Lower Swatara Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
PART 11
INDUSTRIAL PARK LIMITED DISTRICT: IP-L
§ 27-1101 Purpose.
[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1101]
The Industrial Park-Limited District is intended to provide for light industrial development opportunities of a less intensive nature, along with commercial/office activities, in an aesthetic parklike environment. It is designed to function as a transition zone between adjacent residential areas and the more intensive industrial uses permitted in the Industrial and Industrial Park Districts. It is intended that development occurring in this district be planned, designed, constructed and managed in an integrated and coordinated manner, based on an overall site development master plan.
§ 27-1102 Principal Uses.
[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1102; Ord. No. 626, 4/1/2026]
1.
Light industrial activities which engage in the manufacture, predominantly from previously prepared materials, of finished products or parts including business, administrative and corporate offices; processing, fabrication, assembly, treatment, packaging, storage, sales and distribution of such products, but excluding basic industrial processing activities defined as heavy industry.
A.
Light industrial uses include, but are not limited to, manufacturing of the following products:
(1)
Clocks or watches.
(2)
Toys or novelties.
(3)
Electrical appliances.
(4)
Electronic components.
(5)
Office equipment.
(6)
Sheet metal products.
(7)
Machine tools.
(8)
Food products.
(9)
Cosmetics.
(10)
Jewelry.
(11)
Hand tools.
(12)
Ceramics.
(13)
Furniture.
(14)
Textiles/apparel products.
(15)
Wood products.
(16)
Paper products.
2.
Business, administrative, and corporate offices.
3.
Reserved.
4.
Public utility facilities.
5.
Farms and agricultural activities.
6.
Business identification signs.
7.
Research and development.
8.
Distribution center/truck terminal.
9.
Principal uses permitted in the Office-Park District in compliance with the standards set forth in Part 13.
§ 27-1103 Accessory Uses.
[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1103; Ord. No. 626, 4/1/2026]
When associated with a principal use, the following uses shall be permitted:
A.
Day-care center to service employees.
B.
Reserved.
C.
Personal services to meet commercial convenience needs of employees, including exercise/fitness centers.
§ 27-1104 Special Exceptions.
[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1104]
1.
Heliports.
2.
Wind energy conservation systems.
3.
Outdoor storage of materials and equipment.
§ 27-1105 Development Standards.
[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1105; as amended by Ord. 437, 5/19/1999, § 3]
1.
Site Area Requirements. A site area for purposes of this provision shall be the total land area to be developed as a unit prior to the creation of any new lots within the property area. A site area may be:
A.
A single tax parcel or two or more adjacent tax parcels under the same ownership.
B.
Two or more adjacent tax parcels under separate ownership; provided, that all individual property owners are members of an entity created for the purpose of developing the properties as a single integrated planned development. Documents related to the establishment of such entity shall be recorded in the Dauphin County Courthouse as a prerequisite to subdivision or land development plat application processing.
2.
Purpose. The purpose of this Section is to:
A.
Enhance the appearance of the development from public streets and adjacent properties.
B.
Encourage the retention of large sites and their development in a coordinated, aesthetic and efficient manner.
C.
Ensure that the minimum functional requirements associated with the development are provided on-site.
D.
Establish maximum limits of development intensity.
3.
Site Area Standards. The following standards shall apply to any development proposed in the Industrial Park District:
A.
Minimum permitted site area shall be 15 acres.
B.
Site area development or subdivision into individual lots shall be processed as either a land development or subdivision plat application.
4.
Setback Requirements.
A.
Perimeter Street Setbacks. No structure shall be located closer than 75 feet to an existing public street right-of-way. No structure shall be located closer than 50 feet from an internal access drive (public or private street) serving the development site.
B.
Side and Rear Yard Property Line Setbacks.
(1)
A minimum side and rear yard setback of 100 feet, consisting of a fifty-foot buffer yard and fifty-foot side or rear yard, shall be required from any such property line that is common with/adjacent to a residential district or residential use.
(2)
A minimum side and rear yard setback of 50 feet shall be required from any such property line that is common with/adjacent to a nonresidential district.
5.
Minimum Public Street Frontage. A site area shall have a minimum of 100 feet of continuous, uninterrupted frontage measured along a public street right-of-way.
6.
Internal Building Setbacks.
A.
Within a development site area, front-to-front and rear-to-rear facing structures shall have a minimum of 80 feet between faces.
B.
Within a development site area, end wall faces of structures shall have a minimum of 40 feet between end walls.
C.
Within a development site area, the minimum separation distance between end wall faces of structures and front or rear faces of structures shall be 50 feet.
7.
Maximum Building Height. No building shall exceed 35 feet in height, except the height of any building may exceed 35 feet in height by one foot for each additional foot by which the width of each yard exceeds the minimum yard requirements, not to exceed 40 feet.
8.
Building Area. No building shall have a gross first floor area exceeding 50,000 square feet. (Second floor areas, mezzanines and the like are not included in calculating the floor area.) The 50,000 gross square feet may be increased to a maximum of 75,000 square feet by providing five feet of additional setback in each setback yard for each 5,000 square feet or fraction thereof in excess of 50,000 square feet.
9.
Sight Distance. No sight-obscuring structures or plantings exceeding 30 inches in height shall be located within a twenty-foot radius of the lot corner nearest the intersection involving a public street or private access drive. Trees located within a twenty-foot radius of such an intersection shall be maintained to allow 10 feet of visual clearance below the lowest-hanging branches.
10.
Landscaping Requirements. A minimum of 35% of the total site area shall be landscaped open space in compliance with the following standards:
A.
A landscape buffer area, immediately adjacent to the property line, shall be maintained within all setbacks, as follows:
(1)
Perimeter Street (Front Yard) Setbacks. Minimum landscaped buffer area of 30 feet, consisting of grass, street trees, shrubbery, earth berms, or combination thereof, approved by the Board of Commissioners.
(2)
Side and Rear Yard Setbacks. Minimum landscaped buffer area of 30 feet, consisting of grass, masonry walls, wood fence, trees, shrubs, berms, or combination thereof, approved by the Board of Commissioners.
(3)
No storage area or parking, loading/unloading area of internal access drive generally parallel to the property line shall be permitted in the landscaped buffer area; however, access drives may intersect and cross the landscaped buffer area at an angle of not less than 75%.
(4)
All parking, loading and refuse facility areas shall be screened from the street grade of adjacent public streets and the established grade if abutting residential district areas.
(5)
In the event a masonry wall or wood fence is used for screening purposes, vegetative landscaping shall be placed and maintained between the wall or fence and the property line adjacent to a residential district to form an ornamental screen.
B.
Internal circulation drives shall be landscaped with street trees and street side planters. A minimum of 10 feet width shall be landscaped.
C.
Existing significant trees, tree stands and natural vegetation shall be integrated into the site area landscape plan to the maximum extent possible.
D.
Outdoor eating and recreation areas for employees may be included in the required landscaped areas, but shall be screened, as set forth above, from adjacent residential district areas.
E.
Undeveloped portions of the site shall be seeded, mowed and well maintained.
11.
Access and Site Circulation. In addition to other provisions set forth in this chapter, the location, design and development of access and circulation shall:
A.
Provide continuous pedestrian access corridors along public streets and private access drives to service the various activities taking place within the site development area.
B.
Provide on-site directional signing identifying the location of all uses within the site area in compliance with Part 23, Signs, of this chapter.
C.
Site areas shall not be developed so as to establish direct or indirect access corridors passing through a residential development.
12.
Structural Siting and Design. In applying the provisions of this section, particular emphasis shall be given to the siting and design of all structures, or portions thereof, on the periphery of a site area which may be viewed from any public street.
A.
All exterior building walls and structures shall be constructed with attractive, durable materials such as textured concrete, masonry, stone, brick, finished wood, metal, stucco and glass, preferably a combination thereof. The facade facing a public street shall have at least 2/3 of its surface area covered by two or more materials named above other than metal.
B.
The design and siting of buildings shall complement the natural terrain and vegetation of the site.
§ 27-1106 Off-Street Parking.
[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1106; as amended by Ord. 437, 5/19/1999, § 3]
Parking, loading and unloading areas and facilities shall be provided in accordance with Part 24, Off-Street Parking, of this chapter and as follows:
A.
Parking area shall be permitted within the front, side and rear yard setback area; however, shall not be permitted within the 30 feet landscaped buffer areas.
B.
Special Exception. Parking area or internal access drive may encroach within the side yard thirty-foot landscaped buffer area providing provisions are made for additional landscaping in order to achieve 80% opacity.
§ 27-1107 Motor Vehicle Access.
[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1107]
Motor vehicle access shall be provided in accordance with Part 25, Motor Vehicle Access, of this chapter.
§ 27-1108 Signs.
[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1108]
Signs shall be provided in accordance with Part 23, Signs, of this chapter.
§ 27-1109 Lot Coverage.
[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1109]
The total coverage within any site area shall not exceed 65%.
