Norristown City Zoning Code
ARTICLE V
R-2 Residence District
§ 320-40 Legislative intent.
A.
The purpose of the R-2 District is to apply compatible zoning regulations to areas of the municipality that are predominantly residential in composition and nearly fully developed. The standards contained herein are intended to protect the public's health, safety and general welfare by mitigating the adverse impacts of overcrowding on a dense urban landscape. Such negative impacts include, but are not limited to, loss of urban green space, reduced residential on-street parking, and an infringement on personal privacy. The municipality recognizes that within each neighborhood there is an intermingling of residential uses, and to a lesser extent nonresidential uses, on lots of varying sizes.
B.
In accordance with Article VII-A, Traditional Neighborhood Development, of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, the district provides development options, standards, and design criteria that are intended to permit residential infill that is of a similar scale, type, and appearance with existing homes on the block on which they are located. The municipality further acknowledges the vital importance of preserving the district's nonresidential uses for the jobs they create and for the taxes they contribute. Consequently, this district contains standards that are intended to allow for the continuance, expansion, or development of nonresidential uses that are deemed to have minimal impact, and to ensure that all impacts created by those uses are mitigated to the greatest extent possible. All nonresidential development shall be done in such a manner as to ensure the long-term stability and viability of adjoining residential uses.
§ 320-41 Use regulations.
A.
Permitted uses. A building may be erected or used or occupied by any of the following purposes and no other as per the following. To determine allowable housing types on each block (see § 320-11 for definition of "block"), not less than three residential buildings of the same housing type from the list below must currently exist on the block. For the purpose of this district, two individual twin dwelling units sharing a common wall shall constitute a single building, and a rowhouse group of three or more individual dwelling units shall also constitute a single building. All other housing types, or those housing types listed below that comprise two or fewer buildings on the block, are not permitted, and shall be considered nonconforming on the block on which they are located.
B.
Accessory uses. Accessory uses on the same lot with and customarily incidental to any principal use permitted by this section, including no-impact home-based business.
C.
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)
Family day-care home.
(4)
Residential mixed use conversions to include:
(a)
Retail store for the sale of groceries ("mini-markets"/bodegas), dry goods, variety merchandise, flowers, or other household supplies.
(b)
Limited restaurant selling commercially precooked, preheated, or microwaved food.
(c)
Coffee shop, tearoom or internet cafe.
(d)
Personal service shop, including barbershop, hairdresser, shoe repair, tailor, self-service laundry.
(e)
Professional office for lawyers, accountants, or other such similar professions.
(f)
Other uses of a similar scale and/or intensity.
(5)
Neighborhood playgrounds and parks.
(6)
Houses of worship.
(7)
Public/private/parochial schools.
(8)
Libraries.
(9)
Fire stations or volunteer fire companies.
§ 320-42 Dimensional criteria.
A.
Front yard. Unless otherwise noted, each property shall have one front yard, and in the case of a corner lot two front yards. Distance shall be determined by measuring from the curbline of the street to the front facade of the principal building, excluding bay windows, stoops or other similar projections, on the property immediately to the right or to the left. Either measurement may be used and shall constitute the required build-to line, but in no case shall be less than five feet (six feet along principal arterial roads). On corner lots, the front facade shall constitute the facade that is facing the greater of the two streets (as determined by road classification or traffic volume if both roads are the same classification). When bordered by vacant property on one side, the front yard setback established from the adjoining developed property shall apply. For a property that is bordered on both the left and right by vacant property, the front yard shall be as follows:
B.
Area, width, yard, height and impervious coverage. Unless otherwise noted, the following dimensional standards shall be established by taking the median value of the same permitted housing types on the block as determined by § 320-41A. Nonconforming housing types may not reduce lot area or width but shall otherwise conform to § 320-42B(3), (4), (5) and (6) below.
(1)
Lot area. Shall be the established median value of the same housing type on the block and shall constitute the minimum allowable lot area but in no case shall be less than 3,000 square feet per single-family detached dwelling, 2,500 square feet per twin dwelling unit, 3,500 square feet per duplex building, and 2,000 square feet per interior and 2,500 square feet per corner rowhouse unit.
(2)
Lot width. Shall be the established median value on the block and shall constitute the minimum allowable lot width, but in no case shall be less than 25 feet per single-family detached dwelling, 20 feet per twin dwelling unit, 35 feet per duplex building, and 15 feet per interior and 20 feet per corner rowhouse unit.
(3)
Side yard. Shall be established by the side yard setbacks of the principal building(s) on property immediately adjacent to the left and right (either dimension may be used). The measurement shall be from the side wall, exclusive of bay windows, porches, chimneys or other similar projections to the side property line. In no case shall an individual side yard setback be less than five feet. When bordered by vacant property on one side, the setback established from the adjoining developed property shall apply to both sides. If bordered on both sides by vacant property, the minimum side yard shall be 15 feet.
(4)
Rear yard. Shall be established by the rear yard setbacks of the principal building(s) on property immediately adjacent to the left or the right (either dimension may be used). The measurement shall be from the rear facade, exclusive of bay windows, porches, decks, chimneys or other similar projections to the rear property line. In no case shall the individual rear yard setback be less than 15 feet. When bordered to the rear and side by vacant property, the minimum rear yard setback shall be 25 feet.
(5)
Building height. To be no greater than the median height of buildings on the block of the same residential use type but in no case shall exceed 40 feet in height.
(6)
Off-street parking may be reduced by one space per residential unit on streets where on-street parking provides 50% or more of the on-site parking requirement.
(7)
Impervious Cover Table.
Housing Type | Lot Size (net square feet) | Maximum Impervious Surface (percent of net lot area) | Maximum Building Cover (percent of net lot area) |
|---|---|---|---|
Single-family detached | 3,000 to 5,000 | 60% | 30% |
5,001 to 10,000 | 50% | 25% | |
10,001 and above | 40% | 20% | |
Twin | 2,500 to 5,000 | 80% | 50% |
5,001 and above | 70% | 40% | |
Duplex | 3,500 to 6,000 | 60% | 40% |
6,001 and above | 50% | 30% | |
Rowhouse | 2,000 to 3,500 | 80% | 70% |
3,501 and above | 70% | 60% |
C.
Special exception uses.
C | Special Exception Uses | Neighborhood Play Grounds/Parks | Houses of Worship | Schools/Libraries | Fire Stations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Minimum lot size (net square feet) | 10,000 | 10,000 | 43,560 | 20,000 |
2 | Minimum lot width (feet) | 75 | 75 | 100 | 75 |
3 | Minimum front yard setback from street curbline (feet) | 25 | 20 | 25 | 25 |
4 | Minimum side yard setback (feet) | 25* | 15 | 25 | 25 |
5 | Minimum rear yard setback (feet) | 25* | 25 | 25 | 25 |
6 | Maximum building height (feet) | 25 | 35** | 35 | 35 |
7 | Maximum impervious coverage (percent of net lot area) | Not applicable | 75% | 30% | 85% |
8 | Maximum building coverage (percent of net lot area) | Not applicable | 60% | 20% | 70% |
NOTES: | |
* | A minimum setback for all side and rear yards of 50 feet for all active play areas and or open air structures such as pavilions. |
** | Church spires may extend to a maximum height of 50 feet. |
D.
Special exception uses continued.
D | Special Exception Uses | Office/Light Manufacturing |
|---|---|---|
1 | Minimum lot size (net square feet) | 20,000 |
2 | Minimum lot width (feet) | 75 |
3 | Minimum front yard setback from street curbline (feet) | 20 |
4 | Minimum side yard setback (feet) | 25 |
5 | Minimum rear yard setback (feet) | 25 |
6 | Maximum building height (feet) | 35 |
7 | Maximum impervious coverage (percent of net lot area) | 85% |
8 | Maximum building coverage (percent of net lot area) | 50% |
§ 320-43 General development regulations.
A.
All uses.
(1)
Supplemental Regulations: The relevant provisions found in Article XXIII, Supplemental Regulations, shall apply.
(2)
Building row maximum. No more than six individual rowhouse units may be attached in a single row.
(3)
Architectural design. All new homes, alterations, or additions that are not within a certified historic district shall conform to the following basic design standards:
(a)
New homes shall be consistent with the pattern of size, mass and footprint, as with other similar homes on the block.
(b)
New homes shall be consistent with the proportion of height and width of similar homes on the block.
(c)
New homes shall have front porches or house stoops if the majority of homes of the same housing type on the block have those features.
(4)
All proposed developments shall be reviewed by the Historical Architectural Review Board when this board has jurisdiction.
§ 320-44 Special exception regulations.
All R-2 special exception uses shall conform to the standards and criteria of Article XXI, Special Exceptions, and the criteria contained herein:
A.
Office/light-manufacturing.
(2)
Uses shall not interfere with the public's right to a quiet, clean and peaceful neighborhood.
(3)
The standards and criteria contained in Article XXIV, Performance Standards, of this chapter shall apply.
(4)
The minimum distance between office/light-manufacturing uses on separate lots shall be 1,000 feet.
(5)
No more than 20 full-time employees or part-time equivalent employees per business.
(6)
Outdoor storage of materials and/or supplies is not permitted.
(7)
A system of efficient vehicle ingress and egress that does not block or interfere with the use of driveways or the on-street parking areas of neighboring residential properties is required.
(8)
Only two- or three-axle commercial vehicles may service the site unless the property has direct driveway access off of the following roads; Markley Street, Dekalb Street and East Main Street.
(9)
Truck pick-up and delivery zones shall be accommodated on site and shall not diminish the amount of available on-street residential parking.
(10)
Deliveries, loading and unloading, shall be during normal daytime hours of operation only.
(11)
No overnight idling of vehicles.
(12)
All employee and visitor parking in addition to truck pick-up and delivery zones shall be accommodated on site and shall not diminish the amount of available on-street residential parking.
(15)
Refuse collection areas shall be indoors where feasible. Where indoor refuse collection and storage is impracticable or infeasible, refuse may be stored out of doors provided the following conditions are met:
(a)
Refuse collection areas shall be located to the rear of the building and set back a minimum of 50 feet from all property lines abutting a residential district or use.
(b)
Refuse collection and storage shall be within an enclosure that contains architectural elements consistent with, and complementary to, the primary building(s) on the site.
(c)
Refuse collection areas shall be shielded from the direct view of any adjacent residential district or use with landscaping as per § 433.2.F. of the Municipal Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: See § 282-433.2.F.
(16)
Sign illumination shall be limited to the hours of operation or between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., whichever is less.
(17)
All proposals for new development, redevelopment, or the expansion of an existing light industrial use that results in the construction of a new building(s) or alterations to the exterior of an existing building(s) shall submit the following information to the Design Review Board as established in § 320-243 in sufficient detail for the Board to render an advisory opinion to the Zoning Hearing Board. Sketch plans shall show the following information:
B.
Residential mixed-use conversion.
(1)
Residential mixed-use conversions may only occur in an existing twin, duplex, or rowhouse dwelling that was originally constructed for residential use.
(2)
Residential mixed-use conversions may not interfere with the public's right to a quiet, clean and peaceful neighborhood.
(3)
Only one residential mixed-use conversion shall be permitted on a corner property of an intersection, exclusive of alleys or driveways, of a street listed below in the R-2 District.
(a)
Airy Street.
(b)
Elm Street, from Buttonwood Street to Arch Street.
(c)
DeKalb Street, south of West Brown Street.
(d)
Lafayette Street.
(e)
Marshall Street.
(f)
West Oak Street, from Buttonwood Street to Tremont Avenue.
(g)
Spruce Street, from Markley Street to Arch Street.
(h)
Markley Street, south of Fornance Street.
(i)
Fornance Street, from Harding Boulevard to Arch Street.
(4)
Midblock conversions may only occur on DeKalb Street between Basin Street and Elm Street.
(5)
The minimum distance between intersections with a mixed-use conversion shall be 500 feet as measured from the center point of the intersection extending linearly along the center-line of an above named street.
(6)
Residential mixed-use conversion shall be limited to the first floor only and shall not exceed 750 square feet of gross floor area except for those uses located on DeKalb Street which may convert an additional 750 square feet of first floor space to a maximum of 1,500 square feet provided that one off-street parking space be provided for each additional 250 square feet of gross floor area.
(7)
No residential uses shall be permitted on the first floor.
(8)
No more than one residential unit per floor shall be permitted to a maximum of two residential units per building after conversion.
(9)
Exterior alterations of the front or side facades shall be limited to that which is necessary for safe and efficient public access.
(10)
Refuse collection shall be contained within the confines of the primary structure.
(11)
Hours of operation shall be limited to between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
(12)
Signage shall be limited to one wall or window per street frontage and shall not exceed 10 square feet.
(13)
Sign illumination shall be limited to the hours of operation or between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., whichever is less.
(14)
Applicant shall submit architectural plans showing proposed interior alterations, building entrance(s), exterior elevations, signs and lighting shall be submitted to the Design Review Board in sufficient detail for review and comment.