Collegeville City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XXI
C-O Planned Commercial-Office District
§ 680-155 Declaration of legislative intent.
In expansion of the declaration of legislative intent contained in Article I, the intent of the Planned Commercial-Office District is to encourage development that will benefit the community and surrounding area by permitting limited commercial and office development as an integrated whole on a large tract rather than a small lot-by-lot basis. The district also provides incentives for property owners who design buildings that are oriented toward the street, and, in particular, the intersection of First Avenue and Main Street. Such buildings shall evoke, through design features and details, the Victorian and/or early 20th century appearance of the Main Street Commercial area.
§ 680-156 Permitted uses.
[Amended 7-12-2006 by Ord. No. 519]
A.
Business or professional office.
B.
Banks, savings and loan association, financial institution (excluding drive-through windows).
C.
Municipal office, telephone central office, public utility office.
D.
Retail establishment for the sale of dry goods, variety and general merchandise, clothing, food, drugs (excluding drive-through windows), flowers, furnishings or other household supplies, sale and repair of jewelry, watches, clocks, optical goods, or musical, professional, or scientific instruments.
E.
Personal service shop, including tailor, barber, beauty salon, shoe repair, dressmaking, or similar shop.
F.
Restaurants, retail bakery, confectionery or ice cream shop or other places serving food and beverages (excluding drive-in and fast food restaurants and drive-through or pick-up windows).
G.
Dance, music or art studio.
H.
Day-care center.
I.
Repair and maintenance of office equipment, computer, and electronic products.
J.
Indoor athletic facility.
K.
Apartments, provided:
L.
Dependent care facility, such as a nursing home or an assisted living facility.
M.
Multifamily independent elderly housing.
N.
Hotel.
O.
Convenience store.
[Added 6-7-2017 by Ord. No. 583]
§ 680-157 Conditional use.
§ 680-158 Conditional use standards.
The following, where applicable, shall apply to all conditional uses in the C-O District:
A.
Drive-through window standards.
(1)
Banks, savings and loan, or financial institutions shall provide the following:
(a)
A minimum of a six-car stacking lane must be provided for each window, including the space at the window.
(b)
These spaces shall not interfere with other parking spaces or the internal circulation of the site.
(c)
These windows shall not be attached to a facade that abuts a street, road or right-of-way and features shall be incorporated into their design to screen them from any street, road or right-of-way.
(2)
Drugstore.
(a)
A minimum of a three-car stacking lane must be provided for each window, including the space at the window.
(b)
These spaces shall not interfere with other parking spaces or the internal circulation of the site.
(c)
These windows shall not be attached to a facade that abuts a street, road or right-of-way and features shall be incorporated into their design to screen them from any street, road or right-of-way.
§ 680-159 Prohibited uses.
The following uses are prohibited in the C-O District:
§ 680-160 Dimensional standards.
[Amended 7-12-2006, by Ord. No. 519]
Dimensional standards for standard tract development:
B.
Maximum building coverage: 20%.
C.
Maximum impervious surface: 45%; provided, however, for lots having at least 150 feet of frontage on a principal arterial street, the maximum impervious coverage may be increased to 75%.
[Amended 6-7-2017 by Ord. No. 583]
D.
Maximum height of building: 35 feet.
E.
Maximum height of structures or accessory towers that are not regularly occupied by people: 65 feet.
F.
Minimum building setback from street ultimate right-of-way: five feet.
[Amended 1-5-2011 by Ord. No. 545]
G.
Minimum building setback from property lines: 20 feet.
H.
Minimum spacing between buildings: 1/2 height of taller building or 15 feet, whichever is greater.
I.
Where the property abuts a residential zoning district, all buildings shall be set back at least 30 feet from the zoning district line. Also, a fifteen-foot buffer along the zoning district line is required. This buffer may be included in the side, front, or rear yard setback and shall be designed pursuant to the requirements of the landscape buffer regulations of the Collegeville Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.[2]
J.
Any lots in existence at the time they were zoned C-O Planned Commercial-Office which do not meet the three acre minimum tract size shall be permitted to be developed as a conforming lot, provided all other requirements of the C-O District are met; however, existing tracts under two acres do not have to submit a master plan.
§ 680-161 Development incentives.
Buildings in the C-O District which are oriented toward all public streets and evoke Victorian and/or early (pre-1940) 20th century commercial building styles are allowed increased development density and reduced setbacks.
A.
In order to qualify for those density and setback modifications, the following should be met:
(1)
All facades on any public street, road, or right-of-way must contain windows. In particular, all windows shall not be faux windows and their design and/or fenestration shall be compatible and consistent with the architecture of the building. In particular, at least 35% of the total facade shall be devoted to windows.
(2)
Any building with a pitched, hip, mansard, or similar roof shall have the roof line interrupted with such architectural features as gables, dormers, steeples, chimneys, windows, copulas, etc.
(3)
Any building with a flat roof shall have that roof completely screened from view by a decorative parapet and cornice. Such a parapet shall be periodically interrupted by stepped gables, corbeling, crenelation, battlements, or other decorative features.
(4)
Any HVAC or other roof-mounted functional elements shall be screened from view with decorative features that are architecturally compatible with the building as a whole.
(5)
It is not the intent that any building be a recreation of an historic style but rather a postmodern design that incorporates historic detailing and other design features common to commercial building styles between 1850 and 1940 such as, but not limited to, the Italianate, Romanesque, Colonial Revival, Neoclassical, and Period Revival styles. Street facades shall be interrupted with such elements as staggered setbacks, bay windows, and/or various types of wall facings. Traditional building material such as brick, stone veneer, metal, stucco, and wood must be used. Synthetic materials may be used only if they are designed in a manner that resembles traditional materials.
B.
Borough Council shall determine if the applicant has met the intent of these requirements. The bonuses are as follows:
(1)
Maximum building coverage is replaced by a floor area ratio of .5, which is calculated from the acreage of the original tract prior to any subdivision.
(2)
Maximum impervious coverage is increased to 75%, which is calculated from the acreage of each proposed lot.
(3)
Building setbacks from all property lines is decreased to 15 feet.
(4)
Maximum building height is increased to 50 feet, provided that this building has at least part of its footprint in a floodplain.
§ 680-162 Parking requirements.
A.
All off-street parking facilities shall be located to the rear of the building and shall conform to the provisions of Article IX of this chapter.
[Amended 1-5-2011 by Ord. No. 545]
B.
Any parking located underneath a structure and visible from any public street, shall be screened with architectural screening designed to be compatible with the building as a whole.
§ 680-163 Landscaping and screening.
A.
Landscaping shall be provided where possible around buildings and within common use areas. Use of native plant materials and naturalistic design is encouraged.
B.
All loading, service areas, and outside parking shall be screened from the view of adjacent streets or residences by a landscaped screen buffer. Where vegetation is not feasible, architectural barriers, such as decorative masonry walls may be used, preferably in conjunction with landscape material. The adequacy of this buffer shall be determined by Borough Council, upon the recommendations of the Borough Planning Commission or other Borough agency chosen by Council.
C.
Any existing natural screening, such as vegetation and topography, shall be retained wherever possible. When such natural screening is present, the applicant may use it in place of the required screen.
§ 680-164 Signs.
All signs shall meet the requirements of § 680-180 of this chapter.
§ 680-165 Lighting.
A.
No lighting fixture shall exceed a twenty-foot mounting height; however, if the fixture is located in the setback area, then the requirements of § 680-57 shall be met regarding height limitations.
B.
Illumination of parking areas and walkway areas shall provide a minimum level of illumination of 1/2 horizontal footcandle on the ground surface.
C.
Lighting fixtures shall be of the character consistent with the architecture of the structure and surrounding properties.
D.
All exterior lighting shall not permit glare onto adjacent properties or public rights-of-way.