Hatfield City Zoning Code

To strengthen the Borough's core as a center of commercial activity.

To provide for a mix of retail, service, office, institutional, commercial and residential uses that will be compatible with historic buildings and nearby homes.

To encourage the reuse of older buildings, as opposed to the conversion of the Core Commercial area into an auto-dependent, pedestrian-unfriendly commercial strip.

To prohibit more intense commercial uses (such as auto repair, gasoline sales and auto sales) that are most likely to cause demolition of historic buildings and to create conflicts with other uses.

To promote a pedestrian-friendly environment.

To discourage blight, and overcrowding.

To foster a sense of place and community.

Multifamily dwellings, in combination with allowed commercial uses, provided such residential uses shall only be allowed in the CC District if located above an allowed principal commercial use that shall occupy the entire floor that is closest to the street level floor at the front of the lot. These dwellings may be leased, or be owned in a condominium form of ownership provided there is compliance with applicable state law.

Offices.

Public parks and playgrounds.

Trade or hobby school.

Community center building, library or municipal building.

Business services, such as photocopy or custom print shop.

Membership club which shall be limited to meeting facilities and associated recreational facilities.

Governmental offices and municipal uses, but not including a correctional facility nor a facility housing persons classified as juvenile delinquents.

Child or adult day-care centers. See § 27-905.

Fire, police or ambulance station.

Retail store, which may include sales or rental, but not including drive-through facilities or adult uses.

Barbershop, beauty shop, tailor, nail service, dry cleaning pickup and delivery (not involving on-site use of hazardous substances), ear-piercing, massage therapy by a massage therapist certified by a recognized professional organization, or similar personal service uses, other than specifically prohibited uses.

Taverns and restaurants (without drive-through facilities), which may include outdoor cafes as long as the outdoor cafe use is not located on a public sidewalk without conditional use approval under § 27-2109 and so long as the outdoor cafe meets each of the following requirements:

Exercise clubs or dance studios.

State-licensed nursing home or personal care/assisted living facilities.

Financial institutions (such as banks), provided that any drive-through facilities shall be allowed only by conditional use and only if the applicant proves that the facilities are designed in a manner that will not conflict with pedestrian traffic along the sidewalks of Main Street, Broad Street and Lincoln Avenue.

Funeral home, not including a crematorium.

Bed-and-breakfast facilities. See § 27-904, Subsection 4.

Repair of household appliances and similar items.

Movie theater or live entertainment theater, not including an adult live entertainment use. See "Adult Uses," § 27-1806, Subsection 1.A.

Places of worship (such as churches), which may include accessory child day care, Sunday school rooms and one dwelling unit for a religious leader and his/her family.

Microbrewery and associated tavern.

Art gallery, museum or custom crafts studio.

Indoor or outdoor farmer's markets of agricultural products.

Liquor store or winery.

Dwelling conversions are permitted. However, the existing first-floor principal commercial use in the CC District shall not be converted into a residential dwelling use. One existing dwelling unit in the CC District shall not be converted into two or more dwelling units.

An off-site catering business, either as a principal use or as an accessory to another use permitted in the district, provided that space is designated for loading and unloading on site (inside or outside) in addition to any parking required under Part 10, Off-Street Parking Standards.

Medical marijuana dispensary in accordance with the requirements of § 27-910.

Motor vehicle sales, sales of gasoline, repair of motor vehicles, car wash, sale of manufactured/mobile homes for off site placement.

Adult bookstore, adult movie theater, massage parlor or adult live entertainment use.

Restaurant with drive-through facilities.

Uses open to the public, customers, members or patrons between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.

Warehousing, distribution or truck terminal uses as the principal use of the lot.

Wholesale sales uses that are not open to the public.

Crematorium.

Outdoor storage or display or parking of trucks or construction equipment as the principal use of the lot.

Self-storage units.

Mobile/manufactured home parks.

Treatment center.

Prison or correctional facility.

Junkyard.

Tattoo or body piercing establishment (other than ear-piercing).

Pawn shop.

Boardinghouse or rooming house.

Outdoor flea markets, which shall not prohibit accessory sidewalk sales by permanent businesses and which shall not prohibit farmers markets.

Minimum lot area: 5,000 square feet.

Minimum lot width: 30 feet.

Maximum building coverage of lot: 75%.

Maximum impervious coverage of lot: 90%.

Maximum building height: four stories or 40 feet, whichever is more restrictive. A maximum height of four stories or 60 feet, whichever is more restrictive, shall be permitted if the applicant provides evidence acceptable to the Borough Fire Marshall that there will be adequate provisions for outside access and adequate fire protection measures to allow the taller height. Any new principal building shall have the appearance of a pitched, peaked, gable or mansard roof or a decorative cornice when viewed from Main or Broad Streets, utilizing features as shown in the Central Business District Design Guidelines.

Minimum side yard setback. An aggregate of 12 feet, but no less than two feet per side, except three feet along an abutting lot that is primarily occupied by a business use. No side yard is required for a building that existed prior to the adoption of this chapter without a conforming side yard.

Minimum rear yard setback: 15 feet.

Front yard depth, calculated in accordance with § 27-805: five feet minimum, 10 feet maximum and no new off-street parking spaces on the lot shall be placed between the principal building and the street.

Parking setback. If an off-street parking area of four or more new parking spaces is proposed adjacent to Main or Broad Streets or Lincoln Avenue, it shall be separated from the street cartway, right-of-way or existing sidewalk (whichever places the parking further away from the street) by a planting area with a minimum width of five feet. There shall be a minimum of one tree per 30 linear feet of frontage. Such planting area shall include a mix of low level plantings and deciduous shade trees, with sufficient clearance vertical between them to allow views into the parking area for security purposes.

Outdoor storage and fencing. No commercial items shall be stored outdoors between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. within 25 feet from the rights-of-way of Main or Broad Streets or Lincoln Avenue, except as part of approved outdoor dining facilities. No chain link fencing shall be allowed within 25 feet from the rights-of-way of Main or Broad Streets or Lincoln Avenue. No fencing located within 15 feet from the rights-of-way of Main or Broad Streets or Lincoln Avenue shall have a height greater than four feet.

Any principal commercial building shall have a primary pedestrian entrance and windows along Main, Broad, Lincoln or Market Streets if the building is adjacent to such streets. If desired for security purposes, the windows may be display windows or have curtains in front of an interior wall, without the windows opening directly to the inside of the building.

If a new principal building is constructed adjacent to Broad Street, Market Street or Lincoln Avenue, it shall have two or more above ground stories. If this height is not feasible, then the building shall be constructed with an appearance of having two or more above ground stories, utilizing features as shown in the Central Business Design Guidelines.

If a new principal building is constructed that has sides visible on [to] Broad, Main or Market Streets and/or Lincoln Avenue, then all such sides shall have an exterior finish that resembles a front facade finish. For example, the building facade visible from each such street shall utilize features shown in the Central Business Design Guidelines.

Optional Fee-in-Lieu of Parking.

The level of noise associated with the outdoor dining shall not disturb the right of quiet enjoyment of the neighboring properties, therefore, sound amplified by speakers or other electric means will not be permitted after 11:00 p.m. Low-level music from stereo will be permitted if it does not disturb neighboring properties.

Outdoor dining or an outdoor bar must be associated with and adjoining/connected to a restaurant that already prepares and serves food.

Outdoor dining shall be permitted year round providing the outdoor temperature is 55° F. or above.

Outdoor dining with an outdoor bar or live entertainment or live music shall be limited to the regularly posted hours of operation not to exceed l 1 :00 p.m. Under no circumstances may the sound at the nearest residential property exceed 70 decibels.

Outdoor furnishings shall be limited to tables, chairs and umbrellas. The furnishings shall be weather-resistant and stored inside at the end of the day, during bad weather and when not in use for seasonal closures.

Planters, posts with ropes, iron fencing, or other removable enclosures are encouraged and shall be used as a way of defining the area occupied as outdoor seating.

Refuse facilities shall be provided in the outdoor dining area and trash shall be continually cleaned by restaurant staff.

Advertising and promotional features shall be limited to umbrellas and canopies except for signage permitted by the Borough Code.

Outdoor dining shall not impede pedestrian safety and flow.

The lighting associated with the outdoor dining shall not disturb the right of quiet enjoyment of the neighboring properties. Lights such as flood lights and spot lights are not be permitted to shine off the property into or onto neighboring properties.

Open flames or external heating devices are permitted if approved by the Fire Marshal.

The applicant shall comply with all other existing Borough zoning ordinances as applicable.