This chapter shall be known and shall be cited as the London Grove Township Zoning Ordinance of 2017, as amended to date.
1.
This chapter is designed and intended:
A.
To promote, protect and facilitate the public health, safety, general welfare, coordinated and practical community development, proper density of population, civil defense, disaster evacuation, national defense facilities, the provisions of adequate light and air, police protection, vehicle parking and loading space, transportation, water and sewage facilities, schools, public grounds and other public requirements; as well as:
B.
To prevent overcrowding of land, blight, danger and congestion in travel and transportation, loss of health, life or property from fire, flood, panic or other dangers.
C.
To preserve prime agriculture and farmland, considering topography, soil type and classification and present use.
2.
Towards these ends, this chapter is in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan of London Grove Township with consideration for the character of the township, its various parts and the suitability of the various parts for particular uses and structures.
The provisions of this chapter shall be held as the minimum requirements for the promotion of the aforementioned purposes and objectives.
From and after the effective date of this chapter, use of all land, every building or portion of a building erected, altered in respect to height or area, added to or relocated, and every use hereafter established with any building or use accessory thereto in the Township of London Grove shall be in conformity with the provisions of this chapter. Any building, structure or use of a building or land lawfully existing at the effective date of this chapter, which is not in conformity herewith, may be continued, extended or changed only in accordance with the regulations herein contained relating to nonconforming buildings, uses, structures and lots and not otherwise.
It is not intended by this chapter to repeal, abrogate, annul or interfere with any existing ordinance or enactment or with any rule, regulation or permit adopted or issued thereunder, except insofar as the same may be inconsistent or in conflict with any of the provisions of this chapter. To the extent possible, this chapter and every other ordinance of London Grove Township shall be construed together and conflicts resolved in accordance therewith but, where conflicts are otherwise irreconcilable, the more stringent provision shall be deemed to prevail.
The zoning ordinance of 1974, including the codification of amendments in 2016 and all amendments of London Grove Township to the zoning ordinance of 1974, up to the date of this adoption shall be and hereby are repealed.
1.
The community development objectives, being more fully set forth in the London Grove Township Comprehensive Plan, as amended, are as follows:
A.
Guiding and encouraging the future development of London Grove Township in accordance with the comprehensive planning of the land use and population density that represents the most beneficial and convenient relationship among agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial and other areas within the township having regard to their suitability for the various uses appropriate to each of them and their potentiality for such uses.
B.
Protecting the character and social and economic stability of the township as a whole and of each of the various use areas and encouraging orderly and beneficial growth.
C.
Protecting and conserving the value of land and buildings throughout the township appropriate to the various uses proposed.
D.
Bringing about through proper timing the gradual conformity of land use to the comprehensive plan and minimizing conflicts among users of land and buildings.
E.
Aiding in providing a guide for public policy and action in the efficient provision of public facilities and services; in the provision of safe and proper sanitary sewage disposal; establishing and regulating flood hazard areas for maximum protection to persons and property, as well as soils, vegetation and groundwater supply; guiding private enterprise in building development, investment and other economic activities related to land use.
F.
Aiding in bringing about the most beneficial relationship between land use and circulation of traffic throughout the township, having particular regard to traffic and to the avoidance of congestion in the roads, and the provision of safe and convenient access appropriate to the various land uses.
G.
Protecting, preserving, and maintaining the essential rural character of London Grove Township, conserving as a public trust the agricultural economy upon which the township is based.
H.
Preserving farmland and encouraging the development of agriculture, and preserving lands particularly well-suited thereto.
I.
Insuring that each use within a district is environmentally compatible with its surrounding uses and reducing the potential for incompatible uses to the greatest extent permitted by law.
J.
Providing for the reasonable needs and all reasonable uses within the township and insuring that the location, construction, maintenance and operation of adjacent units do not detract from the peaceful enjoyment of surrounding uses or impair the public health, safety, or welfare.
K.
Preserving, to the greatest extent compatible with reasonable use of land, the forest, watercourses, slopes and other natural features from damage, injury or destruction by adjacent incompatible uses.
L.
Encouraging developments in areas of moderate slope and non-agricultural soils in order to retain the dedication of prime farmland to agricultural uses.
M.
Providing reasonable facilities and infrastructure to meet the needs of the residents, occupants and commerce of London Grove Township including, but not limited to, such facilities as adequate roads, parks, playgrounds, sewage and water facilities.
N.
Providing reasonable, affordable and adequate housing of the widest variety and selection to present and future residents of London Grove Township.
1.
For the purpose of this chapter, London Grove Township is hereby divided into nine types of zoning districts, which shall be designated as follows:
Any territory hereinafter added to the township by annexation shall be considered to be zoned and lying within the Agricultural Preservation District (AP), unless the annexation ordinance or an amendment to this chapter establishes a different zoning district.
[Ord. No. 226, 8/9/2023]
The boundaries of said district shall be as shown upon the map made a part of this chapter, which shall be designated the Zoning Map of London Grove Township. The said map, and, all notations, references and other things shown thereon, shall be made a part of this chapter as if the matters and things shown by said map were all fully described herein. An official zoning map shall be established and, as amended from time to time, continuously maintained in the office of the Township of London Grove, where the same may be examined during regular business hours.
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Editor's Note: The Zoning Map is included as an attachment to this chapter.
The boundaries between districts are, unless otherwise indicated, either the center line of streets or railroad rights-of-way or such lines extended, or parallel thereto, or property boundaries and extensions thereof, from the township property tax map in use at the enactment of this chapter. Where figures are shown on the zoning map between a street and a district boundary line, they indicate the district boundary line runs parallel to the right-of-way line at a distance therefrom equal to the number of feet so indicated.