[Amended 5-1-1995 by Ord. No. 95-2; 10-27-1997 by Ord. No. 97-5; 3-3-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2]
A.
Intent. In addition to the goals presented in §§ 170-101 and 170-102, this district is intended to provide for flexible standards for appropriate office, administrative, or research development in a campus setting. A mix of housing types are also allowed. This district is also intended to assure suitable design for the protection of residential development on adjacent parcels; minimize traffic congestion and maximize the efficient movement of vehicular traffic through proper parking, ingress, and egress along U.S. Route 202, and development of an internal street system; and preserve and enhance the natural, scenic, aesthetic, and historic character of the landscape.
B.
Traffic improvements. As deemed necessary by the Board
of Supervisors, an approval for uses within the POC District may be
conditioned upon agreement by the applicant to provide selected on-site
and/or off-site transportation improvements. Off-site improvements
shall be limited to those improvements that bear a direct relationship
to the mitigation of impacts from the proposed activity.
A.
Use by right. A building may be erected, altered,
or used, and a lot may be used or occupied, by right, for any of the
following purposes and no other:
(1)
Office, corporate headquarters, administrative
or professional buildings or centers.
(3)
Buildings, structures and uses owned and/or
operated by Westtown Township.
(4)
Funeral home.
(5)
Single-family detached dwellings meeting the
regulations of the R-1 District and not the regulations of the POC
District.
(6)
Medical services.
[Added 7-16-2018 by Ord.
No. 2018-01]
B.
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)
Research and/or laboratory facility for scientific,
agricultural, or industrial research and development, excluding facilities
with the potential for creating environmental or genetic hazards.
(2)
Ancillary services designed primarily for the
convenience of those employed at the site, including but not limited
to such uses as pharmacy, coffee shop, restaurant, newsstand (when
the previous uses are totally enclosed in an office building), financial
institution, automated bank machine, financial services, travel consultant,
private club, and other uses of similar character.
(3)
Conference facilities.
(4)
Private, vocational, business, and professional
schools except those of industrial character.
(5)
Day-care center.
The following regulations shall apply in the
POC District for uses other than single-family detached dwellings:
A.
Ownership. The tract of land to be developed shall
be held in single ownership or shall be the subject of an application
filed jointly by the owners of the entire tract, and it shall be agreed
that the tract shall be developed according to a single plan, under
single direction, and in a manner and within a time period approved
by the Board of Supervisors. All contiguous areas zoned POC District
that are controlled by an applicant must be the subject of a single
application.
B.
Minimum gross area of tract: five acres, not including
those areas within an existing street right-of-way.
C.
Minimum vegetative cover. Not less than 40% of the
gross area of the tract shall be planted and maintained with existing
and/or installed vegetative material.
D.
Minimum lot area: five acres, except if either of
the following apply:
(1)
The Township may approve new lots or use of
an existing undersized lot with a minimum of two acres if each lot
has fully coordinated traffic access onto an interior road and if
there is a coordinated system for stormwater management.
(2)
A five-acre tract may be divided through an
executed financial subdivision. With reference to a financial subdivision,
where the Board of Supervisors has approved a multibuilding land development
plan, the owner thereof may subdivide, for mortgage purposes only,
the land upon which such buildings are to be constructed and the individual
lots which are created as a result of such subdivisions shall be exempt
from area, setback, buffer, frontage and other similar requirements
which are intended for application to the development as a whole.
(a)
The foregoing shall be approved only if there
is provided a duly executed and acknowledged agreement, to be recorded
at the time of subdivision in a form acceptable to the Township Solicitor,
which requires each of the subdivided lots to be operated and maintained
as an integral part of the previously approved development plan in
accordance with these regulations, which insures that each lot will
have permanent means of access and adequate parking and which prohibits
said lots from being treated as separate development parcels at a
future time, and which governs the formation of an association responsible
for the maintenance of all common areas, said areas to be jointly
owned by the owners of the individual development parcels.
(b)
Where parking areas are included within a lot
and are intended to be used by more than one building or lot, such
areas shall be included within the common area maintenance agreement,
or shall be governed by a separate cross-easement agreement. Such
agreement shall further provide that, for all purposes, the entire
development shall be treated as one lot subject to all of the Township's
then-enacted chapters and regulations.
E.
Minimum building setbacks. Any building shall be set
back not less than the distance indicated from the following:
(1)
Controlled or semi-controlled access highway
arterial street: 120 feet.
(2)
Collector, local, and other street: 75 feet.
(3)
Residentially zoned land: five times the height
of the building, but with an absolute minimum of 120 feet.
(4)
Internal streets: 50 feet.
(5)
Parking areas: 20 feet.
(6)
Lot lines (in separate ownership): 50 feet.
(7)
Adjacent buildings. The distance between buildings shall be determined in accordance with the requirements of § 170-802B(7).
F.
Minimum lot width: 200 feet.
G.
Maximum building coverage: 15% of the tract area.
H.
Maximum impervious coverage: 55% of the tract area.
I.
Maximum building height: 38 feet above natural grade,
except that 50% of the buildings on the tract may be a maximum of
50 feet in height with the approval of the Board of Supervisors.
The following standards shall apply for all
uses:
A.
Natural features/resources protection. The natural features protection standards contained in Article IV shall apply. In addition:
(1)
Accurate detailed topography shall be provided.
(3)
Existing vegetation shall be denoted as to type,
including tree masses, treelines, and hedgerows; individual freestanding
trees over six inches dbh; wetland vegetation; meadow, pasture, or
cropland; orchard; cultivated and ornamental garden areas; etc.
(4)
To the extent possible, floodplains, steep slopes,
woodlands, and other natural features identified in the site analysis
shall be preserved and integrated into the landscape design. In addition,
every effort should be made to preserve scenic views.
(5)
Stormwater management. The applicant shall submit a proposed stormwater management plan, to be approved by the Township Engineer in accordance with Chapter 149, Subdivision and Land Development. In addition, the Board may require the submission of a study of the off-site and overall groundwater impacts of the proposed stormwater management system.
B.
Landscaping and open space. A unified landscaping and open space plan shall be submitted in accordance with §§ 170-1507 and 170-1508 of this chapter and Chapter 149, Subdivision and Land Development, unless otherwise stated below.
(1)
Landscaping and/or earth shaping (berming or
screening) shall be used to screen surface parking and mechanical
service areas.
(2)
There shall be a landscaped buffer strip of
no less than 10 feet between interior roads and parking areas. Interior
drives shall be landscaped.
(3)
Landscaping shall be designed so as not to create
hazardous interior movement, specifically regarding visibility at
interior intersections.
(4)
There shall be a landscaped buffer strip of
no less than 50 feet from any tract boundary and from the ultimate
right-of-way line of any arterial or collector street; where the tract
fronts collector or arterial streets, the setback will be from the
ultimate right-of-way.
(5)
Within the tract, a totally separate pedestrian
walkway system shall link open space to pedestrian places and buildings
and provide for general pedestrian movement among buildings and parking
areas. Such walkways shall be buffered from vehicular traffic through
landscaping and/or earth shaping (berming or screening).
(6)
Areas of retention and/or detention as part
of an overall approved stormwater management plan shall be integrated
into the overall open space design.
(7)
Where applicable, every effort should be made
to retain existing natural vegetation or utilize existing site vegetation
for screening purposes.
(8)
Open space shall be laid out to the satisfaction
of the Board in accordance with the best principles of design. The
applicant is encouraged to provide amenity areas such as benches,
sitting areas or other amenities conducive to the comfort and convenience
of the prospective users of the office campus.
(9)
The plan shall designate the type of maintenance
to be provided for landscaped areas, as well as open space areas.
A planting plan or schedule shall be submitted.
(10)
As may be required by the Board of Supervisors,
open space may be subject to deed restrictions, duly recorded in the
office of the Chester County Recorder of Deeds, if in the opinion
of the Board such an agreement would facilitate the preservation of
open space.
C.
Parking: as required by Article XVII of this chapter, provided no parking area is located within the required buffers or within 50 feet of a property line.
D.
Access and interior circulation. Provisions shall be made for safe and efficient ingress and egress to and from public streets and highways serving the development without causing undue confusion or interference with normal traffic flow. All uses within the POC District shall take access from a street other than U.S. Route 202. No new street and no new driveway shall directly enter onto Route 202, unless specifically required otherwise by the Board of Supervisors and PennDOT. The Board, with the advice of the Township Engineer, shall satisfy itself as to the adequacy of the thoroughfares and access points intended to accommodate the traffic generated by the proposed use in accordance with the provisions of §§ 170-1510, 170-1511, 170-1512, and 170-1513. If alternative access is available from a secondary street without impacting the quality and character of the residential environment of surrounding neighborhoods, secondary access to the tract from this street may be allowed.
E.
Traffic impact. Provisions shall be made to prevent traffic congestion and hazards from the tract through the preparation of a traffic impact study. The traffic impact study shall meet the requirements for such a study that are established in Chapter 149, Subdivision and Land Development. The study shall document any on-site or off-site improvements proposed by the applicant to mitigate any projected adverse impacts.
G.
Utilities. All utility lines shall be placed underground.
As-built plans for all utilities shall be submitted to the Township.
H.
Development in stages. The development of a tract
carried out in stages shall be executed in accordance with a development
agreement. The owner, developer and Township shall enter into said
agreement embodying all details regarding compliance with this article
to assure the binding nature thereof on the overall tract and its
development, which agreement shall be recorded with the final development
plan. No single stage of development shall exceed three years in duration.
I.
Loading and unloading. All loading and unloading operations shall be carried on within the facade of any building(s) in accordance with the requirements of § 170-1710.
K.
Lighting. All streets, parking areas, and pedestrian walkways shall be adequately lit in accordance with § 170-1514. Particular care must be taken to assure that direct light shines down and that no direct or reflected light from any lighting fixture creates glare which would be a potential traffic hazard or negative impact on adjacent land use.
L.
Impact on character of surrounding neighborhood. The
applicant must show that the proposed office campus will not adversely
effect the neighborhood by reason of noise, odors, smoke, glare, light,
or vibration. In addition, the Township may prescribe further reasonable
conditions regarding design with respect to the suitability of the
office campus in harmonious relationship to surrounding areas.
A.
Any proposal for development within the POC District shall be submitted in the form of a subdivision or land development plan; such plan shall comply with all requirements of Chapter 149, Subdivision and Land Development, and shall, in addition, clearly demonstrate compliance with all requirements of the POC District. The plan shall clearly designate the proposed use(s) of each area of the tract. The applicant is strongly encouraged to submit a sketch plan to the Township for informal discussion, prior to the submission of a preliminary plan.
B.
The following are specific requirements to be included as part of any submitted plan, whether or not they are stipulated by Chapter 149, Subdivision and Land Development:
(1)
A plot plan of the tract showing the location,
height, and bulk of all proposed buildings and other structures; pedestrian
walkways and other areas to be devoted to pedestrian use; open space;
drives, including the location and width of such parking lots; loading
and unloading areas and other construction and/or physical features
as required herein and in accordance with the provisions of this article.
(2)
Architectural plans for the facade of any proposed
buildings, including a written description of the types of exterior
materials.
(3)
A description of any of the land uses proposed
in sufficient detail to indicate the positive and negative impacts
of such on-site features, public and private views, historic resources
and public and community services.
(4)
Engineering and architectural plans for the
treatment and disposal of sanitary sewage and surface and stormwater
(including the general drainage system), and provisions of water supply
and fire hydrants as determined by a professional engineer registered
in the State of Pennsylvania.
(5)
The stages which will be followed in the construction
of the development.
(6)
A description of the on-site improvements and,
as deemed necessary, off-site improvements which are planned, or the
contribution which will be made in lieu of such improvements.
Conditional uses may be subject to such other
restrictions and conditions as are deemed necessary by the Board of
Supervisors. This may include, but is not limited to, reasonable limitations
on the hours of operation.
[Added 5-2-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-4]
The following regulations shall apply for multifamily dwellings in place of the regulations contained in § 170-1202:
A.
Minimum lot area: five acres. The lot area shall not
be separated by any public street or other publicly owned vehicle
thoroughfare from any other land area. A rental or condominium form
of ownership shall be allowed.
B.
Maximum density:
(1)
The maximum density shall be calculated as provided in § 170-1519A. The maximum density per acre of tract area shall be: 10 dwelling units per acre for dwellings of one bedroom or less; eight dwelling units per acre for dwellings of two bedrooms; and four dwelling units per acre for dwellings of three or more bedrooms. If a lot includes a mix of numbers of bedrooms in different units, then the density shall be calculated proportionately. For example, on a five-acre lot, two acres could be considered as having one-bedroom units, allowing 20 units and three acres could be considered as having two-bedroom units, allowing an additional 24 units for a total of 44 units on five acres.
(2)
Density and building length bonuses.
(a)
Age-restricted bonus. If all of the multifamily
dwellings are limited by deed enforceable by the Township and by lease
to occupancy by persons age 55 and older and their spouses, then the
maximum multifamily dwelling density shall be increased by 20% above
the density that would otherwise be allowed. The age restrictions
shall be in legal form acceptable to the Township Solicitor.
(b)
Landscaping bonus. When a multifamily dwelling
development involves substantially greater amounts and sizes and a
higher quality of landscaping than would otherwise be required by
Township ordinances, as determined by the Board of Supervisors, then
the maximum multifamily dwelling density shall be increased by 10%
above the density that would otherwise be allowed.
[1]
The applicant shall provide a planting
plan sealed by a registered landscape architect.
[2]
The planting plan shall be reviewed
by the Planning Commission and be subject to approval by the Board
of Supervisors. The determination of whether a planting plan justifies
a bonus under this section should be based upon a review by an independent
landscape architect chosen by the Township. The Township may require
the applicant to fund the reasonable costs of such independent review.
(c)
Architectural bonus. If the Board of Supervisors,
based upon Planning Commission review, determines that the proposed
development would have high architectural quality consistent with
the character of Westtown Township as viewed from public streets,
then an additional density bonus of 5% shall be approved above the
density that would otherwise be allowed. The Township may require
the applicant to fund reasonable costs for an independent review of
the architectural plans by a registered architect chosen by the Township.
[1]
The architectural design shall
be intended to blend the buildings with their surroundings. The architectural
design shall include finishes, textures, extensions, placement of
glass and other features to visually reduce the bulk of the building
as viewed from a street and to make a large building appear more like
two or more connected smaller buildings.
(d)
The density bonuses shall be added and not multiplied
upon each other. Therefore, if a bonus of 20% and a 5% bonus apply,
the resulting total bonus shall be 25%.
(e)
In no case shall the density bonuses of this
section result in a maximum density exceeding 12 dwelling units per
acre.
C.
Minimum vegetative cover. A minimum of 40% of the
gross area of the tract shall be planted and maintained with new and/or
preserved trees and other vegetative material.
D.
Minimum building setbacks. Any building shall be set
back the following minimum distances from the following:
(1)
Controlled or semicontrolled access highway;
arterial street: 120 feet.
(2)
Collector, local or other public street with
two-way traffic: 75 feet.
(3)
Internal street or street with one-way traffic:
50 feet.
(4)
Parking areas, other than underground parking:
20 feet.
(5)
Lot lines in separate ownership: 50 feet.
(6)
Minimum separation distance between principal
buildings on the lot: 35 feet.
E.
Maximum building height: four stories or 50 feet,
whichever is more restrictive. A level used for vehicle parking that
is in a basement level shall not be counted towards the maximum number
of stories. Extensions of roof lines above 50 feet shall be permitted
to accommodate architectural roof pitches. However, the horizontal
area that extends above 50 feet shall not be greater than 15% of the
horizontal area covered by the building on the ground level.
F.
Maximum building coverage: 20%.
G.
Maximum impervious coverage: 55%.
H.
Maximum building length. No building shall have a maximum length greater than 165 feet. However, the maximum building length may be increased to 200 feet if the landscaping and architectural bonuses provided in Subsection B(2) are both approved.
I.
(1)
The minimum landscaped buffer strip provided in § 170-1203B(5) shall be 30 feet. This 30 feet may be located on two sides of an existing access drive, so that 20 feet is on one side of the drive and 10 feet on another side of the drive.
(3)
The sign provisions of the R-3 District shall apply in place of the sign provisions in § 170-1203. Only one freestanding sign shall be allowed, with a maximum sign area on each of two sides of 50 square feet. This freestanding sign shall have a maximum total height of eight feet. This freestanding sign shall not be internally illuminated, and may be attached to a decorative masonry wall with a maximum total height of 8 feet and a maximum length of 12 feet.
(4)
A market analysis shall not be required.
J.
Emergency access. The applicant shall prove that adequate
access is available to all sides of all principal buildings by emergency
vehicles. This access may include, but is not limited to, grass pavers.
The access shall be able to support the weight of emergency vehicles
during wet weather conditions.
L.
Architectural design. A preliminary architectural
rendering or exterior cross section shall be submitted, showing the
proposed designs of sides of the buildings visible from public streets.
Such submittal shall be based upon a design by a registered architect.
The applicant shall provide a written description of the types of
exterior building materials and finishes. Details of the architectural
design may be modified after conditional use approval, provided that
the overall architectural design and exterior materials are consistent
with the plan submitted with the conditional use, unless the Board
of Supervisors specifically allows a different architectural design
as part of land development approval.
