[Amended 12-3-1991 by Ord. HR-187; 5-1-2006 by Ord. No. HR-252]
This chapter shall be known as and may be cited as the "Tredyffrin Township Zoning Ordinance of 1939."
A. 
Purposes. This chapter is enacted to promote, protect and facilitate any or all of the following:
(1) 
The public health, safety, morals and the general welfare; coordinated and practical community development and proper density of population; airports and national defense facilities; the provision of adequate light and air, access incident to solar energy, police protection, vehicle parking and loading facilities, transportation, water, sewerage, schools, recreational facilities and public grounds; the provision of a safe, reliable and adequate water supply for domestic, commercial, agricultural or industrial use and other public requirements; as well as preservation of the natural, scenic and historic assets in the environment and preservation of forests, wetlands, aquifers and floodplains.
(2) 
To prevent one or more of the following: overcrowding of land, blight, danger or congestion in travel and transportation and loss of health, life or property from fire, flood, panic or other dangers.
(3) 
To provide for the use of land within the Township for residential housing of various dwelling types encompassing all basic forms of housing, including single-family and two-family dwellings, and a reasonable range of multifamily dwellings in various arrangements, mobile homes and mobile home parks; provided, however, that this chapter shall not be deemed invalid for the failure to provide for any other specific dwelling type.
(4) 
To accommodate reasonable overall community growth, including population and employment growth, and opportunities for development of a variety of residential dwelling types and nonresidential uses.
B. 
Community development objectives. The community development objectives which provide the basis for zoning policy are the planning objectives included in the Comprehensive Plan of Tredyffrin Township, as amended, and additional objectives as have been added by amendment to this chapter, as follows:
(1) 
To encourage and provide for the development and maintenance of attractive, healthy, safe and stable residential areas; to provide for the development of diversified residential environments allowing for a sufficient choice among housing types and the changing needs of a maturing and expanding community.
(2) 
To assure the adequate and convenient provision of public and private supporting services and facilities essential to the development and needs of a growing and well-rounded community.
(3) 
To capitalize on Tredyffrin's unique geographic position and relationship to major rail and highway facilities by encouraging and providing for compatible industrial, research and development, commercial and office uses.
(4) 
To protect areas with special aesthetic, scenic or other natural qualities and features, for purposes of visual amenity and recreation, adequate drainage, soil stabilization, protection of water resources and other conservation requirements and to assure that all development which occurs in or near historic areas takes adequate account of and recognizes the heritage and the many historical elements and features of the Township. In addition to the foregoing, specific objectives relative to preservation of natural features are:
(a) 
To preserve the natural amenities of the Township.
(b) 
To protect and conserve groundwater and surface water resources.
(c) 
To minimize soil erosion and sedimentation.
(d) 
To maintain adequate foliage and vegetative cover to control problems of flooding, soil erosion, air and noise pollution; to protect natural vegetation and wildlife habitat, especially Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI) sites identified in the Chester County Natural Areas Inventory of 2000; to preserve vegetation for its scenic and aesthetic value.
(e) 
To protect residents of the Township from property damage and personal injury caused by runoff, erosion, landslides and flooding caused by nearby development.
(5) 
To encourage development patterns which will minimize future operating and capital expenditure requirements, including consideration of imaginative and innovative approaches to the development of the Township so as to achieve an overall environment of quality, harmony, variety and interest.
(6) 
To provide for a street and transportation system that will move people and goods safely and efficiently.
(7) 
To assure consistency with multimunicipal and county comprehensive plans.
In interpreting and applying the provisions of this chapter, they shall be held to be the minimum requirements for the promotion of the health, safety and morals and general welfare of the Township.
It is not intended by this chapter to interfere with or abrogate or annul any rules, regulations or permits previously issued thereunder and not in conflict with any of the provisions of this chapter. When this chapter imposes a greater restriction upon the use of buildings or premises or upon the height of a building or requires larger open spaces than are imposed or required by such rules, regulations or permits, the provisions of this chapter shall prevail.
Should any section or provision of this chapter be declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of this chapter as a whole or of any other part thereof.