Lower Salford Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVIIA
Sign Regulations for VC Village Commercial Districts
§ 164-115.1 Legislative intent.
In addition to the purpose and statement of community development objectives found in this chapter, the specific intent of this article is to:
A.
Impose additional regulations upon the Village Commercial area of the Township.
B.
Help protect the character of the Village Commercial area of Harleysville by doing the following:
(1)
Recognizing that signs perform an important function in identifying properties, businesses, services, residences, events and other matters of interest to the public.
(2)
Setting standards and providing controls that permit reasonable use of signs while restricting the potential adverse visual effects of signs on the character of the Township.
(3)
Controlling the size, number, location and illumination of signs to reduce potential hazards caused by glare or obstruction of visibility and to reduce visual clutter which results from competition among signs.
(4)
Encouraging signs which are attractively designed and providing incentives and latitude for variety in order to enhance the economic value, as well as the visual character, of the various parts of the community.
(5)
Establishing criteria to encourage signs that are compatible with their surroundings, appropriate to the type of activity to which they pertain, complimentary to the architecture of the buildings involved, expressive of the identity of individual proprietors or of an integrated development's identity and which are easily readable in the circumstances in which they are seen.
§ 164-115.2 Applicability.
The regulations of this article shall apply to signs in the Village Commercial District.
§ 164-115.3 Sign classifications.
All signs shall be classified as one of the following:
B.
Freestanding signs. A freestanding sign is any sign which does not depend on the structure of a building for support and which is not attached in any way to a building, but which is permanently affixed upon the land.
C.
Other signs. An "other" sign is any sign which does not fit the classifications of wall or freestanding signs. Other signs are not permitted.
§ 164-115.4 Minimum sign setback line (MSSL).
The minimum sign setback line (MSSL) shall be defined and regulated by the requirements of this section as follows:
A.
The minimum sign setback line (MSSL) shall determine the closest point from the road edge at which a sign may be placed.
B.
Road edge shall be determined as follows:
(1)
The edge of pavement if no improved shoulder exists; curbline where a curb exists.
(2)
The outside edge of the improved shoulder if one exists.
(3)
If the outside edge of an improved shoulder cannot be accurately determined, then the shoulder is assumed to be five feet wide. For the purposes of this section, an improved shoulder is one that was constructed specifically as a shoulder, usually of materials such as crushed stone, asphalt, concrete or other durable materials. The Zoning Officer may request the Township Engineer to make a final determination regarding the existence and width of an improved shoulder.
D.
When the Zoning Officer believes that an unsafe site distance will be created by a proposed sign, the Township Engineer will review the siting of the proposed sign. If the Engineer determines that the proposed sign is unsafe, the minimum sign setback line (MSSL) shall be increased to:
§ 164-115.5 Sight triangles at intersections.
All signs must comply with the sight triangle regulations in Ch. 142, Subdivision and Land Development.
§ 164-115.6 Permitted sign area and height.
Permitted sign area and height shall be determined from the table in this section. Each sign should be determined individually, according to its setback and type (wall or freestanding).
A.
Sign face area. The standards of this subsection define and regulate sign face area.
(1)
"Sign face area" is the entire surface area of any one side of a sign necessary to convey the information contained on the sign.
(2)
Number of sign faces.[1]
(a)
Parallel wall signs shall have one sign face.
(b)
Any sign parallel to the street on which the lot fronts shall have one sign face.
(c)
On a corner lot, a sign at a forty-five-degree angle, so that only one face can be seen, shall have one sign face.
(d)
All other signs shall have faces.
[1]
Editor's Note: A diagram showing various sign faces is on file in the Township offices.
(3)
The applicant is entitled to a maximum total sign face area of 60 square feet, which total must be divided among permitted sign faces on the applicant's lot, provided that:
(a)
Not one sign face exceeds 30 square feet in area.
(b)
Each sign face complies with the maximum sign face area requirement permitted for its particular setback from the road edge.
(c)
Not more than one freestanding sign ( faces) shall be permitted per lot per street frontage (must be located along that street frontage).
(d)
Not more than one wall sign shall be permitted on each major wall of the building, considered as front, rear and sides.
(e)
Not more than sign faces shall be seen from any point along the road edge fronting the applicant's and abutting lots.
B.
Table. Permitted sign area and height shall be determined as follows:
Type of Constraint | Numerical Values | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
When the sign setback from the road edge equals the MSSL plus (feet) | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 |
Then maximum sign face area for that sign equals (square feet) | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 |
The maximum height as a freestanding sign equals (feet) | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
The maximum height as a wall sign equals | 15 feet or the height of the top of the 2nd-story windows, whichever is higher, but not higher than the height of the building | |||||||
[2]
Editor's Note: A diagram showing various sign faces, which immediately followed this table in Ord. No. 88-3, is on file in the Township offices.
§ 164-115.7 Additional regulations for special conditions.
B.
Where an existing building extends into the area between the road edge and the minimum sign setback line, that building is entitled to signs as follows:
(2)
One parallel wall sign located on each of the building's side walls.
(a)
Maximum sign face area: 10 square feet of at or less than the minimum sign setback line; beyond the minimum sign setback line, as determined by the table in § 164-115.6B herein.
(b)
Maximum height: 15 feet or the height of the top of the second-story windows of the building, whichever is higher, but not higher than the height of the building.
C.
Where an existing building is located on the minimum sign setback line, the regulations of Subsection B above shall apply.
D.
Where an existing building is located beyond the minimum sign setback line, the sign face area shall be determined from the table in § 164-115.6B herein. The applicant may find the use of parallel wall signs to his/her advantage if the building is close to the minimum sign setback line.
E.
In no case may a projecting wall sign extend into the area between the road edge and the minimum sign setback line.
F.
No sign shall be located within the ultimate right-of-way of a street except in conformance with the following:
(1)
The applicant shall agree in writing, in the form of a special permit, that any sign placed within the ultimate right-of-way is placed there at the applicant's risk and shall be relocated by the applicant if the road is widened in the future.
(a)
Cost and logistics of relocating the sign shall be the sign applicant's responsibility.
(b)
None of the costs of relocating the sign shall be paid by the Township or agency having jurisdiction over the road.
(c)
A new sign permit shall be required when the sign is to be relocated. If new sign regulations are in effect at the time, the relocated sign must comply with those regulations.
(2)
The sign shall be removed prior to the commencement of the road widening, and at no time shall the sign interfere with the road-widening work.
(3)
Signs within the ultimate right-of-way shall otherwise comply with the requirements contained herein.
§ 164-115.8 Nonconforming signs.
Any sign, signboard, billboard or advertising device existing at the time of the passing of this article that does not conform in use, location, height, illumination or size to the regulations of this article shall be considered a nonconforming use. If such signs are removed for repair, restoration after casualty, replacement or any other reason, a nonconforming sign shall not be replaced unless with a conforming sign; however, nonconforming signs may be repainted or repaired in place, provided that such repainted or repaired sign does not exceed the dimensions of the existing sign. In addition, if the ownership of the nonconforming sign changes, the new sign owner shall replace the nonconforming sign with a sign that meets the requirements of this article. The sign may be owned by the property owner or a tenant of the property owner.