Crafton City Zoning Code

The maximum vibration is given as particle velocity, which may be measured directly with suitable instrumentation or computed on the basis of displacement and frequency. When computed, the following formula shall be used:

P.V. = 6.28 F x D, WHERE: P.V. = particle velocity, inches per second, F = vibration frequency, cycles per second, D = single amplitude displacement of the vibration, inches.

The maximum particle velocity shall be the vector sum of the three individual components recorded. Such particle velocity shall not exceed the values given in Table A. Where vibration is produced as discrete impulses, and such impulses do not exceed a frequency of 100 per minute, then the values in Table A may be multiplied by two.

No direct or sky-reflected glare, whether from floodlights or from high temperature processes shall be visible from adjacent public streets or adjacent lots when viewed by a person standing on ground level. For the purposes of interpreting this subsection, glare shall be defined as direct or indirect light from any source which exceeds 1/2 footcandle on any adjacent property.

In all zoning districts, all lighting devices located within 100 feet of a property line adjacent to residential use or zoning classification shall be designed with shields, reflectors or refractor panels which direct and cut off light at a cutoff angle which is less than 90°. Cutoff angle is defined as the angle formed by a line drawn from the direction of the light rays at the light source and a line perpendicular to the ground from the light source above which no light is emitted.

The Zoning Officer shall investigate any purported violation of the performance standards and, subject to the approval of Borough Council, may employ qualified technical experts to assist in the determination of a violation. Costs of the services of such experts shall be paid by the owner or operator of the facility or use accused of the violation if the facility or use is found to be in violation. If the facility or use is found to be in compliance with the performance standards, said costs shall be borne by the Borough.

If the facility or use is found to be in violation, the owner or operator shall be given written notice of violation in accordance with Article VII of this chapter and a reasonable length of time to correct the violation. Failure to correct the violation shall be subject to the penalty provisions of this chapter and shall result in the revocation of the occupancy permit for the facility or use.

Buffer areas shall not be required along property lines which adjoin a public street right-of-way; however, buffer areas shall be required when off-street parking faces an NR or S Zoning District across an alley which is open to traffic.

Buffer areas shall be required for development in the CR or I Zoning Districts along all property lines adjacent to an NR or S Zoning District when construction of any new building or structure is proposed on a vacant lot or when the existing building proposed to be altered covers the lot by less than 50% and adequate area exists on the lot to provide off-street parking and Buffer Area A.

Buffer Area B shall be required for developments in the MU Zoning District along all property lines adjacent to an NR or S Zoning District when construction of any new building or structure is proposed on a vacant lot or when the existing building proposed to be altered covers the lot by less than 50% and adequate area exists on the lot to provide off-street parking and Buffer Area B.

Buffer Area C shall be required for all developments in the CR or MU Districts along all property lines adjacent to the NR Zoning Districts or single-family use in any zoning district or when the existing building proposed to be altered covers more than 50% of the lot and adequate area does not exist on the lot to provide off-street parking and Buffer Area B.

Buffer areas shall also be required for any conditional use or use by special exception when the express standards and criteria for the specific use specify a requirement to provide one of these buffer areas.

Buffer Area A shall be a minimum of 20 feet in depth measured from the property line and shall be comprised of two rows of plantings which are a mixture of 30% deciduous and 70% evergreen trees spaced within the rows 10 feet apart, measured from the vertical center lines of adjacent trees. In addition to the above noted required trees, a continuous row of low level evergreen shrubs or hedges shall be planted, or earthen mounding shall be constructed in the buffer area which shall be a minimum of three feet in height to provide a year-round visual screen capable of acting as a barrier to light beams emanating from the headlights of passenger cars.

Buffer Area B shall be a minimum of 10 feet in depth measured from the property line and shall be comprised of one row of plantings which are a mixture of 30% deciduous and 70% evergreen trees spaced within the row 10 feet apart, measured from the vertical center lines of adjacent trees. In addition to the above-noted required trees, a continuous row of low level evergreen shrubs or hedges shall be planted, or earthen mounding shall be constructed in the buffer area which shall be a minimum of three feet in height to provide a year-round visual screen capable of acting as a barrier to light beams emanating from the headlights of passenger cars.

Buffer Area C shall be comprised of a continuous, compact evergreen hedge or line of evergreen trees that will grow together when mature which are a minimum of six feet in height at the time of planting. On lots which cannot reasonably provide the required buffer area, a six-foot-high screening fence as defined by this chapter may be approved by Borough Council, upon recommendation of the Planning Commission, during the review of the land development plan.

Where trees already exist within the required buffer area, these trees shall remain undisturbed, except that diseased or dead material may be removed. If it is determined that some healthy trees must be removed in conjunction with development, a written request to remove such trees shall be submitted to the Borough, along with an explanation detailing the rationale for the request. These trees shall not be removed until the Borough has given written authorization permitting their removal. This permission shall not be unreasonably denied; however, those who violate this section shall be subject to the maximum penalties authorized by this chapter.

When any trees, regardless of their physical condition, are removed, they shall be replaced by trees suitable to the environment. All such replacement planting shall be in accordance with accepted conservation practices.

Any existing trees within the required buffer area which are a minimum of two inches in diameter at a point one foot above the ground shall be preserved and shall count as a required tree within the buffer area. At no point, however, shall any existing trees and required trees be separated at a distance greater than the distance specified in the required buffer area.

All trees required to be planted within the buffer area shall be a minimum of two inches in diameter at a point one foot above the ground measured along the trunk of the planted tree, which tree shall be planted in accordance with accepted conservation practices. All required trees shall be a minimum of six feet in height at time of planting, measured from the ground adjacent to the planted tree to the top of the tree.

To the extent reasonably possible, all new planting shall utilize western Pennsylvania native species in accordance with recommendations from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The Zoning Officer may waive this requirement by written request from the applicant. The written request shall be signed, dated, and outline the reasons why the applicant is requesting a waiver.

Planting required in buffer areas as outlined in § 225-31 shall not be substituted for any required planting mandated in this subsection.

A landscaping plan, with detailed drawings, prepared by a registered landscape architect, shall be submitted with the final application for land development plan approval, and this landscaping plan shall contain and show the following information:

For nonresidential developments on lots which have a total area of one acre or more, at least one deciduous tree shall be planted for each 2,000 square feet of gross floor area of the building.

For multiple-family developments on lots which have a total area of one acre or more, at least one deciduous tree shall be planted for each 10 dwelling units or portion thereof.

All trees which are required to be planted as per the regulations of this section shall be a minimum of two inches in diameter at a point one foot above the ground at the time of planting measured along the trunk of the planted tree, which tree shall be planted in accordance with accepted conservation practices.

Landscaping of open parking areas shall be provided in accordance with § 225-31.

All areas not utilized for structures, driveways, planting strips or parking facilities must be seeded, sodded or landscaped within a reasonable period of time.

In all zoning districts, the finished side of the fence shall face the street or adjacent property.

In Neighborhood Residential (NR), Community Residential (CR), Mixed-Use (MU), Crafton Transit-Oriented District (CTOD), Conservancy (S) and Park (P) Districts, fences no greater than six feet in height shall be permitted in the required side or rear yard as measured from the natural grade of the ground.

In S and NR Residential Districts, fences shall be permitted in the front yard, provided they meet the following requirements:

In the I Industrial District, the maximum height of a fence shall be 10 feet. Fences shall be located inside or rear yards only.

In any zoning district, fences accessory to schools, parks and playgrounds shall be no more than 10 feet in height and shall contain openings equal to at least 75% of the surface area of the fence.

In any zoning district, when a fence is erected on top of a wall, the distance from the base of the wall to the top of the fence shall not exceed the applicable height limitations specified in this subsection. When a wall is of the retaining type (the top is not an equal distance from ground level on both sides), the height of the wall shall be measured from the sidewalk level. Fences erected on the top of a wall shall contain openings equal to at least 75% of the surface area of the fence.

A fence permit shall be obtained from the Zoning Officer or their designee for the installation of all fences. A fence permit shall be required to change, alter or replace an existing fence.

The Borough's approval of a fence shall in no way make it liable to a property owner or create any responsibility on the part of the Borough relative to the erection of a fence on, over, or within any easement.

Fences may be constructed on a lot line. All fences shall be constructed with structure elements (e.g., posts, beams) facing toward the property on which the fence is located and away from the lot line; provided, however, that if both property owners agree that the structural elements will face away from the property on which the fence is located and toward the lot line, then a letter signed by both property owners shall be provided to the Borough prior to approval.

Unless located on property used for commercial agriculture, or unless otherwise approved by the Zoning Hearing Board, no fence shall contain an electric charger or contain Constantine or barbed wire. Notwithstanding the foregoing, barbed wire, but not Constantine wire, may be included on fences in the side and rear yards of a property located in the I or CTOD Districts.

All fences shall be mounted to the ground and no fence shall be mounted to the roof, parapet wall, or any other portion of a building; provided, however, that a ground-mounted fence may be attached to the wall of a building at its terminus.

Rear and side yard fences may be of any fencing material, which may include recycled materials, but shall not include sheathing, pallets, or items not originally intended to be used for fencing, in the rear and side yards of a lot.

No fence shall be located within or interfere with the sight triangle for vision clearance as set forth in the Borough's engineering standards.

Signage is not permitted on any fencing except for a metal placard no greater than eight inches by eight inches in total and placed by the manufacturer or installer.

Temporary fences erected for a specific function and limited time duration shall be maintained in good condition and shall not require a permit. No temporary fencing material shall be used for permanent fencing.

Snow fencing shall not exceed four feet in height; shall be limited to plastic mesh or wood slat fencing.

Construction and/or demolition fencing to enclose an active construction or demolition site is permitted for the duration of the construction or demolition period.

All trash storage and collection areas on property used for other than a one-unit residential or two-unit residential use must be screened by a 100% opaque wood and/or masonry fence of a height at least 12 inches above the vertical height of the trash receptacle and in accordance with the Borough's engineering standards for such enclosures.

Mechanical equipment or other utility hardware on roof, ground, or buildings shall be screened from public view with materials harmonious with the building, or a fully opaque wall of shrubs, or they shall be so located as not to be visible from any public ways.

At least 5% of the surface parking area shall be landscaped with plantings to include one deciduous tree for every 10 parking spaces in accordance with the tree requirements herein.

All interior landscaping shall be contained in landscape island that shall be installed below the level of the parking lot surface to allow for runoff capture; and

Planting strip planting shall include a minimum of one tree and three shrubs must be planted for every 35 feet of linear feet of planting.

The required five-foot landscaped area may be reduced to three feet when a three-foot-high masonry wall, wrought iron or wood picket fence is erected.

FAA-mandated lighting associated with a utility tower or airport;

Lighting for the United States flag, Pennsylvania flag, a county or Borough flag, or any other flag not considered a flag sign;

Customary decorative lighting during the months of November, December, and January, provided that the lighting does not create unsafe glare on street rights-of-way;

Battery-powered emergency lighting;

Architectural lighting of 10 fixtures or fewer of 1,000 lumens or less per fixture;

Public safety lighting;

Streetlighting in the public right-of-way, provided that the streetlighting has a correlated color temperature of 2,500 Kelvins or less, except when employed specifically to illuminate a crosswalk, and provided that the fixtures are glare-free fully shielded; and

Residential garage, porch, and landscape accent lighting.

All structure(s), parking spaces, building entrances, traffic areas (both vehicular and pedestrian);

Vegetation that might interfere with lighting;

Adjacent uses that might be adversely impacted by the lighting;

All exterior lighting, including but not limited to, architectural, building-entrance, landscaping, flag, accent, etc.; and

A layout of all proposed fixtures by location, orientation, aiming direction, mounting height and type.

Light levels are specified, calculated and measured in footcandles. All footcandles values are maintained footcandles.

Measurements are to be made at ground level, with the light-registering portion of the meter held parallel to the ground pointing up.

The maximum light level of any light fixture cannot exceed 0.5 footcandle measured at the property line of any zoning district that has a residential use as a listed permitted use, 2.0 footcandles measured at the property line of any zoning district that does not have a residential use as a listed permitted use, and 2.5 footcandles at the property line of a parking lot.

Lighting must not be oriented to direct glare or excessive illumination onto adjacent properties, streets or sidewalks.

Light fixtures within parking, vehicular, and pedestrian areas may be no higher than 15 feet.

Light fixtures located within 50 feet of a property line of any zoning district that has a residential use as a listed permitted use may be no higher than 15 feet.

Light fixtures in parking and vehicular display areas must be full cutoff.

Decorative, noncutoff fixtures can be used when the maximum initial lumens generated by each fixture does not exceed 9,500 lumens;

If the unshielded fixture has all metal halide, fluorescent, induction, white high-pressure sodium and color-corrected high-pressure sodium lamps, the outer lamp envelope must be coated with an internal white frosting to diffuse light;

All metal halide fixtures equipped with a medium base socket must use either an internal refractive lens or a wide-body refractive globe; or

All noncutoff fixture open-bottom lights must be equipped with full cutoff fixture shields.

To the extent possible, as determined by the Zoning Officer, internal light sources within structured parking shall not be visible from the adjacent public right-of-way. Rooftop lighting for parking facilities shall be no more than 15 feet above the rooftop parking surface and shall be mounted a minimum of 15 feet in from the edge of the structure.

Floodlight fixtures must be either aimed down at least 45° from the horizontal.

Any floodlight fixture located within 50 feet of a street right-of-way must be mounted and aimed perpendicular to the right-of-way, with a side-to-side horizontal aiming tolerance not to exceed 15°.

All floodlamps emitting 1,000 or more lumens must be aimed at least 60° down from horizontal or shielded so that the main beam is not visible from adjacent properties or the street right-of-way.

Recessed fixture incorporating a lens cover that is either recessed or flush with the bottom of the canopy surface;

Lighting fixture incorporating shields or is shielded by the edge of the canopy itself;

Surface-mounted fixture incorporating a flat glass that provides a cutoff design or shielded light distribution;

Surface-mounted fixture measuring no more than two feet by two feet, with a lens cover that contains at least 2% white fill diffusion material; or

Indirect lighting where light is beamed upward and then reflected down from the underside of the canopy, provided that the fixture is shielded so that direct illumination is focused exclusively on the underside of the canopy.

Sport field lights shall not exceed 60 feet in height.

All lighting fixtures shall be equipped with an existing glare control package (e.g., louvers, shields, or similar devices) and aimed so that their beams are directed and fall within the primary playing or performance area.

The hours of operation for the lighting system for any game or event shall not continue more than one hour after the end of the game or event.

The following table of parking requirements specifies the number of spaces required for uses in any zoning district except the CTOD District, there are only parking maximums in the CTOD District, no minimums:

Each off-street parking space shall have an area of not less than 162 square feet, exclusive of access drives or aisles, and shall have minimum dimensions of nine feet in width and 18 feet in length. Handicapped parking spaces shall have an area of not less than 266 square feet, exclusive of access drives or aisles, and shall have minimum dimensions of 14 feet in width and 19 feet in length. Van accessible spaces shall be at least 17 feet in width.

Single-lane driveways which provide access to parking areas shall be a minimum of 12 feet wide; two-lane driveways shall be a minimum of 24 feet wide. One-way aisles accessing parking spaces shall be a minimum of 18 feet wide. Two-way aisles between parking spaces shall be a minimum of 24 feet wide.

Parking spaces shall be aligned at no less than 60°. If parking spaces are aligned at less than 90°, the aisles accessing the parking spaces shall be restricted to one-way traffic and the parking spaces shall be designed for head-in parking only.

The maximum permissible slope of any parking area, including all aisles and driveways, shall be 7%. If parking spaces are provided in areas which exceed 5% slope, all parking spaces shall be parallel to the contour lines of the area.

Off-street parking facilities shall be designed per the standards of Table 225-35A, Required Parking Facility Dimensions, as applicable. An example of a parking area layout illustrating the standards of Table 225-35A, Required Parking Facility Dimensions, is shown in

Figure 225-35B: Example Parking Lot Layout.

Circulation aisles having a dimension of less than 23 feet shall be one-way aisles. Dimensions for parking angles other than those listed above shall be approved by the City Engineer.

No property located on a major arterial thoroughfare or collector street shall have more than one vehicular access drive, unless the property has over 200 feet of frontage upon such a street, in which case the property may have one vehicular access drive for each full 200 feet of frontage, with such vehicular access drives spaces no less than 200 feet apart.

In residential zoning districts, vehicular access drives from a right-of-way shall not be less than 10 feet wide and shall not be wider than 24 feet along the curb line of the street and up to an intervening sidewalk (if applicable).

In nonresidential zoning districts, vehicular access drives from a right-of-way shall not be less than 24 feet in width and shall not be wider than 34 feet along the curb line of the street.

Vehicular access drives from a right-of-way in the MU Zone shall not be permitted to be closer than 400 feet from the centerline of the nearest interchange ramp, where such ramp intersects an arterial highway or major thoroughfare.

The apron width along a right-of-way shall be a minimum of six feet wider than the width of the access drive.

In any residential zoning district, parking may be permitted in front-yard driveways except that no vehicle over 8,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, and not more than two vehicles per household used for a home occupation or business purpose shall be parked in the front-yard driveway.

In the CR, MU, and CTOD Zoning Districts, off-street parking facilities may be located in the front yard provided that points of access and related landscaping are compliant with all applicable provisions of this Code.

In the I zoning districts, the majority of off-street parking spaces on a given lot must be constructed inside and/or rear yards with limited parking constructed in a front yard, provided that points of access and related landscaping are compliant with all applicable provisions of this Code.

Churches, civic clubs, community centers, and clubs/lodges may, subject to approval by Planning Commission, make parking arrangements with business establishments which normally have different hours of operation for sharing up to, but not more than, 50% of their requirements in adjacent parking areas which are accessory to such business uses. Where there is a sharing of facilities by different owners or tenants, there shall be a written agreement covering a period of time as may be required by the Planning Commission, to be signed by the owner and joint user and filed in the Building Department. Should any of the uses be changed or the facilities discontinued, then the required spaces for the use or uses remaining shall be provided elsewhere as a condition precedent to the continued use of such building or buildings.

For businesses and industrial uses, the Planning Commission may modify the number of spaces required where free parking areas or public parking areas are readily accessible and/or where public transportation is regularly available.

Any property containing a surface parking area abutting a public street shall contain a minimum five-foot-wide planting strip between the entire length of the surface parking area and the public street planted and maintained with shrubbery, trees or other landscape or decorative elements, in order to prohibit vehicle access except at approved ingress and egress points, provide a barrier between public pedestrian-ways and the vehicular parking, and to improve the aesthetics of the street frontage.

Planting strip planting shall include a minimum of one tree and three shrubs must be planted for every 35 feet of linear feet of planting.

The required five-foot landscaped area may be reduced to three feet when a three-foot-high masonry wall, wrought iron or wood picket fence is erected.

Size. Each loading berth shall be at least 65 feet in length and 12 feet in width with an overhead clearance of 14 feet. The area used for loading berths shall not be used to satisfy parking area requirements and shall not block any driveway used for circulation through the site.

Access. Loading berths shall be designed to provide sufficient turnaround area so that vehicles are not required to back onto public streets, and the design shall be subject to review and approval by the Borough Engineer. Loading berths shall have direct access to a driveway and shall be maintained free from obstruction. Under no circumstances shall vehicles waiting to load or unload be parked on or block access to a public right-of-way.

Location. All loading berths shall be located on the same lot with the principal use they are intended to serve. No loading berth shall be located in a required front yard. Loading berths shall be located at least 30 feet from the nearest point of intersection of any two streets.

Screening. Loading berths shall be screened by a six-foot hedge, wall or opaque fence on all sides which face residential use or an S Conservancy or R Residential Zoning District classification.

Surfacing. All loading berths shall have a paved, concrete or bituminous surface, graded with positive drainage to dispose of surface water.

Lighting. Any lighting used to illuminate loading berths shall be designed to reflect away from any adjacent residential use or zoning classification and away from any street or highway.

In all zoning districts, every use which requires the receipt or distribution by tractor-trailer of material or merchandise shall provide off-street loading berths in accordance with the following requirements:

The material is present on at least 50% of the total area of front elevations of all existing buildings within 1,000 feet of the subject building located along the same street frontage and the existing buildings were not constructed as part of a subdivision or common development scheme; and

The material is existing on more than one building located in the same district that has been constructed, expanded, or altered within the five-year time period immediately preceding the application.

Private swimming pools accessory to a dwelling.

Private tennis courts accessory to a dwelling. Tennis courts accessory to a dwelling shall not be permitted in the front yard and shall be located at least 20 feet from any side or rear property line. If lighting is proposed, the lighting shall be shielded so that it does not reflect on any adjacent property. All tennis courts shall be enclosed by a fence which is a minimum of 10 feet in height and a maximum of 12 feet in height and which shall contain openings equal to 50% or more of the surface area of the fence. Tennis courts shall not occupy more than 30% of the rear yard area as defined by this chapter.

Satellite dish antennas.

Radio or television antennas.

Air-conditioning condensers, heat exchangers and heat pumps.

Canopies other than canopy signs, and similar structures. Canopies other than canopy signs and similar permanent freestanding roofed structures without walls shall be permitted to cover outdoor seasonal display and sales areas or fuel-dispensing areas accessory to authorized uses in C-1 Shopping Center, C-2 Commercial Core, and I Industrial Zoning Districts, provided that:

Private garages and carports.

No-impact home-based businesses. No-impact home-based businesses which comply with the definition and standards of this chapter shall be permitted as an incidental use to any principal dwelling unit in all residential zoning districts as long as the business or commercial activity satisfies the following requirements, except that such permission shall not supersede any deed restriction, covenant or agreement restricting the use of the land, nor any master deed, bylaw or other document applicable to a common interest ownership community:

All other accessory structures. All other accessory structures, including, but not limited to garages, storage sheds, gazebos, playhouses, decks, patios and porches, shall not be permitted in the required front yard or required side yards, except as may be permitted by this section, and shall be located at least five feet from the rear lot line. Any detached accessory structure shall be located at least 10 feet from any principal building, except that a detached garage may be connected to the principal building by contiguous walls, breezeways or similar connections.

No object, including but not limited to fences, hedges, and other plantings, buildings, structures, walls, signs and motor vehicles, exceeding a height of three feet as measured from the lowest elevation of the center line of any abutting street, shall be temporarily or permanently placed, erected, installed or parked within the clear sight triangle required on a corner lot except as permitted by exception listed below.

The required clear sight triangle on a corner lot shall be determined as follows: The street lines abutting the corner lot shall form the legs of the clear sight triangle. Each of the legs shall extend a distance of 30 feet from the point of intersection of the street right-of-way lines abutting the corner lot. The hypotenuse of the clear sight triangle shall be formed by drawing a straight line joining the legs at their farthest point from the vortex of the triangle.

Permitted exceptions to the required clear site triangle are as follows:

Unless otherwise identified in the individual zoning districts, the following shall be permitted to project into any required yard as follows: