Township of Northampton, PA Part 8 INSTITUTIONAL AND RECREATIONAL DISTRICTS

§ 27-801 Specific Intent.

[Ord. 160, 4/6/1977]

1. In accordance with the goals and objectives of the Township Comprehensive Plan, it is both necessary and imperative that the use of land and property for public and quasi-public purposes be compatible with and in harmony with other uses. A substantial portion of Northampton Township is owned, leased or occupied by numerous levels of government, including the Township, the Municipal Authority, the Council Rock School District, several agencies of the County of Bucks, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and, to some extent, the United States government.

2. All too frequently, public land or land which is to become public land is utilized to fit the instant need and not according to any plan. Higher levels of government tend to purchase and occupy municipal property with immune responsibility for conformance to local standards.

3. Institutions are frequently large landholders and are frequently subject to minimal controls related to zoning. It is the specific intent of Northampton Township to regulate and to provide controls for the use of public, quasi-public and institutional properties in accordance with sound planning principles.

§ 27-802 IP District Use Regulations.

[Ord. 160, 4/6/1977; as amended by Ord. 411, 2/25/1996; and by Ord. 535, 12/17/2008, § 4]

1. The following uses shall be recognized as being subject to the regulations and provisions of the Institutional/Public District:

A. Uses by Right. Existing uses by right and future uses which may occur by right shall include:

(1) Municipal or Township governmental offices, including libraries, civic centers, police administration facilities, police and/or fire training facilities and recreation facility administrative offices.

(2) Municipal Authority administrative offices.

(3) Council Rock School District administrative facilities and offices and satellite facilities related to administration.

(4) Dedicated public open space (exclusive of land controlled by the FP Floodplain and Flood Hazard District) controlled by fee simple ownership or similar land use controlled by open space easement or covenant within the legal jurisdiction of Northampton Township.

(5) Public open space controlled by any agency of Bucks County, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Federal government or nonprofit organizations, provided such land or use is permanently committed to such public use.

B. Conditional Uses. The following uses are permitted as conditional uses, subject to approval and issuance of a conditional use permit in accordance with Part 9:

(1) Federal postal service facilities and distribution centers.

(2) Federal military installations (operating facilities) and storage of Federal vehicles.

(3) State military facilities (National Guard) and storage of vehicles.

(4) Federal or State medical facilities, hospitals, clinics, out-patient care facilities, sanatoriums or similar facilities.

(5) Exterior and interior storage of cinders, salt, calcium chloride and similar road surface treatment materials related to Township or State agencies.

(6) Nonprofit public or private hospitals, clinics, health care facilities, sanatoriums, convalescent homes and extended care facilities.

(7) Public schools, parochial schools, nonprofit schools and special large-scale facilities (a stadium, major meeting room facility, etc.) operated by a public or nonprofit school but not on property related to such schools.

(8) Special structures or uses related to the provision of public water supply (such as filter treatment plant, major pumping facility, storage tank, reservoir) and public sewer facilities.

(9) Any use which is public, quasi-public or institutional in nature, which is controlled by an institution, philanthropic organization, nonprofit corporation or religious organization and which requires structures or related facilities.

(10) Public or quasi-public cemeteries not in existence at the time of passage of this chapter.

(11) Any structure, facility or use related to military or municipal airfields, airports, runways, hangars or related facilities.

(12) Any use proposed to be conducted by an applicant which is regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission which requires a new structure (other than administrative offices) including, but not limited to, major electrical transformer stations; high-pressure pump stations for oil and gas transmission; and similar but related uses.

(13) Telecommunications facility subject to the provisions of §§ 27-1116, 27-1123 and the specific criteria listed in § 27-602, Subsection 1B(4).

C. Uses by Special Exception. None.

D. Accessory Uses. Any use which is entirely incidental and subordinate to the above permitted uses and is located on the same lot, parcel, tract or reservation.

E. Village Overlay District.

(1) Uses permitted by right within the underlying IP District shall be permitted by right within the Village Overly District.

(2) Uses permitted by conditional use or by special exception within the underlying IP District shall be permitted by conditional use within the Village Overly District.

(3) Uses not permitted by right, conditional use or special exception within the underlying IP District, but are permitted as a use by right, conditional use or special exception within the C-2, C-3 or PO Districts, shall be permitted by conditional use within the Village Overlay District.

(4) Where conflicts between the provisions of the IP Zoning District and Village Overlay District exist, the provisions of the Village Overlay District shall apply.

§ 27-803 IP District Area and Development Regulations.

[Ord. 160, 4/6/1977]

1. General. It is not intended that each separate use covered in § 27-802 have prescribed lot areas, lot widths, building bulk controls and similar regulatory controls. It is intended, however, that when a permitted use by right or conditional use requires a structure within the IP Institutional/Public District, restrictive controls on such structure conform to the most restrictive controls for such use as required for the nearest adjacent and abutting zoning district. For example, a building or structure proposed to house a National Guard armory on a parcel abutting the I-1 Planned Industrial/Office District would be required to conform to the area and development controls of the abutting district. As another example, a satellite volunteer fire company station located adjacent to an R-2 Single-Family District would provide lot, yard and coverage requirements not less restrictive than the equivalent controls for all other permitted uses as prescribed in § 27-406, Subsection 2B.

2. Area and Development Regulations for Conditional Uses. If an unusual use is proposed which is not specifically mentioned by this Part but which falls in the category of conditional uses, and if there is discretion as to area and development regulations, such regulations shall be specified with the conditional use permit by the Board of Township Supervisors, if approved.

3. Minimum Conditions for Certain Conditional Uses. As minimums, the following controls shall apply to certain conditional uses:

A. Large-scale storage areas for vehicles by any public, quasi-public or institutional agency shall be located at least 100 feet from any property line.

B. Cemeteries must provide a complete peripheral landscaped buffer as specified in Part 11.

C. The external or outside storage of road treatment materials or chemicals and related equipment must provide a complete peripheral landscaped buffer as specified in Part 11.

D. Elevated water tanks and towers for communication equipment must be located 100 feet from a property line or 200 feet from any residence district.

E. Special recreational facilities such as a stadium or assembly building for large meetings, etc., must be located at least 200 feet from any residence district.

F. Pump facilities for medium- to high-pressure gas and oil transmission facilities must be located 150 feet from any potential residence.

4. Off-Street Parking and Loading. The required off-street parking and loading facilities, if not governed by requirements of the abutting district, shall be as specified in Part 11.

5. Unconstitutionality. To the extent that the final decision of any court should hold that this Part is unconstitutional, invalid or illegal as applied to any property or portion thereof in restricting its use or development, then such property shall thereupon be included in the R-1 District and its development shall conform to the requirements of that district.

§ 27-804 REC Recreation District.

[Ord. 160, 4/6/1977; as added by Ord. 343, 12/11/1991; as amended by Ord. 409, 8/14/1996; by Ord. 415, 1/22/1997; and by Ord. 487, 12/11/2002]

1. Purpose and Intent; Interpretation. It is the general purpose and intent of this district to provide for suitable areas within the Township to accommodate spacious recreational uses and compatible residential development in addition to providing appropriate design standards for the same. In doing so, it is hereby recognized that active and passive recreation are equal in importance. Both forms of recreation serve legitimate municipal, health, safety and public welfare purposes and should be incorporated with appropriate residential uses where appropriate.

[Amended by Ord. No. 599, 10/24/2018]

2. Use regulations in the REC District shall be as follows:

A. Uses by Right.

(1) Dedicated public open space (exclusive of land controlled by the FP Floodplain and Flood Hazard District) controlled by open space easement or covenant within the legal jurisdiction of Northampton Township.

(2) Public open space controlled by any agency of Bucks County, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Federal government or nonprofit organizations, provided that such land or use is permanently committed to such public use.

(3) Municipal uses, per standards in § 27-1121.

(4) Townhouses for properties containing a minimum of 175 contiguous acres, per the standards in § 27-804, Subsection 3E.

[Added by Ord. No. 599, 10/24/2018]

B. Conditional Uses. The following uses are permitted as conditional uses, subject to approval and issuance of a conditional use permit in accordance with Part 9:

(1) Country clubs including, but not limited to, a golf course, swimming pool, clubhouse, restaurant and other accessory uses, provided that these are clearly accessory to the country club, subject to the following provisions:

(a) A lot area of not less than 60 acres shall be required.

(b) No buildings shall be closer than 100 feet to any lot line.

(2) Any use permitted in R-1 Single-Family Districts, provided that no more than one single-family detached dwelling shall be permitted on a lot. Any application for more than one single-family detached dwelling shall require the filing, by the property owner or a group of property owners, of:

(a) A subdivision plan pursuant to Chapter 22, "Subdivision and Land Development."

(b) A petition to amend the Zoning Map, for all or any portion of the subject property, to R-1 Single-Family District pursuant to § 27-1501 herein. Should the subdivision plan be otherwise approvable by the Board of Supervisors, the approval of the accompanying petition to amend the Zoning Map shall not be unduly withheld by the Board of Supervisors.

(3) Telecommunications facility subject to the provisions of §§ 27-1116 and 27-1123, and the specific criteria listed in § 27-602, Subsection 1B(4).

3. Area and development regulations in the REC District shall be as follows:

A. Minimum lot area: 10 acres.

B. Minimum lot width at building line: 250 feet.

C. Minimum yards.

(1) Front: 100 feet.

(2) Side, each: 50 feet.

(3) Rear: 100 feet.

D. Maximum impervious surface ratio:

(1) Dedicated public open space within the legal jurisdiction of Northampton Township and municipal uses: 25%.

(2) All other permitted uses: 3% of lot area.

E. For properties containing a minimum of 175 contiguous acres in the REC - Recreation District, the following regulations shall apply:

[Added by Ord. No. 599, 10/24/2018]

(1) Use by Right:

(a) Townhouses.

(2) Minimum existing site area: 175 contiguous acres.

(3) Townhouse developments to be designed with zero lot line transfer of land comprised of unit footprint only shall not be subject to lot area and bulk requirements on an individual unit basis but shall be subject to area and bulk requirements as they apply to the development as a whole. Requirements are as follows as applied to the development as a whole:

(a) Minimum yards:

1) Front: 20 feet.

2) Side: 10 feet.

3) Rear: 30 feet.

(b) Maximum impervious surface ratio: 70% of lot area devoted to the residential development.

(c) Minimum distance between buildings: 20 feet.

(4) The following requirements shall apply to individual units:

(a) Maximum building height: 45 feet.

(b) Minimum unit width: 22 feet.

(c) Minimum front setback: 20 feet.

(5) Maximum Density. The total number of dwelling units shall not exceed a maximum density of one dwelling unit per acre of the development as a whole.

(6) Minimum Open Space Ratio. At least 70% of the site area of the development as a whole shall be open space.

(a) Open Space Ownership. The form of ownership shall be at the discretion of the Board of Supervisors during the land development approval process with respect to the preservation, ownership, and maintenance of the open space. Section 27-903, Subsection 5 and 6, and § 27-1001 do not apply.

(b) A unified plan shall be recorded for the entire tract showing the required open space and the relationship to any residential development in accordance with the open space ownership arrangement approved by the Board of Supervisors.

(7) Buffering. A fifteen-foot buffer shall be maintained along all site boundaries in the area of any proposed development, with the preservation of existing trees and vegetation where practical. Upon review by Township consultants, additional plantings shall be supplemented where feasible, and the buffer may be reduced if warranted by topography and site design. The buffer requirements of § 27-1103 are not applicable.