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Township of Bethlehem, PA
Northampton County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The purpose of this district is to:
A. 
Provide for a wider range of industries and related uses than the LI District.
B. 
Require compliance with the performance standards of this chapter.
[Amended 3-18-2002 by Ord. No. 03-02]
Only the following are permitted-by-right uses in the GI District, provided that the requirements for specific uses in Article XX are met:
A. 
All uses listed as permitted-by-right uses in the LI District in § 275-102, except that:
(1) 
No use is required to be within a planned business development.
(2) 
Nursery school/day-care center is not permitted.
(3) 
Orthopedic specialty center is not permitted.
B. 
Warehousing and distribution, which may occur as a principal or accessory use.
Only the following are permitted by special exception uses in the GI District, provided that the requirements for specific uses in Article XX and the performance standards of Article XVI are met:
A. 
The following uses, provided that all manufacturing and storage facilities will be set back a minimum of 400 feet from any residential district boundary or existing dwelling:
(1) 
Manufacture of soaps, detergents, paints, varnishes or enamels.
(2) 
Manufacture of natural or synthetic rubber products.
(3) 
Manufacture of plastics, polymers, resins or vinyl.
(4) 
Bulk manufacture of chemicals that are not highly hazardous.
(5) 
Manufacture of paving or roofing materials, including asphalt.
(6) 
Bulk storage of fuel.
(7) 
Manufacture of cement, gypsum, concrete or plaster products.
(8) 
Trucking company terminal.[1]
[1]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
(9) 
Abrasive or nonmetallic mineral products.
(10) 
Primary (as opposed to fabricated) metal products.
(11) 
Tire retreading.
(12) 
Mineral extraction.[2]
[2]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
(13) 
Animal feed mill.
(14) 
Solid waste disposal facility.[3]
[3]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
(15) 
Junkyard.[4]
[4]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
(16) 
Motor vehicle race track.[5]
[5]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
(17) 
Target range.[6]
[6]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
(18) 
Treatment center.
B. 
Commercial forestry.[7]
[7]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-189.
C. 
Other Industrial Activities involving processing, distribution, recycling, cleaning, assembling, packaging, conversion, production, repair or testing of materials or products, provided:
(1) 
The applicant clearly proves to the satisfaction of the Zoning Hearing Board that the use would have a character, intensity and impacts similar to permitted by right and/or special exception uses.
(2) 
The use is not prohibited in the District.
(3) 
The applicant clearly proves to the satisfaction of the Zoning Hearing Board that the use will not generate significant nuisances and will not threaten the public health and safety.
[Amended 3-15-1999 by Ord. No. 5-99]
The following are conditional uses in the GI District, provided that all other requirements of this chapter are met:
A. 
Emergency services station.[1]
[1]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-190.
B. 
Campground, water-based recreational.[2]
[2]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-190.
C. 
Commercial communications tower.[3]
[Added 3-19-2001 by Ord. No. 03-01]
[3]
Note: See additional requirements in § 275-190A(17).
D. 
Highway maintenance facility.
[Added 8-7-2006 by Ord. No. 06-06]
E. 
Grower/processor facility.
[Added 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 02-17]
F. 
Medical marijuana delivery vehicle office.
[Added 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 02-17]
G. 
Academic clinical research center.
[Added 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 02-17]
H. 
Dispensary facility.
[Added 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 02-17]
I. 
Delivery vehicle parking lot.
[Added 8-16-2021 by Ord. No. 07-21]
All uses not specifically permitted are prohibited, unless their allowance is implied by a closely similar use. The following uses are very specifically prohibited in the GI District as principal and/or accessory uses:
A. 
All uses are prohibited that would have a serious threat of future inability to comply with the performance standards of this chapter, as stated in Article XVI.
B. 
All of the following uses are prohibited:
(1) 
Tar distillation or manufacture.
(2) 
Coke oven.
(3) 
Creosote treatment or manufacture.
(4) 
Explosives, fireworks, ammunition and gunpowder manufacture or bulk storage (except storage within a U.S. military or state-owned facility).
(5) 
Incineration, reduction, distillation, storage or dumping of slaughterhouse refuse, rancid fats, garbage, bones, dead animals or offal (see incineration of waste as part of a solid waste disposal facility).
(6) 
Bulk manufacture of hazardous chemicals including, but not limited to, the following acids: hydrochloric, nitric, picric, sulfuric, sulphanous or carbolic.
(7) 
Oilcloth manufacture.
(8) 
Raw paper or pulp mill.
(9) 
Petroleum or kerosene refining or distillation.
(10) 
Potash work.
(11) 
Stockyard, slaughterhouse or meat-packing plant.
The lot and setback regulations for the OB District (§ 275-91) shall apply, except that a five-acre minimum lot area shall be required for any special exception use. See also the special setback requirements for certain special exception uses. Uses in the GI District are not required to be within a planned business development.
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 foremost principal nonresidential uses.
D. 
Buffer yards and screening. See § 275-171D.
E. 
Performance standards. See Article XVI, especially § 275-132, Noise control.
F. 
Uses with on-lot sewage. See Article XVI.
G. 
Multiple use buildings. See § 275-169C.
H. 
More than one principal building on a lot. See § 275-169B.
I. 
Utilities. All commercial, industrial and institutional uses shall be served by both public water and public sewer service.
J. 
Conditional use standards and criteria for delivery vehicle parking lot.
[Added 8-16-2021 by Ord. No. 07-21]
(1) 
Minimum lot size for the delivery vehicle parking lot: two acres.
(2) 
Maximum number of vehicles to be parked: 300, including electric vehicle charging stations.
(3) 
Perimeter screening and buffering: along side and rear property lines: fence or evergreen hedge with minimum height of five feet within a ten-foot-wide buffer strip.
(4) 
Lighting: all security and safety lighting shall be shielded to prevent off-site glare.
(5) 
Location: a delivery vehicle parking lot shall be located within two miles of an interchange of Route 22 at Route 191 in a GI or LI District.
(6) 
Site plan: a site plan shall be submitted to illustrate that all applicable setbacks have been met.
(7) 
Streetscape enhancement plan: a plan shall be submitted to illustrate compliance with the provisions of Article XXXII, relative to the Streetscape Enhancement Overlay District.
(8) 
All design standards for off-street parking in § 275-144 shall be met, except that delivery vehicle parking spaces shall be at least 11 feet wide and 22 feet deep, and the lane width shall be at least 25 feet.
(9) 
Land development requirements: all applicable impervious surface coverage, grading, soil erosion and sedimentation control, floodplain, wetland, woodland protection and other environmental regulations shall be met.
(10) 
The parking lot for delivery vehicles shall be exclusive of all other parking for any other uses that may be located on the property.
(11) 
Vehicle fueling and other vehicle services such as repairs shall not be permitted in a delivery vehicle parking lot, except for electric charging stations.
(12) 
If a delivery vehicle parking lot is created within an existing parking lot, all other uses that utilize the parking lot shall meet the minimum parking requirements.
(13) 
All other applicable provisions of Article XVII, Off-Street Parking and Loading, shall apply.
(14) 
No storage of out-of-service vehicles.