East Norriton Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE IXA
HR-1 High-Rise-1 Residential District
§ 205-44.1 Intent.
The following is an expansion of the statement of community development objectives contained in Article I, § 205-3 of this chapter. It is the intent of this article to provide for suitable locations for high-density apartment-house-style residential development on compact sites of between approximately five to 10 acres which are located with frontage along principal arterial streets and which are located in close proximity to employment, shopping centers, health care services, and mass transit.
§ 205-44.2 Permitted uses.
A building may be erected or used and a lot may be used or occupied for the following purposes and no other, provided that the requirements of the following sections are met:
A.
The following are the permitted uses in a HR-1 High-Rise-1 Residential District:
(1)
Apartment house or group of apartment houses.
(2)
Personal service shops such as beauty parlors, barber shops, clothes cleaning pickup/drop off, snack shops not greater than 600 square feet floor area, newspaper sales, and office uses shall be permitted on the ground floor only, or in the case where ground floor parking is provided on the first residential floor, provided that no trade or business shall be permitted which is noxious, hazardous or detrimental to the proper use of the property for residential purposes. The total floor area of personal service and office use shall not exceed 5% of the total floor area of the entire development. In the event that the project is constructed in stages, the 5% of commercial and office use shall be computed on fully completed stages.
(3)
Playgrounds, parks, tot-lots, clubhouse and card rooms, and the other public or semipublic, noncommercial recreational facilities for the exclusive use of residents of the apartment house, as well as open space areas.
(4)
Fitness center, including physical therapy studio, limited to use by residents of the apartment house and their invited guests, provided the total floor area devoted to these uses does not exceed 3,000 square feet plus area for lockers and showers.
B.
Parking. Off-street automobile parking and off-street delivery-collection facilities shall be for the sole use of the occupants of such apartment building and the visitors thereto.
§ 205-44.3 Development requirements.
The general plan for a high-rise residential district shall be designed for the entire tract showing that it has considered and made provision for, and that the development shall be executed in accordance with, the following essential conditions:
A.
The proposed development shall be constructed in accordance with an overall plan and the buildings shall be designed as an unified architectural unit with appropriate pedestrian systems, parking areas, recreation areas, buffers and landscaping.
B.
If the development of the high-rise apartment plan is to be carried out in stages, each stage shall be so planned that the foregoing requirements and the intent of this chapter shall be fully complied with at the completion of any stage. The initial stage of the development shall comprise a total floor area of not less than 30,000 square feet.
C.
Plans for any apartment house development shall be submitted to the Township prior to the issuance of any permit and such plans shall include the following:
(1)
The location, use and plan for each building or other structure, the total gross floor area of each building, and, where applicable, the floor area of each building to be used for personal service or offices.
(2)
Floor area (in square feet) of each type of apartment dwelling unit.
(3)
Building elevations.
(4)
The total number of apartment dwelling units.
(5)
Total number of acres in the proposed district.
(6)
Total number of off-street parking spaces.
(7)
Exterior, vertical and horizontal building dimensions.
(8)
Ground area coverage of each building.
(9)
The location, dimensions and arrangement of all open spaces, yards, streets, accessways, entrances, exits, off-street parking facilities, loading and unloading spaces, pedestrian ways, sidewalks, recreation areas and areas devoted to planting, landscaping and other similar purposes.
(10)
The capacity of all areas to be used for automobile access, parking, loading and unloading.
(11)
The provision made for, and location of, existing or proposed stormwater and sanitary sewerage, water supply, exterior lighting facilities, gas and other utilities.
(12)
Information sufficient to demonstrate that satisfactory arrangements will be made to accommodate probable increases in traffic and to facilitate traffic movements on the streets in the vicinity of the proposed use. These arrangements shall include provisions for emergency access and police and fire vehicular circulation within the district.
(13)
Information sufficient to determine that the proposed plan and uses comply in all respects with the requirements of this and all other ordinances.
§ 205-44.4 General regulations.
A.
Minimum tract. Not less than five acres shall be provided for every lot to be used in whole or in part as a HR-1 High-Rise-1 Residential District.
B.
Building coverage. No more than 30% of the lot area shall be occupied by a building or buildings.
C.
Dwelling units per acre. There shall be no more than 20 dwelling units per acre of lot area.
(1)
In the event that an apartment building(s) shall provide not less than 50% of the total required parking spaces for a high-rise apartment development plan under or within the apartment building(s), then the overall number of dwelling units shall be permitted at no more than 30 dwelling units per acre of lot area.
D.
Height of building. No apartment house building shall be less than three stories nor exceed the height of six stories (exclusive of the basement but inclusive of ground floor parking, if provided under the building) and shall in no event exceed a building height of 65 feet, provided the maximum height to the highest appurtenance of the building shall not exceed 75 feet.
E.
Setback from street. There shall be a building setback from the ultimate right-of-way of each street from which the HR-1 High-Rise-1 Residential District takes regular vehicular access which shall not be less than 100 feet in depth.
F.
Setback from property lines. There shall be a building setback from any property line which the HR-1 High-Rise-1 Residential District abuts, which shall not be less than:
G.
Distance between buildings and wings of same building. In the case of two or more buildings or wings of the same building, regardless of orientation, the horizontal distance measured in feet between any two buildings at their nearest point shall be:
(1)
Not less than 50 feet for buildings the average building height of which is 60 feet or greater.
(2)
Not less than 40 feet for buildings the average building height of which is less than 60 feet.
(3)
Not less than 35 feet between end walls of buildings where said walls contain no legally required windows.
(4)
Clubhouses and buildings used for service or recreation shall provide a distance equal to the height of the building but shall in no event be less than 20 feet from an adjacent building.
H.
Parking.
(1)
For apartment residential use, not less than two off-street automobile parking spaces shall be required for each dwelling unit. Initially, 1 1/2 spaces per dwelling unit may be constructed, provided that the remaining required parking spaces and service drives shall be engineered and identified on the approved plans and shall be constructed as may be determined from time to time by the Zoning Officer.
(2)
For personal service and office use, parking provision shall be off-street, located on the same lot and be in accordance with Article XVIII of this chapter.
(3)
Parking garages or decked parking structures shall not be included in the calculation of Subsection B, Building coverage, unless physically contained within the apartment building.
(4)
Parking areas not part of a building or structure shall be placed so as not to interfere with any recreation or service area and shall not be less than:
(a)
Seventy-five feet from the ultimate right-of-way line of a street from which the apartment house development takes regular vehicular access.
(b)
Fifteen feet from any nonresidential district property line to which the HR-1 High-Rise-1 District abuts. This may be reduced to not less than 10 feet, provided the requirements of § 205-44.4H(4)(f) herein shall apply along the property line.
(c)
Forty feet from any residential district property line to which the HR-1 High-Rise-1 Residential District abuts. This may be reduced to not less than 25 feet, provided the requirements of § 205-44.4H(4)(f) herein shall apply along the property line.
(d)
Twenty-five feet from the ultimate right-of-way line of any contiguous public street from which regular vehicular access is not taken. This may be reduced to not less than 15 feet, provided the requirements of § 205-44.4H(4)(f) herein shall apply along the property line.
(e)
Ten feet from any high-rise apartment building unless said parking is located within the lines of the high-rise building walls or in an attached parking garage.
(f)
Where authorized above, a high-intensity-type buffer in accordance with Chapter 175, Subdivision and Land Development, shall be provided in conjunction with a solid masonry wall having a minimum height of four feet above parking elevation. Parking facilities which are depressed below the finish grade determined at the property line may substitute equally for part of/all of the masonry wall requirement. In no event shall the finish grade of parking be greater than one foot in elevation above existing grade, as determined at the property line, otherwise this subsection shall not be applicable and the reduced setbacks shall not be permitted.
I.
Paving. All areas provided for use by vehicles and all pedestrian walks shall be constructed in accordance with all pertinent specifications within Chapter 175, Subdivision and Land Development.
J.
Service. Areas for loading and unloading of delivery trucks and other vehicles and for the servicing of refuse collection, fuel and other service shall be provided and shall be adequate in size and shall be so arranged that they may be used without blockage or interference with the use of accessways or automobile parking facilities.
K.
Access. Provision shall be made for safe and efficient ingress and egress to and from public streets and highways without undue congestion to or interference with normal traffic flow.
L.
Utilities. All buildings shall be served by a public sanitary sewage disposal system and public water supply. All utility lines servicing the high-rise apartment house shall be placed underground.
M.
Lighting facilities. Lighting facilities provided shall be arranged in a manner which will protect the highway and neighboring properties, whether contiguous or not, from direct or indirect glare or hazardous interference of any kind. Lighting facilities shall be required where deemed necessary for the safety and convenience of high-rise apartment residents. No freestanding light fixture shall exceed a mounting height of 25 feet above ground elevation.
(1)
Techniques to minimize the impact of illumination on adjacent properties shall include, but not be limited to, the selection and location of lighting fixtures, use of full cut-offs and timed lighting.
(2)
All lighting shall be directed away from adjacent residential uses and districts.
(3)
Freestanding light fixtures shall be located at least 25 feet from the boundary of residential uses and districts.
(4)
Pedestrian-scaled walkway lighting shall be provided where necessary for the safety of the residents, as may be required by the Township.
P.
Q.
Open space. No less than 35% of the lot area shall be maintained in nonvehicular pervious open space. In addition, the development plan shall be required where possible to preserve or incorporate natural features, such as woodlands, streams and open space areas, which add to the overall cohesive development of the high-rise apartment development and the overall community development.
(1)
Open space which shall provide at least three of the following features shall not be considered pervious for purposes of this section:
R.
Recreation. The development plan shall give consideration to the provision of community areas, playgrounds, tot-lots and other services necessary for the comfort and convenience of high-rise apartment house residents. Not less than 75 square feet of recreation space for each dwelling unit shall be dedicated to active and passive recreation.
S.
Dwelling unit requirements. Each dwelling unit shall contain a minimum of 650 square feet of floor area.
T.
Trash and refuse areas, HVAC units, and loading areas shall be visually and acoustically screened from public rights-of-ways and surrounding properties:
(1)
Refuse areas shall be screened and shall be located at least 75 feet from the property line of an adjacent residential use or district.
(2)
Refuse areas shall be centrally located for the use of tenants. Every day trash and garbage refuse stations shall be located within the apartment house building or parking structure.