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Hatfield City Zoning Code

PART 15

R-4 MIXED USE RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT

§ 27-1501 Statement of Intent.

[Ord. No. 353, 6/19/1991, § 1500]
1. 
It is the intent of this Part to:
A. 
Encourage an appropriate mix of dwelling types and densities in the Borough.
B. 
Protect the Borough from challenges to this chapter and map by providing for a diversity of housing types.
C. 
Encourage compact development thereby reducing the cost of provision of public services.
D. 
Encourage innovative residential development and a variety of building configurations.
E. 
Provide for more recreational facilities than would otherwise be provided.
F. 
Establish standards of performance for planned mobile home parks to ensure their integration into the community.

§ 27-1502 Permitted Uses.

[Ord. No. 353, 6/19/1991, § 1501]
1. 
The following uses are permitted on any lot in the R-4 district:
A. 
Single-family detached dwelling.
(1) 
Standard single-family detached.
(2) 
Zero lot line house, as defined herein.
B. 
Two-family building.
(1) 
Twin.
(2) 
Duplex.
C. 
Single-family attached dwelling.
(1) 
Townhouse.
(2) 
Multiplex.
D. 
Planned mobile home park.
E. 
Parks, playgrounds and open space, either public or as part of a residential development.
F. 
Agricultural uses.
G. 
Indoor recreation facility, as part of a residential development and intended solely for residents of that development.
H. 
Accessory uses, in compliance with § 27-903 of this chapter, including home occupations in compliance with § 27-904 of this chapter.

§ 27-1503 Special Exceptions.

[Ord. No. 353, 6/19/1991, § 1502; as amended by Ord. No. 362, 4/15/1992; and by Ord. No. 501, 8/15/2012]
1. 
The following uses may be permitted by the Zoning Hearing Board as special exceptions if they conform to the standards and criteria listed below, as well as § 27-611, and are located within any building existing as of the effective date of this chapter and constructed prior to 1940.
A. 
As part of a planned mobile home park, the following uses are permitted, meeting the standards of Subsection 1.B:
(1) 
Office for mobile home park management, leasing and sales.
(2) 
Convenience store designed primarily to serve residents of the mobile home park.
(3) 
Laundromat designed primarily to serve mobile home park residents.
(4) 
Restaurant designed primarily to serve residents of the mobile home park.
B. 
Standards for mobile home park special exceptions:
(1) 
The use must be accessed by interior roads within the park; no direct access to exterior roads is permitted.
(2) 
A single store, office, or restaurant may not exceed 2,000 square feet in size.
(3) 
Signs shall be limited to those permitted in residential districts.
C. 
In any building existing as of the effective date of this chapter and constructed prior to 1940, the following special exceptions are permitted, in compliance with Subsection 1.D below.
(1) 
Bed-and-breakfast establishment, in compliance with standards of § 27-904, Subsection 4.D, herein.
(2) 
Business, professional or medical offices.
(3) 
Retail specialty shop for the sale of antiques, and/or crafts.
D. 
Standards for special exceptions in existing buildings:
(1) 
Front facade of building must be preserved; additions to side or rear must be architecturally compatible with existing building.
(2) 
All parking, loading and trash disposal areas must be to side or rear of building, and screened by landscaped buffer from street view. A screening buffer according to the standards of § 22-420, Subsection 1.C, of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (Chapter 22) may be used, or a hedge at least four feet in height may be used to achieve a similar effect.
(3) 
For restaurant or office use, applicant must submit a traffic study showing how traffic impacts on adjacent neighborhoods will be mitigated.
(4) 
No more than one free-standing or wall sign shall be permitted, per building, meeting the requirements of §§ 27-1105, Subsection 2 or 3, herein.
(5) 
The use must meet the dimensional standards of commercial uses in the "C" Commercial District.

§ 27-1504 Development Requirements.

[Ord. No. 353, 6/19/1991, § 1503]
1. 
A minimum tract size of 10 acres is required for an R-4 development. Smaller tracts may be developed for residential uses only, according to applicable standards of the R-2 District.
2. 
Any R-4 development must be provided with public water and sewer service.
3. 
A mix of dwelling types shall be permitted within any R-4 development.
T = Net Acreage\a + b + c + d
A. 
Number of units permitted will be based on a formula:
T = total number of dwelling units permitted
a = proposed percent of SFDs divided by 5 DUs/acre
b = proposed percent of two-family divided by 5 DUs/acre
c = proposed percent of SFAs divided by 6 DUs/acre
d = proposed percent of mobile homes divided by 5 DUs/acre
(i)
Percentages shall be used in decimal form.
(ii)
To determine the number of dwelling units permitted for a specific dwelling type, multiply "T" by the proposed percentage of that type, rounding down to the nearest whole number.
B. 
Examples of calculations:
Net acreage = 30 acres
25% (.25) STD divided by 5
=
.05
30% (.30) two-family divided by 5
=
.06
30% (.30) SFA divided by 6
=
.05
15% (.15) NH divided by 5
=
.03
.19
T = 30/.19 = 157 total units
157 x 25% SFDs
=
39 dus
157 x 30% two-family
=
47 dus
157 x 30% SFA
=
47 dus
157 x 15% MH
=
23 dus
4. 
At least 20% of the net acreage shall be set aside as common open space.
A. 
Required buffers may not be included as part of the open space.
B. 
Open space shall consist of large contiguous areas, at least 75 feet wide.
C. 
Open space shall be accessible from all parts of the development, from adjoining road frontage or public rights-of-way capable of accommodating pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
D. 
Open space shall include at least one contiguous area at least 10,000 square feet in size that is suitable for active recreation.
E. 
Any R-4 development of more then 75 units shall provide a tot lot on a portion of the required open space.
F. 
Open space shall be offered for dedication to the Borough, although the Borough is not required to accept it. If not publicly owned, open space shall be managed and maintained by a homeowners association or by the owner/manager of the development.

§ 27-1505 Landscaping and Buffer Standards.

[Ord. No. 353, 6/19/1991, § 1504]
1. 
Where any R-4 development, with the exception of single-family detached homes, abuts a street external to the development a twenty-five-foot buffer area shall be provided, planted with a softening buffer according to the standards of § 22-420 of Chapter 22, Subdivision and Land Development. This provision shall not apply to streets within the development.
2. 
Where any single-family attached or mobile home park development abuts a single-family use or district, a twenty-five-foot buffer area shall be provided, planted with a screening buffer according to the requirements of § 22-420 of Chapter 22, Subdivision and Land Development.
3. 
Where any R-4 development abuts an industrial use or district, a ten-foot buffer area shall be provided, planted with a screening buffer according to the requirements of § 22-420 of Chapter 22, Subdivision and Land Development.
4. 
Buffer areas may not be treated as part of any required yard area, and may not be occupied by any parking or driveways, but shall be used exclusively for landscaping.

§ 27-1506 Density and Dimensional Standards.

[Ord. No. 353, 6/19/1991, § 1505]
See Table 27-15-3 at end of this Part 15.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Said table is included as an attachment to this chapter.

§ 27-1507 Additional Mobile Home Park Requirements.

[Ord. No. 353, 6/19/1991, § 1506]
1. 
The longer sides of mobile homes, when parallel or essentially parallel to each other, shall be no closer than 30 feet apart. The sides shall be considered essentially parallel if they form an angle of less than 45°. A distance of at least 20 feet shall be provided between the end of one mobile home and the end or side of another.
2. 
Off-center placement of mobile homes on lots is encouraged in order to create a large usable side yard.
3. 
Mobile homes shall not be placed on floodplain or wetlands areas or on areas with a slope of 15% or greater. Steep slope areas shall not be regraded to permit mobile home placement.