A.
The R3 High-Density Residential District is composed
of areas of existing high-density dwelling units where such dwellings
as townhouses, duplexes, apartments and condominiums and other multiple-family
dwelling units are best serviced and which are most desirable for
future development, and where children are not members of most households.
The R3 Districts are intended to be a buffer zone of transition between
nearby low- and medium-density residential districts and adjacent
commercial districts.
B.
The regulations of this district are designed to promote
and encourage a suitable environment for high-density urban dwelling
units, to stabilize and protect the essential characteristics of the
districts, and to limit commercial activities in this residential
district to those which serve the local neighborhood. Additional uses
of a public or semipublic nature, such as churches, schools, parks
and other public facilities which may serve the residents of the district,
are also allowed.
In this district land and structures may be
used and structures may be erected, enlarged, altered, and maintained
for the limited uses hereinafter set forth. In addition, any use other
than a single-family residential use or a duplex shall be in accordance
with a site plan approved by the Borough Council. The site plan shall
show, as proposed, the location of main and accessory structures on
the site and their relation to one another, traffic circulation within
the site, the location of vehicular access onto the site, emergency
vehicle access into and throughout the site, the exterior dimensions
of all structures, the provision of automobile parking space, the
provision of other open space on the site, the landscaping, paving,
fences and walls on the site, pedestrian walkways, storm and sanitary
sewer facilities and the location of signs. In approving site plans,
the Borough Council may act on site plans submitted to it, or may
act on its own initiative in proposing and approving a site plan.
In considering any site plan hereunder, the Borough Council shall
endeavor to assure safety and convenience of traffic movement, both
within the site covered and in relation to access streets and harmonious
and beneficial relationship of structures and uses on the site, as
well as contiguous properties. To this end the Borough Council may
limit vehicular access by plan.
A.
Permitted uses.
(1)
Single-family dwelling, duplex dwelling and conversion
apartment.
(2)
Multiple-family dwellings.
(3)
High-rise apartments (permitted only where sewage
is sufficient).
(4)
Cultivation of land and general gardening, but not
for commercial purposes and with no commercial display or sign.
(5)
Public library.
(6)
Publicly owned recreation area.
(7)
Church or other place of religious worship or instruction,
and living quarters for its clergymen.
(8)
Commercial enterprises. Permitted:
(a)
Personal service enterprise, such as laundry
agency, hand laundry, laundry operated by customers, dry cleaning
and pressing agency, shoe repair shop, or tailor shop.
(b)
Retail store or shop, provided that there is
no manufacturing or processing carried on other than that which is
incidental and essential to an enterprise in which merchandise is
sold at retail, entirely on the premises, or through direct delivery.
(c)
Office or shop for person engaged in service activities or artisanship (mainly off the premises) and not involving use on the premises of machinery noisier than used under Subsection A(8)(a).
(d)
Barbershop or beauty parlor.
(e)
Business or professional office.
(f)
Financial institution, or real estate office.
(g)
Office for physician, dentist, or other practitioner
of the healing arts for human patients.
(h)
Telephone central exchange.
B.
C.
Special exceptions permitted by the Zoning Hearing Board, as prescribed in Article XIII, including:
(1)
Temporary structure or use in connection with an authorized use. [See § 185-92B(1)(a).]
(2)
Extension of a nonconforming use within a nonconforming structure, or the change or such use within a nonconforming structure to a conforming use or to another nonconforming use that is determined to be no more detrimental to the neighborhood. [See § 185-92B(1)(b).]
(3)
Home occupation in single-family dwellings, two family dwellings, or single-family attached. [See § 185-92B(3).]
(4)
Membership club. [See § 185-92B(5)(a).]
(5)
Rooming house. [See § 185-92B(5)(b).]
(7)
Community club. [See § 185-92B(4).]
A.
The maximum height of structures, except as otherwise
provided, in this district shall be:
(1)
Thirty-five feet (not exceeding 2 1/2 stories) for
a single-family dwelling or a single-family attached structure.
(2)
Forty-five feet (not exceeding three stories) for
a duplex or multiple-family dwelling other than a single-family attached.
(3)
One hundred feet for a high-rise structure.
(4)
Fifteen feet for accessory structures.
Height exceptions are as provided in § 185-65, with the exception that high-rise structures may not be extended above the height limit of 100 feet. Therefore, the following must be included in such height:
A.
Penthouse or roof structures for the housing of elevators;
stairways, tanks, ventilation fans, or similar equipment required
to operate and maintain the building; also
B.
Fire or parapet walls, skylights, towers, steeples,
flag poles, chimneys, smokestacks, wireless masts, water tanks, silos,
or similar structures.
Each lot in this district shall comply with
the following minimum requirements, except as otherwise provided:
A.
Area requirements for single-family and two-family
dwellings, other than conversions.
(1)
Lot area. The lot area shall be not less than 5,000
square feet for a single-family dwelling and not less than 2,500 square
feet per dwelling unit for a two-family dwelling.
(2)
Lot width. The width of each lot shall be not less
than 50 feet.
(3)
Yards. The following yards shall be provided:
(a)
A front yard, the depth of which shall be not
less than 25 feet;
(b)
A rear yard, the depth of which shall be not
less than 30 feet;
(c)
A yard on each side, the width of which shall
be not less than five feet.
(d)
Where a side yard abuts a street or alley, as in the case of a corner lot, the minimum side yard shall be 1/2 the required front yard depth. This requirement applies also to any case where both side yards abut a street or alley, provided this requirement shall not reduce the approved building width to less than 30 feet, in which case the side yard minimum may be determined by the Zoning Hearing Board as provided in Article XIII.
[Added 3-11-1985 by Ord. No. 1188]
(4)
Maximum building area. The maximum percentage of the
lot that may be occupied by structures shall be 38% in the case of
a single-family dwelling, and 45% in the case of a two-family dwelling.
B.
C.
Area requirements for high-rise structures (permitted
only where sewage is sufficient).
(1)
Lot area. The minimum lot area for a high-rise apartment
shall be 20,000 square feet. Where there is a cluster or group of
high-rise apartments, the minimum lot area for the entire cluster
or group shall be 20,000 square feet, multiplied by the number of
high-rise apartments comprising the cluster or group.
(2)
Open space. A minimum of 30% of the total lot area
shall be devoted to open space, exclusive of vehicular parking spaces,
driveways or loading and unloading areas, and any building coverage
not functional to the open space.
(3)
Recreational areas. A minimum of 35% of the open space
shall be devoted to usable recreational area, which shall be located
in rear yards and side yards. If lighted at night, the lights for
the recreational areas shall be diverted away from streets and other
highways and from properties other than that on which the high-rise
apartment is located.
(4)
Yards. For each high-rise apartment, there shall be
a front yard at least 30 feet deep, a rear yard at least 30 feet deep,
and side yard on each side of the building at least 15 feet wide,
except that where a side yard abuts on a street it shall be at least
30 feet wide. In the case of a cluster or group of high-rise apartments
the front, rear and side yard requirements set forth above shall apply
to buildings or parts of buildings fronting or abutting on streets,
or adjacent to property lines only, and the distances between the
buildings in the cluster or group shall be as specified by the Planning
Commission, based upon the respective building heights, the contour
of the land and other factors affecting the light and air accessible
to the buildings. (All provisions of use group development shall have
precedence.)
D.
All parking facilities shall be off-street with sufficient maneuvering area provided, as required in § 185-67H.
E.
Courts:
(1)
Every court shall have between two opposite facing
walls thereof a horizontal dimension equal to the height of the highest
facing wall, provided the depth of the recess is in excess of 10 feet.
(2)
Interior courts (enclosed on four sides) serving egress
points from units shall have a minimum horizontal dimension equal
to two times the height of the units, with adequate ingress provided
to the court for emergency operations.
F.
The majority of wall exposures of units shall not
be restricted by parking stalls or other physical obstructions. Free
access shall be retained at the front of structures to the maximum
extent possible.
G.
In the case of use group development (see § 185-87L) where lots are not established for each main structure each principle structure shall be provided with required front, side and rear yards as if subdivided lots did exist. Such required yards shall be independent of required yards for any other adequate main structure.
H.
Lot width. Each lot shall be 50 feet, except for lots
with high-rise structures, which shall be 100 feet.
See § 185-66M.
A.
Nothing in this chapter pertaining to lot area per
family shall be held to prohibit the erection of a single-family dwelling
upon a lot the area of which is less than prescribed as the lot area
per family, provided that the lot, on the effective date of this chapter,
was held under a separate ownership from the adjoining lots or provided
that on the effective date of this chapter a recorded plan of lots
or subdivision of property shows that lot to be a separate and distinct
numbered lot.
B.
In the instance of Subsection A, the following shall be applicable:
(1)
On an interior lot less than 50 feet in width, side
yard widths may be reduced, provided the width of side yard abutting
the street is at least 10% of the lot width.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Subsection 706.2b,
regarding corner lots, which immediately followed this subsection,
was repealed 3-11-1985 by Ord. No. 1188.
C.
In measuring the depth of yards prescribed in this article, a cornice, a fence or a front porch, not exceeding 10 feet in width shall not be held to reduce those required measurements; in measuring the width of yards, a cornice or a fence shall not be held to reduce those required measurements. (See Article X, § 185-66E through G.)
A.
No building shall be erected in this district, whether
main or accessory, which has any part of its exterior wall surface
composed of concrete block or cinder block, except as hereinafter
set forth. Exterior surfaces on such buildings shall be composed of
the following materials only, unless an additional material is reviewed
by the Planning Commission and approved by the Borough Council, to
be of equal or superior quality and aesthetic character when used
under the circumstances proposed:
B.
Concrete block may be used for exterior wall surfaces
on the rear wall only where upon review of the Planning Commission
and approval of the Borough Council such building is so located that
such rear wall should not be viewable by passersby or any part of
the general public.
For all uses except single-family dwellings,
and two-family dwellings:
A.
Pedestrian circulation system shall be provided; in
the case of street frontal properties, sidewalks shall be installed
along public streets; in the case of use group developments, an internal
sidewalk system may be required by the Borough Council, in addition
to frontal walks.
B.
On-site security illumination shall be required in
parking areas, building entryways and along paths of pedestrian travel.
However, such lighting shall be shielded to direct glare away from
adjacent property.
C.
Buffering in the form of planting screens may be required
along property lines to eliminate adverse effects to or from other
use districts, or uses.
D.
Adequate recreation facilities designed to accommodate
the anticipated development population shall be provided concurrently
with development, and as approved by the Borough Council.
E.
Restrictions on use of open space.
(1)
The front yard shall not be used for the parking of
vehicles or for the storage or accumulation or display of refuse,
foods, wares, merchandise, material or supplies, but a vehicular driveway
may be constructed or located so as to lead through one side of a
front yard into a side or rear yard garage or parking area.
(2)
A garage must be so located that when its doors are
open, no part of the door may extend beyond the line of the property
on which the garage is located; and the side line requirements shall
be two feet for detached garages and five feet for integral and attached
garages, with a five-foot setback from the rear line of the property
or from a public alley.
[Amended 12-10-1984 by Ord. No. 1185]
(3)
A garage or other accessory building may be erected
on a vacant through lot, adjacent to the lot on which a dwelling is
located.
B.
Special provisions for group of detached multiple
dwellings.
(1)
No building shall contain less than three dwelling
units originally designed and erected for families living independently
of one another.
(2)
The minimum distances between detached buildings shall
be as follows:
(a)
Front to front: 2 1/2 times the height of the
taller building, but not less than 70 feet.
(b)
Front to rear or rear to rear or front to side
or rear to side: two times the height of the taller building but not
less than 50 feet.
(c)
Side to side. A distance equal to the height
of the taller building, but not less than 25 feet.
