Limerick Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XXIX
HI/E Heavy Industrial and Energy District
§ 184-201 Intent.
It is the specific intent of this article to:
A.
Provide for a reasonable amount of industrial development in areas of the Township already developed for such uses.
B.
Provide for industrial development that is free from offensive noise, vibrations, odors and other nuisances through use of strict performance standards.
C.
Protect industrial uses against congestion by limiting the bulk of buildings in relation to each other and to the land area around them.
D.
Encourage the development of unified and physically integrated industrial parks to accommodate a variety of individual uses.
E.
Permit solid waste disposal facilities subject to additional criteria intended to protect the public health, safety and welfare from any adverse effects of such facilities and operations.
F.
Effectively regulate the establishment and maintenance of outdoor storage buildings as defined herein.
§ 184-202 Permitted uses.
The following uses shall be permitted:
A.
Scientific or industrial research or engineering facilities.
B.
Manufacturing, fabrication, assembly, processing, packaging, testing, repair and ancillary storage or distribution of materials, goods, foodstuffs and other organic or inorganic products.
C.
Administrative, business or professional offices not providing services to the general public, if ancillary to another permitted use.
D.
Printing, publishing, lithography and similar processes.
E.
Radio and/or television studios and transmission facilities.
F.
Motor vehicle repair, storage and maintenance.
G.
Rail freight station or other necessary public service or transportation uses.
H.
Accessory uses appropriate to the primary permitted uses, including but not limited to a cafeteria or snack bar for employees or recreation facility for employees.
[Amended 8-15-2017 by Ord. No. 379]
I.
Agricultural uses and related buildings or structures meeting the requirements of § 184-71A(4).
J.
Veterinarian; animal boarding facility.
K.
Outdoor plant nursery or similar use and related buildings or structures.
L.
Game farm, fish hatchery or hunting and fishing reserve for protection and propagation of wildlife.
M.
Public utility facilities and public utility.
N.
The following uses shall require a minimum lot area of one acre instead of the minimum lot area that would be required under § 184-170, and shall not include any adult use:
(1)
Contractor's headquarters and storage.
(2)
Retail stores involving a maximum floor area of 20,000 square feet per lot.
(3)
Exercise clubs.
(4)
Indoor or outdoor recreation, not including a firearms target range unless it is completely enclosed within a sound-resistant building.
(5)
Meeting and recreational facilities for membership clubs, not including a firearms target range unless it is completely enclosed within a sound-resistant building.
(6)
Offices serving the general public.
(7)
Human or animal cemetery.
(8)
Place of worship.
(9)
Car wash.
(10)
Funeral home.
(11)
Personal service use.
(12)
Greenhouse, garden center or plant nursery.
(13)
Appliance and small equipment repair.
§ 184-203 Private electrical and private utility facilities as conditional use.
A private electrical utility facility and a private utility facility may be permitted as a conditional use, subject to defined standards.
A.
Standards of approval.
(1)
There shall be a minimum lot size of 50 acres.
(2)
There shall be a minimum road frontage of 300 feet on each of two separate public roads.
(3)
Impervious coverage shall not exceed 30% of the lot area or the net buildable acreage, whichever is less.
(4)
Building coverage shall not exceed 10% of the net buildable acreage.
(6)
Maximum floor area ratio shall be 0.10.
(7)
Building setbacks shall be:
[Amended 5-20-2010 by Ord. No. 314]
(a)
From any property line that is adjacent to a commercial district or industrial district: 50 feet.
(b)
From any property line that is adjacent to a residential district: 250 feet.
(c)
From the ultimate right-of-way of any abutting street on the opposite side of which is located in a commercial or industrial district 100 feet.
(d)
From the ultimate tight-of-way of any abutting street on the opposite side of which is located in a residential zoning district: 250 feet.
(8)
There shall be no parking or loading, or any driveways, except for those required for ingress and egress, in the building setback areas.
(9)
The maximum height of any structure shall be 90 feet. Chimneys, spires, towers and similar structures may be increased in height, up to a limit of 160 feet; however, for each foot of height in excess of 90 feet there shall be an increase in perimeter setbacks of three additional feet.
(10)
The facility shall be served by public sewer and public water systems.
(11)
All applicants for these facilities shall be required to demonstrate that the proposed use will have no adverse effect on the surrounding area. The applicant shall have an analysis prepared to show compliance with the legislative intent of this article as well as compliance with standards of appropriate state and federal regulatory agencies.
(13)
A traffic impact analysis shall be provided and shall address all aspects of traffic safety and improvements which will be necessitated by the traffic generation of the facility.
(14)
All facilities shall have a maximum sound level of 60 dBA between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. and a level of 55 dBA at all other times. The standard shall be measured at all lot lines adjacent to a residential use or district. The noise levels shall be measured in accordance with the standards set forth in § 184-83. There shall be no prominent discrete tones that are above normal sound levels off-premises. Silencers must be utilized during steam blow activities.
(15)
All other requirements of this code shall be met by the applicant. All standards in this section shall be in addition to and not in replacement of any other requirements of the Zoning Code.
§ 184-204 Planned industrial park as conditional use.
A planned industrial park may be permitted as a conditional use meeting the following standards.
A.
The tract shall be a minimum of 15 acres in size, with minimum road frontage of 300 feet.
B.
The tract shall have direct access to an arterial or major collector street, or the applicant shall agree to upgrade the street in question to the standards of a major collector street. Such improvements shall extend as far as the nearest intersection with an arterial or major collector street.
§ 184-205 Special exceptions.
The following uses may be permitted by the Zoning Hearing Board as special exceptions:
B.
Manufacture, processing or storage of explosives, paint, petroleum or gas.
C.
Abattoirs, meatpacking, tanning, curing or storage of leather, rawhides or skins, manufacture or processing of fertilizer, wood pulp, disinfectants or soap.
D.
Limekilns, flour mills or manufacture of cement.
E.
Any other use of the same general character as the above permitted uses, provided that the applicant shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Zoning Hearing Board that provision will be made to adequately reduce or minimize any noxious, offensive or hazardous features of such use.
F.
Treatment centers.
G.
Junkyard or auto salvage yard, provided that any such use shall be enclosed with a solid fence not less than six feet in height, in addition to required landscaping.
H.
Landfill, sanitary and/or industrial landfill or solid waste facility, when operated solely by the Township or municipal authority, subject to the following provisions:
(1)
These regulations shall pertain in conjunction with and in addition to controls and restrictions imposed for other uses in this zone by this chapter or any other regulatory agency or body.
(2)
The construction and operation of a sanitary landfill shall not be permitted unless a permit for such landfill has been issued by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the landfill is constructed and operated in accordance with Pennsylvania Act 241 of 1968,[1] as amended, and the rules and regulations of DEP.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management Act; see 35 P.S. § 6018.101 et seq.
(3)
In addition to the aforementioned, the following restrictions shall apply:
(a)
Minimum lot size shall be at least 25 acres and no more than 50 acres.
(b)
No more than one access road shall be constructed to the entrance of the landfill. The access road shall be an all-weather paved-surface road negotiable and capable of supporting loaded solid waste collection vehicles.
(c)
An all-weather access road negotiable by loaded collection vehicles shall be provided from the entrance of the landfill to the dumping area.
(d)
Maximum active dumping area shall be three acres. Continued operation of the landfill shall be subject to compliance with all state and municipal regulations pertaining to landfills.
(e)
No operations shall be carried on within 100 feet of any property line of the landfill or within 100 feet of any street right-of-way.
(f)
No dumping shall be permitted on Sundays or legal holidays. Dumping is permitted only between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
(g)
The storage of fuel to be used on the landfill site shall be in accordance with all applicable federal, state and municipal regulations.
(h)
Gaseous and particulate emissions from the landfill site shall conform to the prevailing federal, state and local air pollution control codes and regulations.
(i)
A chain link fence of a minimum height of 12 feet shall be erected along all boundary lines of the area which is approved for use as a sanitary landfill by PADEP. The fence shall not contain openings greater than nine square inches and shall contain, at all entrances, gates which are locked, except during operating hours. A dense evergreen screen of a minimum height of 12 feet shall be maintained along all boundary lines of the landfill, except at the entrances.
(j)
A plan for the reuse of the land shall be submitted, in writing, to the Limerick Township Board of Supervisors at the time of securing a permit for a landfill, if operated by the municipal authority. The plan shall be in compliance with the prevailing zoning at time of reuse.
I.
Crematorium, provided that there is a minimum setback for the use of 300 feet from any residential district.
§ 184-206 Dimensional standards.
[Amended 5-20-2010 by Ord. No. 314; 8-15-2017 by Ord. No. 379]
Two categories of dimensional standards are provided. Class One applies to the industrial park; Class Two applies to the freestanding use.
Standard | Class One | Class Two | |
|---|---|---|---|
Minimum lot size (acres) | 2 | 3 | |
Average lot size (acres) | 3 | — | |
Minimum lot width at building line (feet) | 150 | 250 | |
Maximum impervious coverage | 70% of net lot area | 70% of net lot area | |
Maximum building coverage (percentage of NBA) | |||
Warehouse/storage uses1 | 45% | 40% | |
All other uses | 40% | 35% | |
Maximum floor area ratio | 0.50 | 0.45 | |
Building setbacks (feet) | |||
From ultimate right-of-way | 50 | 50 | |
From residential district | 100 | 100 | |
From any other zoning district line1 | 30 | 50 | |
Parking, loading and driveway setbacks (feet) | |||
From ultimate right-of-way | 30 | 30 | |
From residential district | 30 | 50 | |
From any other zoning district line (no setback required if parking is shared)2 | 15 | 25 | |
Maximum building height (feet) | 35 or 3 stories | ||
NOTES: |
|---|
1 If the nature of the proposed use is subject to change (i.e., flex space uses), then the more restrictive standard shall be used. |
2 Where a property abuts an existing railroad right-of-way, the setback may be reduced to five feet and loading docks may extend into this setback area. |
§ 184-207 Development standards.
A.
The industrial performance standards of § 184-83 of this chapter shall apply to all uses in this district.
B.
No highly flammable or explosive liquids, solids or gases shall be stored in bulk above ground, except tanks or drums of fuel directly connecting with energy devices, heating devices or appliances located and operated on the same lot as the tanks or drums of fuel.
C.
All outdoor storage areas shall comply with the setback requirements for parking, driveways and loading areas.