Douglass Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE X
IN Institutional District
§ 265-76 Declaration of legislative intent.
The following is an expansion of the Statement of Community Development Objectives of Article I of this chapter. It is intent of the Institutional District to permit the development of land for institutional purposes. Further, it is the intent of this article to:
§ 265-77 Permitted uses.
Permitted uses are grouped into three classifications according to the minimum lot size required for each classification. Minimum lot sizes are two, four or 10 acres depending on the type of use.
§ 265-78 Class One permitted uses.
On lots with a minimum area of two acres and a minimum lot width at the building line of 200 feet, the following uses are permitted:
§ 265-79 Class Two permitted uses.
§ 265-80 Class Three permitted uses.
§ 265-81 Additional use regulations.
A.
The following accessory uses are permitted. Accessory uses, or buildings, as defined herein, are permitted in conjunction with the appropriate use.
§ 265-82 Dimensional standards.
The following table lists the minimum dimensional standards required of institutional uses in accordance with the classification of permitted uses:
Class One | Class Two | Class Three | |
|---|---|---|---|
Minimum lot size | 2 acres | 4 acres | 10 acres |
Minimum lot width | 200 ft. | 300 ft. | 400 ft. |
Maximum building height | 35 ft.^ | 35 ft.^ | 35 ft.^ |
Maximum impervious coverage | 50% | 50% | 40% |
Minimum building spacing | Equal to the height of the taller building, exclusive of spires, steeples, and other similar non-occupied projections | ||
Building setback from streets | 75 ft. | 75 ft. | 100 ft. |
Building setback from property lines | 50 ft. | 75 ft. | 100 ft. |
Parking and driveway setbacks from streets | 25 ft. | 50 ft. | 50 ft. |
Parking and driveway setbacks from property lines | 25 ft. | 50 ft. | 75 ft. |
Parking and driveway setbacks from buildings | 15 ft. | 15 ft. | 25 ft. |
Accessory building/uses setbacks from streets | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 75 ft. |
Accessory building/uses setbacks from property lines | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 75 ft. |
Accessory building/uses setbacks from driveways | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 50 ft. |
Notes: | |
|---|---|
^ | Spires, steeples or similar non-occupied, decorative and/or symbolic architectural features may be permitted up to a height of 75 feet, provided that the setback of any such structure from property lines must equal or exceed the maximum height of the structure. |
A.
Driveway distances shall be measured from centerline to centerline of the street intersection. For Class One uses, the driveway distance from the intersection shall be 50 feet.
B.
When two or more uses of differing classifications are proposed for one lot or development, the larger minimum lot size and dimensional standards shall apply.
§ 265-83 Parking and service areas.
A.
Parking design standards.
(1)
Parking areas shall be designed to discourage through traffic flow of vehicles which do not park within the area.
(2)
Not more than 10 parking spaces shall be located in an uninterrupted row. If more than 10 parking spaces are located in a row, curbed planted areas with a minimum size of 10 feet by 20 feet shall be located at appropriate intervals to break up the monotonous effect and provide visual interest.
(3)
A permanent paved turnaround area large enough to accommodate passenger cars shall be provided at the closed end of any parking area with a capacity of 50 or more spaces, and which would otherwise function as a dead-end parking lot. Parking shall be prohibited within the turnaround area. Acceptable configurations include circular, "T", and "Y" shaped facilities.
B.
Service areas for loading, unloading, trash removal, etc., shall be provided when deemed necessary by the Board of Supervisors, and shall be located to the rear or side of the proposed use whichever is least objectionable, and screened from abutting residential uses.
C.
A planned, efficient system of ingress, egress and interior circulation shall be provided, and shall cause minimal interference with nearby traffic.
§ 265-84 Additional controls.
§ 265-85 Criteria for considering rezoning applications.
Applications for rezoning of a parcel of land to the Institutional District shall be considered by the Board of Supervisors in accordance with the following criteria:
A.
Character of surrounding areas. The impact of the proposed institution of the surrounding properties shall be considered. If the proposal is adjacent to a residential district, the scale of the institution shall relate to and complement the surrounding area.
B.
Sewage disposal. All institutional uses shall be capable of being served by central sewer. A small-scale institution may be permitted to be served by an on-lot sanitary system only if deemed acceptable by the Board of Supervisors, upon recommendation of the Township Engineer, and approval of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources.
C.
Water supply. Sufficient water must be available to accommodate all the needs of the proposed institution. If public water is not available, a non-system well will be permitted only if the applicant can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Board of Supervisors that it would not adversely affect existing water supply systems in the area.
D.
Traffic. The existing road system must be able to accommodate the peak traffic generated by the institution in a safe and efficient manner. Existing residential areas shall not be infringed upon by significant volumes of traffic from the proposed facility. In order to fully evaluate this, the Board of Supervisors may request a traffic impact statement, as described below:
(1)
A traffic impact study shall present enough information to enable the Township to assess the impact of the proposed institution on the roads within the Township. The study must demonstrate that the proposed use will not adversely affect surrounding areas or traffic circulation generally in the Township; or else identify any traffic problems that might be caused or aggravated by the proposed use and delineate solutions to those problems. Based upon the findings of the study the Township may require other improvements both on-site and off-site, which would alleviate hazardous or congested situations directly attributable to the proposed development, as a condition of approval.
(2)
The traffic impact study shall be prepared for a study area extending a minimum of one mile on all abutting roads from the boundaries of the proposed institution. This area may be modified at the discretion of the Board of Supervisors.
(3)
The traffic impact study shall be prepared by the qualified traffic engineer who possesses the credentials outline for a Municipal Traffic Engineer defined in Pennsylvania Code Chapter 612, entitled "Municipal Traffic Engineering Certification."
E.
Applications for any institutional use or modifications to any existing institutional use shall be submitted to the Township, accompanied by a plan or plans which shall include the following:
(1)
A plot plan of the lot showing the location of all present and proposed buildings, drives, parking lots, and other constructional features on the lot; and all buildings, streets, alleys, highways, stream and other topographical features of the lot and within 200 feet of any lot line.
(2)
Architectural renderings or sketches for any proposed buildings.
(3)
A description of the institutional operations proposed in sufficient detail to indicate the effects of these operations in producing traffic congestion noise, glare or safety hazards.
(4)
Engineering and architectural plans for the treatment and disposal of sewage.
(5)
Engineering and architectural plans for the handing of any excess traffic congestion, noise, glare or safety hazard.