Harris Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE V
Commercial Districts
§ 12-5.1 Residential - Office Districts.
[Amended 9-14-1987 by Ord. No. 109]
A.
Intent. It is the intent of the Residential-Office District to promote the following community facilities:
B.
District regulations. Only the uses listed in Criteria and Standards for the Residential Office (RO) District[1] shall be permitted in the Residential Office District. All uses must conform to the lot, yard setback, and maximum height, regulations stipulated therein, as well as other appropriate requirements of this chapter.
[1]
Editor's Note: Said table is included as an attachment to this chapter.
§ 12-5.2 General Commercial District.
[Amended 9-14-1987 by Ord. No. 109]
A.
Intent. It is the intent of the General Commercial District to promote the following:
(1)
To provide for a full range of retail, service, and office uses in appropriate locations.
(2)
To minimize the hazards of highway commercial activity.
(3)
To encourage the clustering of commercial establishments.
(4)
To meet minimum standards of health and safety by protecting against hazards and nuisances.
(5)
To promote stable commercial development.
B.
District regulations. Only the uses listed in Criteria and Standards for the General Commercial C-1 District[1] shall be permitted in the General Commercial District. All uses must conform to the lot, yard setback, and maximum height regulations stipulated therein, as well as other appropriate requirements of this chapter.
[1]
Editor's Note: Said table is included as an attachment to this chapter.
§ 12-5.3 Cultural District.
[Amended 9-14-1987 by Ord. No. 109]
A.
Intent. It is the intent of the Cultural District to promote the following:
(1)
To recognize and foster the museum function throughout the Township.
(2)
To preserve the historic character of the Township.
(3)
To permit a harmonious mixture of uses and activities related to and supporting cultural and recreational activities in the Township.
(4)
To encourage the preservation and exhibition of artistic and historic heritage.
(5)
To enrich the community by encouraging appreciation of its cultural heritage.
B.
District regulations. Only the uses listed in Criteria and Standards for the Cultural (CU) District[1] shall be permitted in the Cultural District. All uses must conform to the lot, yard setback, and maximum height regulations stipulated therein, as well as other appropriate requirements of this chapter.
[1]
Editor's Note: Said table is included as an attachment to this chapter.
§ 12-5.4 Corridor Overlay District.
[Amended 9-14-1992 by Ord. No. 145]
A.
Intent. The Corridor Overlay District is intended to provide land use and land development controls along specified corridors in the Township that are supplemental to the underlying zoning districts. The more restrictive requirement shall apply. It is the intent of this district to promote safe and efficient use of highways as well as to protect the community character of the lands adjacent to them:
(1)
To insure safe ingress and egress from existing and proposed development along arterial corridors, to maintain adequate highway capacity, and lessen or prevent traffic congestion.
(2)
To encourage development consistent with the 1990 Centre Regional Comprehensive Plan and subsequent amendments thereto.
(3)
To discourage unlimited commercial "strip development" and curb cuts along highways, and encourage land development to occur in nodes and clusters utilizing shared or controlled accesses.
(4)
To establish an identity of the Township's communities and achieve a pleasing effect for residents and visitors.
§ 12-5.5 Village Commercial District.
[Added 9-10-2018 by Ord. No. 331]
A.
Intent. It is the intent of the Village Commercial District to promote the following:
(1)
To accommodate a mix of retail, service, commercial, and professional office uses in the Boal Avenue commercial corridor;
(2)
To permit redevelopment of existing parcels and encourage positive improvements to existing uses;
(3)
To minimize potential negative impacts of nonresidential development to adjacent residential areas;
(4)
To support multi-modal access and promote human scale elements.
B.
District regulations. Only the uses listed in Criteria and Standards for the Village Commercial (VC) District[1] shall be permitted in the Village Commercial District. All uses must conform to the lot, yard setback, and maximum height regulations stipulated therein, as well as other appropriate requirements of this chapter.
[1]
Editor's Note: Said table is included as an attachment to this chapter.
D.
Landscaping requirements. A detailed landscape plan shall be submitted to the Township for all land development plans within the Village Commercial (VC) District. The landscape plan shall identify all existing trees that will be preserved on-site, as well as the type, number and size of trees and shrubs that will be planted. The landscape plan shall also address the following landscape requirements:
(1)
Minimum landscaping requirements.
(a)
No less than 75% of open areas, which includes areas not used for buildings, parking, or sidewalks, shall be landscaped with living groundcover. Shredded bark, wood chips, or other organic mulch shall not be considered living groundcover.
(b)
All landscaping materials provided for screening purposes shall be maintained in good condition, shall present a healthy, neat and orderly appearance.
(2)
Front yard landscaping required.
(a)
A minimum of one small crown tree shall be provided for every 20 linear feet within the required front yard setback, with no less than three trees being provided in any front yard setback. Required tree plantings may be grouped within the front yard setback in order to avoid blocking the visibility of the front facade of structures on the property.
(b)
A minimum of one shrub must be provided every eight linear feet within the required front yard. Shrubs must be a minimum of two feet in height at the time of planting and must reach a minimum of three feet height at maturity.
(3)
Side and rear yard landscaping required.
(a)
When the side or rear yard property line is adjacent to a property within the Village Commercial District, the following plantings are required within the applicable yard areas:
[1]
A minimum of one medium crown tree for every 30 linear feet, one small crown tree per 22 linear feet, or one large shrub/dwarf tree tree per 15 linear feet shall be provided.
(b)
When a side or rear yard property line is adjacent to a residential zoning district, the following plantings/buffers are required within the applicable yard areas:
[1]
A minimum of one medium crown tree per 30 linear feet, one small crown tree per 22 linear feet, or one large shrub/dwarf tree per 15 linear feet shall be provided.
[2]
Sight-proof fencing or landscaping must be provided along the side or rear yard property line, subject to the following standards:
[a]
Sight-proof fencing shall meet the following requirements:
[i]
Sight-proof fencing must be a minimum of six feet but no more than eight feet in height.
[ii]
Sight-proof fencing must be kept in an attractive state and in good repair at all times.
[iii]
Sight-proof fencing must be made of wood, polywood, masonry, or decorative metal.
[iv]
Sight-proof fencing must be permanently anchored to the ground by a base situated or located entirely upon the property.
[v]
Sight-proof fencing must be installed within 15 feet of the property line.
[b]
Sight-proof landscaping shall meet the following requirements:
[i]
Sight-proof landscaping shall consist of evergreen shrubs planted in a line to form a continuous screen.
[ii]
Shrubs shall be a minimum of four feet in height at the time of planting and six feet in height at the time of maturity.
[iii]
Sight-proof landscaping must be installed within 15 feet of the property line.
(4)
Landscaping requirements for parking areas.
(a)
Perimeter landscaping shall be required for all parking areas that are adjacent to an abutting parcel or a private or public street. Landscaping shall consist of shrubs which will form a solid vegetative screen. Shrubs must a minimum of two feet in height at the time of planting and must reach a minimum of three feet in height at maturity.
(b)
Each parking island shall be planted with a minimum of three shrubs. Shrubs must a minimum of two feet in height at the time of planting and must reach a minimum of three feet in height at maturity.
E.
Parking regulations. In addition to the parking regulations contained in Article X, § 12-10.10, the following regulations shall apply to properties located within the Village Commercial District:
(1)
Sidewalk connections between parking areas. In order to provide a greater degree of pedestrian connectivity and accessibility, all parking areas shall be provided with at least one sidewalk connection to parking areas on adjacent parcels.
(a)
Sidewalk connections shall be a minimum of four feet wide and must be constructed of concrete, asphalt, or porous pavers.
(b)
Sidewalk connections must run to the property line and connect to existing paths or sidewalks on neighboring properties or the likely location of future paths or sidewalks on those properties.
(2)
Setback for parking areas. Parking areas shall not be located closer to the front property line than any structure on the property.
(3)
Bicycle parking required. In order to support alternative modes of transportation and encourage multi-modal access along the Boal Avenue corridor, bicycle parking shall be required for all uses within the Village Commercial Zoning District as follows:
(a)
A minimum of two bicycle parking spaces shall be provided per each 10 vehicle parking spaces required, with not less than two spaces provided per property.
(b)
Bicycle parking spaces shall consist of either lockers or racks that:
[1]
Provide for storage and locking of bicycles in which both the bicycle frame and the wheels may be locked by the user;
[2]
Are designed so as not to cause damage to the bicycle;
[3]
Facilitate easy locking without interference from or to adjacent bicycles; and
[4]
Are anchored so that they cannot be easily removed.
(c)
Bicycle parking spaces shall be conveniently accessible by pedestrians from the street, be well-lit, and located within 20 feet of building entrances accessible by tenants and occupants.
F.
Access.
(1)
Access to arterial streets. Access to each lot via an arterial street shall be limited to not more than one driveway for each 200 feet of street frontage. If multiple access points exist prior to the submission of the plan, a design shall be implemented which reduces the number of access points to the arterial street.
(2)
Access to collector or local streets. Access onto collector or local streets shall be limited to not more than one driveway per property for each adjacent collector or local street. Driveways that provide direct access to a collector or local street shall be no more than 20 feet in width.
G.
Design standards. All portions and sides of buildings located within the Village Commercial District that have walls visible from a street within the Village Commercial District shall be surfaced with the same and/or compatible materials as are used on the designated fronts of the buildings. Site plan elevation drawings shall be required for all visible surfaces and shall include a description of the exterior surface building materials. All rooftop mechanical systems shall be screened by fencing or other means.
H.
Bicycle and pedestrian access. Bicycle and pedestrian facilities shall be installed on each property in the Village Commercial District that is adjacent to Boal Avenue. Such facilities shall be provided within the front yard setback adjacent to Boal Avenue and shall connect to existing facilities on adjacent parcels. These facilities shall not be required if facilities exist within the Boal Avenue right-of-way at the time of development.
I.
Accessory dwelling units. Accessory dwelling units are permitted on properties within the Village Commercial District so long as they are located on the same parcel as a nonresidential use. Accessory dwelling units within the Village Commercial District shall comply with the following standards:
(1)
A maximum of one accessory dwelling unit shall be permitted for every 2,000 square feet of nonresidential floor area on the property. Nonresidential floor area utilized for storage and warehousing shall not apply towards this requirement. All properties, regardless of nonresidential floor area, shall be entitled to one accessory dwelling unit.
(2)
Accessory dwelling units shall not be located on the ground floor of any structure within the district.
(3)
Each accessory dwelling unit shall be no more than 1,000 square feet in size.
(4)
Two additional parking spaces shall be provided for each accessory dwelling unit.