The V-1 Village District is intended and designed to provide certain areas of the Borough for the development of professional and low intensity business offices in areas where residential dwellings currently predominate. This district is intended to include older, established types of development designed mainly for residential purposes, but where changing conditions have made limited offices suitable and not incompatible with the basic residential character of the district.

This district is intended to encourage the preservation of the existing historic houses where road widenings are not needed, and adequate rights-of-way where they are needed, and the residential appearance of the areas. It is also intended to encourage the sharing of parking and vehicular circulation and the limiting of vehicular access onto Route 29. The V-1 District is also intended to protect the adjoining residential neighborhoods from any impacts of the types of land uses permitted herein.

The following uses are permitted:

Any of the permitted uses which require new construction of a building or more than four new parking stalls shall be permitted as a conditional use when authorized by the Borough Council subject to compliance with the provisions of this article and to the standards set forth in § 680-55 of this chapter.

Access shall be shared with abutting properties similarly zoned for nonresidential use. This shall be accomplished by offering an irrevocable offer of cross-easement to abutting similarly zoned properties. Access to any major highways (such as Route 29) shall be closed upon the opening of shared access with an abutting property.

Parking shall not be located in the front of the principal building.

Any new building shall be similar to the scale, massing, and general design of the existing buildings.

Minimum lot size: 7,500 square feet.

Minimum lot width: 75 feet.

Yard requirements.

Height: maximum 35 feet.

Impervious coverage: maximum 50% of lot.

Maximum building footprint of commercial buildings.

If a building built prior to 1900 is used and the front and side facades and front porch (if any) are preserved, the maximum impervious coverage shall be 60%.

If parking and internal vehicular circulation is to be shared with abutting nonresidentially zoned properties, the maximum impervious coverage shall be 75% and parking lot landscaping may be considered landscaping for the purposes of § 680-111. This sharing shall be accomplished by the applicant providing Council with proof that an irrevocable offer of cross-easement to abutting properties has been made, and it is shown on the plans. The easement shall provide for a driveway with vehicular access with sufficient width and turning radius for two-way traffic.

If a property or properties abut a nonresidentially zoned property and an irrevocable offer of dedication is made for an ultimate right-of-way width of 50 feet from the center line of the street, the maximum impervious coverage shall be 75%.

If Subsections A and B are both met, the maximum impervious coverage shall be 85% and parking lot landscaping may be considered landscaping for the purposes of § 680-111.

If Subsections C and D are both met, the maximum impervious coverage shall be 85% and parking lot landscaping may be considered landscaping for the purposes of § 680-111.

A minimum of 15% of lot shall be landscaped open space, excluding parking lot landscaping, except as permitted in § 680-110.

Where abutting a residentially zoned parcel, there shall be a twenty-foot landscaped buffer required along the property line. This may include side, front, and rear yards setbacks. The adequacy of this buffer shall be decided by Borough Council based upon the recommendations of the Borough Planning Commission or other Borough agencies chosen by Council.

Parking in side or rear yards shall be screened from the street by a low hedge, fence, or wall.

Parking in side or rear yards shall be separated from adjacent properties by a ten-foot buffer strip. The buffer shall be designed pursuant to the Collegeville Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.[1]

All exterior lighting shall not unreasonably or unnecessarily disturb adjacent property owners or interfere with traffic by either location or glare.

No lighting fixture shall exceed a twenty-foot mounting height, unless it is in the setback area, then the requirements of § 680-57 apply.

Lighting facilities, poles, etc., shall not be permitted within any parking space or aisle.

Lighting fixtures shall be of the character consistent with the architecture of the structure and surrounding properties.

Pedestrian pathways abutting properties and between the rear of a property and the street frontage are encouraged and shall not be considered as part of the impervious coverage.

All wall surfaces shall be finished in a manner consistent with the front facades of the building.

New buildings should be designed to be compatible with other buildings in this district in terms of scale, massing, and building materials.

Any lot with more than one building shall be designed as a compact, unified development with common parking and signage and internalized circulation.