Bridgeport City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XV
TOD Transit-Oriented Development District
§ 560-1501 Intent; applicable regulations.
The intent of the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Zoning District is to encourage development near the DeKalb Street Station on the Norristown High Speed Line (NHSL); to increase transit use; to create an accessible and walkable neighborhood; to attract new residents to Bridgeport; to encourage residential development with commercial and retail that support residential; and to enhance the vibrancy of the Borough.
§ 560-1502 Permitted uses.
In the TOD Transit-Oriented Development District, a building may be erected or used or occupied and a lot may be used or occupied for any of the following purposes and no other when in compliance with applicable use regulations set forth in Article III, Use Regulations:
A.
Uses permitted by right. The following uses are permitted by right:
(1)
Residential uses.
(a)
Multifamily building/unit.
(2)
Commercial uses.
(a)
Brewery/distillery/winery.
(b)
Massage therapy establishment.
(c)
Microbrewery/microdistillery/microwinery.
(d)
Mixed-use building.
[1]
Residential uses may comprise no less than 80% of the gross floor area.
(e)
Personal care business.
(f)
Professional service business.
(g)
Restaurant, dine-in.
(h)
Restaurant, take-out if less than 15,000 square feet.
(i)
Retail establishment if less than 15,000 square feet.
(j)
Studio.
(k)
Tavern/bar/nightclub.
(l)
Theater.
(3)
Community services, institutional, utility uses.
(a)
Conservation/recreation.
(b)
Day care facility.
(c)
Educational institution.
(d)
Emergency services.
(e)
Library, museum, or community center.
(f)
Membership club.
(g)
Place of worship.
(h)
Residential care facility.
(4)
Office uses.
(a)
Co-working space.
(b)
Office, business/professional.
B.
Accessory uses permitted by right. The following accessory uses are permitted when subordinate and customarily incidental to any of the above permitted uses and upon the issuance of a zoning permit:
(1)
Athletic/health club.
(2)
Bank.
(3)
Dry cleaners or laundromat.
(4)
Event facility.
(5)
Fences and walls.
(6)
Mobile food vending.
(7)
Recreation, indoor.
(8)
Renewable energy systems.
C.
Uses permitted by conditional use.
(1)
Communications facility.
(2)
Government facility.
D.
Prohibited uses. The following uses are very specifically prohibited in the TOD District as principal or accessory uses:
(1)
Assembly plant.
(2)
Auto service station.
(3)
Bed-and-breakfast home.
(4)
Car wash.
(5)
Drive-through facilities.
(6)
Hospital.
(7)
Hotel/motel.
(8)
Manufacturing, processing, and production.
(9)
Parking lot as a principal use of a lot.
(10)
Recreation, outdoor.
(11)
Single-family detached dwelling.
(12)
Single-family semi-detached dwelling (twin).
(13)
Single-family attached dwelling (townhouse).
(14)
Storage facility (self-service).
(15)
Swimming pool, non-household.
§ 560-1503 Development standards.
A.
General. The lot to be developed shall be under one owner, or shall be the subject of an application filed jointly by the owners of the entire tract under consideration.
B.
Building orientation and spacing.
(1)
Buildings and front entrances shall be oriented towards DeKalb Street and/or Boro Line Road.
(2)
The primary pedestrian access point to buildings shall face public streets rather than onto rear or side parking lots or alleys.
C.
A lot of three or more acres with frontage along DeKalb Street or Boro Line Road shall have retail on the ground floor fronting the street.
§ 560-1504 Dimensional standards.
A.
Lot size. The minimum lot size shall be 20,000 square feet.
B.
Impervious coverage. The maximum impervious coverage shall not exceed 90%.
(1)
Impervious coverage may reach 100%, provided a green roof is constructed that covers at least 10% of the lot area or 50% of the roof, whichever is greater.
C.
Building height. Within the TOD District, new development shall have a minimum height of four stories, and a maximum height of six stories.
(1)
Building stepbacks. If a building is higher than four stories, each floor above the fourth floor shall have a minimum front stepback of 10 feet.
(2)
For any two buildings located within 40 linear feet of one another, regardless of property boundaries, a stepback of no less than eight feet shall be provided on the facade facing the nearest building within the aforementioned forty-foot vicinity.
D.
Building facade length. The maximum length of any building facade along the public right-of-way shall be 200 feet. Facades should be articulated with facade breaks of a minimum depth of three feet for every 50 feet of building facade length. In lieu of facade breaks, other architectural elements that provide facade articulation may be utilized, including bay or oriel windows, recessed entryways, or other building design features that create variation in the facade depth.
E.
Setbacks.
(1)
Overhangs, balconies, and similar features placed on the street facing front side of the building may be located within the setback, but no closer than two feet to the curbline.
(2)
Building setbacks.
(a)
Front setback. Buildings shall have a minimum setback of 15 feet and a maximum setback of 20 feet.
[1]
Buildings that are located along DeKalb Street between Crooked Lane and Boro Line Road shall have a setback of 25 feet, measured from the street facing facade of the building to the edge of the cartway along public streets.
(b)
Side setback. Buildings shall have a minimum side setback from the property line of 15 feet.
(c)
DeKalb Pike building setback. Unless governed by Subsection E(2)(a)[1] above, where a lot abuts DeKalb Pike, the building shall be set back at least 80 feet from the property line along DeKalb Pike.
(d)
Industrial use setback. Where a parcel abuts an industrial use, any proposed building shall be setback no less than 60 feet from the property line shared with said industrial use.
(3)
Parking structure setbacks.
(a)
DeKalb Pike setback. Where a lot abuts DeKalb Pike, the parking structure shall be set back 40 feet from the property line along DeKalb Pike.
(b)
Industrial use setback. Where a lot abuts industrial use, the parking structure shall be set back 20 feet from property line along the industrial use.
(4)
Setbacks shall be designed to allow for future vehicular and pedestrian access to adjacent properties.
F.
Building separation. The minimum separation between buildings located on the same lot shall be 30 feet.
§ 560-1505 Site design standards.
A.
Common space.
(1)
Properties with a lot area of less than two acres shall provide common space equal to at least 5% of the lot area.
(a)
Common space can be located on the front or side of the building as common space, or on the roof.
(b)
When located on the front or side of the building, common space shall include seating and shade trees with a canopy coverage of a minimum of 35% of the common space. When installed, canopy coverage shall be at 10 years growth for the average canopy size.
(2)
Properties with a lot area of more than two acres shall provide common space equal to at least 8% of the lot area.
(a)
At least 5% of the lot area shall be common space along either DeKalb Street or Boro Line Road. Sidewalk area shall not be counted towards this requirement. The total amount can count towards the frontage occupation requirement.
(b)
If street access is not available, the required common space shall be provided as a small park within the development with a pedestrian walkway connection it to the public sidewalk.
(c)
Common space shall be located on the rooftop, or within the development in the form of a small park.
(d)
When located on the front or side of the building, common space shall include seating and shade trees with a canopy coverage of a minimum of 35% of the common space. When installed, canopy coverage shall be at 10 years growth for the average canopy size.
B.
Pedestrian connectivity.
(1)
Convenient pedestrian connections shall be provided between all building entrances, parking areas, open spaces, and train stations or bus stops.
(2)
New sidewalks or walkways shall connect to existing sidewalks.
C.
Loading and service area.
(1)
Loading and service areas shall be integrated into the building, when feasible. When not feasible, loading and service areas shall be located to the side or rear of buildings, and shall be screened from public streets by a three-foot-high wall, fence, hedge, or combination thereof.
(2)
No loading or service area shall be located within 25 feet of any first-floor residential use.
§ 560-1506 Streetscape standards.
A.
Sidewalks.
(1)
Sidewalks shall be provided along all streets. Sidewalks which are along the major vehicular and pedestrian traffic areas of a TOD development (DeKalb Street and Boro Line Road) shall be provided within the minimum fifteen-foot-wide front setback as follows:
(a)
Verge. A five-foot verge shall be provided.
(b)
Sidewalk. A sidewalk of at least nine feet in width shall be provided along the verge.
(2)
All other walkways within the TOD development shall be a minimum of eight feet in width.
B.
Building facade. All visible facades, including side facades, shall be designed with detail to create visual interest. All buildings shall provide architectural features, which may be in the form of an articulated roofline with cornices, corbels, or other similar architectural treatments.
(1)
A section of blank wall shall not exceed five linear feet without being interrupted by a window, entryway, planter, plaza, or some other design feature.
(2)
Except where there is ground-floor-level parking, clear retail and commercial windows shall encompass at least 50% of the building ground-floor street-facing facade.
(a)
The visibility of commercial and retail windows shall be maintained. Windows signs cannot cover more than 10% of the window space.
(3)
Corners. Building corners at intersections shall be visually emphasized through architectural design features.
C.
Street trees. Trees shall be planted along all public rights-of-way in compliance with § 495-63.
(1)
Street trees shall be planted in the verge along the curb of DeKalb Street and Boro Line Road. Street trees may be planted as part of a green verge, or planted within a paved verge, provided they are planted in a tree well that has a capacity equal to at least 1,000 cubic feet.
D.
Planting beds. Buildings with ground floor parking shall incorporate a five-foot-deep landscaped planting bed along the entire length of the building facade that is occupied by parking.
(1)
Planting beds shall be excluded from the setback and sidewalk to ensure that the required nine-foot-wide sidewalk is provided.
