Hamiltonban Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XII
Commercial C District
§ 375-39 Statement of legislative intent.
It is hereby declared to be the intent of the C District to:
A.
Provide for a variety of commercial and business uses customarily associated with commercial areas along major roadways.
B.
Maintain and enhance attractive gateways along PA Route 116 (Fairfield Road) to the adjoining communities of Fairfield Borough and Carroll Valley Borough.
C.
Provide for appropriate landscaping and related on-site improvements within commercial areas to ensure that the aesthetic and environmental qualities are maintained.
D.
Discourage the development of the strip commercial form of commercial development through the careful placement of buildings, parking lots, and landscaping.
E.
Provide for development patterns that not only accommodate, but encourage the use of transportation alternatives (including but not limited to pedestrian and bicycle alternatives) beyond the personal automobile.
§ 375-40 Use regulations.
A.
Permitted uses. The following uses are permitted in the C District:
(1)
Banks and financial institution, excluding those with drive-through service.
(2)
Bars and nightclubs.
(3)
Brewery, cidery, distillery, and winery.
(4)
Business, professional, and medical offices.
(5)
Car wash.
(7)
Commercial recreation.
(8)
Emergency services.
(9)
Forestry.
(10)
Governmental uses.
(11)
Health/exercise clubs.
(12)
Hospitals, clinics, and related medical care facilities.
(13)
Hotels and motels.
(14)
Mobile home/manufactured home sales.
(15)
Museums/galleries.
(16)
Personal service shops.
(17)
Restaurants, excluding those with drive-through service.
(18)
Retail stores, excluding those with drive-through service.
(19)
Places of worship.
(20)
Theaters.
(21)
Vehicle sales, which may include vehicle service as an accessory use, but excluding fuel sales.
(22)
Vehicle service, excluding fuel sales.
B.
Accessory uses. The following uses are permitted as accessory uses to any permitted principal use in the C District.
(2)
Detached accessory structures, including but not necessarily limited to detached garages and utility sheds.
C.
Special exception uses. The following uses are permitted by special exception in the C District in accordance with the following standards and criteria, any reasonable conditions that the Zoning Hearing Board may deem necessary, and in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 375-111 of this chapter:
(14)
Wireless communication facility, co-location, inside public right-of-way, proposed as either a stand-alone facility or as part of a DAS, in accordance with § 375-80UU.
(15)
Wireless communication facility, tower-based, inside public right-of-way, proposed as either a stand-alone facility or as part of a DAS, in accordance with § 375-80WW.
D.
Conditional uses. The following uses are permitted by conditional use in the C District in accordance with the following standards and criteria, any reasonable conditions that the Board of Supervisors may deem necessary, and in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 375-111A of this chapter:
[Added 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-01]
§ 375-41 General development standards.
The following general development standards shall be applicable to all uses, unless specifically designated otherwise in this article:
A.
Site design. The following site design standards shall apply to all development within the C District. Where a principal building directly faces two or more abutting streets, these requirements shall apply only to the side of the building facing the primary street.
(1)
All of the area between a principal building and the public right-of-way shall be landscaped. Pedestrian amenities (i.e., sidewalks, outdoor patios and dining areas, etc.) and required parking may be permitted within the required landscaping area.
(2)
Sidewalks shall be provided along all abutting streets. In addition, sidewalks shall be provided to connect the sidewalks along the abutting street to the main entrance of the all principal buildings. Such connection shall be provided in a manner that precludes a pedestrian having to walk through a parking aisle, fuel service canopy, or any similar site feature to access the main entrance of the principal building.
(3)
Loading spaces and refuse areas shall not be located between a principal building and any public right-of-way.
B.
Building orientation. Principal buildings within the C District shall be oriented in a manner where the front of the building(s) face the primary street. The front of the building(s) shall include the main customer/client/visitor entrance to the use(s) within the building(s).
C.
Refuse areas. The design of all principal buildings in the C District shall include either a provision for the storage of refuse inside the building(s) or within an area enclosed by walls or opaque fencing outside the building(s) designed to be architecturally compatible with the primary building(s). Such walls or fencing shall be designed to shield the refuse areas from the direct view of any adjacent property and must be at least six feet high.
D.
Outdoor storage and display. Outdoor storage and/or display of merchandise for sale is prohibited within the C District. This standard shall not be applied to vehicle sales and mobile home/manufactured home sales businesses, or for other uses where outdoor storage and display is specifically provided for in this chapter.
E.
Site landscaping. The following site landscaping standards shall apply to all development within the C District.
(1)
Quantity of landscaping. A minimum of one planting unit shall be provided for every 1,000 square feet, or portion thereof, of building coverage. This quantity shall be in addition to any other plantings required in other sections of this chapter, including but not limited to Article XIX.
(2)
Credit for existing landscaping. Credit for up to 50% of the minimum landscaping quantity requirements may be given for retaining major deciduous trees, minor deciduous trees, and/or evergreen trees on the site, provided the following conditions are achieved:
(a)
The trees shall be in good health.
(b)
The trees shall be located within 25 feet of the nonresidential use or improvements on the property (for example, parking lots) that support the nonresidential use.
(c)
The applicant shall replace any tree which contributes to the minimum quantity of landscaping with another comparable tree if it should die within two years of the completion of the development.
(3)
Landscaping plan submission. A landscaping plan depicting the required plantings shall be provided with all required submissions in support of a given project. At a minimum, this includes applications for special exception approval and for zoning permit approval.
(4)
Landscaping compliance table. A table shall be provided with every landscaping plan with sufficient detail to demonstrate compliance with the landscaping requirements of this section. At a minimum, the table shall include the following.
F.
Illumination. All site illumination shall be designed to minimize impact on surrounding properties. All lights, whether mounted on a building, on a pole within a parking lot, or otherwise, shall include shielding to prevent direct view of the light source from surrounding properties and to direct the lighting to the surfaces (building, parking lots, or otherwise) intended to be illuminated.