[Amended 12-9-2003 by Ord. No. 03-12]
In expansion of the declaration of legislative intent and statement of community development objectives found in §§ 500-101 and 500-102 of Article I of this chapter, it is the intent of this article to provide regulations to preserve village character in designated areas, while permitting a reasonable variety of land uses in conformance with the goals of the Upper Perkiomen Valley Regional Comprehensive Plan, Open Space and Environmental Resource Protection Plan, and the following objectives:
A.
Encourage the retention of the unique village atmosphere
of the Village of Palm and the area along Route 29 north of Kraussdale
Road by preserving the existing buildings and landscape to the greatest
extent possible and by encouraging infill development of retail, office
and residential uses that are compatible with the historic village
setting in size, scale and architectural character.
B.
Encourage the retention of existing buildings by permitting
a variety of commercial, office and residential uses which are compatible
with the existing structural types, lot sizes and other physical,
visual and historical characteristics of the Village Commercial District.
C.
Permit uses which allow conversion of existing buildings
in a manner which maintains the visual character and architectural
scale of existing development within the district.
D.
Discourage development of strip-type highway-oriented
commercial uses which require incongruous architectural styles, excessive
paved areas and numerous curb cuts.
E.
Encourage the consolidation of driveways, parking
and curb cuts to provide more efficient, economical and safe access
and parking.
F.
Encourage a coordinated pedestrian path system to
provide efficient, pleasant and convenient pedestrian access from
parking areas to and among the various permitted uses.
G.
Minimize visual and functional conflicts between residential
and nonresidential uses within and abutting the district.
H.
Encourage the formation and continuance of an uncongested
environment for business and professional offices intermingled harmoniously
with residences and certain other commercial uses.
I.
Discourage overdevelopment of lots by limiting the
maximum permitted development and the maximum impervious coverage.
J.
Encourage compact development that is served by central
sewer and water services, and encourage extension of such utilities
to serve village areas.
K.
Provide standards and criteria for village commercial
development in appropriate areas of the Township in accordance with
the Upper Perkiomen Valley Regional Comprehensive Plan.
On any lot in the Village Commercial District,
one or a combination of the following uses are permitted:
A.
Business or professional offices, including medical,
dental and other health care offices, veterinary offices (without
boarding facilities), and similar uses.
B.
Public utility, municipal or government offices.
C.
Educational, religious or philanthropic institution.
D.
Personal service shop, including but not limited to
such uses as tailor, barber, beauty salon, dry-cleaning dropoff, and
copy center.
F.
Bank or financial office, without drive-in facilities.
G.
General retail, including uses such as grocery, bakery,
hardware store, drugstore, and similar uses, up to a maximum of 5,000
square feet per use.
H.
Restaurant, cafeteria or tavern, not to include fast-food
or drive-in restaurants.
I.
Small appliance and equipment repair and/or rental.
J.
Studio for art, dance, music, photography, or fitness
facilities that do not require court areas.
K.
Production of crafts, woodworking or similar uses
by artisans, provided that noise levels do not exceed those typical
of permitted uses.
L.
Single-family detached dwelling.
M.
Village house dwelling.
N.
Two-family: twin or duplex.
P.
No-impact home-based business as defined herein, except
that such permission shall not supersede any deed restriction, covenant
or agreement restricting the use of land, nor any master deed, bylaw
or other document applicable to a common-interest-ownership community.
[Added 4-14-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-01]
Q.
Institutional uses, in compliance with Article XXVI, Institutional Use Regulations, of this chapter.
[Added 4-14-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-01]
R.
Multifamily building as defined in § 500-201, subject to the following additional requirements:
[Added 7-12-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-03]
(1)
Each unit, whether residential or nonresidential, is entirely on
one level of the structure.
(2)
Residential units may occupy the same floor as nonresidential uses,
but in such case the residences shall be on one portion of the floor
and not interspersed among nonresidential uses.
(3)
A residential unit must be at least 400 square feet with an additional
100 square feet for each bedroom.
(4)
A nonresidential unit must be at least 500 square feet.
(5)
Maximum allowed density shall be 5.5 units per acre of gross tract
area.
(6)
Multifamily buildings shall comply with the dimensional regulations listed in § 500-1606A(1) through (3) for single-family detached dwellings and § 500-1606C(1) through (5), dimensional regulations applicable to all permitted uses in the VCR Zoning District.
In structures other than those already being
used for such purposes, the following uses are strictly prohibited:
[Amended 6-8-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-06]
Development at village densities requires the
presence of both central sewers and public water. The following exceptions
apply to lots existing prior to the adoption of this chapter.
A.
For lots without public water service:
(1)
Each existing lot may contain a maximum of one
permitted use and one dwelling unit.
(2)
Any additional development may occur at a density
of one dwelling unit per additional two acres or one nonresidential
use per additional acre.
(3)
The applicant shall agree to tie in to central
water service at such time as it becomes available.
B.
For lots without public sewer service:
(1)
Each existing lot may contain a maximum of one
permitted use and one dwelling unit.
(2)
Any additional development may occur at a density
of one dwelling unit or one nonresidential use per additional acre.
(3)
The applicant shall demonstrate to the Township's
satisfaction that an interim individual or community sewage disposal
system meeting all PA DEP and County Health Department standards can
be installed. Existing on-lot systems shall be inspected and certified
as to their satisfactory functioning by the Sewage Enforcement Officer.
Malfunctioning systems shall be replaced with systems designed and
constructed to current standards.
(a)
Deed-restricted adjacent open space may be used
for individual disposal fields or land treatment of effluent, in compliance
with the above standards.
(4)
The applicant shall agree to tie in to public
sewer service at such time as it becomes available.
A.
For residential uses permitted under § 500-1602, the following regulations apply:
[Amended 6-8-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-06; 4-14-2009 by Ord. No.
2009-01]
|
SFD
|
VH
|
Twin/DP
(per DU)
| ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Minimum lot area in square feet
|
10,000
|
6,000
|
5,000
| |
|
Maximum building coverage
|
30%
|
20%
|
35% TW/ 20% DP
| |
|
Maximum impervious surface coverage
|
60%
|
60%
|
60%
| |
|
Minimum lot width
|
60 feet
|
60 feet
|
60 feet
|
(1)
The prevailing setback of the buildings within
200 feet on either side shall apply; provided, however, that all new
buildings shall be located outside of the ultimate right of way. If
no existing buildings are present, the following standards will apply:
(2)
Maximum height: 35 feet; accessory buildings:
15 feet.
(3)
Parking setbacks:
(a)
From street right-of-way: the setback of the
principal building or 25 feet, whichever is greater. No parking shall
be permitted between the front of the principal building and the street
line.
(b)
From rear property lines: 10 feet.
(c)
From side property lines: five feet; however
no setback is required if shared parking is used.
(d)
From buildings: five feet.
B.
C.
For all uses permitted in this district, the following
regulations apply:
(1)
Minimum setback from a zoning district boundary:
25 feet.
(2)
Maximum ground-floor area for any individual
building: 5,000 square feet.
(3)
Maximum length of a building, as measured along
any street: 100 feet.
(4)
Minimum distance between buildings on one lot:
15 feet.
(5)
Outside merchandise displays shall not extend
more than four feet in front of the building and shall not exceed
six feet in height. In no instance shall outside merchandise displays
be located on the sidewalk.
A.
All development in the VCR Village Commercial/Residential
District shall be served by public sewer and water.
[Amended 12-9-2003 by Ord. No. 03-12]
B.
Sufficient off-street loading and unloading facilities
shall be provided which do not conflict with pedestrian or vehicular
movement.
C.
Off-street parking shall be provided in accordance with Article IX of this chapter. The siting of all required parking spaces in the side or rear yard is strongly encouraged and shall not interfere with pedestrian or vehicular movement. No parking areas shall be located in the front yard area of any residential use. No on-street parking will be permitted.
E.
All uses shall be connected by a safe and convenient
pedestrian circulation system, which shall connect buildings with
sidewalks along streets and parking areas, common areas and other
buildings. Pedestrian connections may not be required if the applicant
can show why such connections are impossible.
F.
Safe and convenient vehicular connections between
parking areas on adjacent lots used for nonresidential purposes shall
be required except where impractical because of environmental constraints
(such as steep slopes or mature trees) or other site constraints (such
as existing buildings or structures). Common parking areas serving
two or more lots are strongly encouraged to increase flexibility and
reduce the number of street access points. Each use shall provide
parking to meet the requirements of this chapter. Cross-access easements
shall be provided for all common parking areas.
G.
Trash and refuse shall either be stored inside the
building or within an opaque screened area, located in the rear or
side yards, which shall be at least six feet high or higher if necessary
to screen the trash.
H.
Lighting facilities shall not produce unreasonable
glare or hazardous interference on abutting properties or highways.
I.
Landscaping and buffer requirements:
(1)
All areas of a lot not covered by building and/or
impervious paving materials shall be maintained as landscaped areas
containing trees, shrubs, ground cover vegetation, and lawn areas.
At least 40% of the lot must be landscaped.
(2)
Buffer planting containing hedge, evergreens
and shrubbery or suitable dense vegetation that provides partial visual
screening shall be placed and maintained on:
(a)
Nonresidential properties that abut residential
properties. The buffer shall be provided along each property line
which is adjacent to a residential property.
(b)
Residential properties that have at least three
times as many dwelling units as an abutting residential property.
The buffer shall be provided along each property line which is shared
by these residential properties.
(3)
All material used for the buffer shall meet
the following criteria:
(a)
All evergreen vegetation to be installed shall
not be less than three feet in height at the time of planting and
shall be of such species that expected height of maturity shall not
be less than 12 feet.
(b)
All deciduous material to be installed shall
not be less than two inches in caliper.
(c)
All plant material shall be guaranteed for two
years. All plant material which dies within that time shall be replaced
by the applicant at his cost.
J.
Additional regulations for uses with drive-in (drive-through)
facilities.
[Amended 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01]
The following standards are recommended as guidelines
for all permitted uses.
A.
Existing buildings, especially those built prior to
1940 and contributing to the historic character of the village, should
be retained where possible. Front and side building facades and front
porches, if any, should be preserved.
B.
Additions to existing buildings or new buildings on
a lot should be located to the rear or side, where possible, and should
be compatible with the existing building in the following respects:
(1)
Height, proportion and scale (relation of the
building height to width).
(2)
Bulk and general massing (i.e., are surrounding
buildings simple and box-like in shape or articulated by porches,
turrets and bay windows?).
(3)
Materials, colors and textures of buildings
and signage. In general, natural materials such as stone, brick, wood
siding, shingles, slate, etc. are preferred to industrial or artificial
materials such as raw concrete, anodized or galvanized metal, tinted
glass, plastics, vinyls, etc.
(4)
Any fire escapes or similar features not part
of the original building shall be at the rear of the property.
C.
The applicant shall submit sufficient information
in the form of architectural elevations or sketches of building additions,
restorations or new buildings in order to determine to what extent
the design guidelines are being followed.
D.
In order to facilitate traffic circulation, all parking
areas for a proposed use should be directly connected to nonresidential
parking areas on adjacent lots. If a connection cannot be made when
the proposed use is constructed, a driveway may be provided extending
to the adjacent property line in a location where a future connection
can be made. Cross-easements between properties should be provided
where necessary.
B.
For developing shared driveway access with an abutting
lot, the area of the shared driveway (but not the surrounding parking
area) shall be exempted from impervious. The bonus shall apply to
each lot; if only one lot is being developed, a cross-easement to
an abutting lot or lots shall be offered and recorded on the plan
of the first lot. To use this bonus, no additional driveways shall
be permitted to access either lot from an arterial street. Additional
driveways may be permitted off a side street or service road.
C.
The following elements are encouraged and shall be
exempted from impervious coverage limitations:
(1)
Driveway connections between nonresidential
parking areas.
(2)
For properties fronting arterial streets, construction
of a portion of a rear service road for access to more than one property.
(3)
Pedestrian pathways linking neighboring properties
and between the rear of a property and the street frontage.
(4)
Plazas and courtyards open to the general public,
provided that at least 30% of the area is landscaped.
[Amended 1-8-2002 by Ord. No. 02-03; 4-4-2002 by Ord. No. 02-08]
