Hamilton Township Adams County
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XIV
General Regulations
§ 150-85 Purpose.
The purpose of this article is to provide additional requirements applicable to all uses in all zoning districts. These regulations are intended to supplement the district regulations contained in Articles IV through XIII. These regulations are in addition to the performance standards, off-street parking and loading regulations, and sign regulations and all other applicable Township regulations and ordinances, as well as any other local, state, and federal regulations and statutes. If the provisions contained in the zoning districts or any other regulations found in this chapter are determined to be in conflict with the following, the most restrictive regulations shall be applied, unless otherwise stated.
§ 150-86 Lot area and width modifications.
A.
The minimum lot area shall be increased to match any requirement imposed by DEP as part of the approval of the sewage facilities for a lot.
B.
In the AP District, a lot may exceed the maximum lot area when required by DEP and/or a Township ordinance as part of the approval of the sewage facilities for a lot. In such cases, the lot shall be no larger than that required by DEP or such Township ordinance.
§ 150-87 Setback modifications.
A.
Corner lots. For a corner lot, each yard that abuts a public street shall be considered a front yard and meet the requirements for minimum front setback. The remaining sides of the lot shall be side yards with side yard setbacks.
B.
Lots with multiple frontages. When a lot fronts on more than one street, each yard that abuts a public street shall be considered a front yard and meet the requirements for minimum front setback. Remaining yards shall be side yards with side setbacks.
C.
Bus shelters and telephone booths may be located within a minimum front setback, provided they are located at least one foot from rights-of-way and property lines and outside of any clear sight triangles.
D.
Buildings shall be constructed, to the maximum extent feasible, at the front yard setback line.
§ 150-88 Maximum height modifications.
The maximum height limitations of the zoning districts within this chapter shall not apply to the following: water towers, clock or bell towers, steeples and religious symbols attached to a place of worship, electrical transmission lines, elevator shafts, skylights, chimneys, heating/ventilating/air conditioning equipment, industrial mechanical equipment areas that are not occupied by humans, roof-mounted solar panels, antennae and communication towers that meet the requirements contained in this chapter, and other appurtenances usually required to be and customarily placed above the roof level and not intended for human occupancy.
§ 150-89 Number of principal structures and uses per lot.
A lot within a commercial or industrial district may include more than one permitted principal use per lot and/or more than one permitted principal structure per lot, provided that the most restrictive requirements for each use or structure shall apply to the lot as a whole.
§ 150-90 Outdoor display and sales area.
Permitted commercial uses may have outdoor display and sales areas as follows:
A.
Passenger vehicles, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles and similar items that do not exceed 15 feet in width and 30 feet in length may be displayed outdoors. Such display area shall be no closer than 10 feet to all property lines and right-of-way lines.
B.
Vehicles, boats, recreational vehicles, and similar items that are larger than 15 feet by 30 feet may be displayed outdoors. Such display areas shall be no closer than 20 feet to all property lines and right-of-way lines.
C.
The above setbacks shall be maintained with a vegetative ground cover or landscaping.
D.
No display area may be located within the existing or future street right-of-way, a sidewalk or similar pedestrian area, or an area used for required parking or loading. No display area shall be located within or hinder or affect a clear sight triangle.
E.
Outdoor storage and/or display of products for sale shall be prohibited in RC.
§ 150-91 Outdoor storage.
A.
Outdoor storage and stockpiling.
(1)
In all zones, no outdoor storage or stockpiling of any material is permitted within the front yard.
(2)
In the R-1, R-2, R-3, RC, MU, C and EI Districts, the outdoor stockpiling of materials for more than three months is prohibited. Firewood to be used on the lot on which it is stored may be stockpiled in a side or rear yard for an indefinite period of time.
(3)
Outdoor storage of raw materials, finished products, or merchandise shall be surrounded by an opaque fence, wall, or screening that meets the requirements of this chapter.
B.
Recreational vehicles, boats, trailers. Recreational vehicles, boats, trailers and similar items may be stored on a lot occupied by the owner of the item, provided the item shall not be stored within the front yard. These items may be parked anywhere on the lot during active loading and unloading for a maximum of two days.
C.
Temporary storage pods, temporary dumpsters. Temporary storage pods, temporary dumpsters, and similar items may be placed on a property in any yard provided that they are not located within a street right-of-way or clear sight triangle. They shall remain on the property for no longer than 15 days.
E.
Outdoor storage and refuse areas. The design of buildings shall include either a provision for the storage of raw materials and refuse inside the buildings or within an area enclosed either by walls or opaque fencing designed to be architecturally compatible with the principal building(s). Such walls or fencing shall be designed to shield the refuse areas from direct view of any adjacent property and must be at least six feet in height.
G.
Outdoor refuse areas shall be enclosed by walls or opaque fencing designed to be architecturally compatible with the principal building(s). Wall or fencing shall be designed to shield the refuse areas from direct view of any adjacent property and shall be at least six feet high.
H.
Outdoor storage may be permitted, unless specifically prohibited above, provided the following requirements are met:
(1)
Outdoor storage shall be designed as an integral component of the commercial establishment. Under no circumstances may temporary outdoor storage or sales facilities be constructed as a component of a commercial establishment.
(2)
Outdoor storage areas shall be enclosed by opaque fencing designed to be architecturally compatible with the principal building(s).
(3)
Outdoor storage areas shall not be located within any required setback or landscaping area.
(4)
Where outdoor storage areas are used as display space for products for sale, such outdoor storage space shall be included in calculating building coverage and the required number of parking spaces.
§ 150-92 Minimum habitable floor area.
A.
Single-family dwellings shall contain at least 700 square feet of habitable floor area.
B.
Multifamily dwellings shall contain at least 400 square feet of habitable floor area per dwelling unit.
C.
All dwelling units shall consist of at least one habitable room with no less than 120 square feet of floor area.
D.
No habitable room shall contain less than 70 square feet of floor area.
E.
No habitable room shall have a ceiling height of less than seven feet.
§ 150-93 Nonresidential building design standards.
The following design standards shall apply to all commercial, retail and office buildings that exceed 25,000 gross feet of floor area:
A.
Facades and exterior walls.
(1)
Facades greater than 100 feet in length, measured horizontally, shall incorporate wall plane projections or recesses having a depth of a least 3% of the length of the facade and extending at least 20% of the length of the facade. No uninterrupted length of any facade shall exceed 100 horizontal feet.
(2)
(3)
For retail establishments, ground-floor facades that face public streets shall have arcades, awnings/canopies, fasciae, display windows, entry areas, or other such features along no less than 60% of their horizontal length.
B.
Windows. For retail establishments, all building facades facing a public right-of-way must adhere to the following window requirements:
C.
Roofs. Roofs shall have no less than two of the following features:
(1)
Parapets concealing flat roofs and rooftop equipment such as HVAC units from public view. The average height of such parapets shall not exceed 15% of the height of the supporting wall and such parapets shall not at any point exceed 1/3 of the height of the supporting wall. Such parapets shall feature three-dimensional cornice treatment.
(2)
Overhanging eaves, extending no less than three feet past the supporting walls.
(3)
Sloping roofs.
(4)
Three or more roof slope planes.
(5)
Green roofs. If this option is selected, no other roof option is required.
D.
Materials and colors.
(1)
Predominant exterior building materials shall be high-quality materials, including, but not limited to, brick, sandstone, other native stone, and tinted/textured concrete masonry units.
(2)
Facade colors shall be low-reflectance, subtle, neutral or earth tone colors. The use of high-intensity colors, metallic colors, black or fluorescent colors shall be prohibited.
(3)
Building trim and accent areas may feature brighter colors, including primary colors.
(4)
Exterior building materials shall not include smooth-faced concrete block, precast concrete panels (tilt-up concrete panels) that are not exposed aggregate, hammered, embossed, imprinted, sandblasted or covered with a cement-based acrylic coating, or prefabricated metal panels with a depth of less than one inch or a thickness less than U.S. Standard 26 gauge.
E.
Entryways. Every retail establishment shall have clearly defined, highly visible customer entrances featuring no less than three of the following:
(1)
Canopies or porticos.
(2)
Overhangs.
(3)
Recesses/projections.
(4)
Arcades.
(5)
Raised corniced parapets over the door.
(6)
Peaked roof forms.
(7)
Arches.
(8)
Outdoor patios.
(9)
Display windows.
(10)
Architectural details such as tile work and moldings which are integrated into the building structure and design.
(11)
Integral planters or wing walls that incorporate landscaped areas and/or places for sitting.
F.
Mechanical equipment.
(1)
To the maximum extent practical, all roof-mounted and ground-mounted mechanical equipment shall be screened from view or isolated so as not to be visible from any public right-of-way or residential district or uses within 150 feet of the subject property, measured from a point five feet above grade. Roof screens, when used, shall be coordinated with the building to maintain a unified appearance.
(2)
Mechanical equipment and open storage areas shall be screened from public streets, alleys, paths, private streets and abutting lots to a maximum height of six feet. When solid screening is used, the materials shall be compatible with the building.
G.
Architectural design. Special attention shall be given to the visual appearance of industrial or business parks within the EI District as viewed from adjoining public roadways. Specifically, the following guidelines shall be followed:
(1)
All buildings in a development shall be designed with a unified architectural theme. To achieve such a unified theme, common dimensions, building materials, and building placement shall be used.
(2)
All buildings shall be designed such that it would be difficult to differentiate the front and rear of a building without relating the building to surrounding amenities such as parking lots, streets, or common areas.
(3)
Where buildings within a development are visible from adjoining roadways, appropriate visual treatments shall be provided to minimize the view of such buildings. Appropriate visual treatments may include vegetative screens, earthen berms, and/or other visual treatments.
(4)
Architectural renderings shall be submitted with all plans for uses proposed in accordance with this section.
§ 150-94 Public utility exemption.
This Zoning Ordinance shall not apply to any existing or proposed building, or extension thereof, used or to be used by a public utility corporation, if, upon petition of the corporation, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission shall, after a public hearing, decide that the present or proposed situation of the building in question is reasonably necessary for the convenience or welfare of the public. It shall be the responsibility of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to ensure that both the corporation and the Township have notice of the hearing and are granted an opportunity to appear, present witnesses, cross-examine witnesses presented by the other parties, and otherwise exercise the rights of a party to the proceedings.