[Added 9-13-1973 by Ord. No. 454]
Professional Office Districts are designed primarily
to provide for modern non-nuisance enterprises which do not detract
from the character of the surrounding area nor prejudice the use of
adjoining tracts for other permitted uses. Therefore, a building may
be erected, altered or used and a lot or premises may be used for
any of the following purposes, and no other, in accordance with the
area and special provisions of this article:
A.
General office building, occupied in major part by
a single concern or affiliated members, bank or financial institution.
B.
Municipal use, and other governmental or public service
office.
[Amended 1-16-1997 by Ord. No. 604]
C.
Scientific or research laboratory, provided that:
(1)
No processing shall be permitted except insofar as
such processing is incidental to research and development.
[Amended 12-10-1992 by Ord. No. 581]
(2)
There is no commercial production of goods, materials
or any other substance for sale or storage of the same, except as
is necessary for scientific research.
D.
Signs, when erected and maintained in accordance with
the following:
(1)
Permitted signs shall be of ground- or wall-type.
(2)
All signs shall relate to a use permitted in the district.
(3)
Ordinary traffic and parking control signs and temporary
"for sale" or "for lease" signs.
[Amended 12-10-1992 by Ord. No. 581; 1-16-1997 by Ord. No. 603]
(4)
Not more than one freestanding ground sign may be
permitted on each street frontage relating to and directing persons
to the building. Any such sign shall not be in excess of 25 square
feet in area nor more than a total height of 10 feet.
(5)
Wall signs shall be a part of the architectural design
of a building, provided that no sign shall project more than 12 inches
from a wall surface of any building and provided that no sign shall
be painted on any exterior wall surface. The total area on one side
of any wall sign or signs shall not exceed 5% of the first-floor wall
surface.
[Amended 12-10-1992 by Ord. No. 581]
[Amended 7-10-1975 by Ord. No. 469]
The P-O Professional Office District shall contain
a minimum of five acres, and each permitted use shall have a minimum
lot area or tract size of not less than 1 1/2 acres, and each
such permitted use shall have a frontage of not less than 200 feet,
provided that the Board of Commissioners reserves the right to reduce
or alter the regulations and requirements of this article in such
cases where, by reason of the size of the area, peculiar or special
topographical conditions and effects upon the surrounding area, such
reductions or alterations may be determined by the Board of Commissioners,
after review by the Planning Commission, to be in the best interests
of the Township and would promote the general welfare.
Not more than 5,000 square feet of the area
of each lot may be occupied by buildings.
No building shall be located less than 75 feet
from the line of the nearest front street nor less than 50 feet from
a side property line or less than 75 feet from the rear property line.
[Amended 8-10-2006 by Ord. No. 711]
The maximum height of any building shall be
40 feet, and not more than two stories or floors for human occupancy.
No floor area shall exceed 5,000 square feet of usable floor space.
[Added 9-13-1973 by Ord. No. 454]
In addition to the applicable provisions of
the other regulations of this chapter, the following special regulations
shall apply:
A.
General.
(1)
The application for a permit shall be accompanied
by a plan which shall include, among other things, the information
required below:
(a)
The location, use, design and dimensions of
all buildings and other structures, open spaces, yards, accessways,
entrances, exits, off-street parking facilities and buffer strips.
(b)
The character of buffer areas and screening
devices to be maintained, including the dimensions and arrangements
of all areas devoted to planting, lawns, trees or similar purposes.
The type, height, density and amount of the plantings shall be as
determined by the Board of Commissioners to ensure adequate protection
of the adjoining area against noise, pollution and sight view.
(c)
The provisions made for disposal of sewage and
other wastes and for storm drainage and a suitable contour map of
the area. A storm drainage plan shall be approved by the Department
of Environmental Resources, the Township Engineer and the Board of
Commissioners.
(d)
Sufficient data and/or plans, in all instances,
to enable the Building Inspector, Zoning Hearing Board or other review
agencies to determine that the proposed use complies with the requirements
of this article and other pertinent requirements of the Zoning Ordinance.
(2)
The entire tract of five acres or more shall be developed
as a single project under a single development plan, and the tract
of land on which each permitted use is conducted shall be held in
single ownership and shall be operated under unified control and management.
(3)
Each permitted use shall provide and maintain attractively
landscaped grounds or make any other suitable screening provision
which is necessary to adequately safeguard the residential character
of adjacent districts.
(4)
Retail stores and shops are prohibited; and no showrooms,
display rooms or rooms of like use for the public display of goods
or products shall be permitted.
(5)
If there are more than two buildings on a lot in excess
of 1 1/2 acres in size, the minimum distance between buildings
shall be 100 feet.
[Amended 7-10-1975 by Ord. No. 469]
(6)
The proposed construction shall not detract from the
character or desirability of the surrounding area, and adequate internal
firesafety provisions shall be assured.
(7)
All mechanical equipment not enclosed in a structure
shall be fully and completely screened from view in a manner compatible
with the architectural and landscaping style of the remainder of the
lot. Such screening shall be subject to site plan and architectural
review by the Township.
(8)
Water towers, storage tanks, processing equipment,
stand fans, skylights, cooling towers, vents and any other structures
or equipment which rise above the roofline shall be architecturally
compatible or effectively shielded from view from any public or private
dedicated street and from surrounding residences by an architecturally
sound method which shall be approved, in writing, by the Township
Board of Commissioners before construction or erection of said structures
or equipment.
[Amended 7-10-1975 by Ord. No. 469; 1-16-1997 by Ord. No. 604]
B.
Highway access.
(1)
Access barrier. Access to a major highway or secondary street, whichever is applicable in any given case, shall be controlled in the interest of public safety. Each building or group of buildings erected in Professional Office Districts, and the parking or service areas, shall be physically separated from the highway or street by a curb, planting strip or other suitable barrier against unchanneled motor vehicles' ingress or egress, except for accessways as authorized by Subsection B(2) below.
(2)
In the event that the five-acre tract fronts upon
a major highway, as determined by the Board of Township Commissioners,
there shall be only one accessway to said major highway, and there
shall be no access to or from Pine Ridge Road.
[Amended 7-10-1975 by Ord. No. 469]
(3)
Traffic control devices and secondary streets shall
be provided at the expense of the owner.
C.
Parking, loading and access to service areas.
(1)
Adequate off-street parking areas shall be provided.
One automobile parking space with suitable access shall be provided
for each 200 square feet of gross floor area. Each parking space shall
be not less than 200 square feet in area (10 feet by 20 feet).
[Amended 7-10-1975 by Ord. No. 469; 12-10-1992 as Ord. No. 581]
(2)
In addition to parking areas, there shall be provided
areas for loading and unloading of delivery trucks and other vehicles
and for the servicing of permitted establishments by refuse collection,
fuel and other service vehicles, which areas shall be located at the
side or rear of the buildings, shall be adequate in size and shall
be so arranged that they may be used without blockage or interference
with the use of the accessways or automobile parking facilities.
(3)
All parking, loading, access and service areas shall
be located entirely within the lot lines of the permitted use, shall
be suitably improved and paved and shall be adequately illuminated
at night. All such areas shall be paved with concrete, blacktop or
other hard surface, provided that in the case of a permitted laboratory,
the area initially paved need not exceed 200 square feet for every
three employees up to and including 80% of the total employed. Lighting,
including sign lighting, shall be arranged so as to protect the street
and adjoining property from direct glare or hazardous interference
of any kind, and location, type and intensity shall be approved by
the Board of Commissioners.
D.
Special buffer requirements. Along each side or rear
property line which directly abuts a residence district in the Township
or a similar district in an adjoining municipality, a buffer planting
strip of not less than 50 feet in width shall be provided on which
shall be placed shrubbery, trees or other suitable planting sufficient
to constitute an effective screen and give maximum protection to the
abutting district. Along each street line, a buffer area of not less
than 35 feet in width shall be provided which shall be suitably landscaped
and may include necessary sidewalks and accessways.
[Amended 7-10-1975 by Ord. No. 469]
E.
Performance standards. No building may be erected,
altered or used and no lot or premises may be used in a Professional
Office District which is noxious or offensive or which constitutes
a hazard in the immediately surrounding area. Each permitted use shall
provide and utilize such smoke, noise or other control devices as
are necessary to assure that the use will not:
(1)
Constitute any nuisance whatsoever beyond the boundary
of the site by reason of dissemination of noxious, toxic or corrosive
fumes, smoke, odor or dust.
(2)
Result in noise or vibration exceeding the average
intensity of noise from other causes at the boundary site.
(3)
Produce objectionable heat, glare or radiation.
(4)
Result in electrical disturbance in nearby residences.
(5)
Increase congestion or hazardous traffic conditions
on the highway or in the adjacent area.
(6)
Create any other objectionable condition in adjoining
areas which will endanger health, safety or the proper use of property.
G.
Disposal requirements. All trash, garbage, rubbish
and debris of every kind and nature shall be stored, collected and
disposed of, as often as may be necessary under the particular circumstances,
by private collectors and at no cost to the Township. If dumpster-type
containers are used, said containers must be screened, be equipped
with proper fitting lid and be verminproof.
[Amended 12-10-1992 by Ord. No. 581]
Upon final approval of the plans submitted and
prior to the issuance of any construction permit, the Board of Township
Commissioners may require the owner and/or applicant to enter into
a written agreement with the Township to guarantee completion of the
entire project within a stated period of time and compliance with
the ordinances of the Township, laws of the commonwealth and conditions
of the permit. Said guaranty may be in the form of a bond with or
without corporate surety.
