[Added 3-17-2022 by Ord. No. O-22-01]
A.
Intent.
(1)
To preserve the historic character of historically significant structures,
properties, and districts; maintain the protection of the health,
safety, and general welfare of the community; encourage the sound
redevelopment or reconstruction of whole or parts of historical structures;
encourage the upkeep of historic properties; and encourage the submission
of historical properties and structures to the National Register of
Historic Places for consideration.
(2)
To educate the residents of the Township and community at-large about
the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of
Historic Properties.
(3)
To encourage residents of the Township and community at-large to
utilize the guidelines set forth in the Secretary of the Interior's
Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties for general guidance
for work on any historic building.
(4)
To establish a foundation of requirements and guidelines so that,
in the future, Council may elect to enhance regulations if necessary.
(5)
To regulate historically significant properties in all zoning districts
through the conditional use process.
B.
Where a historically significant property/structure exists, the uses
permitted shall be those found in the use table for that specific
zoning district.
C.
The following regulations shall apply to any property listed in HRCR
and any newly designated property not published in the HRCR.
D.
Historically significant properties/structures may qualify for relief
from certain zoning regulations pertaining to height and setbacks.
Where a historically significant property/structure exists and property
owner wishes to reconstruct the structure to the original form and
footprint, e.g., preserve, rehabilitate, restore or reconstruct the
structure, a conditional use permit is required.
(1)
The property owner/applicant shall utilize the SoIS as guidance when
preparing the application for modifications to an historic property
or structure.
(2)
The underlying zoning district setbacks may be reduced or increased
to that of the Village Zoning District standards to allow the structure/property
reflect its original form and footprint, and shall be reduced or increased
to the minimum change that will afford relief and will represent the
least modification possible of the regulation required in the Village
Zoning District.
(3)
In addition to the conditional use permit application, the property
owner/applicant shall submit a building and zoning permit application
to the Township including all elements required as set forth below:
(a)
Submission of documentation of the original footprint and design
of the structure showing all current property lines, setbacks, rights-of-way.
(b)
Setbacks may be reasonably adjusted and approved by Council,
to allow the structure/property reflect its original form and footprint,
and shall be reduced or increased to the minimum change that will
afford relief and will represent the least modification possible of
the regulation required in the underlying zoning district. In no case
shall any setback be reduced to less than three feet from a property
line.
(c)
Adjustment in setbacks shall not be reduced to the point the
structure impedes any portion of the state or Township right-of-way.
(d)
Height requirements may be reasonably adjusted and approved
by Council to allow the structure/property reflect its original form
and footprint, and shall be reduced or increased to the minimum change
that will afford relief and will represent the least modification
possible of the regulation required in the underlying zoning district.
F.
For all commercial, industrial and multifamily primary and accessory uses located within 500 feet of an historic property, a buffer yard of evergreen trees is required along the property boundary (or portion thereof within the 500-foot limit) to the extent necessary to form a visual screen of said uses from the historic property. Such buffer yard shall be installed at the time of development, change in use or expansion in ground coverage by 50% or more of any commercial, industrial or multifamily primary and/or accessory structure or use in accordance with applicable design standards of Article III, § 200-13J.
G.
Demolition or removal of structures. The following notification requirements
shall apply to all structures that are identified on the College Township
Official Map and/or the National Register of Historic Places, prior
to any demolition, removal or razing:
(1)
A public notice must be given no less than 30 days prior to the issuance
of a zoning permit for demolition of the affected structure.
(2)
The notice of demolition shall be made to the adjacent property owners
by United States certified mail at the property owner's expense;
must be posted on the property which the structure is located (sign
provided by the Township), the Lemont Post Office Public Bulletin
Board, College Township Building; and a notice placed in the paper
of general circulation within the Township.
(3)
The applicant, before starting notice procedure, must schedule a
meeting with the Township Zoning Officer or other designee to go over
the applicant's plans for the notice and provide a copy of the
notice to the Zoning Officer. Below is a sample notice to be used
by the property owner:
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SAMPLE NOTICE
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NOTICE OF DEMOLITION OF A HISTORIC STRUCTURE
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Public notice is hereby given that this property has a building
that has been recognized as an historic structure and is proposed
to be demolished. The property in which the historic structure is
located is at __________, Tax Parcel Number 19-_____-_____. The _____to
be demolished is _____. The purpose of this notice is to give the
residents an opportunity to contact the owner and to point out other
options to possibly prevent demolition of an historic resource of
College Township. It is the owners' intent to start demolition
of this structure on _____. For more information on this demolition,
you can contact the College Township Zoning Office at 1481 East College
Avenue, State College, PA 16801, or by telephone at (814) 231-3021.
The owners' name and address is: _____________________.
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H.
Sidewalks in the Village Zoning District shall be required, constructed, and maintained, as established in § 180-16.1 with the following exceptions.
(1)
Sidewalks will be required when the use of a structure changes from
residential use to nonresidential use or nonresidential use to residential
use.
(2)
Installation of sidewalks. The sidewalks to be installed or replaced shall meet the standards as set forth in § 180-16.1, Sidewalks, or as current conditions permit, as approved by the Zoning Officer or Township Engineer.
(a)
All sidewalks must be a hard surface material as per the requirements set forth in Chapter 177. Concrete, asphalt paving material, or brick pavers are acceptable. If an alternate material is proposed from the approved materials, advanced approval by the Zoning Officer or Township Engineer is required. Sidewalk must be a hard, durable, and wearable surface. If the placement of the sidewalk will pose a threat to the health of the existing street trees, compacted limestone sand or stone may be used for that section of walk; advanced approval by the Zoning Officer and/or Township Engineer is required.
(b)
When a sidewalk crosses a driveway, the sidewalk shall be delineated
along the length, as it crosses the driveway, by a change of material.
(c)
Sidewalks shall be separated from public street cartways by
a minimum of five feet, unless an existing physical constraint makes
this infeasible. In such cases, the separation shall be made as large
as possible. Permission from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
shall be obtained for all sidewalks that will be within the state-owned
right-of-way. Permission from College Township shall be obtained for
all sidewalks that will be within the Township-owned right-of-way.
A highway occupancy permit may be required.
(d)
Where off-street parking is adjacent to sidewalks, the parking
area shall be separated from the sidewalk by one of the following
changes of material: inset masonry units; pressure-treated timbers;
concrete; asphalt; or masonry curbs; or a four-inch or more change
of elevation.
(3)
Parking lot.
(a)
In the Village Center District, the required off-street parking
may be provided on site with the use served or off site on a lot elsewhere
within the Village Center District. Where the provision of off-site
parking is used, the applicant shall submit with the zoning permit
application a use/lease agreement with the property owner(s) of the
off-site parking lot used. This agreement shall be recorded in the
office of the Recorder of Deeds of Centre County. In no such case
shall the off-site parking be less than the required amount for the
principal use unless the remaining portion of the parking is provided
on-site. If the off-site parking lot use/lease is terminated for any
reason, an equal amount of the use that required the off-site parking
shall also be abandoned.
(b)
Where sidewalks are located between building faces and off-street
parking, autos shall be prevented from overhanging the sidewalks by
physical or mechanical devices.
(c)
A parking lot with 12 or more spaces must be paved with a hard
surface, e.g., asphalt, concrete, brick pavers or other material.
Parking lots with 11 or fewer spaces could use, in addition to the
above, some other kind of mud-free surface, e.g., cobblestone or stone.
All parking lots for commercial uses, regardless of the size, in the
Village Center District must meet the landscaping, screening and planting
provisions within this chapter for required parking lots.
(d)
Four-foot setbacks from the property lines within the Village
Center District shall be established for parking lots. Shared driveways
shall be encouraged.
