This chapter shall be known, and may be cited as, the Borough of Edgewood Zoning Ordinance. The accompanying district map shall be known, and may be cited as, the Borough of Edgewood Zoning Map. Illustrations in the Appendix provide supporting information.
In accordance with the authority granted to Borough of Edgewood through the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247, as reenacted and amended), this chapter and map are intended to:
A. 
Regulate the density of population.
B. 
Regulate the location and use of buildings, structures and land for residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial and other purposes.
C. 
Regulate the height, bulk, number of stories, size and placement of buildings and structures.
D. 
Divide the Borough into districts of such size, shape and area, and to establish such Zoning Map, as may be deemed best suited to carry out the regulations.
E. 
Establish procedures for the administration, enforcement, amendment, and relief from hardships under certain circumstances.
These regulations are deemed necessary in order to encourage beneficial growth in the Borough while keeping the density of development consistent with existing Borough facilities and the Borough's ability to develop new facilities as needed. These regulations are expected to:
A. 
Promote the public health, safety, morals and general welfare.
B. 
Conserve and stabilize property values through encouragement of the most appropriate uses of land in relation to adjacent properties, with consideration given to the physical characteristics of the property, and its value, as well.
C. 
Secure safety from fire, flood, panic and other dangers by providing for adequate open spaces for light, air and amenity, and by promoting emergency preparedness and operations.
D. 
Preserve forests, agricultural lands, and recreation areas in their natural state, or from conflict with urban development.
E. 
Protect floodplains and manage the release of stormwater to minimize downstream flooding.
F. 
Prevent the overcrowding or improper development of land, incompatible uses of land, and/or blighting conditions.
G. 
Facilitate the economic provision of safe, adequate and reliable transportation, water supply, sewage disposal, public schools, parks and other public requirements.
H. 
Avoid congestion in travel and transportation, and maintain and improve the carrying capacity and safety of major roads.
I. 
Reduce the cost of building roads and installing utilities, and the subsequent cost of Borough operations.
J. 
Encourage similar controls upon development in adjacent municipalities where logical zoning district boundaries extend across municipal lines.
No structure shall be located, erected, demolished, constructed, moved, externally altered, converted or enlarged nor shall any structure or land use be used or designed to be used except in full compliance with this chapter and after the lawful issuance of all permits and certifications required by this chapter.
A. 
The Borough Council shall, from time to time, establish, by resolution, a schedule of fees, charges and expenses and a collection procedure for building permits, appeals and other matters pertaining to this chapter. The schedule of fees may be posted in the Borough Offices, and may be amended only by official action by the Borough Council.
B. 
No permit, certificate, application or variance shall be issued, nor shall any action be taken on proceedings before the Zoning Hearing Board unless, or until, such costs, charges, fees or expenses have been paid in full.
C. 
A zoning certificate or building permit shall be required for all new construction, additions or alterations affecting exterior dimensions of existing structures; and, for any structural or interior changes required for a change of the structure's use, or for any change in use.
D. 
Any application for amendment, variance, special exception, conditional use, permit or any other application or certificate within the scope of this chapter, shall be accompanied by a fee, such fee to be established by resolution of the Borough Council, who may, from time to time revise such fees in order to bear a reasonable relationship to the costs involved.
[Amended 7-5-2016 by Ord. No. 1057]
This chapter shall not apply to property owned by the Borough of Edgewood in the exercise of its municipal functions, including, but not limited to, traffic and safety signs, non-building essential service structures, and utilities. The Borough will adhere to all use regulations by district.
A. 
Whenever the provisions of this chapter are at variance with provisions in other parts of this chapter or any other lawfully adopted rules, regulations or ordinances, the more restrictive requirements shall govern.
B. 
Traditional neighborhood development. The Borough has adopted a Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance [Chapter 180] which includes a design manual pursuant to Article VII-A of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code. Where applicable, land development approval (including design standards) must precede issuance of a zoning permit. This chapter is specifically established in accordance with Article VII-A of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code and the entire Borough is regarded as a Traditional Neighborhood Development District. Furthermore, pursuant to § 702-A this District is established as an outright designation for the purposes of urban infill. The Borough is utilizing the Traditional Neighborhood Development Designation in order for this designated district to meet the Commonwealth goals:
(1) 
To encourage innovations in residential and nonresidential development and renewal which makes use of a mixed-use form of development so that the growing demand for housing and other development may be met by greater variety in type, design and layout of dwellings and other buildings and structures and by the conservation and more efficient use of open space ancillary to said dwellings and uses.
(2) 
To allow for the development of fully integrated, mixed-use pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods.
(3) 
To minimize traffic congestion, infrastructure costs and environmental degradation.
C. 
Relationship to multi-municipal comprehensive plan and intergovernmental agreement. Pursuant to Article XI of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, this chapter will be interpreted in light of any adopted intergovernmental agreement and § 1103(4) of the aforementioned code. If any defined use or class of uses is not provided for within this chapter said use or class of uses shall be considered by the Borough as being provided for within the region covered by the multi-municipal plan. Any adopted multi-municipal agreement shall take precedent over this chapter in providing for uses within the Borough.
Should any section or provision of this chapter be declared by the courts to be unconstitutional or invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the Ordinance as a whole, nor the validity of any other section or provision of the ordinance, other than the one so declared.
Any resolution or ordinance, or any part of any resolution or ordinance conflicting with the provisions of this chapter is hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict.
A. 
Property owned, leased or operated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or the United States, or any other public or governmental body or agency, shall be subject to the requirements of this chapter as follows:
(1) 
Where such public or governmental uses are specifically listed, they shall be governed as indicated.
(2) 
Where such public or governmental uses are not specifically listed, they shall be permitted only in districts permitting private uses of a similar or substantially similar nature.
B. 
Governmental entities and agencies shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter only to the extent that it has been determined that the Borough has no power to apply its zoning regulations to the particular use of land.
C. 
Utilities subject to Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission regulation shall be exempt from requirements of this chapter with regards to safety signs, essential service structures no greater than 100 square feet in size and four feet in height, poles for electric, telephone, and fiber optic line, subsurface wire and conduit, and underground piping. Other public utility structures and buildings, including, but not limited to, telecommunications towers, sewage treatment plants and substations, must comply with all use and setback requirements for the applicable zoning district.
In addition to the general purposes listing in § 200-3, the specific community development objectives, created as result of the Edgewood/Swissvale/Rankin Multi-municipal Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2010, have been considered as a basis upon which the regulations and controls of this chapter are derived, and are adopted herein by reference. This chapter implements that plan and has been determined to be generally consistent with said plan by an Allegheny County Planning Commission review.