Description and Purposes. The open space recreation district is hereby established as a district in which the regulations are intended to permit and encourage the retention of open land uses which will be so located and designed as to constitute a harmonious and appropriate part of the physical development of Plymouth Township, in accordance with the Township comprehensive plan of development, for the purpose of providing recreation and the protection of natural scenic beauty and otherwise to further the broad purposes of said zoning ordinance as set forth herein, such districts to be established from time to time by amendments to said zoning ordinance and map. In promoting these and the general purposes of the said zoning ordinance, the specific intent of this district is to promote the use of land and waterways for recreational purposes and to facilities and provide for the conservation of natural resources.
In Open Space Recreation Districts the following regulations apply:
[Ord. No. 736, § 1, 12-29-1975]
Buildings may be erected, altered or used and land within said districts may be used or occupied for any of the following purposes, unless otherwise provided in this ordinance, and for no other purposes:
1. 
Agricultural use, including tilling of the soil, nursery, greenhouse and the keeping or raising of livestock and poultry; provided that any building or structure used for the keeping and raising of livestock and poultry shall be situated not less than one hundred (100) feet from any street line or property line.
2. 
Recreational use, including public or private parks or playgrounds, picnic grounds, golf courses, day camps, athletic fields and courts, recreation camps, swimming pools, swim clubs, tennis clubs and county clubs.
3. 
Utilities and community facilities, including transmission lines and substations and similar apparatus, sewage disposal and water treatment plants, and appurtenant facilities, watershed protection works, reservoirs, pipelines.
4. 
Forestry and wood production.
5. 
Fish hatcheries and wildlife preserves.
6. 
Vehicle parking areas.
7. 
Historic monuments and buildings, which may be open for public viewing and inspection.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection 8, single-family detached dwelling, was repealed 1-10-2005 by Ord. No. 1433, § 1.1.
[Ord. No. 736, § 1, 12-29-1975]
1. 
Lot Area and Frontage. For each main building or use, there shall be provided not less than two hundred thousand (200,000) square feet of lot area and frontage at the building line of not less than fifty (50) feet on at least one (1) street.
2. 
Building Area. Not more than fifteen (15) percent of the lot area may be occupied by buildings.
3. 
Front Yard. There shall be a front yard on each street on which a lot abuts which shall be not less than seventy (70) feet in depth.
4. 
Side Yards. There shall be two (2) side yards on each lot, which shall be not less than eighty (80) feet in aggregate width, and neither of which shall be less than forty (40) feet in width.
5. 
Rear Yard. There shall be a rear yard on each lot which shall not be less than forty (40) feet in depth.
[Ord. No. 736, § 1, 12-29-1975]
No building other than a farm building shall exceed thirty-five (35) feet in height.
[Ord. No. 736, § 1, 12-29-1975]
No billboard, sign or permanent external advertising display of any kind shall be erected, altered or used in the Open Space Recreation District except for advertising informing the public of service, business, occupation or profession carried in or about the property on which such billboard, sign or permanent external advertising display appears. In addition to the above, all other requirements of article XVI hereof must be adhered to.
Where applicable, historical markers may be erected and shall not be considered as signs, provided their size and content is approved by the board of historical architectural review.
[Ord. No. 736, § 1, 12-29-1975; Ord. No. 1241, § 6, 9-22-1997]
To provide for the safety and welfare of those using the open space recreation areas and neighboring land, the following development regulations will be employed in evaluating plans:
1. 
On-Site Parking. Adequate on-site all-weather parking should be provided for the accommodation of all persons customarily using the facilities afforded. Parking areas should be screened with earth mounding, plantings or fencing, or combinations thereof, when abutting residential areas.
2. 
Access. All ingress and egress roads should be paved and be a minimum of twenty (20) feet wide for two-way traffic and twelve (12) feet wide for one-way traffic.
3. 
Lighting. Lighting should be required on all roadways, cartways, and pathways and other areas where deemed necessary for safety and convenience of the users.
4. 
Control of Noise. At no point on the boundary of a residential district should the level of sound from a recreational use be such as to disturb the residential environment of the adjacent residents. The standards will be based on the buffering concept, to include distance, screening or combination thereof.
5. 
Control of Glare. Any operation producing glare should be performed in such a manner as to be devoid of unnecessary glare from any point beyond the lot lines. The standards controlling this will include buffering requirements.
6. 
Convenience Facilities. Toilet facilities, drinking fountains, seating accommodations and similar accessory facilities should be provided for accommodation of all persons customarily using the recreation area. These accessory uses should be mentioned in the section of the Ordinance on permitted uses.
7. 
Parking Spaces and Aisles. For parking spaces having an angle of ninety (90) degrees, each surface parking space shall consist of a rectangular area having dimensions not less than nine (9) feet in width and eighteen (18) feet in length. Aisles serving such surface parking areas shall have a minimum width of twenty-four (24) feet.