Nether Providence Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XV
P-O Professional Office Districts
§ 300-94 Permitted uses.
Professional Office Districts are designed primarily to provide for modern non-nuisance enterprises which do not detract from the character of the surrounding area nor prejudice the use of adjoining tracts for other permitted uses. Therefore, a building may be erected, altered or used and a lot or premises may be used for any of the following purposes, and no other, in accordance with the area and special provisions of this article:
A.
General office building, occupied in major part by a single concern or affiliated members, bank or financial institution.
B.
Municipal use, and other governmental or public service office.
[Amended 1-16-1997 by Ord. No. 604]
C.
Scientific or research laboratory, provided that:
(1)
No processing shall be permitted except insofar as such processing is incidental to research and development.
[Amended 12-10-1992 by Ord. No. 581]
(2)
There is no commercial production of goods, materials or any other substance for sale or storage of the same, except as is necessary for scientific research.
D.
Signs, when erected and maintained in accordance with the following:
(1)
Permitted signs shall be of ground- or wall-type.
(2)
All signs shall relate to a use permitted in the district.
(3)
Ordinary traffic and parking control signs and temporary "for sale" or "for lease" signs.
[Amended 12-10-1992 by Ord. No. 581; 1-16-1997 by Ord. No. 603]
(4)
Not more than one freestanding ground sign may be permitted on each street frontage relating to and directing persons to the building. Any such sign shall not be in excess of 25 square feet in area nor more than a total height of 10 feet.
(5)
Wall signs shall be a part of the architectural design of a building, provided that no sign shall project more than 12 inches from a wall surface of any building and provided that no sign shall be painted on any exterior wall surface. The total area on one side of any wall sign or signs shall not exceed 5% of the first-floor wall surface.
[Amended 12-10-1992 by Ord. No. 581]
§ 300-95 Area and frontage requirements.
[Amended 7-10-1975 by Ord. No. 469]
The P-O Professional Office District shall contain a minimum of five acres, and each permitted use shall have a minimum lot area or tract size of not less than 1 1/2 acres, and each such permitted use shall have a frontage of not less than 200 feet, provided that the Board of Commissioners reserves the right to reduce or alter the regulations and requirements of this article in such cases where, by reason of the size of the area, peculiar or special topographical conditions and effects upon the surrounding area, such reductions or alterations may be determined by the Board of Commissioners, after review by the Planning Commission, to be in the best interests of the Township and would promote the general welfare.
§ 300-96 Coverage.
Not more than 5,000 square feet of the area of each lot may be occupied by buildings.
§ 300-97 Building placement requirements.
No building shall be located less than 75 feet from the line of the nearest front street nor less than 50 feet from a side property line or less than 75 feet from the rear property line.
§ 300-98 Height; floor area.
[Amended 8-10-2006 by Ord. No. 711]
The maximum height of any building shall be 40 feet, and not more than two stories or floors for human occupancy. No floor area shall exceed 5,000 square feet of usable floor space.
§ 300-99 Special regulations.
[Added 9-13-1973 by Ord. No. 454]
In addition to the applicable provisions of the other regulations of this chapter, the following special regulations shall apply:
A.
General.
(1)
The application for a permit shall be accompanied by a plan which shall include, among other things, the information required below:
(a)
The location, use, design and dimensions of all buildings and other structures, open spaces, yards, accessways, entrances, exits, off-street parking facilities and buffer strips.
(b)
The character of buffer areas and screening devices to be maintained, including the dimensions and arrangements of all areas devoted to planting, lawns, trees or similar purposes. The type, height, density and amount of the plantings shall be as determined by the Board of Commissioners to ensure adequate protection of the adjoining area against noise, pollution and sight view.
(c)
The provisions made for disposal of sewage and other wastes and for storm drainage and a suitable contour map of the area. A storm drainage plan shall be approved by the Department of Environmental Resources, the Township Engineer and the Board of Commissioners.
(d)
Sufficient data and/or plans, in all instances, to enable the Building Inspector, Zoning Hearing Board or other review agencies to determine that the proposed use complies with the requirements of this article and other pertinent requirements of the Zoning Ordinance.
(2)
The entire tract of five acres or more shall be developed as a single project under a single development plan, and the tract of land on which each permitted use is conducted shall be held in single ownership and shall be operated under unified control and management.
(3)
Each permitted use shall provide and maintain attractively landscaped grounds or make any other suitable screening provision which is necessary to adequately safeguard the residential character of adjacent districts.
(4)
Retail stores and shops are prohibited; and no showrooms, display rooms or rooms of like use for the public display of goods or products shall be permitted.
(5)
If there are more than two buildings on a lot in excess of 1 1/2 acres in size, the minimum distance between buildings shall be 100 feet.
[Amended 7-10-1975 by Ord. No. 469]
(6)
The proposed construction shall not detract from the character or desirability of the surrounding area, and adequate internal firesafety provisions shall be assured.
(7)
All mechanical equipment not enclosed in a structure shall be fully and completely screened from view in a manner compatible with the architectural and landscaping style of the remainder of the lot. Such screening shall be subject to site plan and architectural review by the Township.
(8)
Water towers, storage tanks, processing equipment, stand fans, skylights, cooling towers, vents and any other structures or equipment which rise above the roofline shall be architecturally compatible or effectively shielded from view from any public or private dedicated street and from surrounding residences by an architecturally sound method which shall be approved, in writing, by the Township Board of Commissioners before construction or erection of said structures or equipment.
[Amended 7-10-1975 by Ord. No. 469; 1-16-1997 by Ord. No. 604]
B.
Highway access.
(1)
Access barrier. Access to a major highway or secondary street, whichever is applicable in any given case, shall be controlled in the interest of public safety. Each building or group of buildings erected in Professional Office Districts, and the parking or service areas, shall be physically separated from the highway or street by a curb, planting strip or other suitable barrier against unchanneled motor vehicles' ingress or egress, except for accessways as authorized by Subsection B(2) below.
(2)
In the event that the five-acre tract fronts upon a major highway, as determined by the Board of Township Commissioners, there shall be only one accessway to said major highway, and there shall be no access to or from Pine Ridge Road.
[Amended 7-10-1975 by Ord. No. 469]
(3)
Traffic control devices and secondary streets shall be provided at the expense of the owner.
C.
Parking, loading and access to service areas.
(1)
Adequate off-street parking areas shall be provided. One automobile parking space with suitable access shall be provided for each 200 square feet of gross floor area. Each parking space shall be not less than 200 square feet in area (10 feet by 20 feet).
[Amended 7-10-1975 by Ord. No. 469; 12-10-1992 as Ord. No. 581]
(2)
In addition to parking areas, there shall be provided areas for loading and unloading of delivery trucks and other vehicles and for the servicing of permitted establishments by refuse collection, fuel and other service vehicles, which areas shall be located at the side or rear of the buildings, shall be adequate in size and shall be so arranged that they may be used without blockage or interference with the use of the accessways or automobile parking facilities.
(3)
All parking, loading, access and service areas shall be located entirely within the lot lines of the permitted use, shall be suitably improved and paved and shall be adequately illuminated at night. All such areas shall be paved with concrete, blacktop or other hard surface, provided that in the case of a permitted laboratory, the area initially paved need not exceed 200 square feet for every three employees up to and including 80% of the total employed. Lighting, including sign lighting, shall be arranged so as to protect the street and adjoining property from direct glare or hazardous interference of any kind, and location, type and intensity shall be approved by the Board of Commissioners.
D.
Special buffer requirements. Along each side or rear property line which directly abuts a residence district in the Township or a similar district in an adjoining municipality, a buffer planting strip of not less than 50 feet in width shall be provided on which shall be placed shrubbery, trees or other suitable planting sufficient to constitute an effective screen and give maximum protection to the abutting district. Along each street line, a buffer area of not less than 35 feet in width shall be provided which shall be suitably landscaped and may include necessary sidewalks and accessways.
[Amended 7-10-1975 by Ord. No. 469]
E.
Performance standards. No building may be erected, altered or used and no lot or premises may be used in a Professional Office District which is noxious or offensive or which constitutes a hazard in the immediately surrounding area. Each permitted use shall provide and utilize such smoke, noise or other control devices as are necessary to assure that the use will not:
(1)
Constitute any nuisance whatsoever beyond the boundary of the site by reason of dissemination of noxious, toxic or corrosive fumes, smoke, odor or dust.
(2)
Result in noise or vibration exceeding the average intensity of noise from other causes at the boundary site.
(3)
Produce objectionable heat, glare or radiation.
(4)
Result in electrical disturbance in nearby residences.
(5)
Increase congestion or hazardous traffic conditions on the highway or in the adjacent area.
(6)
Create any other objectionable condition in adjoining areas which will endanger health, safety or the proper use of property.
G.
Disposal requirements. All trash, garbage, rubbish and debris of every kind and nature shall be stored, collected and disposed of, as often as may be necessary under the particular circumstances, by private collectors and at no cost to the Township. If dumpster-type containers are used, said containers must be screened, be equipped with proper fitting lid and be verminproof.
[Amended 12-10-1992 by Ord. No. 581]
§ 300-100 Completion agreement.
Upon final approval of the plans submitted and prior to the issuance of any construction permit, the Board of Township Commissioners may require the owner and/or applicant to enter into a written agreement with the Township to guarantee completion of the entire project within a stated period of time and compliance with the ordinances of the Township, laws of the commonwealth and conditions of the permit. Said guaranty may be in the form of a bond with or without corporate surety.