Downingtown City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VIII
R-4 Single-Family/Two-Family/Multifamily Residential District
§ 287-31 Intent.
The R-4 Single-Family/Two-Family/Multifamily Residential District is designed for established, moderate-to-higher-density neighborhoods comprised of mixed housing types at varying densities and scales of development. A full diversity of housing types including apartment dwellings is provided, as well as certain compatible nonresidential uses.
§ 287-32 Use regulations.
A.
Uses by right. In the R-4 District, land, buildings or premises may be used by right for the following principal purposes and no other, subject to Article IV and Article XIA:
[Amended 12-1-1999 by Ord. No. 99-14]
(1)
Single-family detached dwellings.
(2)
Two-family dwellings.
(3)
Multifamily dwellings, except that quadraplex dwellings shall be permitted only as a conditional use under the terms of Subsection D below.
(4)
Traditional neighborhood townhouse multiplex as a permitted conditional use.
[Added 2-2-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-4]
B.
Accessory uses. Only the following accessory uses shall be permitted:
(1)
Uses customarily accessory and incidental to residential uses.
(2)
Home occupations, in single-family and two-family dwellings, in accordance with the terms of § 287-92B.
(3)
Swimming pool, in-ground, when located not less than 10 feet from any principal structure or garage, complying with all other applicable Borough ordinances and observing the following distances from any side or rear lot line:
(4)
Swimming pool, aboveground, as an accessory to single-family or two-family dwellings, when located not less than 10 feet from any side or rear lot line, principal structure or garage and in full compliance with all other Borough ordinances.
C.
Uses by special exception. The following uses shall be permitted only upon the grant of a special exception from the Zoning Hearing Board, subject to the terms of this article and § 287-145, and subject to Article IV and Article XIA:
[Amended 12-1-1999 by Ord. No. 99-14]
D.
Conditional uses. The following uses are permitted only upon the grant of conditional use approval from the Borough Council, subject to the terms of this article and § 287-137, and subject to Article IV and Article XIA:
[Amended 12-1-1999 by Ord. No. 99-14]
(1)
Apartment dwellings at a gross density of at least 11 dwelling units, but not more than 14 dwelling units, per acre, in accordance with the terms of § 287-35.
(2)
Offices for professional, general or governmental use, in accordance with the area and bulk regulations of § 287-48.
(3)
Quadraplex dwellings, in accordance with the requirements of this section and § 287-30B of this chapter.
§ 287-33 Area and bulk regulations.
[Amended 12-1-1999 by Ord. No. 99-14]
Except where otherwise stipulated in § 287-32 above and § 287-35 below, which deal with conditional uses, the following regulations shall apply to all uses within the R-4 District, subject to Article XIA:
A.
Single-family detached dwellings:
(1)
Minimum lot area: 6,000 square feet.
(2)
Minimum lot width: 60 feet at the building setback line. (For interior lots, see definition of "lot, interior" in Article II of this chapter.)
(3)
Maximum building coverage: 35%.
(4)
Maximum other impervious surface coverage: 25%.
(5)
Minimum front yard: 20 feet.
(6)
Minimum side yards: 20 feet aggregate, with neither less than eight feet; on a corner lot (new construction), the single side yard shall be a minimum of 10 feet. (See definition of "lot, corner" in Article II of this chapter.)
(7)
Minimum rear yard: 25 feet.
(8)
Maximum building height: 35 feet.
B.
Two-family dwellings:
(1)
Minimum lot area: 4,000 square feet per family.
(2)
Minimum lot width: 40 feet per twin dwelling unit or 70 feet per duplex structure, measured at the building setback line; where a twin dwelling unit, existing as of the effective date of this chapter, is situated on a lot with a minimum width of less than 35 feet measured at the building setback line, such lot shall not be considered nonconforming as to minimum lot width for purposes of this chapter.
(3)
Maximum building coverage: 40%.
(4)
Maximum other impervious surface coverage: 25%.
(5)
Minimum front yard: 20 feet.
(6)
Minimum side yards: for a duplex structure, 20 feet aggregate, with neither less than eight feet; for a twin dwelling unit and for any corner lot (new construction), the single side yard shall be a minimum of 10 feet. (See definition of "lot, corner" in Article II of this chapter.)
(7)
Minimum rear yard: 25 feet.
(8)
Maximum building height: 35 feet.
C.
Townhouse dwellings:
(1)
Minimum tract area: two acres. Upon the grant of a special exception by the Zoning Hearing Board, the minimum tract area for a townhouse development may be reduced to 21,780 square feet. In addition to meeting the criteria contained in § 287-145 of this chapter, the applicant must demonstrate that the proposed development will comply with all other requirements for townhouses contained in this Subsection C, that the proposed development will comply with the requirements of § 287-29B of this chapter and that arrangements, satisfactory to the Board, will be instituted for the ownership and maintenance of the common open space.
(2)
Maximum density: eight dwelling units per acre of tract area.
(3)
Minimum open space requirement: 35%.
(4)
Minimum width of unit: 20 feet.
(5)
Maximum building coverage: 35%.
(6)
Maximum other impervious surface coverage: 25%.
(7)
Minimum front yard: 25 feet.
(8)
Minimum side yard: 10 feet.
(9)
Minimum rear yard: 30 feet.
(10)
Maximum building height: 35 feet.
D.
Apartment dwellings:
(1)
Minimum tract area: two acres.
(2)
Maximum density: 10 dwelling units per acre of tract area.
(3)
Minimum lot width: 125 feet.
(4)
Maximum building coverage: 30%.
(5)
Maximum other impervious surface coverage: 25%.
(6)
Minimum setback from any street: 50 feet between any street line and the nearest portion of any apartment structure.
(7)
Minimum setback from any property line: 40 feet between any property line (other than a street line) and the nearest portion of any apartment structure.
(8)
Maximum building height: 35 feet or three stories, whichever is less.
(10)
Maximum length of any structure: 160 feet.
(11)
Interior courts: Buildings shall be arranged so that no fully enclosed, interior court is formed.
(12)
Open space: A minimum of 40% of the gross tract acreage shall be in vegetative open space, which may include the required front yard planting area. A portion of this open space, in an amount deemed appropriate by the Borough Council, shall be designated and developed for recreation purposes usable by the anticipated residents, including but not limited to playgrounds and tot-lots. The open space also shall be designed, where appropriate, to incorporate and preserve significant natural features, such as tree stands, specimen trees or stream valleys.
(13)
Utilities: All utility lines shall be placed underground.
(14)
Landscaping: A landscaped planting area at least 15 feet in depth shall be provided along all portions of the tract which abut an existing or new public street; in addition, compliance shall be demonstrated with all applicable standards of §§ 287-77 and 287-78 concerning landscaping and screening/buffering, respectively.
(15)
Limitation on number of bedrooms: For any apartment development in which gross density exceeds eight dwelling units per acre, not less than 60% of the dwelling units shall be one-bedroom units; the remaining dwelling units shall have not more than two bedrooms per unit.
E.
F.
Accessory buildings. Any accessory building shall be set back a minimum of three feet from any side or rear lot line and shall be no closer than five feet to the edge of any alley or street at the side or rear of the property.
G.
Traditional neighborhood townhouse multiplex dwellings shall be permitted by grant of a conditional use by Borough Council, subject to standards outlined in § 287-137.
[Added 2-2-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-4]
(1)
Minimum tract area: 1.5 acres.
(2)
Minimum frontage on a public street: 200 feet.
(3)
Maximum density: eight dwelling units per acre of gross tract area.
(4)
Minimum open space requirement: 30%.
(5)
Minimum width of unit: 22 feet.
(6)
Maximum building coverage: 30%.
(7)
Maximum other impervious surface coverage: 30%.
(8)
Minimum side yard: eight feet.
(9)
Minimum rear yard: 30 feet.
(10)
Minimum front yard: see build-to line under § 287-34A(9)(e).
(11)
Maximum building height: 45 feet or four stories, whichever is less.
(12)
Minimum distance between buildings: eight feet.
(13)
Maximum length of any structure: 220 feet.
§ 287-34 Design standards.
A.
The following design standards of this chapter shall, as applicable, govern all uses within the R-4 District:
(2)
Parking and loading: as required by Article XVIII; townhouse and apartment dwellings shall, in addition, comply with the parking requirements of § 287-29B(5).
(9)
Central Business Revitalization Overlay District standards: as required by § 287-51.1; except that in the case of traditional neighborhood townhouse multiplex units, the following exceptions shall apply:
[Added 12-1-1999 by Ord. No. 99-14; amended 2-2-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-4]
(b)
Notwithstanding § 256-56.1B(8) of Chapter 256, Subdivision of Land, sidewalks shall be a minimum of five feet in width, provided at least one foot of green space is provided between the sidewalk and the street.
(c)
The distance between buildings across the street from one another shall be governed by the above-referenced setbacks and not limited to the criteria in § 256-56.1B(9).
(d)
Notwithstanding § 256-56.1D(5) and (6), curb cuts may be allowed for emergency purposes.
(e)
Building-to line shall be generally consistent with the build-to lines of existing housing stock in the immediate vicinity; however, in no event shall the build-to line be closer than 15 feet from the curb of an existing or new street.
(f)
Alleys shall be minimum 16 feet [§ 256-56.1C(4)] and may be allowed to be up to 22 feet in width.
C.
Any multifamily structure containing more than four dwelling units shall comply with the applicable requirements of Chapter 109, Building Construction.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Per the Borough's request, the former references to Ch. 119, Commercial and Industrial Facilities, have been changed to refer to Ch. 109, Building Construction, pursuant to the repeal of Ch. 119 9-4-1996 by Ord. No. 96-11.
§ 287-35 Standards and criteria for apartment development.
Apartment dwellings at a maximum density of 14 dwelling units per acre may be built when approved as a conditional use by the Borough Council. In deciding upon any such request for conditional use approval, the Council shall require that the proposed apartment dwellings are in compliance with the applicable standards of §§ 287-33 and 287-34 above and with the requirements of § 287-137. Further, any proposal for dwellings under this section shall meet the following standards, which shall be deemed to supersede or be in addition to the relevant requirements of §§ 287-33 and 287-34 above.
A.
Maximum density: 14 dwelling units per acre.
B.
Maximum building coverage: 35%.
C.
Maximum other impervious surface coverage: 30%.
D.
Access and traffic control. The Borough Council may require documentation from the applicant which demonstrates that:
(1)
The existing road network is adequate to handle the additional traffic to be generated by the apartment development.
(2)
Any improvements needed to mitigate traffic impacts from the proposed development will be undertaken by the applicant.
(3)
The number of access points to serve the site is the minimum necessary, and such access points are properly located to achieve safe and efficient movement of traffic.
E.
Landscaping. A plan for landscaping of the entire site shall be submitted by the applicant for review and approval by the Borough Council.
F.
Limitation on number of bedrooms. For any apartment development in which the density exceeds 10 dwelling units per acre, not less than 80% of the dwelling units shall be one-bedroom units; the remaining dwelling units shall have not more than two bedrooms per unit.