New Oxford City Zoning Code
PART 1
GENERAL PROVISIONS
§ 27-101 Short Title.
[Ord. 12/21/1998, § 100]
This Part shall be known and may be cited as the "Zoning Ordinance for the Borough of New Oxford."
§ 27-102 Purpose.
[Ord. 12/21/1998, § 101]
The zoning regulations and districts as herein set forth are made for the purpose of promoting the health, safety, morals, convenience, order, prosperity and general welfare of the community. They have been designed to lessen congestion in the streets, to secure safety from fire, panic, and other dangers, to provide adequate light and air, to prevent the overcrowding of land, to avoid undue concentration of population, and to facilitate the adequate provision of transportation, water, sewage, parks, and other public requirements. They have been made with reasonable consideration, among other things, as to the character of each district and its peculiar suitability for particular uses and with a view of conserving the value of buildings and encouraging the most appropriate use of land throughout the Borough.
§ 27-103 Community Development Objectives.
[Ord. 12/21/1998, § 102]
1.
The Borough of New Oxford intends this Chapter to implement the following Statement of Community Development Objectives, in accordance with Act 247 of 1967, as amended by Act 170 of 1988, the "Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code":
A.
Historic Core.
(1)
Goal. Preserve and enhance the existing historic, architectural and cultural resources within New Oxford, with special emphasis placed on preserving the character of areas surrounding the Downtown Square that developed prior to 1900 A.D.
(2)
Objectives.
(a)
Provide for the continuation of New Oxford's historic core as a mixed-use neighborhood and center of business activity that will offer residents, visitors, customers, and business clients a safe, secure, and visually pleasing environment in which to live, visit and conduct business.
(b)
Promote "infill" new construction that is respectful of and consistent with the size, scale, height, setback, lot coverage, and placement of adjoining historic structures and streetscapes.
(c)
Avoid the destruction of streetscapes within the New Oxford historic core by discouraging the inappropriate placement of curb cuts, the use of front yards for parking lots, excessive structural setbacks, and inappropriately situated or scaled construction.
(d)
Encourage any proposed building additions to be constructed to the rear of historically or architecturally significant buildings.
(e)
Require any proposed building additions to be designed is such a way that is architecturally consistent with the existing structure and the structures in the surrounding area as well.
(f)
Promote the continued residential use of structures in the historic core that were originally designed for residential purposes, while, at the same time, allowing for reasonable home occupations and limited commercial uses, particularly in larger historic structures.
(g)
Maintain the existing village atmosphere and streetscapes of New Oxford by discouraging the demolition of structures, particularly those traditionally used for residential purposes, that contribute to the Borough's "village character."
(h)
Maintain the existing village streetscapes by establishing standards to maintain and enhance the number and location of street trees in the historic core of the Borough.
(i)
Establish standards that will facilitate the use of signs that are consistent with the size, scale, and setting of structures in the Borough's historic core, and which are easily discernible to pedestrians and to occupants in vehicles traveling at speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour through New Oxford.
B.
Residential Areas.
(1)
Goals. Provide for the enhancement of existing residential neighborhoods and for the development of new residential neighborhoods in appropriate locations of the Borough, using such appropriate dwelling unit types and styles to provide housing opportunities for a wide range of households.
(2)
Objectives.
(a)
Encourage home-ownership within New Oxford Borough, especially in existing residential neighborhoods and especially within the existing historic core area.
(b)
Encourage housing opportunities within the historic core of New Oxford as well as near other commercial and employment areas, so that residents may use pedestrian means of access to and from various activity centers, and so that dependence on the automobile will be reduced.
(c)
Promote residential lot design and landscaping standards which will enhance the existing "village character" that is found in all residential areas of the Borough.
(d)
Provide appropriate standards for the development of apartments and conversion apartments to ensure that each unit meets minimum acceptable standards for floor area, off-street parking, lot area and lot coverage, thus maintaining and improving living standards within the Borough.
(e)
Provide design standards for multi-family development to ensure that new and conversion dwelling units are visually compatible with the existing housing stock in New Oxford's residential areas.
(f)
Where appropriate, allow for the mixed usage of residential properties in New Oxford's residential areas by permitting low intensity home occupations similar to those currently prevalent in the Borough.
(g)
Maintain and enhance "village character" throughout the Borough by enforcing residential design standards which should include, but not necessarily be limited to, provisions for street trees, sidewalks, curbs, street lighting, and appropriately sized and designed signs for home occupations.
(h)
Provide for the continuation and future development of housing units of various types and styles in appropriate areas of the Borough to provide housing opportunities for a wide range of age and income groups.
C.
Light Industrial/Employment Areas.
(1)
Goal. Encourage the continuation and appropriate expansion of existing industrial and employment generating uses and structures as well as the development of new employment uses that will contribute to the economic base of the Borough and that blend well with existing community fabric.
(2)
Objectives.
(a)
Encourage the development of new, light industrial and employment generating uses in compact settings which provide access to and from multiple businesses, while at the same time, minimizing the cost of providing public services to these businesses.
(b)
Provide design and landscaping standards to ensure that new, higher intensity business development is compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods.
(c)
Minimize conflicts between adjoining neighborhoods characterized by high and lower intensity land uses.
(d)
Protect the historic village core by providing for the establishment of higher intensity businesses and light industrial uses in appropriate areas of the Borough where historic resources are less concentrated, thus minimizing adverse impacts on the historic downtown and residential areas of the Borough.
(e)
Encourage light industrial development in areas that will not generate heavy business-oriented traffic within historic and residential neighborhoods.
(f)
Encourage the adaptive reuse of older industrial buildings in New Oxford by allowing either the continued use of those structures as light industrial facilities or the innovative rehabilitation of these buildings into residential, limited commercial, public, semi-public or similar uses.
D.
Transportation.
(1)
Goal. Facilitate the development of a transportation network in New Oxford that provides for both local and regional vehicular traffic but which, at the same time, encourages pedestrian travel options, especially within the historic core area of the Borough.
(2)
Objectives:
(a)
Locate high intensity traffic generators, such as drive-in or drive-through commercial businesses, outside of the historic village core and in areas with good access to and from major roadways.
(b)
Re-enforce the existing mixture of less intensive uses, including residential, specialty retail, and limited general office, within the historic core area of New Oxford to minimize vehicular impacts in this area while, at the same time, maintaining the Borough's "village character."
(c)
Encourage the development of an appropriate mix of land uses within the historic core of New Oxford which will result in enhanced pedestrian activity among not only New Oxford residents, but visitors to the Borough as well.
(d)
Create a pedestrian transportation network that will encourage residents to travel on foot to and from shopping and other activities both in the historic core and the higher intensity commercial and employment areas on the village fringe.
(e)
Minimize the number of curb cuts permitted along all major streets throughout the Borough, and especially within the historic core, in order to limit conflicting traffic patterns and movements and to reduce traffic congestion within the Borough.
(f)
Avoid suburban "strip commercial" development patterns within the historic core of New Oxford.
(g)
Promote land uses and development policies that are responsive to regional transportation issues and needs.
(h)
Encourage the development of parking facilities designed to serve more than one use or property, thus minimizing curb cuts in commercial, residential and mixed-use areas of the Borough.