Horsham Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XXX
VC Village Commercial District
[Added 12-10-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-08]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Art. XXX, FP Floodplain Conservation District, as amended, was repealed 2-22-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-1. See now Ch. 115, Floodplain Management.
§ 230-176 Declaration of legislative intent.
It is the general intent of the Village Commercial District to permit a mix of various housing types, commercial businesses, and institutional buildings in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with a sense of community and place. Further, it is the specific intent of the Village Commercial District to:
A.
To preserve and build upon the strengths of the Prospectville area of the Township;
B.
Create a mixed-use, small town character that is compatible with existing development in the Prospectville area with respect to scale of development, uses, building dimensions, building materials and functions;
C.
To provide reasonable standards for the development of small scale commercial, office, and residential uses within easy walking distance of adjoining parcels;
D.
To discourage development of strip-type highway-oriented commercial uses, which require incongruous architectural styles, excessive paved areas, numerous curb cuts, and large signs, and attract large volumes of vehicular traffic;
E.
To minimize the potential conflicts between residential and nonresidential uses within and abutting the district;
F.
To encourage pedestrian connections between buildings, parking areas and sidewalks; and to encourage consolidation of driveways, parking and curb cuts to provide more efficient, economical and safe access and parking.
§ 230-177 Use regulations.
A.
On lots with a minimum area of 43,560 square feet and a minimum width at the building line of 125 feet, a building may be erected, altered or used, or a lot may be used or occupied for one principal use for any of the following purposes:
(1)
Woodland, or other conservation purposes.
(2)
Municipal park.
(3)
Single-family detached dwelling.
(4)
Utility line, or any necessary governmental or public utility use.
(5)
Accessory use on the same lot with and customarily incidental to the above uses.
(6)
Municipal building.
(7)
No-impact home-based businesses in accordance with the standards set forth in § 230-23.
B.
On lot or tracts with a minimum base site area of 1.0 acre and less than 5.0 acres, a building may be erected, altered or used, or a lot may be used or occupied for one of the following uses:
(1)
Business or professional office.
(2)
Brewpub, microbrewery, micro-winery, micro-distillery, tasting room.
(a)
Brewpubs may not exceed 4,000 square feet of gross floor area.
(b)
Microbreweries, micro-wineries, and micro-distilleries may not exceed 10,000 square feet in gross floor area.
(c)
A microbrewery, micro-winery or micro-distillery is permitted to have a tasting room that may not exceed 15% of the gross floor area of the microbrewery, micro-winery, or micro-distillery.
(3)
Restaurant.
(4)
Outdoor dining as an accessory use to a brewpub, microbrewery, micro-winery, micro-distillery, or restaurant provided the development standards of § 230-16E are met.
(5)
Utility line, or any necessary governmental or public utility use.
(6)
Municipal building.
C.
On lots or tracts with a minimum base site area of 5.0 acres, a building or group of buildings may be erected, altered or used, or a lot may be used or occupied for one of the following uses:
(1)
A Village Shopping Center.
(a)
The gross floor area of all buildings may not exceed 15,000 square feet of gross floor area.
(b)
Outdoor storage is prohibited.
(c)
Buildings shall not have frontage along Limekiln Pike.
(d)
Uses permitted within a Village Shopping Center:
[1]
Business or professional office.
[2]
Office or clinic for medical or dental examinations or treatment of persons as outpatients, including laboratories incidental thereto, but not including substance abuse/addiction cessation or treatment facilities.
[3]
Barbershop, beautician, laundry or dry-cleaning service excluding on-site processing, nail salon, shoe repair, photographer, newspaper, printer and travel agency.
[4]
Bakery, ice cream shop, coffee and/or tea shop, florist, gift shop, clock, watch or jewelry shop, household appliance repair shop.
[5]
Financial establishments, provided no drive-through facilities are provided.
[6]
Restaurant.
[7]
Studio related to artistic or fitness activities.
(2)
A mixed-use development consisting of the following uses and subject to the following requirements:
(a)
Residential uses.
[1]
Single-family attached dwellings with a residential density of not more than 4.0 dwelling units per gross acre.
[2]
Residential units shall not take direct access from Limekiln Pike or Horsham Road.
(b)
Nonresidential uses.
[1]
The nonresidential portion of the use shall not be less than 1,000 square feet of ground floor area per dwelling unit.
[2]
Uses permitted in § 230-177B.
[3]
Office or clinic for medical or dental examinations or treatment of persons as outpatients, including laboratories incidental thereto, but not including substance abuse/addiction cessation or treatment facilities.
[4]
Bakery, ice cream shop, coffee and/or tea shop, florist, watch or jewelry shop except pawnbroker shop.
[5]
Wellness studio offering a lifestyle service related to yoga, meditation, healthy eating, mental relaxation or physical training.
[6]
Financial establishment, provided no drive-through facilities or remote kiosks are provided. Nonresidential uses shall be prohibited along the frontage of Limekiln Pike.
(c)
To achieve the objective of the Village Commercial District, the construction of nonresidential uses shall commence prior to or concurrently with residential uses.
(3)
Utility line, or any necessary governmental or public utility use.
(4)
Municipal building.
§ 230-178 Dimensional standards.
The following dimensional standards shall apply to lots having the following sizes:
Uses Under § 230-177A | Uses Under § 230-177B | Uses Under § 230-177C | |
|---|---|---|---|
a. Minimum contiguous building envelope | 4,500 square feet | N/A | N/A |
b. Lot width | 125 feet | 250 feet | 400 feet |
c. Maximum building coverage | 15% | 25% | 40% |
d. Maximum nonresidential building footprint (per building) | N/A | 10,000 square feet | 10,000 square feet |
e. Maximum impervious coverage | 20% | 65% | 75% |
f. Minimum front yard setback | 60 feet | 10 feet | 10 feet |
g. Maximum front yard setback | N/A | 25 feet | 25 feet |
h. Minimum side yard setback | 20 feet 40 feet aggregate | 20 feet | 20 feet |
i. Minimum rear yard setback | 80 feet | 50 feet* | 50 feet* |
j. Maximum building height | 35 feet | 40 feet and 2 stories | 40 feet and 2 stories |
k. Minimum parking setback from a residential lot | N/A | 50 feet* | 50 feet* |
l. Minimum single-family dwelling width | N/A | N/A | 20 feet |
NOTES: | |
|---|---|
* | In addition to the buffer requirements of § 230-179F. |
§ 230-179 Development regulations.
A.
General standards applicable to mixed-use properties.
(1)
Nonresidential uses shall be located close to major roads. No residential use shall be located within 50 feet of the ultimate right-of-way line of an arterial roadway.
(2)
Nonresidential uses shall be clustered together into one or two groupings to minimize walking distance between buildings.
B.
Pedestrian design standards.
(1)
Sidewalks are required along all road frontages. The minimum sidewalk width shall be five feet.
(2)
Pedestrian scale street lighting shall be provided along all public street frontages.
(3)
Pedestrian access is required between road frontage sidewalks and all front building entrances, parking areas, and any other destination that generates pedestrian traffic.
(4)
Sidewalks shall connect to existing sidewalks on abutting properties.
C.
Building design standards.
(1)
Nonresidential building design standards.
(a)
All sides of a building shall be architecturally consistent with the front facade, and all building faces visible from the street or abutting properties shall have the same architectural features and style as the front facade. Modifications may be made in the design for necessary loading and other utility areas.
(b)
The architectural elements and design of the building shall include glass, brick, stone, wood, and stucco and no more than 10% of any facade shall contain vinyl materials.
(c)
Roof design. Pitched roofs are required. Flat roofs are prohibited, except where there is a partial or pent roof that extends along all sides of the building. HVAC units shall not be visible from surrounding properties or any public street on the same elevation.
(d)
Colors. All buildings and roofs shall be designed to use primarily earth tones, colors of natural materials, or colors of traditional building materials such as brick, stone, or wood. Appropriate augmenting trim colors shall be permitted. No bright or neon colors will be permitted.
(e)
Building walls of more than 150 feet in length must be designed so that there are no long expanses of unbroken wall. The building wall shall include change in materials, color, or texture; windows; entranceways; or other variations.
(f)
All buildings shall contain materials, windows, doors, architectural details, massing, floor heights, and roofs that are compatible with the adjoining buildings within the district.
(2)
Residential building design standards.
(a)
All single-family attached dwelling units shall have the primary entrance in the front facade, except for end units where the primary entrance may be located on the side of the unit. No primary entrances shall be allowed in the rear facade of any unit.
(b)
No more than six single-family attached dwellings may be in one building. Buildings must be designed to provide dimensional variations in the facade to give the appearance of individual dwelling units. The unbroken length of any portion of a front or rear facade shall not be more than 35 feet.
(c)
All buildings shall contain materials, windows, doors, architectural details, massing, floor heights, and roofs that are compatible with the adjoining buildings within the district.
(d)
All buildings shall have pitched roofs coverings at least 80% of the building with a pitch of at least six vertical inches to every 12 horizontal inches.
D.
Parking standards.
(1)
Garages, parking lots, and/or driveways should not be the dominant aspect of the building design, as seen from the street.
(a)
When residential garage doors face a street, the garage shall compromise no more than 30% of the total area of the front facade elevation of a dwelling unit, measured from the ground level to the lower edge of the roof. A garage door facing a street shall not exceed a width of 10 feet. No more than two garage doors facing a street shall abut without a separation of at least 10 feet between garage doors.
(b)
One garage parking spot per unit may be counted toward required off-street parking, provided a restriction against utilizing the garage as living space is recorded against the unit.
(2)
Nonresidential parking design standards. Off-street parking for all uses other than single-family attached dwellings shall comply with the following requirements.
(a)
Off-street parking shall be located to the side and/or rear of non-residential buildings, unless there is an additional and larger building on the lot between the proposed parking/building and the street.
(b)
Off-street parking areas may not be located between buildings and streets, unless there is an additional and larger building on the lot between the proposed parking/building and the street.
(c)
Off-street parking shall be visually screened from existing and proposed streets by hedges, walls, buffer plantings, or similar site elements.
(d)
Parking areas on abutting non-residential lots shall be interconnected by access driveways.
(e)
Each nonresidential lot shall provide easements for its parking areas and access driveways guaranteeing access and use to all adjacent lots for nonresidential use.
(f)
Garage doors in nonresidential buildings shall not face any existing or proposed street.
(g)
Non-residential parking lots shall be set back at least 10 feet from residential lots and the ultimate right-of-way.
E.
Off-street loading areas, outdoor storage, and waste disposal areas.
(1)
All loading areas shall be located to the side or rear of the building. Loading docks shall not be visible from public streets. All loading areas and loading docks shall be set back at least 25 feet from residential property lines.
(2)
Outdoor storage shall be prohibited. Outdoor displays of materials for sale shall not be permitted overnight.
(3)
Waste disposal areas shall be located within buildings or within an opaque screened area that completely hides the waste and receptacles and is located to the side or rear of the building. All outdoor waste disposal areas shall be set back at least 25 feet from residential property lines.
F.
There shall be a buffer area of at least 25 feet along all property lines which abut residential uses, which shall be planted and landscaped in accordance with the requirements for a screen buffer as provided in § 230-31A of this chapter. The buffer area shall contain a six-foot-high shadow box privacy fence constructed of natural materials. This buffer shall be in addition to the minimum rear yard setback.
G.
A village commercial development shall be served by public sewer and water services.
