Chadds Ford Township, PA R-M District (Residence-Multifamily)

A room or group of rooms suited for human occupancy, usually for rent by a landlord to the occupants; such rooms clustered as two or more apartments within a single building structure and sharing in common portions of a building and property. Apartments may share a common entrance and hallway or may have individual entrances. However, in contrast to townhouses, row houses, or duplexes, the structural features of the building do not clearly delineate the separate apartments as separate dwelling units.

Townhouses, duplexes, etc., have individual ownership and clearly delineated structural features such as separate yards, separating walls, roof line delineation, entrance areas, etc., even though they are connected to one or more similar dwelling units.

The Planning Commission shall review plans and determine the nature of the proposed development.

One-family semidetached or attached dwellings.

Accessory use regulations. The following uses for apartment houses and dwelling units are permitted under the conditions specified. Unless indicated otherwise, no accessory use is permitted within a rear, side or front yard as required herein.

Parking areas and private garages.

Storage garages. All storage areas for items other than private automobiles, e.g., boats, trailers, all types of campers, etc., shall be structurally enclosed.

Living accommodations for a watchman and caretakers employed upon the premises, provided that any such accessory living accommodation shall be located within a multifamily unit and shall meet the minimum requirements of a multifamily unit.

Laundry, provided that it is for the exclusive use of residents of the site.

Laundry drying areas, provided that they are screened from adjoining property and public view by a wall, fence or hedge.

(6)

Recreation building, eating or medical care facility, provided that it is for the exclusive use of residents of the site and their guests.

(7)

Swimming pools and patios or terraces are permitted, provided that safety and sanitary standards as specified by the Board of Supervisors are maintained.

(8)

Refuse collection centers accessible to the street system, provided that they are screened from adjoining property and public view by a wall, fence or hedge. No on-site incineration shall be permitted.

(9)

Any other uses that are similar to those set forth in this subsection and that are customarily incidental to a multifamily unit, subject to the approval of the Board of Supervisors.

§ 135-22 Lot requirements.

Each apartment house, semidetached or attached unit shall be provided with not less than the following space standards:

Height and area requirements.

Maximum height. The maximum height of all buildings and structures shall conform to § 135-167A of this chapter.

Minimum unit size. No unit shall be less than 700 square feet in net usable floor area, including partitions and walls and excluding areas of joint use with other occupants. Dwelling units with two bedrooms shall be no less than 850 square feet and dwelling units of three bedrooms shall be no less than 1,000 square feet in net usable area, including partitions and walls and excluding areas of joint use with other occupants.

Minimum lot area and width. A building site for each type of dwelling unit shall be a lot not less than two acres in size, and shall have a width at the building line of not less than 280 feet.

Determination of lot area. In calculating the minimum acres which can be used for multifamily dwellings, 70% of any land in a floodplain or with a slope of 25% or greater must be excluded from the total available acres in a given parcel of land.

Determination of number of units. Not more than an average of six family dwelling units shall be permitted per acre of one lot area of the entire lot area of an apartment house site, or six dwelling units per acre for semidetached or attached dwelling sites. The lot areas to be used for detached one-family dwelling units shall not be included in the lot area used for calculating the allowable number of units. Maximum density may not be attainable on all land depending upon terrain and contours.

(6)

Floor used restriction. Apartments shall be permitted only on any floor where the apartment floor is completely above grade at one exterior wall.

(7)

Bedroom restriction. Not more than three bedrooms shall be permitted in any one apartment unit. Not more than 25% of the apartments in an apartment development may be three-bedroom apartments. A den shall not be used as a bedroom in an apartment development.

(8)

Maximum lot coverage. Not more than 20% of the lot area may be covered by buildings.

(9)

Yards.

(a)

Front yard. There shall be a front yard the depth of which shall be at least 75 feet from the front or street line to the nearest point of any main or accessory building.

(b)

Side yard. There shall be two side yards, neither of which shall be less than 50 feet in width from the nearest property line nor less than twice the height of the subject dwelling unit, whichever is greater. There shall be no less than 50 feet between buildings.

(c)

Rear yard. There shall be a rear yard of a depth of not less than 50 feet from the main or accessory building to the nearest point on the rear line of the building site or twice the height of the subject building, whichever is greater.

(10)

No more than seven dwelling units intended for single-family ownership may be attached in any structure.

Other requirements.

Use of the space.

(a)

No more than 50% of the lot area may be occupied by a combination of buildings, streets, driveways, parking areas or other impervious areas.

(b)

Of the open space, a minimum of 50% must be suitable for recreation purposes such as tot lot, sitting area, walking area, and suitable games and similar activity. Activity and such facilities shall be shown on the plan.

Landscaping. All of the property shall be suitably landscaped as approved by the Board of Supervisors and shall be suitably maintained. Insofar as possible, existing trees and grades are to be preserved. If the subject property is not suitably maintained, such maintenance may be performed by the Township and the cost thereof charged against the owner of said property and a lien entered against the property as a municipal lien if such charge is not paid. Any existing deciduous or evergreen trees 12 inches or more in diameter measured one foot from ground level must require approval by a designated Township authority prior to removal.

Buffer. Where an R-M District (Residence-Multifamily) abuts an R-1 or R-2 district, a buffer zone shall be provided which shall be not less than 100 feet wide running the full depth of the lot line, to be in addition to other setback, side or rear yard requirements. No driveway, parking area, recreation area, etc., shall encroach into this buffer strip. Such additional buffer zone shall not be required where the abutting district is separated by a railroad right-of-way.

§ 135-23 Street and parking requirements.

Each dwelling unit site, semidetached or attached housing site shall provide the following street and parking requirements:

When the site is in an approved fire-protected district (which shall have an adequate water supply and storage facility to assure sufficient volume and pressure of water to combat possible fires), the submitted plan shall show existing mains and water supplies in the immediate area, together with proposed mains and fireplugs to provide adequate fire protection to the proposed units.

When the sites are not in a fire-protected district, the following conditions shall apply:

Fire lane.

(a)

No unit shall be located more than 150 feet from a duly improved and accessible fire lane. A "fire lane" shall mean and include any driveway, roadway, area, parcel, or strip of land which provides vehicular access to any building or buildings.

(b)

Fire lanes shall have a minimum unobstructed right-of-way width of 40 feet, and there shall be constructed within this right-of-way an all-weather and well-drained surface cartway with a minimum width of 20 feet. The extension of fire lanes shall begin from one or more existing and improved public streets.

(c)

Fire lanes which curve, turn or change directions shall have a minimum radius of 55 feet at the edge of pavement. Fire lanes containing reverse curves shall have a minimum center line tangent length of 50 feet between curves.

(d)

Dead-end fire lanes shall be terminated with an unobstructed vehicular turnaround or cul-de-sac with a minimum right-of-way radius of 45 feet and shall have a minimum surfaced radius of 35 feet. Dead-end fire lanes shall have a maximum length of 400 feet.

(e)

The location of fire lanes shall conform to plans for the extension of streets, sanitary sewers, water mains, storm sewers and other drainage facilities and public utilities as contained in this and other ordinances of the Township of Chadds Ford and shall provide adequate access to buildings by firemen and other emergency services.

Private streets. Private streets or lanes where not required for use as fire lanes as specified herein may have a minimum right-of-way width of 30 feet and minimum cartway width of 20 feet and shall have a durable, paved and well-drained, all-weather surface. The location and use of private streets or lanes is subject to the approval of the Board of Supervisors.

Driveways and off-street parking.

All driveways and parking areas shall conform to standards specified above for private streets.

Parking spaces shall be provided according to the number of bedrooms per unit as indicated below:

	Bedrooms Per Unit	Required Parking Space Per Unit
	1	2
	2	2 1/2
	3	3

Each such parking space shall provide a minimum of 200 square feet of off-street parking surface exclusive of the space needed for access and maneuvering. Such off-street parking space may be provided as an individual garage or carport or a parking compound adjacent to or near the unit it serves but not closer than 20 feet to a unit wall containing windows, or 10 feet to a blank wall, except when located within the unit. A maximum of 35 individual parking spaces may be placed together in a parking area or compound. All such compounds of parking spaces must be separated by a planting strip not less than 10 feet in width.

No parking space shall be located within 10 feet of any lot line. This provision is subject to additional requirements when the site abuts an R-1 or R-2 district.

The minimum required parking spaces shall not be met by permitting on-street parking on any street, whether public or private.

(6)

All streets, driveways and parking areas are to be properly lighted to assure safe driving conditions at night and security for the residents. Such lighting is to be so planned as to not create a nuisance for residents of adjacent lots. The location and height of all lighting shall be shown on the plans for review and approval by the Board of Supervisors.

No driveway, private street or fire lane shall be located within 10 feet of any exterior property line except where required to provide access to and from a public street. No driveway, private street or fire lane shall encroach into the buffer strip.

§ 135-24 Utilities and drainage facilities.

The following utilities and drainage facilities are required for each unit:

Utilities.

All utility connections, cable television lines and servicing lines are to be installed underground unless special conditions require otherwise, subject to the approval of the Board of Supervisors.

Where required, easements across lots centered on rear or side lot lines shall be provided for such utilities and shall be at least 20 feet wide.

Water supply and sewage disposal must be furnished in accordance with the requirements specified by the appropriate state, county and Township officials. Off-site water and sewage facilities may be required where deemed necessary by the Board of Supervisors. A sewage treatment plant may be installed on a site when approved by the Board of Supervisors and the appropriate state and county officials. Such a plan must meet the setback, side and rear yard requirements provided herein, including buffer zone where required.

Drainage.

All areas on the site should be properly graded to provide adequate drainage.

Where the site is traversed by a watercourse, drainageway, channel, or stream, there shall be provided a drainage easement conforming substantially with the lines of such watercourse, but not less than 10 feet wide, and of ample width to carry anticipated flows. Those areas occupied by required easements that are now within a stream channel and are suitable for recreational purposes may qualify as usable open space subject to the approval of the Board of Supervisors. No storm sewers, drainage facilities or surface water shall be connected to or be permitted to flow into a sanitary sewer system. Surface flow from a site shall be controlled by retention basins and systems to prevent runoff from exceeding that which would be normal for the site prior to development or disturbance of virgin soil.

§ 135-25 Administrative requirements.

Each application submitted pursuant to this article shall be subject to the provisions of Chapter 110, Subdivision and Land Development, as amended, and the procedures as set forth therein shall be complied with and approval required thereunder. In addition, each such application shall be accompanied by the following information:

A site plan or plans which shall describe the integrated or overall development of the tract of land or district for which an application is made, which site plan or plans shall be drawn at appropriate scales, and which shall show:

The location, orientation, boundaries, dimensions, and ownerships of the land to be included in the district or area for which the application is made.

The location, use dimensions, and arrangement of all buildings and structures, streets, sidewalks, and open spaces, including the height of all buildings; the number of bedrooms contained in each unit; the location, area in square feet and capacity of all areas to be used for off-street parking; the location and dimensions of all driveways, fire lanes, and private and public streets; the location of all areas devoted to planting, landscaping or similar purposes; and the location and height of all walls, fences or hedges required as visual screens.

The floor plans and areas in square feet of all dwelling units and accessory buildings and the location of all windows and external doors.

The physical features of the tract, including contours at two-foot intervals; regrading plan or proposed final contours and elevations.