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Township of Middletown, PA
Bucks County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The purposes of the A-O Apartment-Office District are to provide reasonable standards for the harmonious development of apartments, business and professional offices, educational, philanthropic and religious uses, residential uses, accessory uses and other uses which are compatible with high-density development; regulate the density of population; provide for the public convenience and avoid undue congestion in the streets; and to otherwise create conditions conducive to carrying out these and other broad purposes of this chapter as set forth in § 500-101.
[Amended 10-2-2001 by Ord. No. 01-13; 5-20-2008 by Ord. No. 08-05]
A building may be erected or used and a lot may be used or occupied for any of the following purposes and no other. Uses on a single lot shall be restricted to those of a single use group.
A. 
Use Group 1 — Garden apartments. A grouping of dwelling units sharing common elements, which may include common outside access. The dwelling units share a common lot area, which is the sum of the required lot areas of all dwelling units within the building. Garden apartments shall contain three or more dwellings in a single structure.
B. 
Use Group 2 — Mid-rise apartments. A grouping of dwelling units sharing a common outside access with elevators serving each floor. Such buildings are not less than four nor more than seven stories high. The dwelling units share a common lot area, which is the sum of the required lot areas of all dwelling units within the building.
C. 
Use Group 3 — High-rise apartments. A grouping of dwelling units sharing a common outside access with elevators serving each floor. Such buildings are eight or more stories high. The dwelling units share a common lot area, which is the sum of the required lot areas of all dwelling units within the building.
D. 
Use Group 4 — Offices which do not involve the storage, exchange, sale or delivery of merchandise on the premises, including:
(1) 
Professional offices.
(2) 
Administrative offices.
(3) 
Executive offices.
(4) 
Government or public offices and buildings.
(5) 
Telecommunications central office, telephone central office, electric substation.
(6) 
Financial institution.
E. 
Use Group 5 — Educational, religious and philanthropic institutions, including:
(1) 
Public, parochial and private schools, colleges and universities, and other institutions offering educational programs, and dormitories for students.
(2) 
Club, lodge or fraternal institutions.
(3) 
Orphanages.
(4) 
Houses of public worship.
(5) 
Philanthropic and other nonprofit institutions which are noncommercial in nature.
(6) 
Libraries, public and private.
(7) 
Museums, public and private.
F. 
Use Group 6 — Duplex. A semidetached dwelling unit with one dwelling unit located above the other dwelling unit. Duplex units may be attached side by side but a row of attached duplexes shall not exceed six.
G. 
Use Group 7 — Transient dwelling or tourist house.
[Added 6-6-2016 by Ord. No. 16-01[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided for the redesignation of former Subsections G and H as Subsections H and I, respectively.
H. 
Accessory use on the same lot with and customarily incidental to any permitted use in the district.
I. 
Forestry/timber harvesting, pursuant to the regulations set forth in Article IV, § 500-402M.
All uses in Use Groups 1, 2 and 3 shall meet the following requirements:
A. 
Minimum site area: five acres.
B. 
Minimum frontage at street line-site: 300 feet.
C. 
Maximum density:
(1) 
Use Group 1: 12 dwelling units per acre.
(2) 
Use Group 2: 20 dwelling units per acre.
(3) 
Use Group 3: 30 dwelling units per acre.
D. 
Minimum open space ratio.
(1) 
Use Group 1: 10% of the base site area.
(2) 
Use Group 2: 20% of the base site area.
(3) 
Use Group 3: 25% of the base site area.
E. 
Use Group 1 shall meet the area and dimensional requirements specified below:
Use Group 1 Area and Dimensional Requirements
Average Apartment Size
(square feet)
Minimum Lot Area Per Dwelling Unit
(square feet)
Efficiency
500
1,300
1 bedroom
655
1,750
2 bedrooms
950
2,000
3 bedrooms
1,125
2,250
4 bedrooms
1,330
2,550
(1) 
Maximum floor area ratio (on lot): 45%.
(2) 
Maximum impervious surface ratio (on lot): 50%.
(3) 
Minimum lot area: one acre.
(4) 
Minimum street frontage: 100 feet.
(5) 
Maximum number of units per building: 16 dwelling units.
(6) 
Minimum building spacing: 50 feet.
(7) 
Minimum building setbacks.
(a) 
Street lines: 50 feet.
(b) 
Other property lines: 50 feet.
(c) 
Parking areas: 30 feet.
(d) 
Maximum building height: 40 feet.
F. 
Use Group 2 shall meet the area and dimensional requirements specified below:
Use Group 2 Area and Dimensional Requirements
Average Apartment Size
(square feet)
Minimum Lot Area Per Dwelling Unit
(square feet)
Efficiency
500
700
1 bedroom
655
825
2 bedrooms
950
1,030
3 bedrooms
1,125
1,210
4 bedrooms
1,330
1,510
(1) 
Maximum floor area ratio (on lot): 100%.
(2) 
Maximum impervious surface ratio (on lot): 70%.
(3) 
Minimum lot area: two acres.
(4) 
Minimum street frontage: 200 feet.
(5) 
Maximum number of units per building: 16 dwelling units.
(6) 
Minimum building spacing: 100 feet.
(7) 
Minimum building setbacks.
(a) 
Street lines: 100 feet.
(b) 
Other property lines: 200 feet.
(c) 
Parking areas: 30 feet.
(8) 
Maximum horizontal dimension of building: 180 feet.
(9) 
Maximum number of stories: seven stories.
G. 
Use Group 3 shall meet the area and dimensional requirements specified below:
Use Group 3 Area and Dimensional Requirements
Average Apartment Size
(square feet)
Minimum Lot Area Per Dwelling Unit
(square feet)
Efficiency
500
425
1 bedroom
655
600
2 bedrooms
950
675
3 bedrooms
1,125
825
4 bedrooms
1,330
900
(1) 
Maximum floor area ratio (on lot): 150%.
(2) 
Maximum impervious surface ratio (on lot): 70%.
(3) 
Minimum lot area: two acres.
(4) 
Minimum street frontage: 200 feet.
(5) 
Minimum building space: 150 feet.
(6) 
Minimum building setbacks.
(a) 
Street lines: 100 feet.
(b) 
Other property lines: 200 feet.
(c) 
Parking areas: 30 feet.
(7) 
Maximum horizontal dimension of building: 180 feet.
H. 
Buffer yard. A seventy-five-foot-wide buffer yard shall be provided along all property lines of the site. The buffer yard shall be in accordance with the provisions of § 500-2605.
I. 
Apartments under all use groups shall have the following:
(1) 
A minimum of 55% one-bedroom or efficiency units.
(2) 
A maximum of 45% two-bedroom units.
(3) 
A maximum of 5% three-bedroom units.
(4) 
The number of three-bedroom units would reduce the number of two-bedroom units. Example: If a developer proposes a one-hundred unit apartment complex, he may have 55 one-bedroom apartments, 40 two-bedroom apartments, and five three-bedroom apartments, or may eliminate or reduce the number of three-bedroom units entirely.
J. 
Each dwelling unit shall be provided with public water supply and public sewage disposal at the time of development. Any waste material to be collected by a private concern must be contained in adequate disposal units. Compliance with the standards of the Health Code shall be maintained. No visible garbage, rubbish or other disposable material shall be permitted on the land area of the building.
K. 
Parking requirements.
(1) 
Minimum number of spaces shall be in accordance with this chapter's parking requirements.
[Amended 5-20-2008 by Ord. No. 08-05]
(2) 
An additional 1/4 parking space per dwelling unit shall be provided for visitor parking.
(3) 
A structure or planting material shall be provided of sufficient height and density to screen off-street parking lots from public street view and from adjoining residential districts. Such screening treatment shall conform to the requirements of all applicable ordinances of the Township of Middletown and to such reasonable conditions as may be required by the Middletown Township Planning Commission.
All uses in Use Groups 4 and 5 shall meet the following requirements:
A. 
Minimum lot area: 10,000 square feet.
B. 
Minimum lot width: 80 feet.
C. 
Maximum building coverage: 20%.
D. 
Maximum impervious surface ratio: 50%.
E. 
Maximum building height: 50 feet.
F. 
Minimum yards.
(1) 
Front: 50 feet.
(2) 
Side: 20 feet.
(3) 
Rear: 25 feet.
G. 
Minimum building spacing: 30 feet.
H. 
Buffer yard. Along any adjacent land zoned for or in residential or agricultural use, a buffer yard shall be provided which shall not be less than 75 feet in width measured from the property line or the street line. The buffer yard shall be in accordance with the provisions of § 500-2605.
I. 
Each proposed use shall be provided with public off-lot water supply and public sewage disposal at the time of development. Any waste material to be collected by a private concern must be contained in adequate disposal units. Compliance with the standards of the Health Code shall be maintained. No visible garbage, rubbish or other disposable material will be permitted on the land area of the building.
J. 
Any proposed development shall have access to either an arterial or collector highway.
K. 
Parking. Off-street parking shall be provided in accordance with the provisions of Article XXVII.
[Amended 5-20-2008 by Ord. No. 08-05]
All uses in Use Group 6 shall meet the following requirements:
A. 
Minimum site area: five acres.
B. 
Minimum frontage at street line-site: 200 feet.
C. 
Maximum density: 10.5 dwelling units per acre.
D. 
Maximum building coverage: 20%.
E. 
Setback requirements.
(1) 
No part of any duplex shall be closer than 100 feet from the street line of an arterial or expressway.
(2) 
No building shall be closer than 50 feet from any other property line of the site nor closer than 30 feet from the edge of the cartway of all interior streets.
F. 
Minimum building spacing: 10 feet.
G. 
Minimum lot area.
(1) 
Per duplex: 3,500 square feet.
H. 
Maximum building height: 35 feet.
I. 
Maximum horizontal dimension of any building: 180 feet.
J. 
Minimum floor area per duplex: 1,600 square feet (800 square feet per floor).
K. 
A fifty-foot-wide buffer yard shall be provided along all property lines of the site. The buffer yard shall meet the requirements of § 500-2605.
L. 
All uses shall be provided with public water and public sewage disposal at the time of development. Any waste material to be collected by a private concern must be contained in adequate disposal units. Compliance with the standards of the Health Code shall be maintained. No visible garbage, rubbish or other disposable material shall be permitted on the land area of the building.
M. 
Parking.
(1) 
Two off-street parking spaces shall be provided for each duplex unit.
(2) 
Direct access for off-street parking areas for duplex units shall be to interior streets within the site only.