Mohnton City Zoning Code
PART 6
C-1 COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS
§ 27-600 Use Regulations.
[Ord. 264, 7/23/1962, §§ 600, 601]
C-1 Commercial Districts are designed to provide for the special needs of the Borough's retail business areas and to encourage their development in compact shopping locations or centers. In C-1 Commercial Districts, the following regulations shall apply. A building may be erected or used, and a lot may be used or occupied, for any of the following purposes, and no other, provided that each use shall comply with the area, height, and special design requirements of § 27-601:
1.
Any use permitted in R-1 Residence Districts, except cemetery, hospital, convalescent home or other permitted institutional use.
2.
Apartment for one family, located in same building as a business use.
3.
Hotel, not to include rooming, tourist or boarding house, motel, tourist cabin court, or automobile court.
4.
Retail store, not to include motor vehicle sales agency, repair shop or similar use.
5.
Restaurant.
6.
Professional or business office, agency, or studio.
7.
Club or lodge.
8.
Bank.
9.
Shoe repair or similar shop.
10.
Personal, service shop, including tailor, barber, beauty, dressmaking.
11.
Confectionery, bakery or custom shop for making articles to be sold at retail on the premises, provided that all processing activities shall, if located on the ground floor, be effectively screened from the front portion of the building by a wall or partition.
12.
Dry-cleaning or clothes pressing agency; and or automatic self-service laundry.
13.
Mortuary.
14.
Business school.
15.
Newspaper or job printing establishment.
16.
Motor vehicle parking lot, not to include automobile junkyard.
17.
Borough or public utility building, grounds or facilities.
18.
The following uses, when authorized by the Zoning Hearing Board as a special exception, subject also to the general standards specified in § 27-1207:
A.
Theater or indoor place of amusement, recreation or assembly, not including skating rink, bowling alley, or similar large establishment.
B.
Craftsmen's or general service shop, including plumbing, heating, carpentry, tool and similar small shop.
C.
Motel, tourist cabin court, or automobile court on a lot area of not less than one acre, provided that such use is served by public water and sanitary sewer facilities.
D.
Motor vehicle service station, motor vehicle sales agency, public garage or automobile repair shop (but not to include car lot or trailer sales agency as a main use), provided that all facilities are located and all services are conducted within the confines of the lot.
E.
Any use of the same general character as any of the above permitted uses, provided that special consideration shall be given to the suitability of the use in the proposed locations.
§ 27-601 Area, Height and Special Design Regulations.
[Ord. 264, 7/23/1962, § 602]
Every building hereafter erected or used in whole or in part as a dwelling shall comply with the area and height regulations prescribed for R-1 Residence Districts in §§ 27-401 and 27-402 hereof. For commercial and other buildings no part of which is used as a dwelling, the following area and height regulations shall apply:
1.
Building Area. Not more than 80% of the area of each lot may be occupied by buildings.
2.
Yards. Front, side and rear yards shall be provided on each lot as follows:
A.
Front Yard. One yard, not less than 10 feet in depth, measured from the street line, subject to the provisions of § 27-912.
B.
Side Yards. None required for a building used for commercial purposes; except as follows:
(1)
In the case of a corner lot, a side yard shall be provided on the side lot line that abuts a street which shall have a width of not less than the required depth for the front yard of a building fronting on such street and adjoining the corner lot, subject to the provisions of § 27-901.
(2)
Where a lot abuts a residence district on the side lot line, a side yard shall be provided which shall be not less than 20 feet in width.
(3)
In any case where side yards are provided, although they are not required, each such side yard shall be not less than five feet in width.
C.
Rear Yard. There shall be a rear yard on each lot which shall be not less than 20 feet in depth.
3.
Height Regulations. No building shall exceed two stories in height unless authorized by the Zoning Hearing Board as a special exception in the case of a hotel or office building.
4.
Special Design Requirements. In order to encourage sound retail commercial development, the following special requirements shall apply:
A.
Restrictions on Outdoor Use.
(1)
Each permitted use shall be conducted within a completely enclosed building, except for a permitted motor vehicle parking lot.
(2)
No permanent storage of merchandise, articles or equipment shall be permitted outside a building. No goods, articles or equipment shall be stored, displayed or offered for sale beyond the street line.