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Lower Swatara Township
City Zoning Code

PART 14

COMMERCIAL NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICT: C-N

§ 27-1401 Purpose.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1401]
The Commercial Neighborhood District is designed solely to serve the needs of the surrounding residential neighborhood, providing that goods meet the needs generally classified as convenience goods and services. Business activities should be limited to those uses which do not create a nuisance to the immediate surrounding neighborhood or can be buffered from the surrounding neighborhood.

§ 27-1402 Permitted Uses.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1402]
1. 
In the Commercial Neighborhood District, all retail sales shall be in a fully enclosed building. No building or land shall be used, and no building shall be erected which is arranged, intended or designed to be used for other than one or more of the following uses. No processing or storage activity shall be permitted outside of a building unless such activity is effectively screened by a wall or partition.
A. 
Hardware stores.
B. 
General merchandise.
C. 
Food stores.
D. 
Apparel and accessory stores.
E. 
Eating and drinking places.
F. 
Drugstores and proprietary stores.
G. 
Liquor stores.
H. 
Florists.
I. 
News dealers.
2. 
The following uses which deal directly with consumers, offices and establishments are permitted; provided, each such use occupies a total floor area of not more than 4,000 square feet:
A. 
Banking.
B. 
Credit agencies other than banks.
C. 
Security, commodity brokers and services.
D. 
Municipal uses.
E. 
Insurance agents, brokers and service.
F. 
Diaper service.
G. 
Coin-operated laundries and cleaning.
H. 
Dry cleaning, pickup only.
I. 
Photographic studies, portrait.
J. 
Beauty shops.
K. 
Barber shops.
L. 
Offices of physicians and dentists.
M. 
Offices of other health practitioners.
N. 
Legal services.
O. 
Professional offices.
P. 
Accessory uses customarily incident to permitted uses.

§ 27-1403 Special Exceptions.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993; as added by Ord. 493, 9/20/2006, § 2; as amended by Ord. 504, 10/1/2008, § 3; and by Ord. 525, 12/15/2010, § 2]
1. 
Residential retirement facilities in accordance with Part 20, § 27-2002, Subsection 27.
2. 
Student housing in accordance with Part 20, § 27-2002, Subsection 29.
3. 
Townhouses:
[Added by Ord. No. 595, 4/21/2021]
A. 
On tracts of 15 contiguous acres or larger;
B. 
Served by public sewer and water;
C. 
The density of dwelling units shall be a maximum of 12 dwelling units per acre;
D. 
There shall be no more than four bedrooms per dwelling unit;
E. 
All parking shall be located within 200 feet of the dwelling unit it is intended to serve;
F. 
For townhouse communities that are privately owned and maintained as a rental community, a full-time manager shall be available by telephone at all times to the Township;
G. 
A minimum of 20% of the net lot area shall be set aside as permanent open space. No portion of this open space shall be utilized for stormwater management facilities, and shall be exclusive of steep slopes, and public right-of-way; and
H. 
In accordance with Part 20, § 27-2002, Subsection 22.

§ 27-1404 Lot Area and Width.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1403]
There is no minimum lot area. The size of the lot area shall be determined by size of the building/buildings, yard, parking and coverage requirements. The minimum lot width shall be 100 feet measured at the building setback line.

§ 27-1405 Yards.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1404]
Each lot shall have front, side and rear yards of not less than the depth or width indicated below:
A. 
Front yard depth: 20 feet from the street right-of-way.
B. 
Side yards, two, width: 10 feet each side of a principal building; provided, that when a written agreement is provided by adjoining property owners, no side yard shall be required where two or more commercial uses abut side to side; however, in no case shall common walls be permitted between properties of separate ownership. In the case of a series of abutting structures adjacent to and paralleling a public right-of-way, and open and unobstructed passage for vehicles and pedestrians, of at least 20 feet in width, shall be provided at grade level at intervals of not more than 400 feet.
C. 
Rear yard depth: 20 feet.

§ 27-1406 Buffer Yards.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1405]
Where required, buffer yards shall be provided in compliance with the standards set forth in § 27-2008F of this chapter.

§ 27-1407 Building Height.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1406]
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.

§ 27-1408 Off-Street Parking.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1407]
Parking shall be provided for in accordance with Part 24 of this chapter.

§ 27-1409 Signs.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1408]
Signs shall be in accordance with Part 23 of this chapter.

§ 27-1410 Lot Coverage.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1409]
Total coverage shall not exceed 65% of the lot area. Not less than 35% shall be landscaped with a vegetative material maintained as open space.

§ 27-1411 Motor Vehicle Access.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 1410]
Motor vehicle access shall be provided in accordance with Part 25 of this chapter.