East Coventry Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
PART 3
ZONING DISTRICTS AND BOUNDARIES
§ 27-301 Establishment of Districts.
[Ord. 147, 8/11/2008, § 300; as amended by Ord. 174, 2/14/2011, § III]
1.
For the purpose of this chapter, the Township is hereby divided into eight base zoning districts which shall be designated as follows:
FR | Farm Residential District | |
|---|---|---|
R-1 | Residential District | |
R-2 | Residential District | |
R-3 | Residential District | |
NC | Neighborhood Commercial District | |
C | Commercial District | |
C-1 | Commercial/Business Campus District | |
LI | Limited Industrial District |
The locations and boundaries of such base zoning districts shall be as delineated on the official Zoning Map on file in the Township offices. |
2.
Further, certain areas of the Township are, in addition to the otherwise applicable provisions of this chapter, subject to the terms of zoning overlay districts as follows:
[Amended by Ord. 206, 7/11/2016; and by Ord. 214, 6/12/2017]
SSCD | Steep Slope Conservation District | |
HRPS | Historic Resource Protection Standards |
3.
All of the above overlay districts shall be overlays on and supplements to the base zoning districts and the provisions of the overlay districts shall serve as additional regulations to the provisions of the base zoning districts.
4.
In the event of a conflict between the provisions or requirements of any overlay district and those of the base zoning district, the provisions of the overlay district shall control.
5.
In the event that any provision of the overlay districts is declared inapplicable as a result of any judicial, legislative or administrative action or decision, the other provisions of the overlay districts, and the provisions of the base zoning district shall remain applicable.
§ 27-302 Zoning Map.
[Ord. 147, 8/11/2008, § 301; as amended by Ord. 184, 10/10/2011, § II]
1.
Zoning Map.
A.
Base Zoning Districts. The boundaries of the base zoning districts shall be shown on the map attached to and made part of this chapter. The map shall be known as the "Zoning Map of East Coventry Township." The official copy of the map shall be located and maintained in the Township offices and shall be available for public inspection. The map and all of the notations, references and data indicated thereon are hereby incorporated by reference into this chapter. Whenever an amendment to this chapter, involving a change of district boundaries, is approved and adopted by the Board of Supervisors, such change shall be promptly recorded or otherwise reflected on the Zoning Map.
B.
Overlay Zoning Districts. The boundaries of the overlay zoning districts shall be as shown on and indicated in and by the studies, maps and surveys described and referred to in § 27-303, Subsection 2A, of this chapter. The studies, maps and surveys are fully incorporated by reference in this chapter and copies thereof shall be located and maintained for public inspection in the Township offices.
§ 27-303 Zoning District Boundaries.
[Ord. 147, 8/11/2008, § 302; as amended by Ord. 174, 2/14/2011, § IV; by Ord. 184, 10/10/2011, §§ III, IV; and by Ord. 196, 8/12/2013, § XIII]
1.
Base Zoning District Boundaries.
A.
The boundaries between base zoning districts are, unless otherwise indicated, the center lines of streets, lanes, lakes and watercourses and rights-of-way of power lines, railroads and other public utilities or such lines extended or lines parallel thereto. Where the boundaries of a single district are indicated as including directly opposite sides of a street, lane, lake or watercourse or of the right-of-way of a power line, railroad or other public utility for any portion of its length, the district so indicated shall be construed to apply to and include the entire bed of such street, lane, lake or watercourse or right-of-way lying within such portion of its length.
B.
Where uncertainty exists as to the location of any of the said boundaries as shown on the Zoning Map, the following rules shall apply:
(1)
Where a district boundary is indicated as approximately following the center line of a street, lane, lake or watercourse or right-of-way of a power line, railroad or other public utility, such center line shall be construed to be such boundary.
(2)
Where a district boundary is indicated as approximately following a lot or other property line, such lot or property line shall be construed to be such boundary.
(3)
Where a district boundary divides a lot or traverses an undivided property, the location of such boundary, unless otherwise specified by figures on the Zoning Map, shall be determined by the use of the scale appearing on the map.
(4)
Where figures are shown on the Zoning Map between a street and a district boundary, they shall indicate that the district boundary runs parallel to the street line at a distance therefrom equivalent to the number of feet so indicated unless otherwise specified. Where scaled distances do not agree with such figures, the figures shall control.
2.
Overlay District Boundaries.
B.
Overlay Steep Slope Conservation District Boundaries.
(1)
The Steep Slope Conservation District consists of two areas which are delineated and defined as follows:
(a)
PROHIBITIVE SLOPE — Prohibitive slopes are those of 25% or greater slope (e.g., sloping 25 feet or more vertical over a distance of 100 feet horizontal). Slopes shall be deemed prohibitive when there are three adjacent contour intervals of two feet each such that, in aggregate, they delineate slope of at least 25%.
(b)
PRECAUTIONARY SLOPE — Precautionary slopes are those of 15% to 25% slope (e.g., sloping 15 to 25 feet vertical over a distance of 100 feet horizontal). Slopes shall be deemed precautionary when there are three adjacent contour intervals of two feet each such that, in aggregate, they delineate a slope between 15% and 25%.
(2)
Steep slopes shall be determined by either aerial photogrammetry with required control points producing an accuracy of +/- 0.5 feet to the contour location or by field survey. The contour intervals shall be set forth at no more than two feet per interval on slopes less than 25%, and may be set forth at five feet per interval on slopes of 25% or greater. On properties containing no slopes greater than 10%, U.S.G.S. 7.5 minute quadrangles may be used as the source of slope information, subject to the approval of the Zoning Officer upon the recommendation of the Township Engineer.
(3)
Where an interpretation is needed to locate the exact boundaries of the district, in relation to a given parcel, such determination shall be initially made by the Township Engineer. Any party seeking such a determination shall submit a topographic survey of the property and any other pertinent documentation for consideration. The Township Engineer shall make a written report of the results of his initial determination, a copy of which shall be provided to the Board of Supervisors.
(4)
Any party aggrieved by any such determination of the Township Engineer or other decision or determination regarding steep slopes under this Part may appeal to the Zoning Hearing Board. The party contesting the location of the district boundary shall have the burden of proof in case of any such appeal.[2]
[2]
Editor’s Note: Former Subsection 2C, Wireless Communications Facilities Overlay District Boundaries and Regulations, which immediately followed this subsection, was repealed by Ord. 206, 7/11/2016.
§ 27-304 Federal, State, County or Municipal Owned Property.
[Ord. 147, 8/11/2008, § 303; as amended by Ord. 172, 2/14/2011, § VIII]
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter regarding Township owned property, whenever federal, state, county or municipal owned property is included in one or more zoning districts, it shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter insofar as permitted by the Constitution and Laws of the United States and of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
§ 27-305 Boundary Use Tolerances.
[Ord. 147, 8/11/2008, § 304]
Where a lot is divided by a zoning district boundary line, the uses permitted in the less restrictive district may extend into that portion of said lot in the more restrictive district to the nearest lot line but in no case a greater distance than 50 feet; provided, that full use is made of the less restrictive area before extension into the more restricted area of said lot; and, provided further, that in no case shall the use permitted in any zoning district be extended for any distance into any Floodplain, Steep Slope Conservation or Historic Resource Conservation Overlay District.
§ 27-306 Township Uses.
[Ord. 147, 8/11/2008, § 305; as amended by Ord. 172, 2/14/2011, § VIII]
Township uses shall be permitted in all base and overlay zoning districts and shall be exempt from the minimum area, bulk and dimensional standards thereof.