Horsham Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XLI
Business Park District-2 BPD-2
§ 230-281 Intent.
It is the general intent of the Business Park District-2 to implement the goals and recommendations of the Final Preferred Land Use Plan, adopted by the Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority on March 21, 2012. Further, it is the specific intent of the Business Park District-2 to:
A.
Encourage high-quality office and professional business uses that offer site amenities to world-class tenants and provide quality jobs for Township residents.
B.
Retain and attract small-scale commercial uses, institutional uses, and other compatible uses that will help to create and maintain a vibrant business park.
C.
Integrate pedestrian walkways, attractive public spaces, transit facilities, and landscaping along roadway corridors.
D.
Encourage the provision of additional amenities that benefit the public health, safety, and welfare, such as adequate open space, efficient roadways, and safe bicycle and pedestrian connections.
E.
Encourage a high level of architectural detail, attractive signage, and appropriate site design through the application of development standards.
F.
Encourage the reconnection of the Township which has been geographically divided by the existence of the base and the airplane runway serving the Base through the encouragement of uses that create jobs and allow the gathering of the community.
G.
Encourage shared parking between compatible uses on the same lot or on adjacent lots.
H.
Promote pedestrian orientation of streets and buildings to ensure a walkable setting.
I.
Give priority to pedestrian movement along sidewalks and trails and access to amenities, open spaces, and streets, and discourage design that gives priority to vehicular convenience only.
§ 230-282 Use regulations.
[Amended 11-12-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-05]
Within the BPD-2, a building or group of buildings may be erected, altered, or used, and a lot may be used or occupied for one or more of the following uses, with uses allowed to be mixed within a building or mixed in separate buildings on a property, provided that no loading areas are permitted between a building and a property line abutting residential dwellings or a residential zoning district:
A.
Class One uses.
(1)
Scientific research, engineering, testing, or training facility, or similar establishment for research, training, or product development, provided that vivariums are not permitted in the BPD-2.
(2)
Business, administrative, or professional office building.
(3)
Office or clinic for medical or dental examinations or treatment of persons as outpatients, including laboratories incidental thereto, but not including methadone treatment facilities.
§ 230-283 Dimensional standards.
All developments shall comply with the following dimensional criteria. In the case of a mixed-use building, the highest dimensional standards, shall apply. (Example: if a Class One use is included in a mixed-use building with a Class Two use, the dimensional requirements for a Class One use shall apply to the building.)
A.
Permitted uses.
Permitted Uses | Class One | Class Two |
|---|---|---|
Minimum lot area (acres) | 4 | 2 |
Minimum lot width (feet) | 300 | 200 |
Minimum front yard setback (feet) | 100 | 50 |
Maximum front yard setback (feet) | N/A | 100 |
Minimum side yard setback (feet) | 50 (150 when abutting a residential use or zone) | 50 (150 when abutting a residential use or zone) |
Minimum rear yard setback (feet) | 50 (150 when abutting a residential use or zone) | 50 (150 when abutting a residential use or zone) |
Maximum building height | 5 stories, but in no event greater than 65 feet | 2 stories, but in no event greater than 35 feet |
Maximum impervious surface (percent of lot area) | 65% | 65% |
Maximum building coverage (percent of lot area) | 40% | 40% |
Minimum common open space (percent of net lot area) | 25% | 25% |
Minimum parking setback from rear or side property line (feet) | 25 | 15 |
Front yard parking setback (feet) | 50 | 30 |
§ 230-284 Development standards.
All development shall comply with the following design standards, in addition to the performance standards in Article V of the Horsham Township Zoning Ordinance and all regulations in the Horsham Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.[1] If this section conflicts with any part of the performance standards of Article V of the Zoning Ordinance or any part of Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, the standards contained herein shall take precedence. Applicants for land developments in the BPD-2 shall submit a design manual in conjunction with the land development application to demonstrate how the development will comply with the design standards and to further show the building materials to be used in the project and the architectural details and renderings for each building. The design manual shall also demonstrate that benches, trash receptacles, light fixtures, walkways, knee walls, and outdoor design and decorative features are consistent with design standards established by the Township for the BPD-2.
A.
Site design.
(1)
Common open space.
(a)
Road rights-of-way and required buffer or setback areas shall not be included as part of the required common open space.
(b)
Common open space shall not include floodplain areas, wetlands, or stormwater management facilities.
(c)
Up to 50% of the required common open space can be comprised of underground utilities including, but not limited to, fuel, power, and other utility lines or easements, provided the utility companies possessing legal rights to these easements do not prohibit their use for such purposes.
(d)
Where possible, common open space areas shall be located adjacent or in close proximity to public walking trails or sidewalks.
(e)
In its sole discretion, Council may accept a fee-in-lieu of common open space for use in improvement public areas in the Business Park District-2.
B.
Building architectural standards.
(1)
Roofs. Flat roofs shall be prohibited on one- and two-story buildings but are allowed on buildings of three stories or more, provided that the building has an articulated cornice.
(2)
Service and loading areas. Where required by Council pursuant to § 230-35, these areas shall be located on the side or rear of the building and shall be screened so that the visual and acoustic impact of these functions is fully contained and out of view of adjacent properties and public streets. Screening shall be in compliance with the screen buffer standards set forth in the Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
(3)
Refuse collection areas.
(a)
Refuse collection areas shall be located indoors wherever feasible.
(b)
Where indoor refuse collection and storage is impracticable or infeasible, refuse may be stored out of doors in closeable containers (i.e., dumpsters with lids), provided the refuse collection area is located to the rear of the building, and is enclosed on three sides with walls constructed with decorative masonry block walls or material to match building facade and on the fourth side a gate which visually screens the contents of the enclosure. The enclosure shall be set back at least 50 feet from all property lines abutting a residential district or use and 25 feet from all property lines abutting a nonresidential district or use.
(c)
Any external refuse collection area shall be located within an enclosure that is architecturally compatible with the primary building(s) on the site and is appropriately screened from the direct view of any adjacent properties with landscaping in compliance with the screen buffer standards set forth in the Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
§ 230-285 Off-street parking standards and parking garage design standards for Business Park District-2.
The following parking standards shall apply to uses in the Business Park District-2. If the regulations in this section conflict with any of the parking regulations in Section 230-32, the provisions of this section shall apply in the BPD-2 district.
A.
Parking and loading requirements.
(1)
Off-street parking. Any building or structure used for the following purposes shall be provided with the minimum number of parking spaces set forth below:
(a)
Scientific research, engineering, testing or training facility or similar establishment: one space per employee on the largest shift or one space per 300 square feet of gross floor area, whichever is greater, plus one space for each company vehicle stored on the premises.
(b)
Business office: one space per 250 square feet of gross floor area.
(c)
Medical office: one space per 200 square feet of gross floor area.
(d)
Nonresidential school: one space per 250 square of gross floor area.
(e)
Restaurant (non-drive thru or quick service): one space per 100 square feet of patron area plus one space per employee on the largest shift.
(f)
Private recreation facility: one space per 300 square feet of gross floor area.
(g)
Studios for dance, music, art, or photography: one space per 250 square feet of gross floor area.
(h)
Indoor place of amusement, such as bowling alley, billiard hall, indoor court for racket sports, or other similar facility: one space for every 200 square feet of floor area.
(i)
Financial institutions: one space per 250 square feet of gross floor area.
(j)
Private recreational facility-fitness center, sauna, health club, or similar facility: one space for every 300 square feet of floor area.
(k)
Day-care centers: day-care centers shall meet the requirements of § 230-32C(8).
B.
Parking garage design standards.
(1)
The following design requirements shall apply to parking garages in the BPD-2 district, as an accessory use:
(a)
The street-front facade of the parking garage shall mirror the use(s) which it serves.
(b)
Utilitarian appearances of parking garages, such as sloping levels and untreated concrete levels are not permitted. Parking garages shall have design treatments such as colonnades, arcades, awning, landscaping, street furniture, and other public amenities to create the appearance of an occupied building.
(c)
Cars shall be visually screened from adjacent buildings and the street, and the screening shall be consistent in architectural design and materials with the buildings and uses it serves.