Catawissa Columbia County
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE V
Basic District Regulations
§ 345-8 Use of land.
A.
Except as hereinafter provided, no building or structure or land shall hereafter be used or occupied and no building or structure or part thereof shall be erected, constructed, reconstructed, moved, or altered except in conformity with the regulations herein specified for the district in which it is located.
B.
No building or other structure shall hereafter be erected or altered:
(1)
To exceed the height or bulk; or
(2)
To accommodate or house a greater number of families; or
(3)
To occupy a greater percentage of lot area; or
(4)
To have narrower or smaller rear yards, front yards, side yards, or other open spaces than therein required; or in any other manner contrary to the provisions of this chapter.
§ 345-9 Regulations governing use of land.
Regulations governing the use of land within the various zoning districts shall be as set forth in Schedule I, District Regulations, of this chapter.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Said schedule is included as an attachment to this chapter.
§ 345-10 Regulations governing the size of lots, yards and buildings.
Lot, yard, and building regulations for the various zoning districts shall be as set forth in Schedule II, Area and Bulk Requirements, of this chapter.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Said schedule is included as an attachment to this chapter.
§ 345-11 Fences.
[Amended 7-10-1989 by Ord. No. 301]
Fences may be erected, altered or reconstructed in accordance with all other provisions of this chapter:
A.
Fences running parallel to the front property line may be erected, altered or reconstructed to a height not to exceed four feet above ground level when located within 25 feet of the street line in a residential zone.
B.
Fences running parallel to the front property line may be erected, altered or reconstructed to a height not to exceed seven feet above ground level when located within 25 feet from the street line when in a commercial zone.
C.
Fences may be located in required yards, provided that no fence shall be erected so as to encroach upon a public right-of-way or to interfere with traffic visibility at an intersection, and provided further that all fences must be erected within the lot lines.
D.
All fences shall be maintained in a safe, sound and upright condition.
E.
If the Building Inspector, upon inspection, determines that any fence, or portion of any fence, is not being maintained in a safe, sound or upright condition, he shall notify the owner of such fence, in writing, of his findings and state briefly the reasons for such findings, or order such fence or portion of such fence repaired or removed within 30 days of the date of the written notice.
F.
These restrictions shall not be applied so as to restrict the erection of a wall for the purpose of retaining earth.
§ 345-12 Parking standards.
A.
Off-street parking space shall be provided as specified in this chapter, and shall be furnished with necessary passageways and driveways.
B.
All commercial parking areas, passageways and driveways shall be surfaced with a dustless, durable, all-weather pavement, clearly marked for car spaces.
C.
None of the off-street parking facilities as required in this chapter shall be required for any existing building or use, unless said building or use shall be enlarged, in which case the provisions of this chapter shall apply only to the enlarged portion of the building or use.
§ 345-13 Other provisions.
A.
No lot shall have erected upon it more than one principal residential building except in apartment developments.
B.
Every principal building shall be built upon a lot with frontage upon a public street improved to meet the Borough's requirements.
C.
At the intersection of two or more streets, no hedge, fence, or wall which is higher than three feet above curb level, nor any other obstruction (other than a post) to vision, shall be permitted in the area formed by a fifteen-foot radius whose center point is either the intersection of the face of curblines or the intersection of the paved portion of street rights-of-way.
D.
Trees shall be trimmed to provide clear, unobstructed vision.
§ 345-14 Adult bookstores, adult motion-picture theaters and cabarets.
[Added 7-12-1982 by Ord. No. 265]
A.
It shall be unlawful to establish an adult bookstore, an adult motion-picture theater or a cabaret in any district other than a B-1 Central Commercial District.
B.
It shall be unlawful to establish an adult bookstore, an adult motion-picture theater or a cabaret within 1,000 feet of any existing adult bookstore, adult motion-picture theater or cabaret.
C.
It shall be unlawful to establish an adult bookstore, an adult motion-picture theater or a cabaret within 500 feet of any school, church, or residential district, unless a special exception is first obtained in accordance with the procedure set forth in § 345-38D hereof. The Zoning Hearing Board may grant a special exception to establish an adult bookstore, an adult motion-picture theater or a cabaret within 500 feet of a school, church or residential district only if the following findings are made by the Board:
(1)
That the proposed use will not adversely affect the safe and comfortable enjoyment of properties in the neighborhood and will not be detrimental to the general character of the area.
(2)
That the establishment of the proposed use in the area will not be contrary to any program of neighborhood conservation and will not interfere with any program of urban renewal.
(4)
That all other applicable requirements of this chapter will be observed.
§ 345-15 Performance requirements.
A.
Dissemination of smoke, dust, odors, fumes, and other noxious gases shall be within the limits of the industrial tolerance standards of the commonwealth.
B.
Liquid wastes and effluents shall be discharged into an approved existing sewage treatment plant in accordance with the plant's regulations.
C.
Precaution against fire hazards, radiation, explosion, proper handling and storage of materials and structural design and safeguards for the health and welfare of workers in compliance with the commonwealth's statutes and requirements.
D.
No vibration or glare shall be evident at any point more than 100 feet from the source of said vibration of light.
§ 345-16 Land use classifications.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
Land use classifications are hereby established as shown on Schedule I, District Regulations, of this chapter.[1] The specified regulations of uses in each classification are as follows:
[1]
Editor's Note: Said schedule is included as an attachment to this chapter.
§ 345-17 Residential district regulations.
To prevent overcrowding of land and to provide efficient utilization of land, two residential districts have been established.
A.
§ 345-18 Commercial district regulations.
[Amended 8-10-1981 by Ord. No. 257; 6-5-1989 by Ord. No. 299]
A.
To promote commercial growth by the utilization of sound planning principles, one commercial use district has been established.
B.
B-1 Central Commercial District. Land may be used and buildings or structures may be erected, altered or used only for the following purposes:
(1)
Principal permitted uses.
(a)
Retail stores dispensing goods and/or services.
(b)
Business and professional offices.
(c)
Utility service offices, such as telephone exchange.
(d)
Printing offices.
(e)
Banks and other fiduciary institutions.
(f)
Personal service shops, such as barber.
(g)
Restaurants, bars and taverns.
(h)
Senior citizen housing.
(i)
One-family dwellings.
(j)
Two-family dwellings.
(k)
Townhouse dwellings.
(l)
Multifamily dwellings.
(m)
Day-care centers.
(2)
Permitted accessory uses.
(a)
Off-street parking space loading and ramp area.
(b)
Storage of goods incidental to the conduct of retail business.
(c)
Signs which relate to the business being conducted on the premises, and which are in accordance with the requirements in Schedule III, District Sign Regulations, of this chapter.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Said schedule is included as an attachment to this chapter.
§ 345-19 Industrial district regulations.
A.
The intent of the industrial district is to provide economic opportunities through industrial-related development for the Borough's present and future residents.
B.
I-1 Light Industrial Use District. It is the purpose of this zone to provide areas of the Borough for the exclusive use of nonnoxious industries which can meet strict performance standards.
(1)
Principal permitted uses.
(a)
Manufacturing of light machinery.
(b)
Fabrication of metal products such as bicycles, metal furniture, musical instruments, and sheet metal products.
(c)
Fabrication of paper products, such as bookbinding, boxes, office supplies, and toys.
(d)
Fabrication of wood products, boats, boxes, cabinets, and woodworking, furniture, toys, and storage yards for lumber and building materials.
(e)
Food and associated industries, such as bakeries, bottling or food processing, and ice cream manufacturing.
(f)
Office buildings for executive or administrative purposes; wholesale storage and warehousing.
(g)
Laboratories, such as biological, chemical, dental, pharmaceutical and general research.
(h)
Other industries, such as plastic products, electronic products, farm machinery, glass products manufacturing.
(i)
Permitted business uses include professional and commercial offices, business service establishments, retail stores dispensing goods and/or services, restaurants, bars, and taverns, including military/veteran services organizations.
[Amended 7-10-2017 by Ord. No. 03-2017]
(j)
In addition to the above, any industry not inconsistent with the above and meeting the performance requirements listed herein may be conducted in this zone. All others are specifically excluded.
§ 345-20 Conservation district regulations.
A.
The intent of the conservation district is to provide for open space as well as provisions for future recreational development.
B.
C-1 Conservation District. Conservation land may be used and buildings or structures may be erected, altered or used only for the following uses: