The purpose of this district is to:
A.
Recognize
and preserve the character of areas that have been developed residentially
in relatively large lots.
B.
Steer
more dense growth away from the RR District and to areas closer to
community facilities and services.
C.
Recognize
and accommodate the limited sewage capacity presently available to
the Township.
Only the following uses are permitted by right in the RR District; provided that the requirements for specific uses in Article XX are met:
A.
The following principal uses:
B.
The following accessory uses, within the requirements of § 275-190:
Only the following uses are permitted by special exception in the RR District; provided that the requirements for specific uses in Article XX are met:
Only the following uses are permitted conditional uses in the RR District, provided the requirements for specific uses in Article XX are met:
Lot and setback regulations for uses in the RR District shall be as follows; unless a more restrictive requirement is stated in Article XX for a particular use or elsewhere in this chapter. See definitions of these terms in Article II.
A.
Lot area.
(1)
For a single-family detached dwelling with public
water and public sewer service: 21,000 square feet minimum.
B.
Minimum lot depth: 150 feet.
C.
Minimum lot width: 125 feet at the minimum front yard
setback line and 50 feet at the street right-of-way, except:
(1)
The minimum lot width at the minimum front yard setback
line shall be increased to 150 feet if a lot area of one acre or more
is required.
(2)
The minimum lot width at the right-of-way line shall
be increased to 200 feet for any use with a driveway entering directly
onto an arterial or connector street.
D.
Maximum lot coverage: 20% for buildings, 40% for all
impervious surfaces.
E.
Minimum front yard setbacks.
(1)
Principal and accessory structures: 50 feet. For a lot approved prior to this chapter being adopted, see § 275-171B(6).
(2)
Variation. Up to 50% of the principal residential
buildings may be located up to five feet forward of the front yard
building setback line; provided that an equal or greater number of
principal residential buildings in the same stage of construction
and on the same street will be five feet or greater behind the front
yard building setback line. This variation shall only be permitted
if approved at the time of the approval of the subdivision plan.
F.
Minimum side yard setback.
(1)
Principal
building: 20 feet for each of two side yards and a minimum total of
50 feet for the two side yards combined.
(2)
Accessory
structures: 10 feet minimum for each side yard.
(3)
See Subsection J. For corner lots, see § 275-171B(3).
H.
Setback from an expressway.
(1)
Applicability. This set back applies to any building
that includes a dwelling unit. The setback shall be required from
the existing right-of-way line of an existing expressway or the proposed
right-of-way of an expressway based upon a completed final environmental
impact statement or more up-to-date official PennDOT mapping.
(2)
This set back shall be 120 feet, except that the setback
shall be reduced to 60 feet if one of the following conditions are
met:
(a)
Proof of lack of noise nuisance. The applicant
proves to the satisfaction of the Board of Commissioners, based upon
reviews by the Township Engineer and the Planning Commission, through
a professional acoustical study that the average noise level at any
proposed residential footprint would be less than 62 A-weighted decibels
between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. In the case of an expressway
proposed on the official PennDOT plans, this shall be projected for
after completion of the expressway.
(b)
Noise barrier. The applicant provides an earth
berm or other acoustic barrier meeting the following standards:
[1]
The berm or barrier shall meet relevant standards
of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration or the Pennsylvania Department
of Transportation for an acoustic barrier.
[2]
The applicant shall prove to the satisfaction
of the Board of Commissioners that the design of the barrier or berm
would be compatible with a residential area.
[3]
The berm or barrier shall average six feet in
height unless a professional acoustic study recommends another height.
[4]
Adequate provisions shall be made by the developer
for the ownership and maintenance of the barrier or berm.
[5]
The berm or barrier shall be provided between
the existing or proposed right-of-way of the expressway and the proposed
location of dwellings.
[6]
Any earth berm shall be covered with an all-season
ground cover that is easy to maintain.
[7]
Any berm or barrier shall be well-landscaped
with evergreen trees or shrubs in compliance with a landscape plan
approved by the Board of Commissioners.
[8]
Maximum side slopes of any earth berm shall
be 2.5 to one.
I.
Maximum height: 3 1/2 stories or 35 feet, whichever
is less.
J.
Minimum setback from industrial districts. For any
new principal residential building from the zoning boundary of a GI,
OB, LI or LI(P) District: 100 feet.
L.
Minimum width of dwellings. Each building containing
one or more dwelling units shall have a minimum building width and
a minimum building length each of 16 feet.
A.
Intent. The intent of this section is to:
(1)
Recognize
that accident-prone intersections exist in the Township, including
many recognized in the Township Comprehensive Plan.
(2)
Seek
a cost-effective method of realigning and widening these intersections.
(3)
Recognize
that certain residentially-zoned lots along arterial streets could
be suitable for limited commercial uses if the adjacent intersection
would be significantly improved.
B.
Accident-prone intersection. This term is defined
to mean an intersection of an arterial street with another public
street where the applicant proves (using evidence from official Township
Police records) that a minimum of eight accidents occurred that were
reported to the Township Police and that at least three of these accidents
were required to be reported to the State Police by the Township.
These accidents shall be limited to those that occurred within a period
of 24 consecutive months within a maximum of 36 months prior to the
application. This shall include accidents at or within approximately
100 feet of the intersection.
C.
Certified improvement. This term is defined to mean
an improvement to an "accident-prone intersection" that an applicant
agrees to formally commit to as a condition to any granting of a conditional
use. This shall only include an improvement that the Board of Commissioners
determines would substantially increase the safety of vehicular traffic
through that intersection. The applicant shall provide a professional
traffic study to aid the Board of Commissioners in its determination.
The Township Engineer also shall be requested to provide advice to
the Board of Commissioners, as well as PennDOT if the improvement
would involve a state street.
(1)
A certified improvement shall include the following,
at a minimum:
(a)
Dedication of sufficient land to the state or
Township to result in adequate right-of-way or a significant and needed
realignment of an intersection. This shall not include any right-of-way
dedication that would otherwise be required to be made by the applicant
under Township ordinances.
(2)
This right-of-way shall be dedicated free and clear
of any buildings and shall include a minimum of 1,000 square feet
of land. Also to qualify, the land shall be dedicated without cost
to the Township or the state.
(3)
Reversion. The dedicator of the right-of-way may limit
the dedication to transportation purposes only and may reserve a right
of reversion of any portion of the dedicated property used for any
non-transportation purposes.
(4)
Off-site credit. The fair market value of any land
dedication under this section at the time of dedication shall serve
as a credit towards any cost of any off-site impact fees or required
off-site improvement costs (not including review fees) that the applicant
might otherwise be required to pay to the Township related to the
subject property.
D.
Additional uses permitted. If an applicant agrees
to formally commit to a certified improvement of an accident-prone
intersection, any one of the following uses may be developed by the
applicant or his/her designee on only one lot that abuts the accident-prone
intersection. These uses are permitted, provided that the Board of
Commissioners approves the use as a conditional use, subject to the
standards for approval of a conditional use:
(1)
Office, including only one establishment, employing
a maximum of 10 persons on the lot at any one moment in time, and
with a maximum building floor area of 5,000 square feet; or
(2)
Retail store, including only one establishment, employing
a maximum of five persons on the lot at any moment in time, and with
a maximum building floor area of 8,000 square feet. The nature of
the retail sales shall be approved by the Board of Commissioners as
part of the conditional use, and may include different seasonal sales
over different seasons.
E.
Lot and setback regulations. If a conditional use is approved under this section, all of the regulations that would normally apply to a use in the NC Neighborhood Commercial District shall apply, in place of the requirements of the residential district in which the lot is located. This specifically includes buffer yard provisions and the nonconforming provisions of § 275-176. However, the list of uses and the sign regulations of the NC District shall not apply.
F.
New hazards. The conditional use shall not be granted
if the new use would worsen traffic hazards in the vicinity.
G.
Compatibility. The applicant shall show that the use
would be compatible to any adjacent residential properties.
H.
Signs. The sign requirements that would otherwise apply to a special exception use in a residential district shall apply (see § 275-162).
I.
Access. Any access onto an arterial street from a
commercial use permitted by this section shall be limited by signs
and physical design to only right-hand turns in and out.
