North Versailles Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VII
Traditional Neighborhood Development
§ 300-700 Purpose.
Traditional neighborhood development or TND is hereby established to achieve the following objectives and land use goals:
A.
To maintain a healthy economic climate by providing a sufficient and compatible mix of residential and nonresidential uses.
B.
To provide sustainable residential and business districts within the Planning Area by encouraging a mix of uses and housing types that fill the needs of a range of age classes, economic classes, and family types that constitute the Planning Area's present and future residents and business owners.
C.
To create a sense of place and community identity by encouraging uses in an integrated pedestrian-scale environment, housed within structures that offer a unique architectural style, yet one that provides a scale that is integrated with that pedestrian environment.
D.
To encourage and promote infill within the Planning Area's traditional corridors, thus combating the ill effects of blight within the Planning Area's existing neighborhoods.
§ 300-701 Applicability of other ordinances.
A.
Unless expressly modified by provisions of this article, all municipal ordinances including but not limited to erosion and sedimentation, grading, street construction standards, and stormwater shall apply to subdivisions and land developments approved in accordance with this article and compliance with the aforesaid shall serve as a prerequisite or requirement of traditional neighborhood development approval.
C.
Where a finally approved traditional neighborhood development is recorded and properly filed with the Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds Office, all portions of the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Ordinance otherwise applicable to the land shall cease to apply thereto.
§ 300-702 Approval process.
A.
Tentative and final approval shall be required for all TNDs. All application requirements and submission standards specified for the respective approvals within Article VI of this chapter, Planned Residential Development, shall represent the minimum requirements herein.
B.
Additionally, all procedural timelines and scheduling duly afforded the applicant by Article VI of this chapter shall apply to the review, processing, and ultimate action of plan approval, approval with conditions, or denial of a traditional neighborhood development.
C.
The governing body shall issue findings regarding the tentative approval in accordance with the findings considered for planned residential development and the following in addition thereto:
§ 300-703 Types of traditional neighborhood developments.
§ 300-704 TND standards.
The following outline the standards by which all proposed TNDs shall be evaluated and also constitute the regulations to which all future uses and improvements within those approved TNDs must adhere.
A.
Bulk standards and public improvements.
(1) COMMON OPEN SPACE MIXED-USE BUILDING
The following definitions shall apply to this article:
Space provided for the use and enjoyment of residents of a plan or patrons and employees of an establishment, or of the public at large.
Any structure containing residential dwelling units combined with commercial uses permitted as of right in the respective zoning district of the Traditional Neighborhood Development in which it is located, where the commercial component comprises at least 20% of the gross square footage of the structure.
(2)
A build-to line shall be established, which shall be between 15 and 30 feet. Unenclosed porches may invade said line by eight feet. Both the proposed character of the development and the present character of adjacent neighborhoods shall determine the build-to line. Twenty percent of the proposed structures are encouraged to deviate from the build-to line by five to 10 feet and may be between 15 feet to 40 feet from the right-of-way line. Namely, the offset of larger nonresidential structures is encouraged in the aforementioned manner as approved by the governing body.
(3)
All lighting, parking, signage, and accessory structure standards cited in this chapter shall apply to this article, unless expressly modified herein.
(4)
Lighting. Street lighting shall be required within 10 feet of the right-of-way. Covenants in favor of the respective municipality shall require the maintenance of said lighting. The height of said lighting shall be limited to 15 feet and shall be approved by Council based on designs appropriate to a residential and pedestrian scale.
(5)
Numbers of units and size of TND development. Each phase of a TND proposed shall contain at least five dwelling units which may include up to two repaired units as outlined in §§ 300-704B(5) and 300-704C(4).
(6)
Trees. Street trees shall be provided as follows.
(a)
One high level planting every 100 feet, alternating every 50 feet on each side of the street; or one ornamental tree every 50 feet, alternating every 25 feet on each side of the street.
(b)
Trees shall be planted a uniform distance from the right-of-way, ranging from three to 10 feet from the right-of-way line. Covenants in favor of the municipality requiring maintenance or replacement of said trees shall be recorded.
(7)
Sidewalks shall be along all street frontage of the area proposed for development or redevelopment. Sidewalks shall be constructed according to municipal standards and shall connect to existing adjacent sidewalks or pedestrian corridors.
(8)
Where a tentative plan will result in 15 or more dwelling units or where a combination of dwelling units and uses results in more than 150 average daily trips, a traffic impact study compiled and sealed by a registered traffic engineer shall be submitted. Said study shall confirm or reject the adherence to the following minimum standards. Where proposed intersections or streets fail to meet minimum requirements, the study shall make recommendations for improvements that would serve to satisfy the minimum standards of this chapter. All streets and intersections impacted by the trip generation of the proposed TND shall demonstrate a minimum level of service of D according to the latest edition of the Trip Generation Manual published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers. All proposed intersections shall demonstrate a minimum service level of C.
(9)
Landscaping. In addition to street trees, landscaping shall be provided in the following areas and according to the following standards:
(a)
All common land reserved for townhouse development and nonresidential use shall provide landscaping at the following rates: one low-level per 1,000 square feet of land area; and one high-level landscaping for every 7,500 square feet of land area. (Two ornamental trees may be substituted for a high-level planting.)
(b)
Priority of landscaping placement. Landscaping shall be installed between residential and nonresidential uses; along the perimeter of the TND; and along the building perimeter of parking lots, nonresidential buildings, and townhouses.
(11)
Common open space requirements.
(a)
Twenty percent of the total site area shall be designated as common open space per the following standards.
(b)
Common open space shall be provided as a corridor around the perimeter of the TND site not fronting on a street. Said corridor shall be at least 20 feet in width and shall provide a reasonable integration with existing and proposed pedestrian and green space corridors. This requirement may be waived by the governing body where the TND is bordered by a public park, natural features such as streams, or where the TND is directly integrated into a previously approved TND or neighborhood of similar character.
(c)
Common open space may be provided as a central plaza, the boundaries of which shall be defined by landscaping or other amenities as approved by the governing body. The plaza shall be traversed by a minimum of one sidewalk meeting the minimum standards of this article. Plazas shall cover a minimum of 3,750 square feet. Plazas shall provide a central focal point such as landscaping, gazebo, or another amenity as acceptable to the governing body. The grade of the plaza shall not exceed 5%.
(d)
A minimum of 50% of the common open space required shall be maintained as a lawn.
(e)
A minimum of 50% of common open space provided shall be less than 15% slope.
(f)
All common open space provided shall include covenants which shall be recorded and effective prior to the issuance of grading or building permits on the site. The respective municipalities of the Planning Area reserve the right to require dedication of any such land to the municipality, in which case the fee simple dedication of said land and acceptance thereof shall take place prior to the issuance of building or grading permits on the site. Common open space provided around the perimeter of a TND bears a preservation easement or covenants restricting building or the destruction or natural features or landscaping thereon; said open space may not guarantee rights of access to residents or the public at large.
(12)
Lot and block standards.
(a)
Blocks shall be at least 500 feet in length and no more than 1,200 feet in length.
(b)
All principal uses shall demonstrate direct legal access to a street.
(c)
Through lots shall be avoided.
(d)
Lots designed for single-family and duplex structures where the land is held in fee simple ownership shall adhere to the following standards. Said lots shall provide at least 40 feet of street frontage and shall provide a minimum lot area of 5,000 square feet.
(e)
Flag lots or rear lots are permitted where access is provided by a minimum of a twenty-foot access easement or parcel strip which shall be no more than 200 feet in length and shall not count toward the minimum lot area of the parcel(s) to which said strip provides access. An access easement, as specified herein, may also function as a shared driveway serving up to two parcels. No more than one flag or rear lot, or one group of two such lots, shall be permitted per block. In cases where a shared driveway is proposed, a maintenance agreement which shall run with the land shall be submitted, detailing the responsibilities of future repair and winter maintenance. Said agreement shall be recorded with the subdivision plat and shall be signed by the property owners of each lot. Said lots shall be at least 40 feet wide at the front yard building setback. Said setback shall be provided along the portion of the lot facing the access point, flag, easement or shared driveway. Side yard setbacks shall be provided from the flag or easement to the lots abutting the flag portion of the lot or the easement.
(f)
Streets. Proposed streets shall conform to the following standards.
[1]
Proposed streets shall be laid out so as to minimize land disturbance and grading while providing a reasonable extension of the traditional grid street pattern in the vicinity of the development.
[2] LOCAL STREETS MINOR COLLECTOR STREETS
Proposed street classification shall be limited to collector and local streets. For purposes of this article, said streets shall be defined as follows.
Streets that serve up 240 average vehicle trips per day.
Serve between 241 and 1,500 average trips per day.
[3]
Calculation of trips. The aforesaid trips shall exclude pass through trips. Calculations shall be determined using the latest edition of the Trip Generation Manual published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
[4]
Table of Street Standards.
Type | Right-of-Way (feet) | Cartway (feet) | Maximum Grade | Minimum Centerline Radii, Horizontal Curves (feet) | Minimum Design Speeds (miles per hour) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minor collector | 28 to 40 | 24 to 28 | 10% | 200 | 25 |
Local | 22 to 30 | 18 to 24 | 12% | 100 | 15 to 20 |
[5]
The minimum clear sight triangle of any proposed intersection shall be 200 feet, wherein no plantings or structures greater than 30 inches in height shall be permitted.
[6]
Vertical curves shall be provided for all changes in grade exceeding 1%. For each 1% of algebraic difference between tangent grades over 3%, at least 15 feet of vertical curve length shall be provided. A minimum of 50 feet of vertical curve length shall be provided.
[7]
Intersections between more than two streets are prohibited.
[8]
Driveways and access drives shall not enter onto a street within 50 feet of any street intersection.
[9]
Where the approach of any proposed street exceeds 5%, a leveling area at least 50 feet in length as measured from the cartway edge of the adjoining street shall be provided at a grade of 3%.
[10]
Curb radii at proposed intersections shall be between 10 and 20 feet.
[11]
Alleys or access drives shall be required where the street frontage of single-family or duplex residential lots is 40 feet and where businesses or townhouses possess party walls which effectively prohibit direct access to the rear of the subject unit.
[13]
All streets and alleys terminating in a dead end shall provide a hammerhead or cul-de-sac in accordance with the following standards.
[a]
The length of said streets, as measured from the cartway of the intersecting street to the center of the cul-de-sac or hammerhead, shall not exceed 720 feet in length and shall not serve uses generating more than 200 average trips per day as determined using Trip Generation.
[b]
Minimum cul-de-sac radius shall be 40 feet with a cartway of 14 feet surrounding a landscape island, if provided. Minimum right-of-way required shall be 45 to 50 feet.
[c]
Hammerheads shall provide 50 feet for the long dimension with a twenty-five-foot radius between the street and the hammerhead.
[d]
Larger minimum standards may be required by the municipal engineer where commercial vehicles are intended to utilize the hammerhead or cul-de-sac.
B.
Type I: Mixed-Use TND use standards.
(1)
Permitted uses. All uses permitted in the underlying zoning district shall be permitted within the TND. Additionally townhouses, as defined and allowed within this article, shall be permitted.
(2)
At least one single-family unit shall be provided for every four units consisting of townhouses or duplexes.
(3)
TNDs proposing more than five dwelling units shall provide nonresidential uses at a minimum rate of 25% of the square footage calculated by the sum of 1,500 square feet per dwelling unit proposed.
(4)
Conversely, in no case shall the gross floor area of principal nonresidential structures proposed exceed 2,000 square feet per dwelling unit proposed, excepting nonresidential structures, any part of which lie within 150 feet of the Route 30 right-of-way on parcels bearing frontage on said right-of-way.
(5)
Existing structures which are adjacent to or within the area of the proposed development may be incorporated only under the following conditions as part of said development for purposes of determining the preceding calculations [in Subsection B(1) through (3)]. The subject structures shall exhibit multiple violations of the Property Maintenance Code enforced by the municipality, the remedy of which shall exceed $3,000 in cost. The municipal engineer shall determine said violations and costs. Covenants shall be placed on the aforesaid properties limiting the use of the property to the uses for which the properties were proposed and classified as part of the TND.
(6)
Maximum density of residential dwelling units: six per acre including areas designated as open space to serve residential use, as defined and required herein.
(7)
Maximum lot coverage: 50%.
(8)
Maximum impervious surface coverage: 70%.
(9)
All residential dwelling units having or proposing detached or attached garages shall construct said garages in a manner in which the garage door does not face the front yard.
(10)
Townhouse standards.
(a)
The fronts of each unit shall be varied as follows. Each unit shall be offset from the abutting unit by at least one foot or shall provide changes in approved facade, such that each adjacent unit bears an alternating facade, as approved by the governing body in accordance with the purposes set forth in this article. Each unit shall bear either a roof style varying from that of the adjacent unit (including facing the gable, hip, or similar style of roof in alternating directions, dormers, changes in the pitch of the roof, or similar variations).
(11)
In cases where single-family or duplex units are proposed on land under fee simple ownership, only one principal structure shall be permitted on each lot. Said lots shall be subject to the standards for side and rear yard set setbacks, and maximum lot coverage as specified in the underlying zoning district.
(12)
Maximum height of residential structures: 35 feet or 2 1/2 stories.
(13)
Principal structures housing nonresidential uses, in whole or in part, shall adhere to the following standards.
(a)
Maximum lot coverage: 70%.
(b)
Impervious surface coverage: 80%.
(c)
Building standards shall comply with those cited in the bulk regulations of this chapter.
(d)
The cumulative length of any building facing a front yard shall be limited to 150 feet, excepting groups of buildings with party walls, and shall adhere to the standards of § 300-905.
(e)
Maximum height of nonresidential structures: 45 feet or three stories.
(f)
Side-yard setback: eight feet per story.
(g)
Rear-yard setback: 15 feet per story.
(14)
Principal structures housing nonresidential uses, in whole or in part, and separated by party walls shall adhere to the following standards:
(a)
Lot coverage and setbacks cited in § 300-704B(11) shall apply to the entire group of said structures and the parcel(s) upon which they are constructed as applied to one principal structure.
(b)
No group of said nonresidential structures shall exceed 225 feet in length.
(c)
Where flat roofs are provided, the front of the structure shall bear a decorative facade projecting above the roof.
(d)
The facade of each separate unit shall vary in either color or type, pattern, or offset by at least one foot.
(15)
Principal nonresidential structures bearing no party walls and standing independently shall adhere to the standards of § 300-905, Large-scale building standards, and the length of said structures directly or most nearly parallel to any public street shall not exceed 225 linear feet facing each respective street.
C.
Type II: Residential TND use standards.
(1)
Permitted uses. All uses permitted in the underlying zoning district shall be permitted within the TND in the manner otherwise authorized. Additionally townhouses as defined and allowed within this article shall be permitted.
(2)
At least one single-family unit shall be provided for every three units consisting of townhouses or duplexes. Where nonresidential uses are approved and proposed in accordance with this chapter and noted as such in the underlying zoning district, each 1,500 square feet of the floor area of said uses shall count as one townhouse unit for purposes of this section's requirements.
(3)
In no case shall the square footage of nonresidential use proposed exceed 750 square feet per dwelling unit proposed.
(4)
Existing structures which are adjacent to or within the area of the proposed development may be incorporated only under the following conditions as part of said development for purposes of determining the preceding calculations [in Subsection C(1) through (3)]. The subject structures shall exhibit multiple violations of the 2000 International Property Maintenance Code, the remedy of which shall exceed $3,000 in cost. The municipal engineer shall determine said violations and costs. Covenants shall be placed on the aforesaid properties limiting the use of the property to the uses for which the properties were proposed and classified as part of the TND.
(5)
Maximum density of residential dwelling units. One per 5,000 square feet of land area, excepting street and alley rights-of-way.
(6)
All residential dwelling units having or proposing detached or attached garages shall construct said garages in a manner in which the garage door does not face the front yard.
(7)
Townhouse standards.
(a)
The fronts of each unit shall be varied as follows. Each unit shall be offset from the abutting unit by at least one foot or shall provide changes in approved facade, such that each adjacent unit bears an alternating facade, as approved by the governing body in accordance with the purposes set forth in this article. Each unit shall bear either a roof style varying from that of the adjacent unit (including facing the gable, hip, or similar style of roof in alternating directions, dormers, changes in the pitch of the roof, or similar variations).
(b)
Flat roofs are prohibited.
(c)
No more than five adjacent units, sharing party walls, are permitted for each townhouse development.
(d)
Groups of townhouses shall not be located closer than 25 feet from any adjacent principal structure or group of townhouses.
(8)
In cases where single-family or duplex units are proposed on land under fee simple ownership of the unit owner, one principal structure shall be permitted on each lot. Said lots shall be subject to the standards for side and rear yard setbacks, and maximum lot coverage as specified in the underlying zoning district.
(9)
Maximum principal building height: 35 feet or 2 1/2 stories.
(10)
All nonresidential uses shall adhere to the same setback and lot coverage standards to which single-family and duplex uses are limited under the TND II standards.
D.
Type III: Mobile Home Park use standards.
(1)
Total density shall be calculated as follows: 70% of the total square feet of site area/5,000 square feet. The preceding notwithstanding, shall be modified to 70% of the total square feet of site area/4,000 square feet where by covenant the mobile home park is limited to either occupancy solely by persons aged 62 or older or the mobile home park requires occupancy by at least one person 55 years of age or older in at least 80% of the units. The preceding conditions qualify as exemptions for elderly housing under the Federal Fair Housing Act. The purpose of this provision is to provide for the housing needs of the Planning Area's elderly, who while desiring to live independently may not possess the ability or desire to maintain a traditional single-family home.
(2)
Permitted uses. Permitted uses are limited to the residential use of mobile homes whereby only one family occupies each unit.
(3)
A build-to line shall be established between 15 and 30 feet from the right-of-way. Unenclosed porches may invade said build-to line by eight feet.
(4)
Side and rear yard setbacks shall be 10 feet and shall be enforced from the mobile home lot line.
(5)
The minimum street frontage of each mobile home lot shall be 40 feet.
(6)
Accessory structures. Accessory structures in the Type III TND shall be limited to 144 square feet and 10 feet in height and shall not be placed in the front yard of the mobile home lot. Said structures may locate up to five feet from the mobile home lot line.