Hamilton Township Monroe County
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE IX
Rural Commercial RC District
§ 150-46 Statement of legislative intent.
It is the intent of the Rural Commercial (RC) District to establish reasonable standards to provide a mixture of residential and small-scale commercial uses and compatible institutional uses in areas of Hamilton Township already characterized by or adjacent to areas exhibiting this land use pattern. Furthermore, it is the intent of this article to:
A.
Provide for low-to-moderate density residential uses, such as single-family and two-family residential uses and townhouse communities, and neighborhood and agriculturally oriented businesses as well as civic and public uses in a more compact, pedestrian friendly setting, in accordance with specified development standards.
B.
Encourage development density at levels that are compatible with existing development patterns and densities of certain areas within and adjacent to Hamilton Township.
C.
Ensure the compatibility between land uses by providing appropriate requirements for site design, including innovative approaches to parking lot design and landscaping.
D.
Facilitate future development which will strengthen the economies of these areas, making them less dependent on outside services and resources, while ensuring land use compatibility.
E.
Protect and stabilize general agriculture as an ongoing economic activity in the Hamilton Township area by encouraging those land uses and activities which are agricultural in nature or act in direct support thereof. Therefore, owners, occupants and users of property within the Rural Commercial District should be prepared to accept impacts associated with normal farming practices and agricultural operations and are hereby put on official notice that Section 4 of Act 133 of 1982, known as the Right to Farm Law,[1] may bar them from obtaining a legal judgment against such agricultural operations.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 3 P.S. § 951 et seq.
§ 150-47 Principal uses permitted by right.
A.
Agriculture.
B.
Agricultural meeting society halls.
E.
Cottage industries.
F.
Contractor.
G.
Farm buildings.
H.
Farm markets.
I.
Florists, greenhouses, nurseries.
J.
Forestry, excluding permanent saw mills.
K.
Government offices, municipal buildings.
L.
Parks and recreation facilities and easements, public and private.
M.
Personal services businesses, excluding adult-oriented businesses.
O.
Public utility uses.
P.
Retail business, less than 3,000 square feet.
Q.
Single-family detached dwellings.
R.
Single-family semidetached dwellings.
S.
Specialty retail businesses, excluding adult-oriented uses, whose principal activity is the sale of merchandise in an enclosed building, provided the sales area of the business does not exceed 500 square feet.
T.
Studios for instruction in dance, music, arts, and science.
U.
Two-family dwellings (duplexes).
§ 150-48 Accessory uses permitted by right.
A structure may be erected or used, and a lot may be used for the following permitted accessory uses and no other:
B.
Farm occupations.
D.
Other accessory uses and structures on the same lot that are customarily incidental to the uses permitted by right per this section, pursuant § 150-96.
§ 150-49 Uses permitted by special exception.
The following uses are permitted by special exception in accordance with the performance standards contained in this chapter and any additional standards that the Hamilton Township Zoning Hearing Board may deem necessary to apply:
§ 150-50 Site design requirements.
The following site design requirements, in addition to the nonresidential building design standards in § 150-93, as applicable, shall govern all uses, subdivision projects, and land development plans within the RC District:
A.
Buildings shall be constructed at the front yard setback line.
B.
Where any subdivision plan involving three or more lots is proposed, either initially or cumulatively, such lots shall only have access from a minor street developed by the applicant in accordance with applicable requirements of the Hamilton Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.[1] The SALDO defines a minor subdivision as five or fewer lots or no new streets.
§ 150-51 Area and bulk requirements.
[Amended 7-7-2025]
A.
The minimum lot size for any use utilizing on-lot sewage disposal and/or on-lot water systems shall be one acre.
B.
The following minimum lot sizes shall be required where public sewer and water service is provided:
(1)
The minimum lot size shall be 20,000 square feet for nonresidential uses.
(2)
The minimum lot size shall be 10,000 square feet for single-family detached dwellings.
(3)
The minimum lot size shall be 7,500 square feet per dwelling unit for single-family semidetached dwellings and two-family dwellings.
(4)
The minimum lot size shall be 2,500 square feet per dwelling unit for townhouses.
C.
The minimum lot width for any use utilizing on-lot sewage disposal shall be 200 feet.
D.
The following minimum lot widths shall be required where public sewer service is provided:
(1)
The minimum lot width for nonresidential uses shall be 200 feet, measured at the road right-of-way line. Where shared access driveways for nonresidential uses are proposed to provide access to adjoining lots, the minimum lot width for nonresidential uses may be reduced to 150 feet.
(2)
The minimum lot width for single-family detached dwellings shall be 75 feet.
(3)
The minimum lot width for single-family semidetached dwellings and two-family dwellings shall be 50 feet per dwelling unit.
(4)
The minimum lot width for townhouses shall be 25 feet.
E.
The minimum front yard setback shall be 30 feet on all roadways classified as arterial and collector. On minor and local roads the front yard setback shall be 20 feet.
F.
Side yard setback.
(1)
The minimum side yard setback for single-family and two-family residential uses shall be combined 40 feet but in no case shall any one side yard setback be less than 15 feet.
(2)
The minimum side yard setback for townhouses shall be 25 feet measured from each end unit.
(3)
The minimum side yard setback for nonresidential units shall be 25 feet. In instances where parking facilities and/or access driveways are shared by adjoining nonresidential uses, the side yard setback requirements between the adjoining uses may be reduced to 10 feet.
G.
The minimum rear yard setbacks for all uses shall be 25 feet.
H.
The maximum lot coverage shall be 50%.
I.
The maximum building height shall be 35 feet.
J.
For corner lots, the minimum front yard depth, as established by Subsection E above, shall be applied to the side of the property with arterial or collector road frontage and/or the property address.
K.
The minimum vegetative coverage shall be 50%.
§ 150-52 Supplemental regulations.
The uses permitted in this district are also subject to the applicable regulations contained in the following sections of this chapter: