Norristown City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VI
MSMU Main Street Mixed-Use District
§ 320-55 Legislative intent.
The intent of the Main Street Mixed-Use District is to preserve the character of West Main Street by allowing for a mix of commercial, office and residential uses in a manner compatible with the existing Victorian and early 20th Century homes that predominate the street-scape. Furthermore, it is the intent of this district to encourage retention of the historic housing stock by permitting their adaptive reuse provided that any alteration as may be deemed necessary maintains the visual character and architectural scale of the original structure. All new construction shall be of a scale, mass, and location that is consistent with the established streetscape.
§ 320-56 Use regulation.
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. 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.
(1)
Single-family detached dwelling.
(2)
Twin dwelling.
(3)
Duplex dwelling provided that the dwelling was designed and originally constructed as such.
(4)
The following residential mixed-use conversions:
(a)
Professional office for the practice of medicine, law, engineering, architecture or design, real estate, insurance or financial consultation or other such similar professions.
(b)
Studio for photography, music or dance.
(c)
Retail store for the sale of groceries ("mini-markets"/bodegas), dry goods, variety merchandise, flowers, books, crafts or other household supplies.
(d)
Personal service shop, including barbershop, hairdresser, dressmakers, shoe repair, tailor.
(e)
Limited restaurant selling commercially precooked, preheated, or microwaved food.
(f)
Funeral home.
(g)
Coffee shop, tearoom or internet cafe.
(5)
Accessory uses on the same lot with and customarily incidental to any principal use permitted by this section, including no-impact home-based business.
B.
Special exception. Any of the following uses 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.
(2)
Stand-alone commercial/office uses such as:
§ 320-57 Dimensional criteria.
A.
Special exception uses.
A | Special Exception Uses | Stand Alone Commercial/Office |
|---|---|---|
1 | Minimum lot size (net square feet) | 15,000 |
2 | Minimum lot width (feet) | 75 |
3 | Minimum front yard setback from street curbline (feet) | 20 not to exceed 30 |
4 | Minimum side yard setback (feet) | 15 |
5 | Minimum rear yard setback (feet) | 25 |
6 | Maximum building height (feet) | 35 |
7 | Maximum impervious surface (percent of net lot area) | 80% |
8 | Maximum building coverage (percent of net lot area) | 50% |
B.
Front yard. 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 15 feet (20 feet along Main Street). 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), or the facade on which the building's primary entrance is located. 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 15 feet but no more than 30 feet.
C.
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.
(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.
(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 and or 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% |
§ 320-58 Residential mixed-use conversion regulations.
A.
Conversions may only occur in existing buildings originally constructed for residential use.
B.
No residential uses shall be permitted on the first floor.
C.
Commercial uses may only occupy the first floor after conversion and may not exceed 1,500 gross floor area.
D.
No more than one residential unit per floor shall be permitted to a maximum of two residential units per building after conversion.
E.
Alterations to the front facade must conform to the standards and criteria of the HARB for the West Norristown National Register Historic District, A-Zone.
F.
Building additions shall be located to the rear and shall be compatible with the existing building in appearance size, scale and materials.
G.
The front yard shall be preserved or restored in landscaped open space.
(1)
Impervious coverage in the front yard shall be sidewalks or pedestrian access paths.
H.
Stairways, fire escapes and other structural alterations shall be located to the rear or side of the building.
I.
A primary entrance from the front facing facade shall be maintained after conversion.
J.
Exterior lighting shall be designed to prevent glare onto adjacent properties. Pedestrian pathways need to be clearly marked and well lit.
K.
Off-street parking shall be provided at a rate of one space per every 250 square feet of gross floor area exclusive of the first 750 square feet of commercial use after conversion.
L.
Parking shall be accommodated to the rear or side of the property and may not extend beyond the front wall of the principal building toward West Main Street.
(1)
Corner lots with two front yards may have parking within the front yard setback of the street of lesser classification.
M.
Refuse collection shall be contained within the confines of the primary structure.
N.
Hours of operation shall be limited to between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
§ 320-59 Special exception regulations.
A.
Residential conversion to nonresidential use.
B.
Stand-alone commercial uses.
(1)
Location shall be restricted to only those properties situated along the south side (Schuylkill River side) of West Main Street, and only between the blocks of Chain Street and Stanbridge Street and Buttonwood Street and Hartranft Street.
(2)
Demolition of an existing building may only occur if the building has limited or no historical value as determined by the HARB.
(3)
Demolition of a building of historic value may only occur if it is shown to be structurally unsound and cannot be stabilized as determined by a professional structural engineer specializing in historic structures.
(4)
Only one building shall be permitted per lot with a maximum footprint of 15,000 square feet.
(5)
The front facade of the building shall be oriented toward West Main Street.
(6)
The building shall be constructed in an architectural style consistent with the historic district.
(7)
Blank facades shall not be permitted along any exterior wall facing a public street, and shall contain windows and other architectural elements that are consistent in appearance and scale to that which currently exists on the block.
(8)
Exterior lighting shall be designed to prevent glare onto adjacent properties. Pedestrian pathways need to be clearly marked and well lit.
(9)
Parking shall be accommodated to the rear or side of the property and may not extend beyond the front wall of the principal building toward West Main Street.
(a)
Corner lots with two front yards may have parking within the front yard set-back of the street of lesser classification.
(11)
Sketch plan submittal. All proposals shall submit the following information to the Planning Commission in sufficient detail for the Commission to render an advisory opinion to the Municipal Council and HARB. Sketch plans shall show the following information:
§ 320-60 General development regulations.
A.
All uses.
(1)
Supplemental regulations. The relevant provisions found in Article XXIII, Supplemental Regulations, shall apply.
(2)
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.
(3)
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 as per the standards and criteria of § 320-243.