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East Berlin City Zoning Code

ARTICLE IV

Borough Core BC District

§ 500-10 Statement of legislative intent.

It is hereby declared to be the intent of the BC District to:
A. 
Establish reasonable standards to provide for a mix of residential, commercial, office, and other compatible uses within the developed core of East Berlin Borough.
B. 
Encourage the full economic use of established and historic structures along the primary streets within the developed core of the Borough.
C. 
Limit and discourage the development of strip-type, highway-oriented commercial uses.
D. 
Permit uses that promote the sensitive conversion of existing buildings in a manner that maintains the visual character and architectural scale of existing development within the developed core of the Borough.
E. 
Maintain the placement and location pattern of buildings and other structures within the developed core of the Borough to maintain the visual and community character of the Borough.
F. 
Encourage a mixture of uses and building placement that promotes pedestrian scale activity.
G. 
Limit the degree to which the accommodation of the automobile affects the visual character of the developed core of the Borough.

§ 500-11 Use regulations.

A. 
Permitted uses. The following uses are permitted in the BC District:
(1) 
Single-family detached dwellings.
(2) 
Single-family semidetached dwellings.
(3) 
Two-family dwellings.
(4) 
Infill townhouses, in accordance with § 500-48.
(5) 
Conversion apartments, in accordance with § 500-41.
(6) 
Apartment buildings, in accordance with § 500-39.
(7) 
Group home, in accordance with § 500-44.
(8) 
Child-care center, in accordance with § 500-61.
(9) 
Personal care home, in accordance with § 500-62.
(10) 
Retail stores, excluding those with drive-through service or gasoline sales.
(11) 
Personal service shops.
(12) 
Restaurants, excluding those with drive-through service.
(13) 
Bed-and-breakfast inns.
(14) 
Hotels.
(15) 
Business/professional offices.
(16) 
Funeral homes.
(17) 
Financial institutions, excluding those with drive-through service.
(18) 
Service clubs/fraternal organizations.
(19) 
Studios.
(20) 
Theaters.
(21) 
Galleries/museums.
(22) 
Places of worship.
(23) 
Governmental uses.
(24) 
Emergency services.
(25) 
Forestry.
(26) 
Mixed use property, in accordance with § 500-49.
B. 
Accessory uses. The following uses are permitted as accessory uses to any permitted principal use in the BC District.
(1) 
Detached accessory structures, including, but not necessarily limited to, detached garages and utility sheds.
(2) 
Wireless communications antennae mounted on an existing building or structure.
(3) 
Home occupations, in accordance with § 500-46.
(4) 
No-impact home-base businesses, in accordance with § 500-51.
(5) 
Family child care, in accordance with § 500-63.
(6) 
Child-care center or group child care (accessory to nonresidential use), in accordance with § 500-64.
C. 
Special exception uses. The following uses are permitted by special exception in the BC District in accordance with the following standards and criteria, any additional reasonable conditions that the Zoning Hearing Board may deem necessary to apply, and in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 500-96 of this chapter:
(1) 
Infill development, in accordance with § 500-48.
(2) 
Uses with drive-through service, in accordance with § 500-60.
(3) 
Halfway house, in accordance with § 500-65.
(4) 
Group child care (accessory to residence), in accordance with § 500-66.

§ 500-12 Site development standards.

A. 
Developed properties. Currently developed properties shall be subject to the following requirements:
(1) 
The front facade of buildings on existing developed properties shall be maintained.
(2) 
Additions to buildings on existing developed properties shall be located to the side or rear of the building. Additions to the side of an existing building shall be located behind the front building line of the existing building. Additions to the front of buildings on existing developed properties shall not be permitted.
(3) 
No on-site parking shall be permitted within the front or side yards.
(4) 
Vehicle access to an existing developed property shall be from an alley street located to the rear of said property. Where the rear of an existing developed property does not adjoin an alley street, vehicular access may be taken from a side alley or from the primary street frontage. If vehicular access is taken in this manner, on-site parking shall still be located in the rear yard.
B. 
Vacant or redeveloped properties. Vacant properties or properties proposed for redevelopment shall be subject to the following requirements:
(1) 
Development on vacant property or the redevelopment of a currently developed property shall be reviewed in accordance with § 500-11C(1) and be subject to the development standards of § 500-47.

§ 500-13 Dimensional standards.

A. 
Minimum lot area.
(1) 
Single-family detached dwelling: 3,500 square feet.
(2) 
Single-family semidetached dwelling: 2,500 square feet for each dwelling unit.
(3) 
Infill townhouses: 2,000 square feet for each dwelling unit.
(4) 
All other uses: 5,000 square feet.
B. 
Minimum lot width.
(1) 
Single-family detached dwelling: 35 feet.
(2) 
Single-family semidetached dwelling: 25 feet for each dwelling unit.
(3) 
Infill townhouses: 20 feet for each dwelling unit.
(4) 
All other uses: 50 feet.
C. 
Maximum build-to line: five feet.
D. 
Minimum building setbacks.
(1) 
Side setback: five feet. No side setback requirement shall be applied along a side property line that follows a common party wall of a single-family semidetached dwelling or a townhouse.
(2) 
Rear setback: five feet.
(3) 
Where existing buildings on an adjacent property are closer than five feet to the side or rear property line, a setback of an equivalent distance may be applied.
E. 
Maximum lot coverage.
(1) 
Residential uses: 50%.
(2) 
Nonresidential uses: 65%.
(3) 
Mixed use property: 65%.
(4) 
Infill development: 65%.
F. 
Minimum vegetative coverage.
(1) 
Residential uses: 50%.
(2) 
Nonresidential uses: 35%.
(3) 
Mixed use property: 35%.
(4) 
Infill development: 35%.
G. 
Maximum building height: 35 feet.