The R-2 Multi-Family Residential District is hereby established
in order to provide for medium-density housing opportunities while
preserving natural features and resources.
A lot or parcel may be used and a building or structure may
be erected and used for any of the following purposes:
A. Principal uses:
(1) See Article
III, Land Uses.
B. Accessory uses:
(1) Private garages and parking areas.
(2) Accessory uses incidental to a permitted principal use, including
but not limited to swimming pools and storage sheds. All such uses
shall be placed on the lot in conformance with those setbacks established
for the principal use.
(3) Signs as provided for in Article
XIII.
(4) Granny flat/carriage house.
A lot or parcel may be used and a building or structure may
be erected and used for any of the following purposes, subject to
the granting of a conditional use pursuant to procedures established
by this chapter:
A. Conversion of an existing single-family residential structure to
accommodate a personal care home or a day nursery.
B. Planned residential development (see Article
XII) consisting of at least 50% single-family units.
C. Multistory garden apartments, subject to the following requirements:
(1) Minimum site area: 3/4 of an acre or 32,670 square feet.
(2) Four stories or 50 feet maximum height.
(3) Parking required: 1.5 spaces per unit.
(4) Parking areas shall have plant screening of varying heights (no less
than four feet in height), plus consisting of a fifty-percent-fifty-percent
mix of evergreens and deciduous trees, or opaque fencing, installed
to achieve an overall maximum transparency of 15%.
D. Personal care home, subject to the following requirements:
(1) No fewer than three residents nor more than eight shall be accommodated
at all times.
(2) One nonclient adult supervisor shall be on the premises at all times.
(3) All state and federal guidelines for licensing shall be met.
(4) Conversion of an existing structure for this use must meet development
standards for new construction.
(5) The name and telephone number of the organization or person in charge
of the operation of this use must be supplied to the Township.
E. Library.
(1) Hours of operation and events shall be scheduled to minimize negative
impacts on the surrounding neighborhood.
(2) All dumpsters and/or waste collection areas shall be enclosed by
a solid masonry screen.
(3) Maximum height of outdoor parking area and roadway lighting shall
be 25 feet.
(4) As a part of all land development, the landowner and/or developer
shall provide a plan for photometrics of the lot. Illumination, when
measured at a lot line, shall be a maximum of 0.25 footcandle.
(5) If the parking area is adjacent to a single-family residential lot,
any parking areas that demand greater than 10 automobiles, the following
shall apply:
(a)
An additional ten-foot setback with one of the following shall
be provided along the parking lot's perimeter to minimize the
impact of inappropriate noise, dust, light and other disturbances
on adjacent residential development:
[1]
One and one-half times the required number of plants for screening
and buffering off-street parking and loading areas; or
[2]
A mound, a minimum of 3 1/2 feet in height at its peak,
shall be constructed where the sides do not exceed a four-foot horizontal
to one-foot vertical change in elevation. The mound shall be landscaped
with plants that provide four seasons of interest, not including turf
grass. The landowner and/or developer shall coordinate lot drainage
so that lot development and grading do not create any adverse effects
on adjacent properties.
F. School, private or public.
(1) A traffic impact study shall be submitted to identify projected impacts
to the Township road network.
(2) Ingress and egress locations shall be designed to minimize congestion
on adjacent highways and local streets during peak use periods.
(3) All required off-street parking areas shall exhibit the minimum surface
treatment and be screened from adjoining residential properties with
planting material or fencing as recommended by the Planning Commission.
G. Day nursery, subject to the following requirements:
(1) This use must be conducted within a building designed as a single-family
dwelling unit or in an existing structure used for religious purposes.
(2) Outdoor play areas shall be placed a minimum of 60 feet from an abutting
property line, and a planting screen of varying heights (no less than
four feet in height), plus consisting of a fifty-percent-fifty-percent
mix of evergreens and deciduous trees, or opaque fencing, shall be
installed to achieve an overall maximum transparency of 15%. Play
areas shall be in rear or side yards.
(3) All state and federal regulations for licensing shall be met.
(4) Vehicles dropping off or picking up must be provided for on site
and not in public rights-of-way.
H. Nursing home, subject to the following requirements:
(1) Copies of all state and federal licenses and operating permits shall
be supplied to the Township on an annual basis.
(2) Inspection by Township personnel shall be permitted.
(3) Parking areas shall be screened from adjoining residential property.
A planting screen of varying heights (no less than four feet in height),
plus consisting of a fifty-percent-fifty-percent mix of evergreens
and deciduous trees, or opaque fencing, shall be installed to achieve
an overall maximum transparency of 15%.
(4) No more than 25% of the ground area of the lot, on which the nursing
care facility is erected, shall be occupied by buildings.
(5) There shall be not less than 900 square feet of lot area for each
bed. The minimum lot area for a nursing care facility shall be 2 1/2
acres.
(6) The nursing care facility must adequately provide for the collection
and treatment of sewage and the disposal of wastes and must submit
all plans, agreements, and proposal for sewage collection, treatment
and disposal for final approval by the Township.
(7) The nursing care facility must otherwise comply with all the general requirements which must be met for the granting of a conditional use under §
400-54.
I. Boardinghouse, subject to the following requirements:
(1) Converted single-family houses must meet minimum building code specifications
for multiple uses.
(2) Parking must be provided as per Article
IV.
J. Public park or recreation facility, to include community centers,
subject to the following requirements:
(1) Adequate provision for interior circulation and access must be demonstrated.
(2) Exterior lighting must be installed with no impact of glare on adjacent
lots.
(3) The perimeter of an outdoor recreation area shall be screened with
natural plantings or fencing a minimum of four feet in height and
with a maximum of 15% transparency.
K. Private recreation facility, subject to the following requirements:
(1) For the purposes of this section, private recreation shall be limited
to the following:
(a)
Racquetball or tennis club.
(2) Compliance with all land development criteria shall be a prerequisite
for building permit issuance.
(3) A twenty-foot-deep buffer yard shall be provided along the entire
length of any property line abutting a developed residential lot.
A planting screen of varying heights (no less than four feet in height),
plus consisting of a fifty-percent-fifty-percent mix of evergreens
and deciduous trees, or opaque fencing, shall be installed within
said buffer yard to achieve an overall maximum transparency of 15%.
L. Private club, subject to the following requirements:
(1) Shall be of a service nature and not conducted as a profit-making
business.
(2) Shall be open to members and their guests only.
(3) Shall have two points of vehicular access.
(4) Outdoor recreation areas shall be located a minimum of 30 feet from
the closest property line. A planting screen of varying heights (no
less than four feet in height), plus consisting of a fifty-percent-fifty-percent
mix of evergreens and deciduous trees, or opaque fencing, shall be
installed within said buffer yard to achieve an overall maximum transparency
of 15%.
(5) The perimeter of the lot accommodating such use shall be planted
or fenced in accordance with the provisions of this chapter to discourage
public access.
M. Home occupation, low-impact, subject to the following requirements:
(1) Such use shall be located within the dwelling unit of the person
providing the professional and personal services and shall be clearly
incidental to the structure's use as a residence.
(2) Not more than 10% of the square footage of the principal use shall
be devoted to the accessory nonmedical office use.
(3) Signs shall be permitted in accordance with Article
XIII.
N. Public utility facilities, subject to the following requirements:
(1) For the purposes of this section, public utility facilities shall
not include incinerators or public or private landfills.
(2) It shall be demonstrated that the site chosen for said facility is
the site best suited for the purpose intended.
(3) All sites must be screened with a mixture of high- and low-level
plantings from six feet to three feet in height around the entire
perimeter within a twenty-five-foot-wide buffer yard.
(4) No nonmedical office, storage building or exterior storage yard shall
be operated in conjunction with the utility facility.
(5) Treatment of sanitary sewage shall be prohibited.
(6) Transmission towers shall be prohibited.
O. Life care facility, subject to the following requirements:
(1) Minimum site area: 40 acres.
(2) Access to a site proposed for development of a continuing care retirement
community shall be provided directly from a rural collector roadway.
Secondary access shall be provided for emergency or maintenance services
from a collector or local roadway.
(3) Continuing care retirement communities shall provide at least one
type of residential use in addition to the extended care or nursing
facility.
(4) The configuration of residential structures other than extended care
or nursing facilities may include, but not be limited to, apartments,
townhouses (maximum six dwelling units per structure), duplex, triplex
or quadraplex, (single-family attached), and single-family detached
structures.
(5) The mix of residential uses may include the following categories,
with no group of uses exceeding 75% of the total acreage:
(a)
Extended-care units (nursing home).
(c)
Independent living units (multiple-dwelling structures).
(d)
Independent living units (single-family attached or detached).
(6) Maximum height of structures: four stories or 50 feet, not to include
architectural projections or roof-mounted mechanical equipment.
(7) All roof-mounted mechanical equipment shall be screened from view
from adjacent residential properties and roadways. Such screening
shall blend into the architectural design of the building.
(8) Maximum permitted gross density shall be calculated separately by
residential unit type as follows:
(a)
Extended-care units (nursing home): not to exceed a ratio of
20 beds per acre of land.
(b)
Assisted living units: not to exceed a ratio of 20 beds per
acre of land.
(c)
Independent living units (multiple-dwelling structures): not
to exceed a ratio of 12 dwelling units per acre of land.
(d)
Independent living units (single-family detached): not to exceed
four dwelling units per acre of land.
(9) A minimum of 20% of the site area shall be designated as active or
passive open space within which recreational facilities, including
but not limited to a picnic area or walking trail, may be provided.
(10)
No structure shall be situated less than 40 feet from any property
line.
(11)
Personal support services shall be limited to 10% of the total
floor area of the principal structures.
(12)
Buffer yards shall comply with §
400-32 of this chapter.
(13)
Required parking shall consist of one space for each independent
living unit on site, plus one space for each two employees on the
largest shift, plus one space for each four beds in extended-care
and assisted living facilities for visitor parking.
(14)
Interior streets and roadways shall be designed and constructed
to accommodate a vehicular capacity of 400 average weekday vehicles
trips or a minimum of twelve-foot lane widths, whichever is greater.
(15)
Compliance with the provisions of Article
V, §
400-23, Conditional uses, shall precede final approval for a continuing care retirement community in this zoning district.
P. Private utility, subject to the following requirements:
(1) The utility facility must be contained on a recorded lot and cannot
be placed in an area of a subdivision intended for open space.
(2) Structures and facilities shall be sited to create least damage to
the environment.
(3) A buffer yard and screening shall be provided that will adequately
shield the use from the view of any street or residentially zoned
land. Screening shall consist of natural plantings or fencing a minimum
of four feet in height and with a maximum of 15% transparency to adequately
screen the use from view.
(4) Parking and storage areas shall be set back from property lines abutting
residentially zoned land a minimum of 30 feet and shall be screened
with natural plantings or fencing a minimum of four feet in height
and with a maximum of 15% transparency in order to minimize impact
of the view from any adjacent residential property or those directly
across a street.
(5) Normally overhead lines and related equipment may be required to
be placed underground in whole or in part of the length of the right-of-way.
(6) In order to ensure the compatibility of proposed buildings with surrounding
development in the district, building character shall be complimentary
to surrounding properties. Building elevations with exterior materials
shall be submitted in conjunction with any applicable site plan.
Q. Wind turbine, residential. Windmills, windwheels, or wind-energy
conversion systems (WECS) for residential purposes shall be permitted
as accessory uses, subject to the following conditions:
(1) No said systems or equipment shall be erected in a front yard or
within the area between a front lot line and the front building facade
of the principal building on the lot.
(2) The structure supporting the wind rotor unit, including any necessary
guideposts and supporting cables, shall be independent of any occupied
structure and located a minimum distance of the tower height plus
10 feet from any occupied dwelling, and shall not be more than 45
feet in height.
(3) The minimum distance between the tower and any lot line shall be
not less than twice the height of the tower.
(4) The minimum distance between grade and the lowest point of the rotor
blade shall be 20 feet.
(5) All electric lines/utility wires shall be buried underground.
(6) Any mechanical equipment associated and necessary for operation,
including a building for batteries and storage cells, shall be enclosed
by a six-foot fence with screening planting in accordance with this
chapter. When a building is necessary for storage cells or related
mechanical equipment, the building shall not exceed 140 square feet.
(7) One windmill, windwheel or WECS shall be permitted per lot.
(8) The resultant energy harnessed from the wind shall not be used on
property other than that on which located, unless all applicable cogeneration
requirements are met.
(9) The supporting structure and generating unit shall be kept in good
repair and sound condition. Upon abandonment of use, the supporting
structure and related structures shall be dismantled and removed from
the property within 60 days.
(10)
The applicant shall demonstrate that any noise from the wind-generating
unit shall not exceed 45 dBA measured at the lot line.
(a)
A "decibel" shall mean a unit for measuring the relative intensity
of sounds; more specifically, a unit for expressing the ratio of two
amounts of acoustic signal power equal to 10 times the common logarithm
of this ratio.
(b)
A "weighted" sound level shall mean the total sound level in
decibels of all sound as measured with a sound-level meter with a
reference pressure of 20 micropascals using the A-weighted network
(scale) at slow response. The unit of measurement shall be defined
as dBA.
R. Community centers, subject to the following requirements:
(1) Adequate provision for interior circulation on the lot and access
to the lot must be demonstrated.
(2) Exterior lighting must be installed with no impact of glare on adjacent
lots.
(3) The perimeter of an outdoor recreation area shall be screened with
natural plantings or fencing a minimum of four feet in height and
with a maximum of 15% transparency.
S. Municipal building/use.
(1) All dumpsters and/or waste collection areas shall be enclosed by
a solid masonry screen.
(2) Maximum height of outdoor parking area and roadway lighting shall
be 25 feet.
(3) As a part of all land development, the landowner and/or developer
shall provide a plan for photometrics of the lot. Illumination, when
measured at a lot line, shall be a maximum of 0.25 footcandle.
T. Cemetery or mausoleum.
(1) The minimum lot area shall be 25 acres; the maximum lot area shall
be 100 acres.
(2) A drainage plan, showing the lot's existing and proposed runoff
characteristics, shall be submitted with the application for approval.
(3) An additional 10 feet of yard setback with landscape buffering a
minimum of six feet in height for off-street parking, loading areas,
outdoor service areas and storage areas shall be provided as defined
by this chapter to protect the surrounding neighborhood from inappropriate
light and other disturbances.
(4) At no time shall a corpse be exposed or visible from a public street
or adjacent lot.
(5) An inventory of type and quantity of all toxic, corrosive, flammable,
carcinogenic or explosive materials, chemicals, liquids, gases or
solids utilized, stored and/or transferred shall be filed with the
Township on an annual basis.
(6) The owner(s) and operator(s) of a cemetery shall incorporate best
management practices as outlined in the Pennsylvania Handbook of Best
Management Practices for Developing Areas to minimize negative impacts
of erosion, siltation and surface water and groundwater contamination.
(7) No more than one sign shall be permitted; said sign shall be a ground
or a wall sign.
Environmental impact regulations for the R-2 Multi-Family Residential District are contained in Article
VI.
All permits for construction, use and occupancy of structures and for the use and occupancy of land in this district are required in accordance with procedures outlined in Article
XVII.