East Lansdowne City Zoning Code
PART 4
COMMERCIAL DISTRICT
§ 27-400 Purpose.
The purpose of this district is to provide appropriate locations for the conduct of activities suitable for the small, suburban commercial district. These regulations are intended to support the goals and objectives contained in the latest adopted Lansdowne and East Lansdowne Joint Comprehensive Plan. Visitors to the Commercial District may initially arrive by foot, motor vehicle, or mass transit but, once arrived, pedestrian traffic will account for the principal mode of transportation. Accordingly, individual parking needs may be satisfied either individually or through common parking lots.
§ 27-401 Uses Permitted by Right.
Land, buildings, or premises shall be used by right for only one or more of the following uses:
1.
Retail store, including retail convenience store, general merchandise store, hardware, pharmacy, and similar retail stores.
2.
Food store, including grocery store, delicatessen, supermarket, liquor store, or retail bakery, provided that goods produced on site are sold at retail on the premises.
3.
Restaurant, sit-down.
4.
Tavern.
5.
Office, office building, studio, bank, or other financial institution.
6.
Personal service shop, subject to the conditions set forth in Subsection 6A below. If the condition set forth in Subsection 6A below is not met, then the use shall not be permitted.
A.
Spacing requirement for beauty salons, barbershops, and nail salons: To prevent the over-concentration of certain uses and to promote a complementary mix of uses that will generate pedestrian foot-traffic and promote the economic health of the Commercial District, beauty salons, barbershops, and nail salons authorized pursuant to Subsection 6 above shall be permitted only if no identical or similar use is located within a four-hundred-foot distance from such proposed shop or salon.
§ 27-402 Uses Permitted by Special Exception.
The following uses shall be permitted by special exception when authorized by the Zoning Hearing Board, subject to the applicable provisions of Part 5:
2.
Catering establishment.
3.
Laundry, dry-cleaning, or dyeing establishment.
4.
Theater and place of amusement, recreation, or assembly.
6.
Shared off-street parking, intended to serve two or more permitted uses on the block, subject to § 27-809.
9.
Any use of the same general character as those permitted in §§ 27-401 and 27-402, provided that such use is authorized as a special exception by the Zoning Hearing Board. To determine if a proposed use is of the same general character, the Zoning Hearing Board shall consider the standards listed in § 27-508.
§ 27-403 Prohibited Uses.
The following uses shall be prohibited:
1.
Gasoline service stations, auto repair and collision shops, and other drive-in and drive-through uses such as restaurants, banks, and similar automobile-related uses.
§ 27-404 Accessory Uses and Structures.
The following uses are permitted as accessory uses incidental to the uses permitted in §§ 27-401 and 27-402 above:
§ 27-405 Area and Bulk Regulations.
Standard | Size |
|---|---|
Street frontage | 15 feet minimum |
Building coverage | 65% maximum |
Impervious surface | 85% maximum |
Front yard | 0 feet minimum, 5 feet maximum |
Side yards | 10 feet minimum when abutting the Residential District; otherwise, none required |
Rear yard | 20 feet minimum when abutting the Residential District; otherwise, none required |
Height | 35 feet maximum |
§ 27-406 Special Development Regulations.
1.
Each lot must abut a public street.
2.
While a building shall have a minimum front yard setback of zero feet and a maximum setback of five feet from the front property line, a setback may be increased to 20 feet from the front property line for the purposes of a courtyard, plaza, square, recessed entrance, or an outdoor dining area adjacent to the public street.
3.
All off-street parking should be restricted to the rear of structures, or, where this is not possible, parking should be located to the side or in lots within walking distance and subject to Part 8, Parking.
4.
Automobile entrances to the site shall be minimized and placed in such a way as to maximize safety, maximize efficient traffic circulation, and minimize the impact on the surrounding area.
5.
In the case of land developments, parking should be located mid-block; parking should not be located at corners.
6.
Consolidation of parking lots to serve multiple properties is recommended to maximize the efficiency of Commercial District parking.
7.
Parking lots should be screened from the street and sidewalk with landscaping, architectural walls, or fencing, in accordance with Part 8, Parking.
8.
All off-street parking and unloading shall be subject to the regulations of Part 8, Parking.
9.
Where the rear lot line abuts the Residential District, the construction of or addition of at least 300 square feet to a commercial use shall require a planted buffer strip at least 10 feet long and a planted visual screen, as defined in Part 2, at the rear property line.
§ 27-407 Building Design.
This section applies to all new structures and to additions of 400 square feet or more to existing structures.
1.
The use of contemporary interpretations of earlier design styles of surrounding structures in the Commercial District is encouraged, including characteristics such as scale; massing; roof shape; window size, shape, and spacing; and exterior materials.
2.
The street elevation of principal structures shall have at least one street-oriented entrance and contain the principal windows of the structure.
3.
Site plans shall include drawings, renderings, or perspectives of a professional quality which illustrate the scale; massing; roof shape; window size, shape, and spacing; and exterior materials of the structure.
4.
The Planning Commission shall review the site plans and make recommendations to the applicant for amendments to achieve consistency with this section.