Moorestown City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVIII
RLC Residence-Limited Commercial Districts
§ 180-54 Use restrictions and regulations.
[Amended 3-10-1997 by Ord. No. 1813-97; 3-11-2024 by Ord. No. 7-2024]
In all RLC Residence-Limited Commercial Districts the following uses, and no others, of lands and buildings are permitted, subject to the provisions of Articles XXIII and XXV hereof:
B.
An office or office building for administrative or executive offices, a central or headquarters office building for a single concern or affiliated members or an insurance or financial institution.
C.
A professional office or office building, including the offices of a physician, dentist, surgeon, optician or other practitioner of the healing arts, attorney, accountant, tax consultant, architect, engineer, insurance broker, real estate broker or any combination of specified offices.
D.
Sales offices, including the office of a manufacturer's representative or catalogue-ordering establishment, provided that no inventories of merchandise shall be maintained except for display purposes in such offices.
E.
A photographic or art studio or a dancing or music studio when located and soundproofed so that there will not result any noise or vibration which may interfere with the normal use of an adjoining property for any other use permitted in the district.
F.
Personal service shops as follows: beauty, barber-, tailor or dressmaker shops, pickup agencies for dry cleaning, laundry, shoe repair or similar services or the repair and servicing of radios, televisions and appliances.
G.
A motor vehicle parking lot or a motor vehicle parking lot for customers, clients, employees and residents, neither of such parking lots to be used for the sale, servicing or dead storage of vehicles.
H.
An undertaking establishment.
J.
In addition to a single-family detached dwelling, permitted under Subsection A of this section, the following dwelling uses also are permitted:
(1)
A two-family detached dwelling.
(2)
A single-family or two-family semidetached dwelling, provided that the dwelling with which it has a party wall in common is erected at the same time.
(3)
An apartment or apartments for not more than two families in conjunction with business or office use of a building.
(4)
A multiple dwelling, provided that it does not contain dwelling units for more than six families.
(5)
A multiple-family dwelling or a planned group of multiple-family dwellings containing dwelling units for more than six families when authorized as a conditional use by the Planning Board and subject to the following:
(a)
Each dwelling or group of dwellings is designed as a single architectural project or unit and is constructed, operated and maintained as a single proprietary unit.
(b)
There shall be no commercial or business uses within the project, except in those buildings which front on and face a public street.
K.
Political campaign offices for a period not to exceed three months. Notwithstanding anything in this chapter or the Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance to the contrary, site plan review shall not be required.
M.
In those portions of an RLC Residence-Limited Commercial District which are designated on the Zoning Map as RLC, a cooperative sober living residence, or non-oxford house model recovery home is conditionally permitted subject to the conditions at § 180-96E(5).
§ 180-55 Area restrictions and regulations.
In all RLC Residence-Limited Commercial Districts the following area restrictions and regulations are established for all dwellings and uses, except for multiple-family dwellings, authorized under § 180-54J(5):
A.
Lot area.
(1)
For single-family, two-family and multiple-family dwellings which have not more than six dwelling units and for every building used in whole or in part as a dwelling, a lot area per family shall be provided in the RLC Districts and portions thereof designated as RLC-1 and RLC-2 as follows:
(2)
In the case of development of contiguous parcels by the same owner or development in RLC and RLC-2 Districts where the number of multiple-family dwelling units of such contiguous lots total more than six, the provisions of §§ 180-54J(5), 180-56A and B shall apply.
B.
The maximum building coverage shall be 70%, and the maximum impervious surface shall be 90%.
[Amended 10-28-2002 by Ord. No. 2013-02]
C.
There shall be a front yard on each street on which a lot abuts, which shall be not less than 25 feet in depth, subject to the following provisions with respect to the existing alignment of neighboring main buildings:
[Amended 5-22-1978 by Ord. No. 926]
(1)
Such yard may be decreased in depth to the average alignment of existing main buildings within 100 feet on either side of the lot in which the proposed building is to be located, and within the same block, if such alignment of existing buildings is less than 25 feet in depth.
(2)
Such yard shall, however, be at least as deep as the average alignment of existing main buildings within 100 feet on either side of the lot on which the proposed building is to be located, and within the same block, if such alignment of existing main buildings is more than 25 feet in depth provided that in no case shall a front yard greater than 60 feet be required.
(3)
Where a vacant lot or portion thereof lies within 100 feet of either side of the lot on which the proposed building is to be located, such vacant lot shall be considered to include a building with a front yard of 25 feet for the purposes of calculating average alignment under Subsection C(1) and (2) above.
D.
Side yards shall be provided as follows:
(1)
Single-family and two-family detached dwellings: two side yards, neither of which shall be less than eight feet in width.
(2)
Single-family and two-family semidetached dwellings: one side yard not less than 10 feet in width.
(3)
Multiple dwellings: two side yards, neither of which shall be less than 15 feet in width.
(4)
For each building which is used in whole or in part for commercial purposes, there shall be two side yards, neither of which shall be less than 10 feet in width; a group of attached buildings erected in accordance with a unified plan approved by the Planning Board shall be considered as one building for purposes of compliance with side yard requirements. If the ground floor of a building is interrupted for the purposes of an opening or passageway, said opening or passageway shall not be less than five feet in width. No group of attached buildings shall exceed 200 linear feet in frontage.
[Amended 12-8-1997 by Ord. No. 1842-97]
E.
There shall be a rear yard on each lot which shall be not less than 15 feet in depth.
F.
Buffer area requirements. In addition to the above requirements, the following shall apply:
(1)
Along that portion of the side or rear property line of any lot in an RLC District used for commercial purposes which directly abuts a lot in an R-1, R-1-A, R-2, or R-3 Residence District or abuts a lot in another district used for residential purposes, a fifteen-foot yard shall be provided. The five feet of such yard which abuts the lot line shall be used exclusively as a buffer area.
(2)
For the purposes of this chapter, such buffer area is defined to include a screen planting of trees, shrubs or other landscaping and/or fencing.
(3)
Such landscaping and/or fencing shall be of sufficient height and density to constitute an effective screen and give maximum protection to an abutting property. Such trees or shrubs or other landscaping at time of planting and/or fencing shall be at least five feet in height and shall be maintained permanently. Plantings which do not survive shall be replaced within six months. The buffer area shall be used for no purpose other than planting or screening.
§ 180-56 Multiple-family dwellings.
A.
In all RLC Districts and in portions thereof designated as RLC-2, the following area restrictions and regulations are established for multiple-family dwellings and groups of multiple-family dwellings authorized under § 180-54J(5) where more than six family units are proposed:
(1)
An average lot area of not less than 5,500 square feet per family shall be provided, computed on the basis of the entire plan as submitted, excluding any portions of the plan devoted exclusively to commercial uses, parking accessory thereto and yard areas in conjunction therewith.
(2)
No more than 25% of the area may be occupied by buildings, and not more than a total of 50% of the area shall be paved and occupied by buildings or other accessory uses.
(3)
No multiple-family building shall be located less than 30 feet from any street line or less than 25 feet from any side or rear property line. The distance between any two multiple-family dwellings on a lot shall be not less than the height of the taller buildings.
B.
In all portions of RLC Districts designated as RLC-1, the following area restrictions and regulations are established for multiple-family dwellings authorized under § 180-54J(5):
(1)
An average lot area of not less than 4,500 square feet per family shall be provided.
(2)
Not more than 35% of the lot area may be occupied by buildings, and not more than 60% of the area may be paved and occupied by buildings and other accessory uses.
(3)
A multiple dwelling may be located not less than 25 feet from a street line or from a side or rear property line.
§ 180-57 Height restrictions and regulations.
In all RLC Residence-Limited Commercial Districts the following height restrictions and regulations are established:
A.
No building or structure shall exceed 35 feet in height.