. 246; 9-17-1990 by Ord. No.
301]
In the CRSC Community and Regional Shopping
Center District, a building or group of buildings may be erected,
altered or used and a lot may be used or occupied for any of the following
uses and no other:
A. A community
shopping center incorporating the following uses:
(1) A retail
store, food market, garden shop or personal service shop, excluding
an automobile sales outlet.
(2) A financial institution, studio and office for professional use or general business activity, which shall be subject to and controlled by §§
300-417 through
300-421, contained in the PBO Professional and Business Office District regulations, except that all other requirements of this district which are not specifically addressed in the above-referenced sections shall also apply.
(3) A medical
and dental clinic for the treatment of humans.
(4) A restaurant
(including live entertainment) and catering service, but excluding
the sale of prepared food for consumption in automobiles.
(5) A bakery,
confectionery or custom shop for the production of articles to be
sold at retail, only on the premises, and not employing more than
10 persons at any one time.
(6) A church,
library, post office, educational facility, community center for cultural
or recreational activities, theater for motion picture or stage productions
(excluding an outdoor motion-picture establishment) or assembly hall.
(7) Day-care
center.
[Amended 10-17-2005 by Ord. No. 451]
(8) A passenger
station for public transportation.
(9) Structured
parking for the use of employees and patrons of the proposed shopping
center.
(10) An accessory
use on the same lot with and customarily incidental to any of the
above permitted uses, including activities other than sales and services
and accommodations for watchmen or caretakers.
(11) 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]
(12) Helistop, subject to the provisions of §
300-24 of this chapter.
[Added 8-6-2001 by Ord. No. 405]
(13) Indoor
fitness, recreation, or entertainment use, provided the gross floor
area devoted to said use does not exceed 30,000 square feet.
[Added 11-6-2006 by Ord. No. 468]
B. The following uses, in conjunction with a shopping center development, when authorized as a conditional use by the Board of Supervisors, subject to the specific standards set forth in this article and in §
300-60.
(1) A regional shopping center in accordance with the requirements of §
300-525B and incorporating the uses set forth in this district.
(2) A hotel
or motel, provided that every room shall include a bathroom and each
room and bath shall have a total minimum usable floor area of not
less than 200 square feet.
(3) A gasoline
service station.
(5) A car wash,
provided that no portion of the lot used for washing shall be closer
than 100 feet to an abutting residential or institutional district
boundary line and all washing operations shall be conducted within
an enclosed building or structure.
(6) Any use of the same general character as those uses set forth in Subsection
B(1) through
(5) herein.
(7) Indoor fitness,
recreation, or entertainment use in excess of thirty thousand (30,000)
square feet of gross floor area, provided that parking for said use
is directly accessible from a major internal access drive without
the need for vehicles to traverse intermediate parking fields, and
further provided that additional parking to serve the proposed use
may be required by the Board of Supervisors based upon projected patron
usage to be provided by the applicant at the time of conditional use
application.
[Added 11-6-2006 by Ord. No. 468]
C. 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.
[Added 6-1-1998 by Ord. No. 372]
The following regulations shall apply in the
CRSC District:
A. General regulations.
The following general regulations shall apply for any development
proposal within the CRSC District:
(1) 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. The transfer of ownership, except by mortgage, prior to the commencement of construction shall render the development agreement required in Subsection
A(4) herein void. Said agreement shall then be renegotiable between the new owners and the Board of Supervisors.
[Amended 2-21-1978 by Ord. No. 197; 12-16-1991 by Ord. No.
307]
(2) 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.
(3) Development plan. The application for development shall be accompanied by a plan or plans showing the detailed use of the entire tract, which plan or plans shall comply with all requirements of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, and other applicable ordinances. The plan shall clearly designate the proposed use(s) of each area of the tract.
(4) 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.
(5) Market area study and community impact analysis. Any application for development in the CRSC District or for any request for a rezoning to this district shall be accompanied by a market area study and community impact analysis (see §
300-527 herein) prepared by qualified professional(s). The purposes of these studies are to:
[Amended 12-16-1991 by Ord. No. 307]
(a) Ensure
that the proposed development will be supported by the existing and
expected population growth in the Township and in the Lower Perkiomen
Valley area.
(b) Ensure
that the proposed development will be compatible with the existing
and planned character of the immediate neighborhood and the Township.
(c) Ensure
that the proposed development will not be in conflict with existing
and planned commercial facilities in the immediate neighborhood, the
Township and in adjacent municipalities.
(6) A request
for a CRSC zoning classification of a property shall be accompanied
by a development proposal and plan and by a market area study and
a community impact analysis as above required and in the event that
the proposal involves a regional shopping center, by a request for
a conditional use approval. The Board of Supervisors shall hear and
shall act upon all of the submissions concurrently.
B. Site development
requirements. The development of sites for either a community or regional
shopping center shall comply with the development requirements set
forth on the accompanying chart.
[Added 11-6-2006 by Ord. No. 468; 12-4-2006 by Ord. No.
470]
Site Development Requirements in the CRSC
Community and Regional Shopping Center
District
|
---|
Site Development Requirements
|
Community Shopping Center
|
Regional Shopping Center
|
---|
Minimum tract sizea (acres)
|
10
|
75
|
Minimum gross leasable area (square feet)
|
100,000
|
600,000
|
Minimum frontageb (feet)
|
450
|
600
|
Minimum building setbacksc (feet)
|
1001
|
2501
|
|
752
|
2002
|
|
503
|
1003
|
|
|
1004
|
Minimum parking setbacksd (feet)
|
251
|
501
|
|
502
|
752
|
|
253
|
503
|
|
04
|
04
|
Maximum building coverage
|
25%
|
25%
|
Maximum impervious coveragee
|
80%
|
80%
|
Maximum height (feet)
|
45
|
65
|
NOTES:
|
---|
a
|
Excluding the rights-of-way of existing public
roads.
|
b
|
Measured along the ultimate right-of-way line.
|
c
|
Measured from:
|
|
1
|
The ultimate right-of-way line.
|
|
2
|
An abutting residential or institutional district
boundary line.
|
|
3
|
An abutting commercial or industrial district
boundary line.
|
|
4
|
The ultimate right-of-way line of a limited
access highway (Route 422 Expressway).
|
d
|
Measured from:
|
|
1
|
The ultimate right-of-way line.
|
|
2
|
An abutting residential or institutional district
boundary line.
|
|
3
|
An abutting commercial or industrial district
boundary line.
|
|
4
|
With shared parking and loading facilities.
|
e
|
The total paved and built-up area of a tract.
|
C. Other development
regulations. The following development regulations shall be complied
with for any proposed development within the CRSC District:
(1) Utilities.
All utility lines (electrical, telephone, etc.) shall be placed underground.
(2) Signs. All signs in the CRSC District shall be subject to the requirements of Article
XXXIII, Signs, of this chapter.
(3) Access.
Provision shall be made for safe and efficient ingress and egress
to and from public streets and highways serving the CRSC development
without causing undue confusion or interference with the normal traffic
flow. The Planning Commission, with the advice of the Township Engineer,
shall satisfy itself concerning the adequacy of the thoroughfares
and access points intended to accommodate the traffic generated by
the proposed CRSC development, as well as to the street frontage of
the proposed development.
(4) Lighting facilities. Lighting facilities shall be provided as needed and arranged in a manner which will protect the highway and neighboring properties from unreasonable glare or hazardous interference of any kind and shall be installed in accordance with the provisions of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of the Township, §
270-76.
[Amended 6-3-2002 by Ord. No. 416]
(5) Landscaped planting and buffer areas. Along a side or rear property line which is adjacent to a residential or institutional district, the owner shall place and maintain a Buffer Type 3 as described in §
270-68D(5) of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development.
[Amended 8-1-2011 by Ord. No. 517]
(6) Trash and
refuse areas. The design of buildings in the CRSC District shall include
either a provision for the storage of trash, refuse and garbage inside
the building(s) or within a walled area outside the building(s). The
walls of such a trash and refuse area must shield the trash and refuse
from direct view of any adjacent property and must be at least six
feet in height.
(7) Amenity
areas. The developer shall be encouraged to provide amenity areas
for community or customer use, such as tot-lots, playgrounds, benches,
sitting areas and other services necessary for the comfort and convenience
of the prospective users of the CRSC development.
(8) Off-street parking and loading facilities. A CRSC development shall provide a minimum of 5.5 parking spaces for each 1,000 square feet of gross leasable area (GLA) or fraction thereof. Those uses permitted as conditional uses in §
300-524B herein shall provide parking spaces in accordance with the pertinent requirements of Article
XXXII, Off-Street Parking and Loading, of this chapter. A CRSC development composed of 300,000 square feet of GLA or over, shall provide five parking spaces for each 1,000 square feet of GLA, including the GLA attributable to those uses permitted by conditional use pursuant to §
300-524B, or fraction thereof. Furthermore, all off-street loading facilities shall comply with §
300-581 of Article
XXXII, Off-Street Parking and Loading.
[Amended 2-7-2005 by Ord. No. 448]
(9) Minimum
distance between buildings or building groups. The minimum distance
between a building or group of buildings shall be 25 feet, except
that all structures connected by common roof lines or covered walkways
shall be considered as one building.
All proposals for development within the CRSC District shall comply with the pertinent requirements of Chapter
270, Subdivision and Land Development, concerning nonresidential developments.
The following minimum information shall be contained
in a market area study and a community impact analysis:
A. Market area
study.
(1) A description
of the commercial establishment(s) proposed, the approximate number
of employees anticipated for each establishment and the sales volumes
anticipated for each establishment.
(2) A delineation
of the proposed community or regional market area.
(3) An estimate
of the population and number of households existing now and anticipated
in the next 10 years within the defined community or regional market
area.
(4) Per capita
or household estimates of the demand for the goods and services proposed
for the development and estimates of the total existing and anticipated
demand within the defined community or regional market area for each
proposed good and service.
(5) The location
and size of commercial establishments within or near the defined community
or regional market area.
(6) Estimates
of net customer buying power or net demand for each commercial establishment
in the proposed development.
B. Community impact
analysis.
(1) The conformance
of the proposed development with the Comprehensive Plan of Upper Providence
Township and its compatibility with existing and proposed land uses
adjacent to the site.
(2) The impact
on any existing floodplains, heavily wooded areas, rock outcroppings,
steep slopes and other sensitive natural features, if any.
(3) The impact
on the Township and regional transportation system and the ability
of adjacent streets and intersections to efficiently and safely handle
the traffic generated by the proposed development.
(4) The impact
on public utilities, including but not limited to sewage disposal,
garbage and rubbish disposal, water supply, storm drainage and electric
utilities.
(5) The impact
on the provision of police and fire protection for the proposed development.
(6) The impact
upon the character of the surrounding neighborhood. The applicant
must show that the proposed development will not adversely affect
the neighborhood by reason of noise, odors, smoke or vibration.
The market area study and community impact analysis required in §
300-525A(5) shall be evaluated to determine the appropriateness of the site in question to accommodate the magnitude of commercial development proposed, as well as the impact of the proposed development on the community facilities and services of Upper Providence Township. The following alternative findings shall result from the evaluation process:
A. Evaluations
which lead to an overall negative assessment for a proposed development
shall lead to a denial by the Board.
B. Evaluations
which lead to an overall negative assessment for a proposed development
may lead to a conditional approval by the Board either when the developer
agrees to undertake activities or improvements which will compensate
or correct deficiencies or negative impacts caused by the implementation
of the proposed development or when the developer agrees to implement
the proposed development at a reduced square footage of gross leasable
area, as specified by the Board.
C. Evaluations
which lead to an overall positive or neutral assessment for a proposed
development shall lead to an approval by the Board.