Norristown City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XI
OCR Office-Commercial-Retail District
§ 320-105 Legislative intent.
The intent of this district is to provide for office, government, commercial employment opportunities in addition to limited residential along the DeKalb Street corridor. It is further the intent of this district to:
A.
Discourage strip-style commercial development with incongruous architecture, excessive paved areas and numerous curb cuts.
B.
Encourage the retention of existing buildings by applying flexible mixed-use development standards for their adaptive reuse.
C.
Promote a mix of uses that complement one another.
D.
Preserve to the greatest extent possible older buildings that individually or cumulatively create a unique historic character for the district.
E.
Ensure a pedestrian-friendly environment that mitigates pedestrian/automobile conflicts by providing a well-defined, interconnected, perimeter and internal sidewalk system.
F.
Expand employment opportunities.
G.
Expand and strengthen the Municipal tax base.
§ 320-106 Use regulations.
A.
Permitted uses. A building or buildings may be erected or used and a lot may be used or occupied by any of the following uses and no other.
B.
Special exceptions. The following uses and no others when authorized by the Zoning Hearing Board pursuant to Article XXI, Special Exceptions, and the criteria contained herein.
(1)
Conversion of an existing residential building where the commercial use occupies more than one floor after conversion as per the standards for such conversions in Article VI, MSMU District.
(3)
Restaurants with or without outdoor dining.
(4)
Shopping centers as per § 320-86C(1).
(5)
Animal hospital and/or veterinarian offices.
(6)
Parking garage.
§ 320-107 Dimensional criteria.
A.
Permitted uses.
A | Permitted Uses | All Uses Except As Noted |
|---|---|---|
1 | Minimum lot size (net square feet) | 20,000 |
2 | Minimum lot width (feet) | 75 |
3 | Minimum front yard setback from street curbline (feet) | 25, not to exceed 50 |
4 | Minimum side yard setback (feet) | 15 |
5 | Minimum rear yard setback (feet) | 15 and 25 when abutting a residential use |
6 | Maximum building height (feet) | 35 |
7 | Maximum impervious surface (percent of net lot area) | 65% |
8 | Maximum building coverage (percent of net lot area) | 25% |
B.
Special exception uses.
B | Special Exception Uses | Residential Mixed-Use Conversion | Parking Garages |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Minimum lot size (net square feet) | NA | 20,000 |
2 | Minimum lot width (feet) | NA | 40 |
3 | Minimum front yard setback from street curbline (feet) | 25 | 15 not to exceed 30 |
4 | Minimum side yard setback (feet) | 25 | 25 |
5 | Minimum rear yard setback (feet) | 25 | 25 |
6 | Maximum building height (feet) | 25 | 45 or 4 stories whichever is less |
7 | Maximum impervious surface (percent of net lot area) | NA | 90% |
8 | Maximum building coverage (percent of net lot area) | NA | NA |
§ 320-108 General development regulations.
A.
All uses.
(1)
Supplemental regulations. The provisions found in Article XXIII, Supplemental Regulations, shall apply.
(2)
For all buildings, rear and side facades shall be of finished quality and shall be of color and materials that are similar to the front facade and blend with structures within the development as well as with structures in the surrounding area. Blank walls shall not be permitted along any exterior wall facing a street, parking area, pedestrian walkway, residentially zoned use or property. Development with more than one building on the site shall have a common and coherent architectural theme throughout.
(3)
Rooftop HVAC systems, elevator equipment or any other mechanical or utilitarian appurtenances shall be screened from view from adjacent buildings and from ground level in a manner that is consistent with the architectural design of the building.
(4)
Individual buildings shall have clearly defined, highly visible customer entrances.
(5)
Any building that directly faces an abutting public street shall feature at least one customer entrance to that street with a direct sidewalk connection. This requirement can be met for a building on a corner lot with an entrance facing the corner that is visible from both sides.
(6)
Parking shall be accommodated to the rear or side of the property and may not extend beyond the front facade of the principal building toward the street.
(a)
Corner lots with two front yards may have parking within the front yard setback of the street of the lesser classification.
(7)
All proposed developments shall be reviewed by the Historical Architectural Review Board when this board has jurisdiction. When the Historical Architectural Review Board does not have jurisdiction, all proposed developments shall be reviewed by the Design Review Board in accordance with § 320-243.
B.
Parking garages.
(1)
Structured parking garages that contain frontage on DeKalb Street shall have ground floor office, restaurant, or other similar uses facing the street.
(2)
Facades of garages facing residential streets shall utilize design treatments such as, but not limited to, colonnades, screens, or awnings to be architecturally integrated with the development and surrounding community.
C.
Pedestrian circulation design standards.
(1)
There shall be clear pedestrian connections between all parking areas and all buildings.
(2)
Continuous internal pedestrian walkways, no less than five feet in width, shall provide a direct link from the public sidewalk or street right-of-way to the principal entrance of all buildings adjacent to the street. Walkways shall also connect focal points of pedestrian activity such as, but not limited to, transit stops, street crossings, and building and entry points.
(3)
Unobstructed sidewalks, no less than six feet in width, shall be provided along the full length of the building along any facade featuring a customer entrance, and along any facade abutting public parking areas. Along facades with building entrances, the required six-foot-wide sidewalk area shall be set back from the facade by a three-foot-wide area that either contains planting beds or additional sidewalk width.
(4)
All internal pedestrian walkways and crosswalks shall be distinguished from driving surfaces through the use of durable, low-maintenance surface materials such as pavers, bricks or scored concrete to enhance pedestrian safety and comfort.
(5)
Buildings and sidewalks shall be handicapped accessible.