Lancaster City Zoning Code
ARTICLE I
Community Development Objectives; Establishment of Districts; Provision for Official Zoning Map
§ 300-1 Community development objectives.
A.
This chapter is compatible and consistent with the goals of the City of Lancaster Comprehensive Plan, dated 1993, and readopted by the Council of the City of Lancaster on April 10, 2007:
(1)
To protect and enhance Lancaster City's physical attractiveness and historic quality while allowing for reasonable growth and development.
(2)
To strengthen neighborhoods and to make all neighborhoods desirable, safe places to live.
(3)
To preserve and maintain the existing housing stock.
(4)
To encourage the conversion, rehabilitation, reuse and redevelopment of existing vacant and underutilized structures in a manner consistent with community goals and objectives.
(5)
To promote pride in ownership.
(6)
To assure housing that is affordable for people at various income levels throughout Lancaster County, and that serves the needs of various types and ages of households.
(7)
To increase the quantity and quality of job opportunities through the creation of an environment which promotes and supports business and industry and attracts new investment.
(8)
To enhance Lancaster's economic environment by providing adequate infrastructure for economic development and maintaining public policies and actions which support and promote economic development activity.
(9)
To increase the tax base in order to allow the City to provide services and infrastructure and to be competitive in attracting new businesses and retaining existing businesses.
(10)
To strengthen Lancaster City as the commercial and cultural hub of Lancaster County and to enhance its downtown vitality.
(11)
To increase the availability and quality of employment skills and training for Lancaster City residents.
(12)
To ensure that all residents in need of support services receive necessary assistance.
(13)
To strengthen the nurturing environment for children and youth in order to create a bright future for them.
(14)
To ensure that people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds participate in the planning and decisionmaking process.
(15)
To promote education for residents so that they can handle the demands of the workplace and the demands of good citizenship.
(16)
To ensure overall public safety for all citizens.
(17)
To implement land use strategies which protect and enhance the built environment and contribute to the economic and aesthetic well-being of the community.
(18)
To promote the safe, efficient movement of people and goods.
(19)
To provide needed facilities and services, including the improvement of the City's parks through the implementation of the Parks and Recreation Plan for the City of Lancaster.
(20)
To conserve energy, promote public awareness of energy issues and initiate energy-saving measures.
(21)
To increase intergovernmental, interagency and private sector collaboration in achieving the community's goals.
B.
This chapter also is compatible and consistent with the goals of Growing Together, A Comprehensive Plan for Central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as adopted by the Council of the City of Lancaster on April 10, 2007:
(1)
Development of land will be managed effectively to plan and locate communities with compatible land uses and densities within designated growth areas, while preserving and maintaining valuable open space.
(2)
Vacant and underutilized land and buildings will be developed and reused to attract residents, encourage commerce and the arts, and reduce development pressure on farmland.
(3)
Livable, diverse-income neighborhoods will be developed to include housing choices and a mix of uses and to promote walking and alternative transportation.
(4)
The urban core will be revitalized and promoted with the support of the whole region to offer clean, safe, and attractive opportunities for business and culture, and to maintain its historic character.
(5)
Attractive, safe, walkable neighborhoods will be developed and existing communities will be protected and strengthened to enhance the unique character and strong sense of place of Central Lancaster County and to promote positive interaction among residents of all ages and backgrounds.
(6)
Affordable, diverse housing choices across all income ranges will be made available to encourage homeownership and rental properties, and to further smart growth.
(7)
A well-maintained and efficient road network will be established to promote continuous traffic flow and reduce congestion, with an emphasis on truck traffic control.
(8)
An easily accessible, efficient, and affordable public transportation system will be available to improve access to homes, jobs, shopping, attractions, and recreation.
(9)
A planned, interconnected, and safe network of alternative transportation options will be developed to move people and goods.
(10)
A full range of efficient community facilities and services will be provided to serve the educational, recreational, safety and health needs of all residents.
(11)
A well maintained, intermunicipal park system will be developed, with due regard for private property rights, and will include parks in all areas, clean facilities, and recreation along and in the waterways, all connected by greenways for biking, walking, and nonmotorized use.
(12)
Air, water, and soil quality will be improved and protected, and natural areas, waterways, and riparian buffers will be protected and preserved in order to provide a healthy living environment.
(13)
Historic resources will be preserved, maintained, and reused to recognize and reinforce the historic character of both urban and rural areas.
(14)
A cost-effective sufficient, well maintained, and environmentally sound public utility system will provide water that meets acceptable standards and effective solid waste, sewage, and stormwater management to protect public health and manage growth in the region.
(15)
Growing Together will result in measurable positive change in Central Lancaster County that is consistent with the vision set forth by residents and is accompanied by a renewed spirit of regional cooperation.
(16)
Coordinated, responsive, energetic intermunicipal leadership will promote cooperation, efficient provision of services, regional infrastructure planning, cooperative funding strategies, information sharing, community participation in decisionmaking, and reduction in local bureaucracies.
(17)
Appropriate and enforceable regional ordinances, regulations, and techniques will be adopted to address issues such as mixed-use development, traditional neighborhoods, compact residential areas, and agricultural preservation.
§ 300-2 Districts established.
In order to implement the purposes of this chapter, the City of Lancaster is hereby divided into the following zoning districts, with the designations and general purposes listed below. Wherever the term "residential districts" appears in this chapter, those districts described in Subsections A through and including F shall be included.
A.
R1 District (Residential Detached Dwellings). The R1 District is the only area of the City offering a "suburban" environment for City residents, with relatively large residential lots permitting only single-family detached dwellings and nonresidential uses limited to home occupations, park and recreation facilities, and day care centers.
B.
R2 District (Residential Semidetached Dwellings). The R2 District is a restrictive single-family residential area with intermediate lot sizes permitting only single-family detached and semidetached dwellings and a limited variety of cultural, institutional and recreational uses.
C.
R3 District (Residential Medium Density Dwellings). The R3 District is characterized by the predominance of attached, or row, houses, and smaller lot sizes. A variety of small, neighborhood-oriented or low-impact commercial retail and service uses are permitted by special exception, as well as a limited number of institutional and cultural/recreational uses.
D.
R4 District (Residential High-Density Dwellings and Commercial Services). The R4 District is characterized by the past conversion of many single-family dwellings to two-family and multifamily dwellings and to small professional offices and other commercial services. While this is a residential district, a variety of commercial, institutional, and cultural/recreational uses are permitted by special exception.
E.
RO District (High-Density Residential, Office and Institutional Uses). The RO District is characterized by the conversion of many structures to professional offices, or to combination office and multifamily structures, and by a variety of office and institutional uses.
F.
MU District (Mixed Use). The MU District includes areas of the City characterized by residential uses in close proximity to nonresidential uses, including historic warehouses and manufacturing facilities, many of which have been vacated by the original industries. In addition, the MU District includes undeveloped land where new mixed-use residential and nonresidential development with traditional neighborhood character is recommended. A variety of residential, commercial, cultural, light industrial and other miscellaneous uses are permitted in order to encourage the reuse of former manufacturing structures and undeveloped land. This is the only zoning district which permits both dwellings and a variety of manufacturing uses to coexist. However, since the MU District is considered primarily as a high-density residential district, all manufacturing uses must meet certain conditions and receive special exception approval.
G.
CB District (Central Business). The CB District is the commercial hub of the City and serves the metropolitan area as a regional center for government, law, finance, culture, entertainment, and support businesses. A wide range of commercial, retail, cultural, high-density residential, and institutional uses are permitted by right and by special exception. In order to promote high-density development, this zoning district permits 100% building and lot coverage and waives all off-street parking requirements.
H.
CB1 District (Central Business Core). The CB1 District is the commercial and cultural core of the Central Business District. In order to encourage intense, positive pedestrian activity and consumer transactions, certain uses that are not consumer- or visitor-oriented are prohibited on the ground, or street-level, floors of buildings. A wide range of commercial, retail, cultural, entertainment, and professional uses are permitted by right and by special exception. In order to promote high-density development, this zoning district permits 100% building and lot coverage and waives all off-street parking requirements.
I.
C1 District (Neighborhood Commercial). The C1 District is a neighborhood-oriented commercial area with uses serving residents of the immediate area and is characterized by storefront businesses in combination with upper-level dwelling units. A variety of low-impact retail/commercial uses oriented to pedestrian traffic are permitted by right and by special exception.
J.
C2 District (Urban Commercial). The C2 District is a retail/commercial area located adjacent to residential districts but serving a wider geographic area, with retail/service uses oriented more to vehicle traffic. A variety of higher impact retail/commercial uses, e.g., twenty-four-hour convenience stores, are permitted by right and by special exception.
K.
C3 District (Regional Commercial). The C3 District is a highway-oriented retail/commercial district located away from residential districts and serving geographic areas well beyond the corporate limits of Lancaster City. A wide range of retail, commercial, institutional, and cultural/entertainment/recreational uses are permitted by right.
L.
CM District (Central Manufacturing). The CM District includes historical manufacturing/industrial areas of the City, many of which are located in close proximity to residential districts as well as industrial sites annexed to the City between 1947 and 1952. A variety of manufacturing uses are permitted, with special exception approval required for those uses with potential negative impacts on nearby residential districts. In addition, certain commercial uses considered to be compatible with manufacturing/industrial uses are permitted. In order to encourage reuse of vacant or underutilized manufacturing/warehousing facilities, other nonresidential uses are also permitted, subject to certain conditions.
M.
SM District (Suburban Manufacturing). The SM District is intended to accommodate the most intense industrial uses, which have greater land area requirements and need for close proximity to regional transportation networks, including railways and limited-access highways. In addition, to encourage reuse of vacant or underutilized manufacturing/warehousing sites located away from the City's urban core and close to regional transportation networks, a limited number of retail and other commercial uses are permitted by right and by special exception, with conditional use approval required for larger retail uses.
N.
HC District (Hospital Complex). The HC District is designed to provide locations for facilities that are licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as hospitals and accessory uses. Accessory uses located within the HC District may be located on a lot that is independent of the hospital. Parking garages as accessory uses shall be permitted in the HC District.
O.
DF District (Criminal Detention Facilities). The DF District is designed to provide a location for criminal and juvenile detention facilities. Uses which support the detention/incarceration facilities shall be permitted as accessory uses.
P.
PO District (Park and Open Space). The PO District is designed to protect and preserve public parklands, greenways, riparian areas, and natural environments which consist primarily of grass, landscaping and/or natural conservation areas and habitats for vegetation and wildlife, and which may or may not include recreational facilities and accessory uses/facilities. Privately owned land with public greenway or conservation easements or with environmentally significant qualities may be included in this district.
§ 300-3 Official Zoning Map.
A.
Maintaining Official Zoning Map. The City is hereby divided into zoning districts, as shown on the Official Zoning Map, incorporated herein and made an official part hereof by reference.[1] The Official Zoning Map shall be maintained by the Lancaster City Bureau of Planning and shall be updated promptly following formal amendments.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Zoning Map is included at the end of this chapter.
B.
Amendment of Official Zoning Map. Any amendment of the Official Zoning Map shall be done in strict conformity with the requirements of the PMPC[2] or other applicable act of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If an amendment of the Official Zoning Map is approved by City Council, such amendment shall be made to the Official Zoning Map promptly after official approval. In addition to the actual changes to district boundaries or district classifications, the Bureau of Planning shall maintain a record of all changes to the Official Zoning Map.
[2]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
C.
Zoning district map. A City of Lancaster zoning district map, which is an unofficial document, shall be prepared to illustrate the boundaries of all zoning districts shown on the Official Zoning Map and shall be maintained in a current status for the purpose of distribution/sale to interested parties. The zoning district map shall include the following words: "See the Official Zoning Map for exact up-to-date zoning district boundaries."
D.
Overlay districts.
(1)
CO District (Campus Overlay). The CO District provides an optional set of provisions within the core campuses of colleges. The CO District is intended to streamline the process for new buildings, additions and facilities within the core campus of a college, while maintaining more restrictive regulations in place for college uses that may occur in surrounding residential areas. The intent is to allow flexibility within the interior of a campus, while still carefully controlling uses that are outside of the core campus, including along the perimeter of a college. See § 300-19 for allowed uses and § 300-20 for dimensional requirements.
(2)
Floodplain Districts. Floodplain districts, as defined and regulated in Article VII, § 300-39, of this chapter shall be overlays to the existing underlying districts as shown on the Official Zoning Map, and as such, the provisions for the floodplain districts shall serve as a supplement to the underlying district provisions.
(3)
Historic Resource District.
(a)
The Historic Resource District is that area officially recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service and Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission as the Lancaster City Historic District, also known as the "National Register Historic District." The boundaries of the Historic Resource District are identified on the map entitled, "National Register Historic District," and displayed in the office of the City Zoning Officer. The historic district regulations shall apply in addition to the zoning requirements. Those provisions for certain uses or improvements and regulations pertaining thereto within the historic resource district shall apply only to properties within the area as noted on the above-mentioned map.
E.
Replacement of Official Zoning Map or part thereof.
(1)
In the event that digital data used to create the Zoning Map is lost, corrupted or destroyed, the Bureau of Planning shall digitally prepare a new Official Zoning Map, which shall supersede the prior Official Zoning Map. The new Official Zoning Map may correct drafting or other errors or omissions in the prior Official Zoning Map, or to update base map information, but no such corrections shall have the effect of amending the adopted zoning district boundaries, unless the procedures are followed for a lawful amendment.
(2)
A list of the dates of future amendments, including a brief description of Zoning Map changes, should be maintained as an appendix to this chapter.