[Amended 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01]
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 for light industrial development that are generally consistent with the goals and recommendations of the Upper Perkiomen Valley Regional Comprehensive Plan, the Upper Hanover Township Open Space and Environmental Resource Protection Plan Update (2006), or any successor plan thereto, and the following objectives:
A. Promote development of a broad range of employment-oriented
manufacturing, research and development, laboratory and office uses
on individual lots and in planned industrial/office centers.
B. Apply strict performance standards to limit potential
pollution and other adverse environmental effects and minimize vehicular,
fire and safety hazards resulting from permitted development.
C. Confine traffic impacts to major roads by taking vehicular
access only from arterial and collector roads and by using railroad
freight access to further reduce impact on area roads.
D. Establish flexible lotting standards and operational,
dimensional and landscaping standards to minimize adverse impacts
on surrounding uses and natural features and to encourage superior
site design.
E. Provide reasonable standards for the height and bulk
of all buildings and other industrial, office and other structures
and for the dimensions of yards and open spaces to make development
more compatible with the rural character of the area.
The following uses are permitted in the LI Light
Industrial District:
A. Light industrial.
(1)
Manufacturing and processing.
(2)
Scientific or industrial research, product development,
or engineering facilities.
(3)
Printing, publishing, lithography and similar
processes.
(4)
Warehousing, storage or wholesale business located
within a building as a principal use and/or distribution of products
or materials, including transportation depot and truck terminals.
(5)
Recycling facilities, limited to collection,
separation, storage, baling and shipping.
(6)
Accessory uses customarily incidental to the
uses listed above.
B. Offices, services and other nonindustrial businesses.
(1)
Corporate headquarters, administrative offices
and buildings.
(2)
Business, professional, medical and/or dental
offices.
(3)
Veterinary hospitals and adjunct facilities,
including kennels.
(4)
Training facilities, technical schools.
(5)
Nursery school, preschool or day-care centers.
(6)
Emergency services (fire, ambulance and police).
(7)
Self-service storage facilities in compliance with §
500-835 of this chapter.
[Amended 9-13-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-10]
(8)
Radio or television studios and transmission
facilities.
(9)
Electric, telephone or gas distribution facilities
and/or transmission lines.
(10)
Wireless telecommunications facilities in compliance with §
500-833 of this chapter.
(11)
Public or private sewer and/or water utilities,
including treatment facilities.
(12)
Large-scale indoor commercial recreation facilities,
such as bowling alleys, tennis and racket clubs, skating rinks, fitness
centers, and/or outdoor nonmotorized sports facilities.
(13)
Small-scale electrical-power-generating facilities, maximum 100 megawatts, by conditional use in compliance with §
500-1806 herein.
(14)
Accessory uses customarily incidental to the
uses listed above.
C. Other uses.
(2)
Institutional uses, in compliance with Article
XXVI, Institutional Use Regulations, of this chapter.
(3)
Recreational uses, in compliance with Article
XXVII, Open Space and Outdoor Recreation Regulations, of this chapter.
(4)
Accessory uses customarily incidental to the
uses listed above.
D. Uses of similar character. Uses of similar character to those listed in Subsections
A,
B and
C may be permitted by conditional use only when evidence is provided to the Board of Supervisors sufficient to prove that the proposed operations, magnitude of development, and effects on the environment and vehicular traffic will be essentially the same as those of uses specifically identified above.
The following dimensional standards shall apply
to all subdivision and/or land development proposals and other construction
and uses classified herein:
A. Conventional subdivision. For tracts proposed for
standard or conventional subdivision, or for development without subdivision,
the standards of the table below shall apply.
B. Planned industrial/office parks. For tracts proposed
as integrated or planned industrial and/or office parks or centers,
the standards of the table below shall apply. Development proposed
under this category shall satisfy the standards for planned industrial/office
park of the table below, whether done as part of the original proposal
or at a later date.
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Table of Standards
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Conventional Subdivision
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Planned Industrial/Office Park
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Minimum lot area
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2 acres
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1 acre; with an average of 1.5 acres
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Minimum lot width at the building line:
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On roads internal to a subdivision
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225 feet
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150 feet
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On roads external to a subdivision
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350 feet
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Not permitted
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Minimum building setbacks measured from:
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Ultimate right-of-way line
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65 feet
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50 feet
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An abutting residential or institutional district
boundary line or a property line of such a use
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100 feet
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75 feet
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An abutting commercial or industrial use property
line or district boundary line
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50 feet
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30 feet
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Minimum parking, driveway and/or loading setbacks
measured from:
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Ultimate right-of-way line
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65 feet
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50 feet
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An abutting residential or institutional district
boundary line or a property line of such a use
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100 feet
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100 feet
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An abutting commercial or industrial use property
line or district boundary line
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25 feet
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25 feet
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Maximum building coverage per lot
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35%
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45%
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Maximum impervious coverage per lot
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50%
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65%
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C. Building height.
[Amended 8-8-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-02]
(1)
The height of a structure shall be determined in accordance with §
500-832.
(2)
The maximum height of a building is 40 feet, excluding mechanical
penthouses the height of which are determined with reference to the
International Building Code. Any building height in excess of 40 feet
requires conditional use approval by the Board of Supervisors. In
considering an application for conditional use related to building
height, the Board of Supervisors shall consider the following factors:
(a)
The nature of the building itself and the extent to which it
is consistent or inconsistent with the landscape and structures in
the vicinity of it;
(b)
The height of other buildings in the area;
(c)
The proximity of residences and the extent to which the height
of the building diminishes the quality of life for those residing
in proximity to the building, also considering topography and the
extent to which the building is visible from nearby residences;
(d)
Whether the building will include a mechanical penthouse that
is excluded from the definition of building height;
(e)
The extent to which the requirements, standards or common practices
associated with a particular proposed use require a building that
is more than 40 feet tall;
(f)
Whether the increased building height will increase the impact
of the use of the building with respect to noise, traffic volume,
light spillover, or similar community impacts.
All development and utilization of property and improvements thereon in the LI District shall comply with all other relevant development regulations in this chapter found in Article
VIII, General Regulations; Article
IX, Off-Street Parking; Article
X, Signs; Article
XXVIII, Noise Control; and the following standards:
A. Performance standards. All development proposed and/or utilized in the LI Light Industrial District shall conform to the performance standards contained in §
500-817 of this chapter.
B. Parking and loading areas.
(1)
No parking or loading areas shall be permitted
to be located between a building permitted by this district and a
property line of a lot used for residential or institutional purposes.
(2)
No loading areas shall be permitted to be located
between a building permitted by this district and an ultimate right-of-way
of a street except for local access streets when both sides of the
local access street are zoned LI Light Industrial District.
(3)
When parking is located closer to a road ultimate
right-of-way than the front, side or rear of the building, the parking
shall occupy no more than 50% of the lot area between the building
and the ultimate right-of-way.
C. Electrical power. Every use shall be so designed and operated so that the service lines, substations, etc. shall conform to the most acceptable safety requirements recognized by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Labor and Industry; shall be so constructed, installed, etc. as to be an integral part of the architectural features of the plant; or if visible from abutting residential properties, shall be concealed in accordance with the landscaping requirements in Chapter
425, Subdivision and Land Development.
D. Public water service. Industrial uses shall be served
by public water where available. Water shall be supplied from on-lot
wells only after an approved or accepted geologic study furnished
by the applicant, and certified by a professional geologist, that
the underground water supply and levels will not be appreciably altered
in such a way as to endanger the water level and supply for other
properties. All water resources shall be approved by the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection and may be subject to review
and approval by the Delaware River Basin Authority (DRBA).
E. Landscaped buffers and screens. Landscaped buffers and/or screens shall be installed and maintained within a strip a minimum of 50 feet wide when a light industrial use abuts a residential or institutional use or district and 25 feet wide when abutting a nonresidential use or district. Landscaped buffers and screens shall comply with standards of Chapter
425, Subdivision and Land Development.
F. Reservation of trail corridors. When an LI District
property contains or abuts a watercourse or utility transmission line,
a minimum fifty-foot-wide corridor shall be reserved to permit a potential
trail interconnection with other existing or proposed trails in the
area consistent with the recommendations of the Upper Hanover Township
Open Space and Environmental Resource Protection Plan Update (2006),
or any successor plan thereto, and the Upper Perkiomen Valley Regional
Comprehensive Plan. The fifty-foot width may include the area comprising
the watercourse or utility easement. At the time of preliminary plan
approval, the applicant shall show a specific location or add a note
regarding a generalized easement on the applicant's plans, subject
to approval by the Board of Supervisors.
[Amended 2-13-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01]
Subdivision and development of planned office
and/or industrial parks shall comply with the following:
A. External access. The tract must have direct access
to an arterial or major collector street, or the applicant shall upgrade
the connecting local street to meet major collector street standards.
B. Internal access. All building lots shall have direct
access to interior roads rather than to exterior streets, although
emergency access to exterior streets may be permitted where no other
alternatives are feasible.
C. Land development plan required. A land development
plan shall be submitted for Township review for each lot that is proposed
for development.
D. Unified standards. The development shall be designed
with unified standards for landscaping, lighting and access to interior
roads. These standards shall be submitted in the form of restrictive
covenants that shall be binding upon developers of individual lots.
E. Development agreement. A development agreement shall
be executed between the applicant and the Township for development
of the entire park, including, but not limited to, the following:
(1)
Generalized internal road layout and access
points to surrounding roads, on-site and off-site road improvements.
(2)
Stormwater management facilities.
(3)
Existing landscape material and other natural
amenities to be protected.
(4)
Standards for landscaping, lighting and access
to interior roads.
F. Reduction of setback requirements. In order to permit
more efficient use of lot areas and improvements built thereon, side
yard and rear yard setback requirements may be reduced by the Board
of Supervisors by conditional use under the following conditions:
(1)
Where the side or rear lot lines involved are
new lot lines totally within the tract being subdivided; this does
not apply to the perimeter of a tract being subdivided.
(2)
Where the result is shared parking and/or loading
areas and/or attachment of buildings on abutting lots by means of
a party wall(s).
(3)
Where the owners of the abutting lots agree
in writing to the reduction and provide cross-easements, where appropriate.
(4)
On any lot, only one side yard and/or the rear
yard requirements may be reduced, and then only in correspondence
with the immediately abutting side and/or rear yard of an abutting
lot.
(5)
Access to all sides of buildings so attached
must be provided for emergency vehicles, in compliance with applicable
Township requirements.
Plans for subdivision and/or land development in the LI Light Industrial District shall be submitted for review in compliance with Article
III of Chapter
425, Subdivision and Land Development. This shall include submittal of sketch plans for expansion of existing development to determine the level of review required. In addition to the SALDO requirements such plans shall include the following:
A. Architectural plans and elevations for any proposed
buildings.
B. A description of existing and proposed equipment,
processes and products, with engineering and architectural plans in
sufficient detail to describe the production and control of effects
regulated by the standards of this chapter.
C. Engineering and architectural plans, including completed
DEP planning modules, for the treatment and disposal of sewage and
industrial waste.
D. Designation of any fuels or potentially toxic or hazardous
matter to be utilized and measures proposed to control access to,
combustion of, and emissions from those materials.
E. The proposed number of shifts to be worked, and the
maximum number of employees on each shift.
F. An environmental assessment statement in accordance with the provisions of §
500-820 of this chapter, unless deemed unnecessary by the Board of Supervisors and/or Township Planning Commission.
G. Environmental Protection plans and narrative as required in §
500-819 of this chapter (§
500-819B).
H. Letters or certificates of approval showing compliance
with applicable state and/or federal and other legal requirements.
I. Any other pertinent data or evidence that the Planning
Commission may require.
The following standards and criteria shall be
satisfied to allow a small-scale electrical-power-generating facility
to be developed by conditional use within the LI Light Industrial
District.
A. Minimum lot area: 108,900 square feet (2.5 acres).
B. Minimum lot width and depth: 250 feet each.
C. Minimum setback for buildings or other structures:
50 feet from all property lines.
D. Maximum impervious coverage: 65% when needed to allow
water storage tanks sufficient to serve both the electrical-generating
needs and the public water supplier.
E. Locational criteria.
(1)
Minimum distance between the buildings, structures
and/or equipment used for electrical generation and any dwelling located
on a parcel used exclusively or zoned for residential purposes: 500
feet.
(2)
Small-scale electrical-generating facilities
shall be located in close proximity to an existing electrical substation
where convenient access is available to a natural gas supply pipeline.
F. Operational criteria.
(1)
Maximum generating capacity: 100 megawatts.
(2)
Type of facility: Peak-time or peaking generation
facility, generally operated only during periods of excess demand
for electrical power or under emergency circumstances.
(3)
Processing water. A public water supply must
be used, designed with the capability of providing storage capacity
for the public water supplier.
The following uses are specifically prohibited
in the LI Light Industrial District and, by reference, prohibited
in the LIC Light Industrial and Limited Commercial Districts 1 and
2:
A. Outdoor storage businesses as defined in §
500-1902B(3). Outdoor storage associated with self-service storage facilities as regulated in this chapter is not included.
[Amended 9-13-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-10]
B. Solid waste disposal facilities (except recycling
facilities limited to collection, separation, storage, baling and
shipping).
D. Any use of similar character to permitted uses that cannot be made to conform to the dimensional standards of this district; performance standards of §
500-817 of this chapter; and/or the noise control standards of Article
XXVIII of this chapter.
E. Any other use which is or may be noxious or offensive
by reason of odor, dust, fumes, smoke, gas, vibration, illumination
or noise or harmful radiation, or which is or may be dangerous to
the public health, safety or welfare, or which otherwise constitutes
a public hazard.
F. The following uses:
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Abbattoirs
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Acetylene gas manufacture
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Acid manufacture
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Ammonia, bleaching powder or chlorine manufacture
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Arsenal
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Asphalt manufacture or refining
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Blast or reverbatory foundry
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Breweries
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Celluloid manufacture
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Cement manufacture, including cement or concrete
mixing plant, lime, gypsum, plaster, or plaster of paris manufacture
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Coke ovens
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Cork manufacture
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Creosote treatment or manufacture
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Dead animal and offal reduction
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Disinfectant manufacture
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Emery cloth and sandpaper manufacture
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Fat rendering; manufacturing of vegetable, animal
or mineral fats and oils
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Fertilizer manufacture
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Fireworks or explosive manufacture or storage
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Fish smoking or curing
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Flour mill
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Foundry, forge plant
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Glue, size, or gelatin manufacture
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Oil or rubbed goods manufacture
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Ore reduction
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Paint, shellac, varnish, lacquer manufacture
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Plating works
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Potash works
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Power forge (riveting, hammering, punching,
chipping, drawing, rolling, or tumbling of iron, steel, brass or copper,
except as a necessary and minor incident to other manufacture, and
which are conducted without objectionable noise or vibration)
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Pyroxylin manufacture
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Quarrying or removal of soil or mineral deposits
in any form, including blasting operations
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Rubber, caoutchouc or gutta-percha manufacture
or treatment, tire recapping or vulcanizing
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Sauerkraut manufacture
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Shoeblacking manufacture
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Smelters
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Soap and detergent manufacture
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Soda and compound manufacture
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Steel furnace, blooming or rolling mill
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Stockyards
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Tallow, grease or lard manufacture or refining
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Tanning, curing or storage of leather, rawhides
or skins
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Tar distillation or manufacture
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Vinegar manufacture
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Wool pulling or scouring
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