Montgomery Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XV
S Shopping Center District
§ 230-85 Applicability.
In the S Shopping Center Districts, the following regulations shall apply.
§ 230-86 Use regulations.
[Amended 6-5-2000 by Ord. No. 00-126Z; 1-28-2002 by Ord. No. 01-140Z]
A building may be erected, altered or used and a lot may be used or occupied for any of the following purposes and no other:
A.
Any use permitted as indicated in Table 230-A, Table of Permitted Uses.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Table 230-A, Table of Permitted Uses, is included at the end of this chapter.
B.
Signs, subject to the provisions of Article XVIII.
C.
Educational and/or religious use when authorized as a special exception.
[Added 11-12-2007 by Ord. No. 07-220Z]
§ 230-87 Height regulations.
The maximum height of any building or other structure erected or used in this District shall be 35 feet.
§ 230-88 Area, width, yards and building coverage.
A.
Minimum lot area and width. A lot area of not less than five acres and a lot width of not less than 300 feet at the building line shall be provided.
B.
Yard widths and depths shall be as shown on the development plan, but in no case shall a building or other structure be erected, altered or used nearer to any lot line than 50 feet.
C.
Not more than 15% of the area of any lot shall be occupied by buildings.
D.
Impervious material coverage. The maximum impervious material coverage, including building and parking area, shall not exceed 75% of the total lot area.
[Added 11-18-1985 by Ord. No. 17-028]
E.
Green area coverage. The minimum land area devoted to green vegetative cover shall not be less than 25% of the total lot area.
[Added 6-2-1986 by Ord. No. 17-029]
§ 230-89 Development plan.
With any application for an amendment of zoning to permit shopping center use, a development plan shall be submitted to the Board of Supervisors, such plan to include specific evidence and facts showing that it has considered and made provision for the following essential conditions:
A.
That the plan is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan for the orderly development of the Township and with the purpose of this chapter to promote the health, safety, morals, convenience and general welfare.
B.
That the appropriate use of property adjacent to the area included in the development plan will be safeguarded.
C.
That the development will consist of a harmonious grouping of buildings, service and parking areas, circulation and open spaces, planned as a single unit, in such manner as to constitute a safe, efficient and convenient retail shopping center.
D.
That adequate provision is made for safe and efficient pedestrian and vehicular circulation within the boundaries of the site.
E.
Entrance- and accessways.
[Amended 7-28-1986 by Ord. No. 17-037]
(1)
All entrance- and accessways shall be of sufficient width, with widened radii where they meet the sides of roads and highways, to conveniently and safely accommodate the flow of traffic. The locations of entranceways shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Supervisors. The entrance- and accessways shall be designed, constructed and maintained to provide safe and efficient ingress and egress for traffic without undue congestion or interference with the normal traffic flow on the abutting streets and highways.
(2)
If deemed appropriate by the Board of Supervisors and approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation when required, the developer shall be required to widen the paved road frontage abutting the site, install curbing along the same and/or build acceleration and deceleration lanes to provide for the safe and efficient ingress and egress of motor vehicles.
(3)
Safe and efficient ingress and egress is to be provided to and from public streets serving the site without undue congestion to or interference with traffic flow within the Township.
F.
That points of ingress and egress are directly opposite or not closer than 200 feet from the center line of an existing street intersection, and not more than two points of ingress and egress shall be permitted for any one street frontage.
G.
That adequate off-street parking and loading space is provided in accordance with Article XIX herein.
[Amended 1-28-2002 by Ord. No. 01-140Z]
H.
That all buildings within the development are served by approved central on-site sewage disposal or public sanitary sewerage and public water supply.
I.
Landscaping and screening. A planting area no less than 25 feet in width of grass, lawn, shrubbery, evergreens and trees shall be planted in accordance with a landscaping and screening plan as provided in Article VI of Chapter 205, the Montgomery Township Subdivision Ordinance, No. 18, and continuously maintained in a proper and attractive manner along all street frontages of property, exclusive of driveway and access areas, and along all side and rear boundary lines.
[Amended 8-3-1987 by Ord. No. 17-033; 6-25-2018 by Ord. No. 18-306Z]
J.
That if the development is to be carried out in progressive stages, each stage is so planned that the foregoing requirements and intent of this chapter shall be fully complied with by the development at the completion of any stage.
§ 230-90 Planning Commission referral.
The development plan shall be submitted and processed in the manner required by law for the approval of subdivisions, and the Planning Commission may require such additional exhibits as may be essential to the formation of a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.
§ 230-91 Outdoor storage and waste disposal.
[Added 11-18-1985 by Ord. No. 17-028]
A.
Outdoor storage. No outdoor storage or display of merchandise, materials, equipment, products, parts or commodities shall be permitted outside of the main or accessory building or structure, except as noted below.
[Amended 11-9-1992 by Ord. No. 92-5Z]
(1)
Because of the fire hazard presented by indoor sales of live-cut Christmas trees, outdoor sale of live-cut Christmas trees and cuttings is permitted between November 23 and December 31, provided that a permit is received from the Zoning Officer. Sales shall be prohibited unless enough parking is available to satisfy the requirements of the S Zone and safe access is available.
B.
Waste disposal.
(1)
No waste, rubbish and discarded materials shall be stored outside of the building unless it is placed within a completely fenced-in area so as to conceal the materials.
(2)
No materials or wastes should be deposited upon a lot in such form or manner that may be transferred off the lot by natural causes or forces.
(3)
All materials or wastes which might cause fumes or dust or which constitute a fire hazard or which may be edible or otherwise attractive to rodents or insects shall be stored outdoors only in closed containers.
§ 230-91.1 Satellite uses.
[Added 1-28-2002 by Ord. No. 01-140Z; amended 9-11-2023 by Ord. No. 23-336Z]
The following provisions shall apply to lots that measure eight acres or more in size.
A.
Uses located in separate detached building(s) having less than 7,500 square feet but on the same site as a shopping center may be permitted upon authorization of a conditional use subject to the following:
(1)
No more than 10% of the total allowable building coverage shall be devoted to satellite uses.
(2)
In addition to the parking provisions contained in Article XIX herein, the following parking and circulation requirements shall pertain to satellite uses:
(a)
Access to parking intended for satellite uses shall be taken from the parking area or internal access drive intended for the primary use; in no case shall access to parking for satellite uses be taken directly from an abutting street.
(b)
Parking intended for satellite uses shall be separated from the primary parking area by landscaped planting islands to allow for proper traffic flow channelization.
(c)
Should any satellite use(s) be added to a shopping center development at any time after initial development is completed, adjustments to the parking area shall be made to comply with the requirements of this section and current requirements of the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance[1] for parking and landscaping.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 205, Subdivision and Land Development.
(3)
Pedestrian access. Within all parking areas, signing and pavement markings or pavement differentiation shall be provided indicating paths of heavy pedestrian traffic. Whenever such paths cross-landscaped islands, a break in the landscaping shall be provided. Curb cuts shall also be provided as necessary to allow access by elderly and the physically handicapped.
