Collegeville City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVIII
MSC Main Street Commercial District
§ 680-133 Declaration of legislative intent.
In expansion of the declaration of legislative intent and the statement of community objectives contained in Article I, the specific intent of this district is to:
A.
Preserve the traditional late 19th and early 20th century character of Main Street.
B.
To allow for new buildings or additions that reflect the existing architecture of the street.
C.
To allow for a mix of use at a scale and intensity found along a small-town Pennsylvania Main Street.
D.
Prohibit uses that are more appropriate in the Borough's other commercial districts.
§ 680-134 Permitted uses.
[Amended 3-7-2007 by Ord. No. 526]
The following uses are permitted by right on any lot in the MSC District:
A.
Retail store for sale of dry goods, variety merchandise, books and stationary, clothing, food, beverages, flowers and plants, furnishings or other household supplies, antiques, consignment or secondhand thrift shop, and/or similar goods.
B.
Retail stores for sales and repair of jewelry, clocks, optical goods, cameras, household items, electronic equipment, scientific and professional instruments, and/or similar goods.
C.
Restaurants, retail bakery, confectionery or ice cream shop, other places serving food and beverages (excluding drive-through windows).
D.
Personal service shop, including but not limited to barber shops, hairdresser, shoe repair, tailor, dry cleaner (dropoff service only), and/or similar uses.
E.
Business or professional office.
F.
Studio for photography, dance, art, etc.
G.
Art gallery.
I.
Apartments, provided that they are above a nonresidential use.
K.
Accessory uses.
L.
Pedestrian pickup windows.
M.
Outdoor dining, food service or merchandise sales, provided it does not block the legal right-of-way of any sidewalk.
N.
Single-family detached dwelling or semidetached dwelling (twin) pursuant to the appropriate regulations of § 680-95 of this chapter.
O.
An apartment may be used as a student home subject to the following provisions:
(1)
Shall be located above a nonresidential use.
(2)
Shall be located in a parcel with frontage on an arterial road.
(3)
Shall have a floor area of at least 400 square feet for each resident.
(4)
Shall have no more than three residents per student home.
(5)
In mixed-use structures, no more than two apartments may be used for student homes.
§ 680-135 Special exceptions.
§ 680-136 Prohibited uses.
§ 680-137 Dimensional regulations.
[Amended 7-12-2006 by Ord. No. 519]
The following regulations shall apply to all buildings in the MSC District.
A.
Yard requirements.
(1)
Front yard: for existing buildings, the setback in place when this chapter was adopted shall be used. Additions shall only be permitted to the rear or side of an existing building. For any new structure, the setback of the nearest adjacent building fronting Main Street shall be used. If a conflict arises over which is the nearest adjacent building, then the setback of the building closest to Main Street shall be used.
(2)
Side yard: 10 feet.
(3)
Rear yard: 25 feet.
§ 680-138 Conditional uses.
Any new construction of a building, which is considered a land development by Act 247 and is not a de minimis land development, as defined by the Borough's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance,[1] shall be only permitted as a conditional use when authorized by Borough Council subject to § 680-55 of this chapter and the standards set forth in § 680-139 of this article, unless the construction meets the requirements of § 680-140 of this article.
§ 680-139 Conditional use standards.
The following shall apply to all conditional uses:
A.
Any new structure shall be designed to be compatible with the pre-1950 buildings found along Main Street. Building materials traditionally found along Main Street shall be used and design motifs such as pitched roofs, sash windows, and varied facades with bays and porches are required.
B.
All conditional uses must have their primary facade oriented toward Main Street.
C.
Borough Council may require design changes or modifications to address safety issues upon the advice of the Borough Engineer.
§ 680-140 Building replacement provisions.
When a principal building is destroyed owing to a fire, natural disaster, or other acts of God or is razed because of a structural instability not caused by neglect or lack of maintenance, the owner is allowed by right to replace the building, provided the following standards are satisfied:
A.
The new structure must be built within the existing building footprint for the front and side yards. Rear extensions are permitted provided they conform to the dimensional standards in § 680-137 for rear yards, and where applicable, side yards.
B.
Any facade that faces a public street must be constructed of building materials typically found along Main Street. It shall also be similar to the scale, bulk and massing, fenestration, and overall character of the demolished structure. An exact replica is not required but rather design details commonly found along the Main Street corridor shall be used.
C.
Borough Council may require design changes or modifications to ensure the building's design is harmonious with the existing buildings along Main Street.
§ 680-141 Parking lot and loading areas.
The following shall apply to all uses with parking lot and loading areas:
A.
Parking shall be to the rear of the principal building or in the side yard, behind the building's front setback line.
B.
Access drives to Main Street are only permitted when the applicant can demonstrate that no other alternative is possible.