This chapter, as adopted herein and as may be
duly amended by the Borough Council, shall repeal and replace in total
the Matamoras Borough Zoning Ordinance of December 7, 1982, as amended.
This chapter is not intended to and shall not be construed to affect
or repeal any other ordinance, code or regulation of the Borough of
Matamoras. If any other ordinance, code or regulation of the Borough
of Matamoras is in conflict or inconsistent with the requirements
of this chapter, the most restrictive standards and provisions shall
apply.
This chapter is an ordinance permitting, prohibiting,
regulating, restricting and determining the uses of land, watercourses
and other bodies of water; the size, height, bulk, location, erection,
construction, repair, maintenance, alteration, razing, removal and
use of structures; the areas and dimensions of land and bodies of
water to be occupied by uses and structures as well as courts, yards
and other open spaces and distances to be left unoccupied by uses
and structures; the density of population and intensity of use; creating
zoning districts and establishing the boundaries thereof; authorizing
the appointment of a zoning officer; creating a zoning hearing board;
and providing for the administration, amendment and enforcement of
this chapter, including the imposition of penalties. This chapter
shall be known and may be cited as the "Matamoras Borough Zoning Ordinance."
This chapter is adopted in accordance with an
overall land use control program and with consideration for the character
of the municipality, its various parts and the suitability of the
various parts for particular uses and structures. This chapter is
enacted for the following purposes:
A.
To promote, protect and facilitate one (1) or more
of the following: the public health, safety, morals and general welfare;
coordinated and practical community development; density of population;
civil defense and disaster evacuation, airports and national defense
facilities; the provisions of adequate light and air; police protection;
vehicle parking and loading space; transportation; natural resources;
agricultural land and uses; reliable, safe and adequate water supplies;
safe and adequate sewerage disposal; schools, public grounds and other
public requirements and other purposes set forth in the Pennsylvania
Municipalities Planning Code.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101
et seq.
B.
To prevent one (1) or more of the following: overcrowding
of land, blight, danger and congestion in travel and transportation,
loss of health, life or property from fire, flood, panic or other
dangers.
In interpretation and application, the provisions
of this chapter shall be held to be the minimum requirements for the
promotion of the public health, safety, morals and the general welfare
of the borough and its citizens. It is not intended to interfere with
or abrogate or annul other rules, regulations or ordinances of the
borough except that where this chapter imposes a greater restriction
upon the use of buildings or premises or upon the height of a building
or requires larger open spaces than are imposed by such other rules,
regulations or ordinances, the provisions of this chapter shall control.
This chapter has been adopted in part to assist
in implementing the Matamoras Borough Comprehensive Plan. The community
development objectives supplement the goals and objectives in the
Comprehensive Plan and include, but are not limited to, the following:
A.
To provide the opportunity for safe, decent, sanitary
housing and living environments, with the maximum range of choice
in type and location for all families and individuals.
B.
To ensure that the land uses of the community are
logically situated in relation to one another.
C.
To provide adequate space for each type of development
in the community so as to avoid overcrowding of land.
D.
To provide for the control of development density
in each neighborhood so that the populace can be serviced adequately
by such facilities as streets, schools, recreation and utilities systems.
E.
To protect existing property by requiring that development
afford adequate light, air and privacy for persons living and working
within the municipality.
F.
To facilitate the efficient movement of traffic.
G.
To secure the preservation and prudent use of natural
resources.
H.
To strive for a variety in housing types.
I.
To provide for equal opportunities in all facets of
community living.
J.
To strive for coordination between policies, plans
and programs in the community through cooperation among governing
officials, community interest groups and the general populace.
