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Township of Bethlehem, PA
Northampton County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (4) Index
The purpose of this district is to:
A. 
Provide for the orderly expansion of areas that offer residential neighborhoods at a medium density.
B. 
Carefully control the types of housing to ensure compatibility with existing houses.
C. 
Carefully protect these areas from uses that may not be fully compatible.
Only the following uses are permitted by right in the MDR District, provided that the requirements for specific uses in Article XX are met:
A. 
The following principal uses:
(1) 
Single-family detached dwelling.
(a) 
Mobile/manufactured home.[1]
[1]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
(2) 
Crop farming.
(3) 
Golf course.[2]
[2]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
(4) 
Swimming pool, public.
(5) 
Publicly owned recreation.
(6) 
Wildlife sanctuary.
(7) 
Place of worship.[3]
[3]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
(8) 
Cemetery.[4]
[4]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
(9) 
Township-owned use.
(10) 
Plant nursery, including retail sales only of items grown on the premises.
(11) 
The following uses if both public water and public sewer service is provided:
(a) 
Townhouse.
(b) 
Single-family semidetached dwelling.
(12) 
Group home within a lawful dwelling unit.
(13) 
Co-located commercial communications antenna.[5]
[Added 3-19-2001 by Ord. No. 03-01]
[5]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
B. 
The following accessory uses, within the requirements of § 275-190:
(1) 
No-impact home-based business.[6]
[Amended 12-20-2004 by Ord. No. 10-04]
[6]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-190.
(2) 
Accessory use or structure clearly customary and incidental to a permitted by right, approved special exception or conditional use.
(3) 
Swimming pool, private.
(4) 
Recreational facilities limited to use by residents of a development and their occasional guests.
(5) 
Essential services.[7]
[7]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-190.
(6) 
Accessory apartment within an existing single-family detached dwelling.[8]
[8]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-190.
(7) 
Accessory use or structure permitted under § 275-190C.[9]
[9]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-190.
(8) 
Home occupation, minor.[10]
[Added 12-20-2004 by Ord. No. 10-04]
[10]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-190.
C. 
Planned residential development, within the requirements of Article XXIII.
Only the following uses are permitted by special exception in the MDR District, which shall meet the requirements of Article XX:
A. 
Limited office conversion meeting the requirements of § 275-41.
B. 
Retirement village.[1]
[1]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
C. 
Home occupation, major.[2]
[Amended 12-20-2004 by Ord. No. 10-04]
[2]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-190.
Only the following uses are permitted as conditional uses in the MDR District:
A. 
Public or private primary or secondary school.[1]
[1]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
B. 
Emergency services station.[2]
[2]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
C. 
Single-family cluster development meeting the requirements of Article XXII.
D. 
Use approved under § 275-36.
Lot and setback regulations for uses in the MDR 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 in § 275-24.
A. 
Lot area.
(1) 
For a single-family detached dwelling with public water and public sewer service: 10,000 square feet minimum.
(2) 
For a single-family semidetached dwelling: 7,000 square feet minimum for each dwelling unit.
(3) 
For any principal use (including, but not limited to, a single-family detached dwelling) that does not meet either of the above Subsection A(1) or (2): 43,560 square feet (one acre).
B. 
Minimum lot depth: 100 feet.
C. 
Minimum lot width: 80 feet at the minimum front yard setback line and 40 feet at the street right-of-way line, except:
(1) 
For a single-family semidetached dwelling (per dwelling unit): 60 feet at the minimum front yard and 30 feet at the street right-of-way.
(2) 
One hundred eighty feet at the existing right-of-way line for any new lot with a driveway entering directly onto an arterial or connector street.
(3) 
One hundred fifty feet for a lot required to have a minimum lot area of one acre or larger.
D. 
Maximum lot coverage: 40% maximum building coverage, 60% maximum total impervious coverage.
E. 
Minimum front yard setbacks: 25 feet for all principal and accessory structures.
F. 
Minimum side yard setback.
(1) 
Principal structure: 10 feet for each required side yard and 25 feet total when two side yards are required.
(2) 
Accessory structure or use: six feet, except three feet for a storage shed of less than 100 square feet of floor area, and except zero feet along the shared lot line of attached dwellings, provided that no structure shall obstruct a drainage swale.
(3) 
Corner lots. See § 275-171B.
G. 
Minimum rear yard setback.
(1) 
Principal structure: 35 feet, except see § 275-171 for exceptions for decks and other extensions.
(2) 
Accessory structure or use: four feet, except 10 feet for any building from any alley that the building will have vehicle access onto.
H. 
Minimum setback from expressway. The requirements of § 275-34H shall also apply to the MDR district.
I. 
Maximum height: 3 1/2 stories or 35 feet, whichever is more restrictive.
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: 80 feet.
K. 
Condominium ownership. See § 275-185.
L. 
Setback from arterial streets. For all principal buildings from the future right-of-way line of an arterial street: 40 feet minimum setback.
All of the requirements of §§ 275-57 and 275-59 that relate to townhouses shall also apply to townhouses in the MDR District, except the following:
A. 
Density. Section 275-59D(3) is replaced by the following: An average minimum of 9,000 square feet of buildable area is required for each townhouse dwelling.
B. 
Units attached. A maximum of four dwelling units may be attached in any form.
C. 
A life-care center is not permitted.
A. 
Off-street parking. See Article XVII.
B. 
Signs. See Article XVIII.
C. 
Site plan review. See § 275-178A, which requires site plan review by the Planning Commission for most principal nonresidential uses.
The provisions of § 275-36 shall also apply within the MDR District.