Perkiomen Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XXVII
LI Light Industrial Zoning District
§ 310-223 Purpose.
It is the purpose of this district to encourage industrial development which is free from offensive noise, vibration, smoke, odors, glare, hazards of fire or other objectionable effects and which generates vehicular traffic similar in character and volume to that of more intensive industrial uses, and of which, because of building type and design, site design, maintenance and use, the hours and methods of operation have minimal impact on adjacent zoning districts.
§ 310-224 Use regulations for LI District.
A.
Uses by right. In an LI District, land, buildings or premises shall be used by right for only one or more of the following:
(1)
Scientific or industrial research, engineering, laboratory, testing or experimental laboratory or similar establishment for research or product development.
(2)
Offices.
(3)
Industrial assembly, defined herein as the fitting or joining of parts and finishing of goods from previously prepared components that are not produced on site. All industrial assembly activities must be contained entirely within a building. Industrial assembly does not include basic industrial processing of raw materials; it does not produce noise, odor, smoke, heat, glare, vibration or waste products that will disturb or endanger neighboring properties as defined in § 310-52 of this chapter, the Township Noise Ordinance[1] or any applicable federal, state or local regulation.
(4)
Warehouse or distribution facilities.
(5)
Indoor athletic facility.
(6)
Mini storage/self-storage.
(7)
Public or governmental utility building or use.
B.
Accessory uses. Only the following accessory uses shall be permitted:
(1)
Cafeteria facilities for employees.
(2)
Repair shop or maintenance facilities normally required for the conduct of industrial assembly operations, provided that all activities occur within an enclosed building or fenced area not visible to surrounding and/or adjacent zoning districts.
(3)
Recreational facilities for employees and occupants.
(4)
Storage within a completely enclosed building in conjunction with a permitted use.
(5)
Other accessory uses on the same lot with and customarily incidental to any of the above uses and not detrimental to the neighborhood.
§ 310-225 Area and bulk regulations for LI District.
Area and bulk regulations shall be as follows:
B.
Additional setbacks.
(1)
Parking areas.
(a)
All parking lots or areas abutting nonresidential zoning districts shall be set back 10 feet from the property line or the ultimate right-of-way line, whichever is greater.
(b)
All parking areas abutting residential zoning districts shall be set back 50 feet from the residential zoning district in the Township or neighboring municipality.
(2)
All buildings on the same lot shall be located not less than 30 feet from their nearest walls.
§ 310-226 Additional requirements for LI District.
In addition to the regulations for all industrial districts, the following are requirements in an LI Limited Industrial District.
C.
Abutting residential districts. When an industrial use abuts a residential district, no building or structure may be erected closer than 100 feet to the residential district. The area shall be planted and maintained according to Ordinance No. 173, Perkiomen Township Landscaping Regulations. (See § 264-36D in Chapter 264, Subdivision and Land Development.)
D.
Outdoor storage. All uses, except loading areas, shall be completely enclosed within a building. No equipment, raw materials, supplies or waste products shall be stored outside the building.
E.
Refuse areas. The design of buildings in the Light Industrial District shall either include a provision for the storage of refuse inside the building(s) or within an outdoor area enclosed by either walls or opaque fencing. Any refuse area outside the building shall be designed to be architecturally compatible with the building(s) and shall not interfere with nor be visible from circulation within the parking lot; such walls or fencing shall be designed to shield the refuse areas from direct view of any adjacent property and must be at least six feet high. No trash storage area shall be located within 10 feet of an adjacent nonresidential property line or within 50 feet of a road right-of-way or residential lot line.
F.
Off-street loading. Adequate off-street loading and unloading space with property access from a street, highway or common service driveway shall be provided for all commercial properties. All areas for loading and unloading of delivery trucks and other vehicles and for refuse collection, fuel and other service vehicles shall have adequate and unobstructed access from a street or service driveway and shall be so arranged that they may be used without blocking or otherwise interfering with the use of automobile accessways, parking facilities or pedestrianways. They shall also be so arranged that they may be used without backing out onto a street. Service areas shall be screened from view from any abutting roadway, parking area or residential lot line.
G.
Common area. For all uses, common open space areas shall be provided as follows:
(1)
For all uses, excluding commercial uses, the common area shall meet the following design standards:
(a)
The common area may be a courtyard or plaza located outdoors of the principal building, visible from entrance driveways and parking lots.
(b)
The common area shall have walkways, seating and landscaping.
(c)
The total amount of the common area space provided shall not be less than 3% of the gross floor area of the principal building(s) it serves and may be divided into two separate locations when required by the Board of Supervisors.
(d)
A minimum of 200 square feet of outdoor common area shall be provided for employees and visitors for each use. These common areas may be located anywhere on the lot and shall include seating and landscaping.
(2)
For commercial uses, the common area shall be developed in compliance with Article XX, CR Commercial Retail District, § 310-163C(2), Central common area.
H.
Character of the surrounding area. If required by the Planning Commission, the applicant shall do the following:
(1)
The impact of the proposed use on the surrounding properties shall be considered. If the proposal is adjacent to a residential district, the layout of the use shall not be detrimental to the surrounding area.
(2)
All buildings and other structures shall be similar in size, scale, general appearance and building materials to one or more buildings on the adjoining lots or to an existing historic building. The applicant and/or owner shall submit architectural drawings for evaluation of the proposed principal buildings, satellite buildings, structures and expansions, including building elevations and color renderings. The Board of Supervisors may approve a facade different from the surrounding buildings, provided that it conforms to the characteristics of the zoning district and does not detract from the intent of this chapter to preserve the area's appearance.
I.
Traffic. The road system must be able to accommodate the peak traffic generated by the use in a safe and sufficient manner. In order to fully evaluate this, if required by the Planning Commission, the applicant shall perform a traffic impact study according to the following:
(1)
The traffic impact study shall present enough information to enable the Township to assess the impact of the proposed uses on the roads within the Township. The study must demonstrate that the proposed use will not adversely affect surrounding areas or traffic circulation generally in the Township or else identify any traffic problems that might be caused or aggravated by the proposed use and delineate solutions to those problems. Based upon the findings of the study, the Township may require other improvements, both on site and off site, which would alleviate hazardous or congested situations directly attributable to the proposed development, as condition of approval.
(2)
The traffic impact study shall include an analysis of all significant intersections within a study area extending to a minimum of 1/2 mile from the boundary on all roads which the traffic generated by the proposed development would reasonably be expected to utilize. Intersections greater than 1/2 mile but not more than one mile away shall also be studied if deemed necessary by the Township Engineer.
(3)
The traffic impact study shall be prepared by a qualified traffic engineer who possesses the credentials outlined for a municipal traffic engineer defined in Pennsylvania Code Title 67, Chapter 205, entitled "Municipal Traffic Engineering Certification."
J.
Community impact analysis. When deemed necessary by the Board of Supervisors, the applicant shall submit a community impact analysis (CIA) which includes the following information prior to any final plan approval:
(1)
The CIA must describe the compatibility of the proposed development with land uses that are adjacent to the site and the consistency of the project with the Central Perkiomen Valley Regional Comprehensive Plan or the Perkiomen Township Comprehensive Plan, whichever is in effect at the time.
(2)
The impact of the proposed development on sensitive natural areas, including floodplains, steep slopes, woodlands, waterways, recreational areas, and conservation areas.
(3)
The impact of the development on public utilities, including public sewage disposal, public water supply, solid waste disposal, storm drainage, and electrical utilities, and the provision of police and fire protection.
(4)
Documentation of on-site or off-site improvements proposed to alleviate any projected negative impacts of the development.
K.
Specific plan requirements. If required by the Planning Commission, the general plan for a light industrial development shall include evidence and facts showing that it has considered and made provision for, and that the development shall be executed in accordance with, the following conditions:
(1)
The proposed development shall be substantially in accordance with the Central Perkiomen Valley Regional Comprehensive Plan; shall consider the surrounding land features of the area; and shall contain appropriate provision for open spaces, width and grade of streets and location and arrangement of parking spaces, all with due regard for the character of the neighborhood and its particular suitability for this type of use.
L.
Market analysis. If required by the Planning Commission, the owner/developer shall provide a market analysis which addresses the present and future needs of the market study area and describes how the proposed development responds to that need. The analysis must demonstrate whether the proposed use can be supported by the scale and type of uses that exist in the area or are projected for the future.
M.
Improvement of one lot or more in the Light Industrial District, whether proposed initially or cumulatively, or the development of a single nonresidential building on a lot or lots regardless of the number of occupants or tenants shall be required to submit a land development plan and comply with the requirements of Chapter 264, Subdivision and Land Development.