Limerick Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XXII
O/LI Office/Limited Industrial District
§ 184-154 Intent.
It is the intent of this article to:
A.
Provide standards and criteria for office and limited industrial development in appropriate areas of the Township in accord with the Township's Comprehensive Plan.
B.
Provide sufficient land area to meet the Township's anticipated future needs for office and limited industrial development, allow for a range of choices of sites and strengthen the Township's economic base.
C.
Provide employment centers with ease of access from interchanges of the Pottstown Expressway, Route 422, and to encourage interconnection of office and limited industrial development between those interchanges.
D.
Locate employment centers with convenient access from the Township's population centers.
E.
Protect adjacent residential areas from adverse visual and traffic impacts of office and limited industrial development.
F.
Encourage development of unified, integrated office and limited industrial parks to accommodate a variety of individual uses.
G.
Ensure adequate buffering of adjacent districts and land uses.
H.
Protect against development congestion by limiting the bulk of buildings in relation to each other and to the land area around them.
I.
Protect against offensive noise, vibrations, odors and other nuisances through use of strict performance standards.
J.
Provide for ancillary service-oriented and commercial uses which complement the office and limited industrial development in the district, without giving the district a predominantly commercial character.
K.
Provide for aviation facilities of importance to the Township and the region, in such a manner as to ensure safe operations and avoid conflicts with adjacent uses.
L.
Encourage an attractive visual environment along the Route 422, Pottstown Expressway, corridor.
M.
Encourage preservation of areas needed for future interchange improvements.
N.
Encourage development in an efficient, environmentally sensitive, mutually supportive manner.
§ 184-155 Permitted uses.
In the Office/Limited Industrial District, the following uses shall be permitted:
A.
Offices, corporate headquarters and administrative centers.
B.
Scientific or industrial research or engineering facilities.
C.
Manufacturing, testing, repair and ancillary storage or distribution of materials, goods, foodstuffs or products. However, any bulk storage or bulk manufacture of highly hazardous chemicals or substances shall require special exception approval, and provided that the following uses shall be specifically prohibited in the O/LI District:
[Amended 11-4-1998 by Ord. No. 198]
D.
Storage, warehousing and/or distribution of materials, goods, foodstuffs or products, including mini-warehouse and self-storage operations, provided that:
[Amended 6-2-1998 by Ord. No. 196; 11-4-1998 by Ord. No. 198; 7-18-2023 by Ord. No. 423]
(1)
As a principal use, conditional use approval shall be required if the total floor area of the building exceeds 100,000 square feet. Storage, warehousing and/or distribution that is clearly accessory to a principal permitted by right manufacturing use shall not need conditional use approval.
(2)
A trucking company terminal shall not be permitted.
E.
Printing, publishing, lithography and similar processes.
F.
Radio and/or television studios and transmission facilities.
G.
Public utility facility.
[Amended 12-21-1999 by Ord. No. 206]
I.
Accessory uses appropriate to the primary permitted uses.
[Amended 8-15-2017 by Ord. No. 379]
J.
Agricultural uses and related buildings meeting the requirements of § 184-71A(4).
[Amended 6-2-1998 by Ord. No. 196]
L.
Motor vehicle garage or repair shop, not to include body repair work or painting.
[Added 9-4-2012 by Ord. No. 334]
§ 184-156 Conditional uses.
The following are permitted as conditional uses when approved in compliance with the procedures, standards and criteria contained in this chapter:
A.
Wholesale, warehouse, storage or distribution center, including transportation depot, in a building of 100,000 square feet or larger of floor area, in compliance with the following:
B.
Uses as part of planned development.
(1)
The following shall be permitted as part of a planned office and/or industrial park development in compliance with the requirements of Subsection B(2) below:
C.
Uses independent of planned developments.
(1)
The following uses shall be permitted on individual lots, independent of office/industrial park development, in compliance with the requirements of Subsection C(2) below:
(a)
Vehicular sales and ancillary repairs, excluding vehicle body repair and motor vehicle painting.
[Amended 9-21-2010 by Ord. No. 318]
(b)
Lumberyards; sales of building materials and other home supplies.
(c)
Nurseries; sales of agricultural and garden supplies.
(d)
Veterinarians; animal boarding facilities.
(e)
Hotels; motels.
(f)
Large-scale indoor or outdoor commercial recreation facilities, such as bowling alleys, skating rinks, fitness centers, tennis and/or racquet clubs.
(2)
Requirements.
(a)
The lot used shall front on and provide direct vehicular access to an arterial street, as established in Chapter 155, Subdivision and Land Development.
(b)
The dimensional standards for Class Two in § 184-157 shall apply.
[Amended 6-2-1998 by Ord. No. 196]
(c)
Vehicular access.
[1]
Not more than one access point per 500 feet to an arterial street is permitted, unless a traffic study provides convincing evidence otherwise and upon the recommendation of the Township Engineer.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection C(2)(c)[2], regarding use of shared access drives and marginal access streets, which immediately followed this subsection, was repealed 5-1-2001 by Ord. No. 225.
(d)
No display of merchandise is permitted within the ultimate right-of-way. Any outdoor display area must be separated from the ultimate right-of-way by a buffer strip at least 15 feet wide, planted in grass, low-growing shrubs or other landscape material, in compliance with the Township's landscaping standards.
E.
Airport, in compliance with the following:
(2)
Any airport operation shall be conducted under and subject to all licensing, safety and applicable airport design criteria and regulations of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Aviation.
(3)
The operation of all aircraft shall be subject to all applicable state and federal regulations, including control of noise, vibration and emissions.
(4)
Any building to be constructed within an airport shall be set back at least 200 feet from any runway and shall conform to all other dimensional standards of this article.
(5)
Airport uses. In an airport operation, structures, buildings or improvements may be erected or used and the lot area may be used or occupied for any of the following purposes:
(a)
Aircraft runways.
(b)
Aircraft taxiways.
(c)
Aircraft parking and tie-down areas.
(d)
Hangars.
(e)
The sale, storage, repair, development, installation, fabrication and maintenance of aircraft, aircraft accessories and aircraft parts.
(f)
Training for repair and maintenance of aircraft and aircraft accessories.
(g)
Flight training facilities.
(h)
The sale and storage of fuels and lubricants for aircraft and support equipment, in compliance with § 184-83G herein and all applicable state and federal regulations.
(i)
Facilities for aircraft painting and washing.
(j)
Terminal facilities.
(k)
Aircraft rental.
(l)
Navigational and/or guidance systems.
(m)
Automobile rental.
(n)
Restaurant facilities.
(o)
Administrative offices related to other permitted uses.
§ 184-157 Dimensional standards.
The following dimensional standards apply within the Office/Limited Industrial District:
D.
Table of Dimensional Standards.
[Amended 6-2-1998 by Ord. No. 196; 7-13-2006 by Ord. No. 261; 6-14-2007 by Ord. No. 276; 5-20-2010 by Ord. No. 314; 8-15-2017 by Ord. No. 379]
Standard | Class One | Class Two | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minimum lot area (acres) | 1, with minimum average lot area of 2 | 3 | ||||
Minimum lot width (feet) | 200 | 300 | ||||
Maximum impervious coverage for all uses | 70% of net lot area | 70% of net lot area | ||||
Maximum building coverage (percentage of net buildable acreage) | ||||||
Warehouse, storage as a primary use | 35% | 35% | ||||
All other uses | 35% | 35% | ||||
Maximum floor area ratio | 0.40 | 0.40 | ||||
Building setbacks (feet) | ||||||
From ultimate right-of-way of a street | 50 | 50 | ||||
From a lot boundary abutting a residential district | 100 | 100 | ||||
From any other lot line | 30 | 30 | ||||
Parking, service area or internal driveway setbacks (feet) | ||||||
From ultimate right-of-way of a street | 30 | 30 | ||||
From a lot boundary abutting a residential district | 30 | 50 | ||||
From a lot boundary abutting a nonresidential district | 10, unless shared | 12, unless shared | ||||
From a building (except loading docks) | 10 | 10 | ||||
Maximum building height (feet) | 351 | 351 | ||||
Maximum number of stories | 3 | 3 | ||||
NOTES: | |
|---|---|
1 The thirty-five-foot height may be increased to 45 feet or three stories, whichever is less, if such additional height would be located a minimum of 200 feet from a residential district. If any building involves three or more stories, it shall be fully sprinklered, in accordance with the current Building Code of Limerick Township, as amended. |
E.
Compatibility with residential districts. Where a portion of a building or land area used for manufacturing or for loading, unloading or parking of three or more tractor-trailer trucks at one time is proposed within 400 feet of a residential district, the following additional requirements shall apply:
[Added 6-2-1998 by Ord. No. 196]
(1)
In no case shall a required buffer yard be less than 50 feet in width. A required buffer yard shall include a landscaped earth berm with a minimum height of five feet and a maximum slope on the residential side of three to one. All required buffer plantings shall be on the residential side of the berm, and all security fencing shall be on the industrial side of the berm.
[Amended 12-20-2011 by Ord. No. 327]
(2)
Any such building area and truck area shall be set back a minimum of 200 feet from a residential district boundary.
F.
Outdoor storage. All outdoor storage shall comply with the following setbacks: 30 feet from a lot boundary abutting an ultimate right-of-way of a street; 30 feet from a lot boundary abutting a nonresidential district; 50 feet from a lot boundary abutting a residential district. All outdoor storage shall be enclosed by an opaque fence or hedge to screen from abutting streets or properties adjacent to a residential district and meet minimum screening requirements provided in § 155-27.1 of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
[Added 11-4-1998 by Ord. No. 198; amended 4-23-2019 by Ord. No. 395]
§ 184-158 Planned office and/or industrial parks.
Development of planned office and/or industrial parks shall comply with the following:
A.
The tract must have direct access to an arterial or major collector street, or the applicant shall upgrade the connecting local street to meet those street standards.
B.
Although building lots within a tract may be individually sold and developed, the development shall be designed with unified standards for building design, landscaping, lighting and access to interior roads. These standards shall be submitted in the form of protective covenants which shall be binding upon developers of individual lots.
C.
A development agreement shall be executed between the applicant and the Township for development of the entire park, to include:
(1)
Generalized internal road layout and access points to surrounding roads, on-site and off-site road improvements.
(2)
Stormwater management facilities.
(3)
Existing landscape material and other natural amenities to be protected.
(4)
Standards for building design, landscaping, lighting and access to interior roads, in the form of protective covenants.
D.
As each building lot is developed, a land development plan as required by Chapter 155, Subdivision and Land Development, shall be submitted for Township review.
E.
All building lots shall have direct access to interior roads, rather than to exterior streets, although emergency access to exterior streets may be permitted where no other alternatives are feasible.
§ 184-159 Traffic impact analysis.
[Amended 8-15-2017 by Ord. No. 379]
A traffic impact analysis, as defined and regulated in this chapter, shall be submitted by the applicant for the following types of development in the Office/Limited Industrial District:
§ 184-160 Community impact analysis.
[Amended 8-15-2017 by Ord. No. 379]
A community impact analysis, as defined and regulated in this chapter, shall be submitted by the applicant for the following types of development in the Office/Limited Industrial District.