Bethel Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE IX
R-4 Residence Districts
§ 480-51 Purposes.
The R-4 Residence District is hereby established as a district in which regulations are intended to permit and encourage a variety of housing types in an attempt to provide for the expanding regional population.
§ 480-52 Use regulations.
A building or group of buildings may be erected or used and a lot may be used or occupied for any of the following purposes, and no other:
B.
Low-density multifamily dwellings, after approval of the plan in accordance with planned development provisions, and provided that the proposed use complies with the special area, buffer and other requirements.
C.
Single-family semidetached.
D.
Two-family detached.
E.
Two-family semidetached.
F.
Townhouse.
G.
Accessory use on the same lot with and customarily incidental to the above permitted use. Accessory use shall not include a business, except as permitted below where such use is located within an apartment building.
(1)
Private garage or off-street parking lot or area.
(2)
In conjunction with an apartment development, accessory office of commercial use, such as a restaurant or personal service shop, and provided that:
(a)
Each accessory use is located entirely within an apartment building and is located on the ground floor.
(b)
The total area devoted to accessory use shall not exceed 5% of the total floor area of the building in which located, excluding basement and garage, except that in the case of a building four stories or more in height, an additional 5% of the total floor area of a building may be utilized for accessory use.
(c)
The gross floor area of any one office, store, shop, or similar use, except in the case of a restaurant, shall not exceed 1,500 square feet.
(d)
There shall be no entrance to any office, store, shop, restaurant, or similar use except from inside the apartment building.
(3)
There shall be no display of merchandise, signs, or advertising visible from the street or property line.
I.
Uses accessory to dwellings:
(1)
Private garage, private parking space.
(2)
Swimming pool, tennis courts for use of family and guests only.
(3)
Private greenhouse and storage buildings for garden tools.
(4)
Stables; barn; shelter for pets, gazebos and applicable in residential districts.
(5)
Living quarters for household employees, caretakers, or watchmen.
(6)
Uses authorized in this chapter as necessary to a dwelling shall not be deemed to include a hospital, clinic, barbershop, beauty parlor, mortuary, other personal service shop, tearoom, hotel or any other similar use.
(7)
The renting of rooms within the same dwelling in which the lessor resides, or in a building accessory thereto for not more than four nontransient persons, with or without the provisions of table board for such persons by special exception.
(8)
Offices of physician, dentist, minister, lawyer, teachers tutoring a maximum of three students at one time, accountant and other similar type uses, provided that such offices may only be situated in the dwelling of such practitioner, and shall be regularly employed therein, and no colleagues or associates shall use such office. Approval for these accessory uses must be granted by special exception of the Zoning Hearing Board.
§ 480-53 Area and height regulations.
A.
Multifamily dwellings.
(1)
Lot area and width. Every lot on which multifamily dwellings or group of multifamily dwellings is hereafter erected or used shall have an area of not less than 20 acres, and such lot shall not be less than 750 feet in width at the building line. The total number of dwelling units shall not exceed 15 per acre.
(2)
Building area. Not more than 10% of the area of each lot, exclusive of garage area, may be occupied by buildings, and the total floor area 50% of the lot area.
(3)
Building placement. No building shall be located less than 250 feet from a street right-of-way line, nor less than 300 feet from a side or rear property line, and no parking, loading or service area shall be located less than 150 feet from a street right-of-way or other property line.
(4)
Height regulations. No multifamily dwelling shall exceed three stories or 45 feet in height, exclusive of basement.
B.
Every tract used or occupied for any of the following uses shall have an area of not less than 10 acres and each dwelling shall satisfy the following regulations and in no event shall the gross density exceed six dwelling units per acre.
Minimum Lot Area per Dwelling (square feet) | Minimum Lot Width (feet) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Single-family semidetached | 4,000 | 40 | |
Two-family detached | 3,000 | 60 | |
Two-family semidetached | 2,500 | 50 | |
Townhouse — single-family attached | 2,000 | 20 |
(1)
Front yards. There shall be a front yard on each lot, which shall be not less than 25 feet in depth.
(2)
Side yards. On each interior lot side yards shall be provided in accordance with the following:
Minimum Number of Yards | Minimum Agg. Width (feet) | Minimum for Any One (feet) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Single-family semidetached | 1 | 15 | 15 | |
Two-family detached | 2 | 25 | 10 | |
Two-family semidetached | 1 | 15 | 15 | |
Townhouse — end unit | 1 | 15 | 15 |
(3)
Rear yards. There shall be a rear yard on each lot the depth of which shall be not less than 25 feet, except that an accessory use structure may be erected within the rear yard not closer to the rear property line than seven feet.
(4)
Building coverage. The maximum percentage of the area of each lot, which may be occupied by buildings, shall be in accordance with the following:
Maximum Coverage | ||
|---|---|---|
Single-family semidetached | 25% | |
Two-family detached | 30% | |
Two-family semidetached | 35% | |
Townhouse — end unit | 40% |
(5)
Height regulations. No structures or building shall exceed 35 feet in height, exclusive of basement.
§ 480-54 Special regulations.
A.
Along each side or rear property line which directly abuts a single-family residence district in the Township or an adjoining municipality, a buffer yard of not less than 30 feet in width shall be provided for all uses other than single-family dwellings. The buffer yard shall contain landscape plantings in accordance with § 480-150.
B.
In R-4 Residence Districts, all streets shall have a minimum cartway width of 35 feet and a minimum right-of-way of 60 feet.
D.
At least 50% of the off-street parking area shall be under cover (such as underground private garage).
E.
No less than 20% of a total tract shall be used for permanent open space. Buffer yards may be used in computing open space but no individual lot area, private or public street right-of-way, or parking area shall be used for permanent open space.
F.
Not more than six townhouses in each group or cluster of single-family attached dwelling units shall be permitted.
G.
Community facilities shall be provided in accordance with § 395-43 of Chapter 395, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of the Township of Bethel, except that for every 30 dwelling units of fraction thereof, there shall be a lot of 20,000 square feet set aside for recreational purposes with facilities to be approved by the Board of Supervisors. Steep slopes (exceeding 15%), wooded areas, and floodplains may make up as much as 50% of the required common open space land. A minimum of 50% of the open space land must be relatively flat, dry ground, not exceeding the average percent of slope of the development and shall be suitable for the intended purpose. Whenever stormwater management facilities or retention basins are utilized as a portion of recreation open space, it is recommended that the basic design be such as to provide for appropriate dual use as recreation.
H.
Any tract of land to be developed, other than R-1 single-family dwellings, shall be served by public water and public sanitary sewer systems.
I.
There shall be a variety in types of dwelling units, such variety to be approved by the Board of Supervisors.
J.
Trash shall be stored behind the front of the house.