Concord Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XIX
R-PLO Planned Laboratory-Office District
§ 210-171 Purpose.
R-PLO Planned Laboratory-Office Districts are designed primarily to provide for selected modern laboratory and office establishments which provide for attractive large-site low-lot-coverage development in areas where traditional business development would be inappropriate and to strengthen and diversify the Township tax base and are compatible with the character of surrounding areas.
A.
Uses by right. A building or unified group of buildings may be erected or used and a lot may be used or occupied for any of the following purposes, provided that the demolition of or special exception or conditional use for a historic resource shown on the Historic Resources Map or any subdivision, land development or construction activity within 300 feet of a historic resource shown on the Historic Resources Map shall be subject to the provisions of Article XIXA relating to historic preservation:
[Amended 10-7-1997 by Ord. No. 218]
(1)
Scientific or industrial research, testing or experimental laboratory or similar establishment for research or product development, provided that there is no commercial production or storage of any commodity or substance except for storage necessary for scientific research.
(2)
Office building.
(3)
Accessory uses of the following:
(a)
A cafeteria or other service facility located within the building and operated for the exclusive use of occupants of the building, guests and invitees in the normal course of business.
(b)
A recreational area for occupants of the building.
(c)
Storage within a completely enclosed building in conjunction with a permitted use.
(d)
Living quarters for watchmen, caretakers or similar employees, provided that no such living accommodation or sleeping quarters shall be located on the first floor of a building.
§ 210-172 Area and height regulations.
A.
Lot area and lot width. Every lot on which a building or combination of buildings is hereafter erected or used shall have a lot area of not less than 50 acres, and such lot shall be not less than 300 feet in width at the building line. In the event that a development site consists of 50 or more acres upon which is to be located one building structure used and occupied by one business entity, one additional lot with a lot area of not less than 10 acres may be located upon the development site, provided that both lots and structures located thereon otherwise comply with all of the terms and provisions of this article.
B.
Total site coverage. Not more than 20% of the area of any lot may be occupied by buildings, and a total of not more than 60% of the area of any lot may be occupied by buildings and parking areas.
C.
Minimum structure setback.
(1)
No building shall be located less than 100 feet from a street right-of-way line nor less than 100 feet from a side or rear property line.
(2)
In the event that more than one building is to be erected or used on a lot, such building shall have front, rear and side yard setbacks of 75 feet, 75 feet and 50 feet, respectively.
(3)
A driveway or road system may be located within said front, rear or side yard setbacks, provided that a minimum of 20 feet of properly landscaped property is planted and maintained between the front, rear and side property line and the driveway or road system.
(4)
In the event that the development of the tract involves the installation by the developer of an approved loop road as part of the overall traffic network of the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 202, the Township Council has the right to permit the loop road right-of-way on one side to coincide with the property line, and in such event the applicant shall be relieved of the requirements for buffering between the road right-of-way and the property line; and no building shall be located less than 100 feet from the loop road right-of-way, and there shall be a buffer planting strip of not less than 50 feet in width or a five-foot-high earthen landscaped berm within said twenty-foot buffer strip between the loop road right-of-way and said building line setback.
D.
Height. No building shall exceed two stories nor more than 35 feet in height. Basement areas of buildings may not be used for human occupancy.
§ 210-173 Performance standards.
No building may be erected, altered or used and no lot or premises may be used which is noxious or offensive or which constitutes a hazard to the immediate surrounding area. Each permitted use shall provide and utilize such smoke, noise and other control devices as are necessary to assure that such use will not:
A.
Constitute any nuisance beyond the boundary of the site by reason of dissemination of noxious, toxic or corrosive fumes, smoke, odor or dust.
B.
Result in noise or vibration exceeding the average intensity of noise from other causes at the boundary site.
C.
Produce objectionable heat, glare or radiation.
D.
Result in electrical disturbance in nearby residences.
E.
Create any other objectionable condition which is dangerous to health, safety or the proper use of adjoining property.
§ 210-174 Special development regulations.
A.
Each building shall be designed so as to minimize its commercial appearance and shall, insofar as practicable, afford minimum external evidence of the nature of the operation conducted therein.
B.
No products or goods shall be publicly displayed on the exterior of the premises, and no showrooms, display rooms or rooms of like use for the public display of goods or products shall be permitted.
§ 210-175 General development regulations.
A.
Utilities and sewers.
(1)
All utility lines servicing the buildings shall be placed underground within the lot lines of the property.
(2)
All buildings shall be served by public water and, if existing within a reasonable proximity, an operating municipal or other available sewage treatment plant.
(3)
In locations where there is no access to an operating municipal or other available sewage treatment plant, one or more on-site sewage treatment systems must be provided. Said system or systems must be in accordance with the Township Sewage Facilities Plan and approved by the Department of Environmental Protection of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
B.
Disposal requirements. All trash, garbage, rubbish and debris of every kind shall be stored within the building in fireproofed rooms or containers or in a screened and shielded courtyard area and shall be collected and disposed of as often as may be required under the particular circumstances by private collectors and at no cost to the Township.
C.
Development agreement. Upon final approval of subdivision and/or land development plans and as a condition to such approval, the Township Council may require the owner to enter into a written agreement with the Township to guarantee completion of the development within a stated period of time and compliance with all applicable laws, ordinances, rules and regulations and conditions of approval. Said guaranty may be in the form of a bond with or without corporate or other suitable surety or security, as determined by the Township Council.
§ 210-176 Landscaping regulations.
A.
Screening along property lines adjoining other zoning districts.
(1)
Along each side or rear property line which directly abuts a residence and/or residential district in Concord Township or a residential district of an adjoining municipality; see Article XXI, Landscaping, § 210-193A, for width and nature of planting.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
(2)
Along each street line bounding a residence district, a strip of land not less than 50 feet in width shall be suitably landscaped except for necessary sidewalks and accessways crossing the strip or a twenty-foot-wide buffer strip with a five-foot berm; except that property abutting a loop road shall be governed by the provisions of § 210-172C.
[Amended 3-5-1991 by Ord. No. 177]
B.
Mechanical equipment. See Article XXI § 210-193A(3).
C.
General landscaping.
(1)
The lot and each building, parking area and service area shall be suitably landscaped in accordance with a landscaping plan, prepared by a licensed landscape architect and approved by the Township Council.
(2)
All landscaping shall be appropriate to the architectural design of the building, using to the maximum extent possible the existing terrain and trees on the site.
D.
Screening of roof objects. Water towers, storage tanks, processing equipment, stand fans, skylights, cooling towers, communication towers, vents and other structures or equipment which arise above the roofline shall be architecturally compatible or effectively shielded from view from any public dedicated street or private thoroughfare by an architecturally sound method which shall be approved by the Township Council.
§ 210-177 Sign regulations.
See Article XXIII.
§ 210-178 Off-street parking and loading requirements.
A.
General characteristics. Adequate off-street parking areas shall be provided.
B.
Specific location.
(1)
No more than 3% of the parking spaces shall be located between the building and any adjoining highway upon which the building fronts.
(2)
No parking, loading or service area shall be permitted in the front yard setback within 75 feet of the street right-of-way line, nor shall any parking, loading or service area be permitted within 50 feet of the side or rear property line, except that parking may be allowed by the Township Council within 20 feet of the side or rear yard property line, provided that there is installed and maintained a five-foot-high earthen landscaped berm within said twenty-foot strip.
§ 210-179 Size and number of parking spaces.
A.
Size. Each parking space shall be not less than 180 square feet in area (nine feet by 20 feet).
B.
Number. Not less than one automobile parking space with suitable access shall be provided for each 300 square feet of gross floor area.
C.
In that the need for parking is dependent upon the type and volume of use of a building, these minimum parking requirements may be increased or decreased by the Township Council, upon the recommendation of the Township Planning Commission, to the required size and number to provide adequate off-street parking for the contemplated type and volume of use.
§ 210-180 Paving.
All parking, loading, access and service areas shall be paved with concrete, blacktop or other hard surface material.
§ 210-181 Access.
A.
Access to a major highway or secondary street shall be controlled in the interest of public safety by the use of deceleration and acceleration lanes, buffer strips and traffic control devices. Each building or group of buildings shall be physically separated from the highway or street by a planting strip or other suitable barrier against unchanneled motor vehicle ingress and egress, except for designed accessways.
B.
In the event that the lot fronts upon a state highway, the Department of Transportation of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania shall approve the means of ingress and egress to and from the lot.
C.
Traffic control devices required to accommodate the traffic generated by the use of the site shall be at the expense of the owner.
§ 210-182 Lighting.
All parking, loading, access and service areas shall be adequately illuminated at night. Said lighting shall be arranged so as to protect the streets, highways and adjoining property from direct glare. The location, type and intensity of said lighting shall be in accordance with a lighting plan approved by the Township Council.
§ 210-183 Loading and unloading.
In addition to the required off-street parking areas, there shall be provided off-street areas for the loading and unloading of delivery trucks and for the servicing of the buildings by refuse collection, fuel and other service vehicles, which areas shall be located at the side or rear of the building, shall be adequate in size and shall be so arranged that each may be used without blockage or interference with the use of the accessways or the automobile parking facilities.