Lower Pottsgrove Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE IX
R-4 Residential District
§ 250-65 Declaration of legislative intent.
In expansion of the declaration of legislative intent contained in § 250-3 and the community development objectives contained in § 250-5 of this chapter, it is hereby declared to be the intent of the R-4 Residential District to provide for areas of high-density residential uses, specifically townhouses and garden apartments in the Township. These areas are located in those portions of the Township where the character of existing development, superior highway access and proximity to commercial and employment centers would most readily accommodate a higher density of development.
§ 250-66 Use regulations.
[Amended 3-2-1992 by Ord. No. 127-P; 4-8-1996 by Ord. No. 196; 9-26-1996 by Ord. No. 198]
In an R-4 Residential District a building may be erected, altered or used and a lot may be used or occupied for any of the following uses and no other:
B.
Garden apartments.
C.
Any of the following uses when authorized as a special exception: those uses described in § 250-62G as well as offices for professional services, personal services and administrative activities, including sale of products customarily incidental to the uses permitted in this section such as offices of agents, physicians, dentists, lawyers, architects, engineers, musicians, artists, teachers, optometrists and photographers, provided that no office shall occupy more than 20% of the total floor area of the proposed development.
D.
The conversion of existing residential homes into offices for professional services and administrative activities, including sale of products customarily incidental to the uses permitted in this section such as offices of agents, physicians, dentists, lawyers, architects, engineers, musicians, artists, teachers, optometrists and photographers when authorized as a special exception by the Zoning Hearing Board, provided that any such dwelling shall comply with the following conditions:
(1)
In the case of properties abutting a residential property and not separated therefrom by a street or alley, a buffer strip along such abutting line shall be provided and shall be planted with such trees and/or shrubbery as, in the determination of the Building Inspector, shall provide adequate sight and sound shielding of the professional use. The said buffer strip shall be at least eight feet in width or the distance from the main building to the property line if the latter is less than eight feet.
(2)
A minimum of one off-street parking space for every 250 square feet of space or portion thereof devoted to any permitted nonresidential use; provided, however, that there shall be no less than three off-street parking spaces furnished for such use. In addition, there shall be provided a minimum of one off-street parking space for every two employees of such nonresidential use, and the parking spaces shall be paved.
(3)
No parking shall be located in the front yard of said property.
(4)
The traffic expected to be generated by the proposed use will not result in noise or air pollution, glare, visual monotony and pedestrian vehicular conflict to a degree detrimental to the rest of said district.
(5)
In all other applicable requirements of this chapter, the Building Code (Chapter 100, Article III), Fire Code (Chapter 100, Article VIII) and all other applicable Township ordinances shall be met.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former subsection (6), which immediately followed this subsection, was repealed 12-3-2007 by Ord. No. 276.
E.
Accessory uses on the same lot with and customarily incidental to any permitted use.
[Added 12-3-2007 by Ord. No. 276]
§ 250-67 Development regulations.
[Amended 2-22-1979 by Ord. No. 127-G; 6-10-1982 by Ord. No. 127-L; 6-3-1974 by Ord. No. 135; 6-3-1974 by Ord. No. 136]
The following density, area, width and yard regulations shall apply in the R-4 Residential District.
A.
Minimum acreage. In the R-4 Residential District the following minimum areas shall apply:
(1)
For single-family detached dwellings, two-family dwellings and townhouses, the area requirements shall be the same as those permitted in the R-3 Residential District.
(2)
For garden apartments, a lot area of 10 acres shall be required before a development proposal can be submitted to the Planning Commission for review.
B.
Calculation of developable area and density. Developable area of any lot shall be calculated using developable area calculations as defined herein,[1] and the following densities shall apply:
[Amended 12-3-2007 by Ord. No. 274]
(1)
For single-family detached dwellings and two-family dwellings, the density shall be the same as that permitted in the R-3 Residential District.
(2)
For townhouses, the maximum density shall be eight dwelling units per developable acre.
(3)
For garden apartments, the maximum density shall be 12 dwelling units per developable acre.
C.
Area, width and yard regulations. The following regulations shall apply while subject to § 250-63 above.
(1)
For single-family detached dwellings, two-family dwellings and townhouses, the standards shall be the same as those required in the R-3 Residential District.
(2)
For garden apartments, the plan shall include evidence and facts showing that it has considered and made provision for, and the development shall be executed in accordance with, the following essential conditions:
(a)
The proposed development shall be constructed in accordance with an overall plan and shall be designed as a unified architectural unit with appropriate landscaping.
[1]
If the development of the garden apartments is to be carried out in stages, each stage shall be so planned that the foregoing requirements and the intent of this article shall be fully complied with at the completion of any stage. The initial stage of development shall comprise a total floor area of not less than 30,000 square feet.
[2]
The developer shall assure the provision of required improvements by means of a proper completion guarantee in the form of a bond or the deposit of funds or securities in escrow to cover the cost of the improvements. The work shall be performed in accordance with all requirements and the approved plans.
(b)
Impervious coverage. The maximum impervious coverage permitted per lot standards established in § 250-63C(2) are hereby incorporated by reference.
[Amended 4-5-2021 by Ord. No. 353]
(c)
Setback from streets. There shall be setback from the ultimate right-of-way of each street on which the garden apartment district abuts which shall be not less than 50 feet in depth, provided that the buildings in excess of 35 feet in height shall provide an additional one foot of setback for each additional one foot of height.
(d)
Setback from property lines. There shall be a setback from any property line which the garden apartment district abuts of not less than 50 feet.
(e)
For the purposes of this chapter, all rectilinear buildings will be designed with not less than one front wall and one rear wall. Circular buildings shall have a front side only. Distances shall be measured from the closest points of each building. Where two facing walls are not parallel, the wall nearest the facing orientation shall be that wall with the least angle (in degrees) turned from an imaginary parallel line.
(f)
Parking. Not less than two off-street automobile parking spaces shall be required for each dwelling unit. Such parking area shall be placed so as not to interfere with any recreation or service area and shall not be less than 25 feet from property lines or street ultimate right-of-way lines.
(g)
Height and length of building. No building shall exceed the height of 40 feet or three stories exclusive of basements, whichever is greater, and no building shall exceed the length of 200 feet on any axis.
(h)
Paving. All areas provided for use by vehicles and all pedestrian walks shall be constructed in accordance with all pertinent specifications within the Subdivision Ordinance (Chapter 215).
(i)
Service. Areas for loading and unloading of delivery trucks and other vehicles and for the servicing of refuse collection, fuel and other service shall be provided and shall be adequate in size and shall be so arranged that they may be used without blockage or interference with the use of accessways or automobile parking facilities.
(j)
Access. Provision shall be made for safe and efficient ingress and egress to and from public streets and highways serving the apartment(s) without undue congestion to or interference with normal traffic flow. The Planning Commission shall satisfy itself as to the adequacy of the thoroughfare to carry the additional traffic engendered by the apartments as well as to the street frontage of the proposed development.
(k)
Utilities. All buildings within the R-4 Residential District shall be served by a public sanitary sewage disposal system and a public water supply.
(l)
Lighting facilities. Lighting facilities provided shall be arranged in a manner which will protect the highway and neighboring properties from unreasonable direct glare or hazardous interference of any kind. Lighting facilities shall be required where deemed necessary for the safety and convenience of garden apartment residents.
(m)
A landscaped planting area shall be provided along the street frontage occupied by a garden apartment development.
(n)
Buffer. The garden apartment development shall have a permanent landscaped planting area of at least 15 feet in depth designed for screening from view any residential, commercial and industrial uses which are adjoining and contiguous to the garden apartment development.
(o)
Recreation. The developer shall be encouraged to give consideration to the provision of community areas, laundry facilities, playgrounds and tot-lots and other services necessary for the comfort and convenience of the garden apartment residents.
(p)
Procedural requirements. All procedural requirements of the Subdivision Ordinance (Chapter 215) shall be adhered to, and the following information shall be shown on plans submitted for approval in addition to those requirements of the Subdivision Ordinance (Chapter 215):
[1]
Floor area (in square feet) of all apartment dwelling units.
[2]
Number of bedrooms per apartment dwelling unit.
[3]
Total number of apartment dwelling units.
[4]
Total number of acres in proposed plan.
[5]
Total number of all off-street parking spaces.
[6]
Exterior vertical and horizontal building dimensions.
[7]
Ground area of buildings.