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Township of Westtown, PA
Chester County
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In addition to the general goals in the preamble, the purpose, and the community development objectives, it is the purpose of this article to preserve the traditional agricultural and rural residential character of appropriate areas of the Township, provide housing opportunities for residential development at low densities consistent with such character, and provide for clustering of housing as an option to preserve and enhance the natural, scenic, and historic character of the landscape.
[Amended 9-15-1997 by Ord. No. 97-3; 5-3-1999 by Ord. No. 99-2; 3-3-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2]
A. 
Uses by right. A building may be erected, altered, or used, and a lot may be used or occupied, by right, for any one of the following principal purposes and no other:
(1) 
Single-family detached dwelling.
(2) 
Agricultural use, in accordance with the provisions § 170-1609 of this chapter. A principal dwelling may be permitted as a use by right on the same premises as a principal agricultural use.
(3) 
Buildings, structures, and/or uses owned and operated by Westtown Township.
(4) 
Accessory uses. Only the following accessory uses shall be permitted, in addition to a permitted principal use:
(a) 
Uses customarily accessory to agricultural or residential uses, including but not limited to those uses described in § 170-1603B and C of this chapter.
(b) 
Minor home occupation, in accordance with the terms of § 170-1605 of this chapter.
(c) 
Swimming pool, in accordance with the provisions of § 170-1611 of this chapter.
(d) 
Display and sale of farm products meeting the requirements of § 170-1603B.
B. 
Uses by special exception. The following uses shall be permitted when authorized by the Zoning Hearing Board as a special exception, in accordance with the terms of this article and the standards and criteria contained in § 170-2108 of this chapter. The design standards for uses permitted by special exception, as contained in § 170-503 of this article, shall apply to all uses permitted by special exception in the A/C District.
(1) 
Bed-and-breakfast facility, in accordance with the provisions of § 170-1607 of this chapter.
(2) 
Day camp, riding academy, swimming club, athletic field, golf course (excluding golf driving range and miniature golf course), provided the Board concludes there is sufficient acreage available for such uses. The area and bulk regulations contained in § 170-702E(2) through E(10) shall apply.
(3) 
Religious use or primary or secondary school, which shall comply with § 170-702E of this chapter.
(4) 
Major home occupation, in accordance with the terms of § 170-1605 of this chapter.
(5) 
Accessory dwelling unit, in accordance with the provisions of § 170-1603A of this chapter.
(6) 
Conversion of a single-family dwelling, in accordance with the provisions of § 170-1608 of this chapter.
(7) 
Farm-related business meeting the requirements of § 170-1616.
(8) 
Conversion of an accessory dwelling unit into a rental, in accordance with the provisions of § 170-1619.
[Added 5-6-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-02]
C. 
Conditional uses. The following uses shall be permitted only upon approval as a conditional use by the Board of Supervisors in accordance with the terms of this article and § 170-2009 of this chapter.
(1) 
Adult community development meeting the requirements of § 170-503, § 170-1615, and all other applicable provisions of this chapter, but which shall not be required to meet the provisions of § 170-502.
(2) 
Residential development, in accordance with the provisions of the flexible development procedure as set forth in Article IX of this chapter.
(3) 
Solar energy system as a principal use subject to § 170-1618C.
[Added 2-17-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-3]
(4) 
Wind energy system as a principal use subject to § 170-1618D.
[Added 2-17-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-3]
The following regulations shall apply:
A. 
The maximum density of use on any tract within the A/C District shall be as determined by § 170-1519B of this chapter.
B. 
Single-family detached dwelling:
[Amended 5-1-1995 by Ord. No. 95-2; 3-3-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2]
(1) 
Lot size: two acre minimum.
(2) 
Lot width at minimum building setback line: 200 feet minimum.
(3) 
Lot width at street line: 100 feet minimum (cul-de-sac: 50 feet).
(4) 
Impervious coverage: 15% maximum.
(5) 
Minimum building setback line: 50 feet minimum, except no structure shall be located within 100 feet of the future right-of-way line of Route 202 or Route 3, regardless of lot lines.
(a) 
An undeveloped area within this required setback shall not be subdivided from the remainder of the tract.
(b) 
The land within this required setback may be accepted as part of the requirements for open space of this chapter and Chapter 149, Subdivision and Land Development, and may be deed restricted or conveyed in accordance with such.
(6) 
Side yards: 50 feet minimum.
(7) 
Rear yard: 50 feet minimum.
(8) 
Maximum building height: three stories, not to exceed 38 feet.
C. 
Agricultural use: As required by the standards in § 170-1609 of this chapter.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection D, regarding residential cluster development, which immediately followed, was repealed 9-15-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-1. This ordinance also redesignated former Subsections E through H as D through G, respectively.
D. 
Residential development as per flexible development procedure: As required by the standards in Article IX of this chapter.
E. 
Accessory uses: Accessory uses may be located in side and rear yards, but only in conformance with the standards of § 170-1502 of this chapter.
F. 
Uses permitted by special exception: As required by § 170-501B of this chapter.
G. 
Conditional uses: Residential conditional uses, as applicable, shall conform to the standards for single-family detached dwellings in § 170-502B above. Nonresidential conditional uses shall conform to the standards for nonresidential uses in Article VII, § 170-702E of this chapter.
[Amended 3-3-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2]
A. 
The following standards, as applicable, shall govern all uses permitted by right, special exception and conditional use in the A/C District:
(1) 
Parking: as required by Article XVII.
(2) 
Lighting: as required by § 170-1514.
(3) 
Screening: as required by § 170-1508.
(4) 
Storage: as required by § 170-1509.
(5) 
Signs: as required by Article XVIII.
(6) 
Landscaping: as required by § 170-1507.
(7) 
Access and traffic control: as required by §§ 170-503C and 170-1510.
[Amended 9-15-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-1]
(8) 
Interior circulation: as required by § 170-1513.
B. 
Residential development as per flexible development procedure: As required by the design standards in Article IX, where those standards exceed, or address matters not covered by, the requirements of Subsection A above.
C. 
Any applicant shall, as a condition of any applicable zoning, subdivision or land development approval, prove to the satisfaction of the Board of Supervisors that the proposed use or development will provide safe and efficient vehicular and pedestrian traffic access, circulation and control, consistent with the following:
[Added 9-15-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-1]
(1) 
Traffic access shall be fully coordinated with adjacent existing and future development, including but not limited to providing and promoting appropriate traffic access to/from adjacent properties.
(2) 
Traffic access to use(s) within any development site shall be provided by a fully developed internal network of local roads or private drives, paths and trails which also shall link any proposed use or development to existing or proposed intersections or other points of controlled and/or signalized access to collector and/or arterial highway(s).
(3) 
Continuous collector street(s) and trail(s) shall be developed as part of the subject use or development to provide internal through connection(s) between existing collector and/or arterial streets and trail(s), as applicable, and as required by the Board of Supervisors to provide reasonable access to the subject use or development. (Examples may include but are not limited to: a through collector street connecting the intersection of Skiles Boulevard and U.S. Route 202 with West Pleasant Grove Road and PA Route 926); a through collector street connecting Walnut Hill/Shady Grove Roads to Westtown Road; and a through collector street connection to PA Routes 352 and 926.)
(4) 
The number of access points onto existing perimeter public roads shall be kept to the minimum number necessary for safe and efficient traffic access, circulation and control. Vehicular accesses to public roads shall:
(a) 
Incorporate traffic control and auxiliary lanes designed to accommodate the full build out of the proposed use or development to the extent permitted by PennDOT, as well as cross traffic from adjacent properties.
(b) 
Be provided in accordance with the standards set forth in §§ 170-1511 and 170-1512.
(5) 
Vehicular access to the internal network from proposed uses or development shall be provided in accordance with the standards set forth in §§ 170-1501 and 170-1510.
(6) 
Interior streets, interconnected parking lots, shared driveways, access easements and/or stubbed streets shall be used as necessary to maximize efficiency and safety of internal circulation and minimize the number of access points onto existing perimeter public roads.