Be designed to take advantage of the natural terrain;

Not be physically located or entered so as to unnecessarily concentrate activity in one portion of the lot;

Have the front and sides, and the rear, when the rear faces a street or residential district, faced with brick, stone, or other suitable material, as approved by the Township Planning Commission; and

Not be excessive in length or depth (over 200 feet), except when the landowner and/or developer can illustrate to the satisfaction of the Township Planning Commission that the proposed architectural design of the lot and building(s) avoids monotonous patterns of construction, repetitive spaces between buildings or fire-fighting difficulties.

Buildings shall be designed so as to avoid monotonous patterns of construction or repetitive spaces between buildings.

Multifamily dwellings may be designed around courts or common green spaces, have private balconies or patios, and should exhibit different factors and design features between structures in the complex.

Townhouses should have differing architectural facades or treatment of materials and have varying front yard setbacks.

Roof materials: shall include the utilization of roof tiles, roof shingles, or other roof material that is residential in character.

Mechanical equipment. All mechanical equipment shall be located on the ground and be screened with fencing, walls, or landscaping or be housed within the structure.

Exterior finish: All construction shall be of brick, stone, or other material residential in character deemed acceptable by both the Township Planning Commission and the Township Council. Siding may be used on structures that are primarily brick or stone.

Other architectural elements are encouraged, such as bay windows, chimneys, dormers, porches, columns, or decks to enhance the residential character of the building design.

Buffer area reduction.

Floor area increase not to exceed 10% of the original proposed floor area.

Balconies shall be permitted on a building facade that is adjacent to a public right-of-way.

A balcony shall be a maximum of 20 square feet, where the balcony's depth shall not exceed 2.5 feet.

To ensure expedient escape from fire or other similar danger if necessary, balconies shall not be utilized for the outdoor storage of grills.

In order to provide a safe and convenient means of access, grades of all driveways shall be in accordance with the specification in Part 12, Appendixes, of this chapter and as further detailed within this section.

All curb cuts shall be properly constructed in accordance with state and/or Township regulations. Curb cuts on Township streets shall be installed in accordance with the specifications in Part 12, Appendixes, of this chapter and as further detailed within this section.

Driveways shall not be constructed in such a way as to create a drainage problem on an adjacent lot. The size and kind of drainage facilities shall be subject to the approval of the Township Engineer.

Clear sight triangles at driveways shall be maintained as required in § 440-600 and § 440 Part 12, Appendixes. Driveway pillars along local roadways shall be a minimum of three feet off the curb or back of sidewalk whichever if further. Driveway pillars along minor collector, major collector, or arterial streets shall be positioned outside the right-of-way.

Sight distance for driveways. All driveways intersecting with Township roads must have minimum sight distance as follows:

The Township at its sole discretion may require a driveway to be located at a point along its site frontage which provides more sight distance than the minimum distances listed in Subsection A(5) above.

The Township at its sole discretion may require a driveway to aligned with a driveway or intersection on the opposite side of the roadway or may require a driveway to be offset a sufficient distance as they deem necessary so as not to create a traffic hazard.

A Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) highway occupancy permit(s) (HOP) must be obtained for all driveways on state roads. In those instances where PennDOT requires a design element or a design feature that contradicts any design feature of this chapter, the Township shall defer to PennDOT and the driveway shall be deemed to meet the requirements of section § 440-503 once a PennDOT HOP is issued. Nothing in this section prohibits the Township from reviewing any HOP application submitted within Peters Township and providing review comments to PennDOT related to any HOP for their consideration.

A maximum of two entrance driveways shall be constructed per lot, unless otherwise specified in this chapter. A corner lot shall be permitted a third entrance driveway, however, in such instances, no more than two entrance driveways shall be permitted on the same street. The Township Engineer may restrict access or the number of driveways as needed if safe and efficient movements cannot be accommodated.

A landowner and/or developer shall be permitted to construct a pedestrian drop-off and/or vehicular access driveway within a lot's front yard setback requirements.

For a property that abuts two or more roadways, the Township Engineer may restrict access to the lower classification roadway as needed if safe and efficient movements cannot be accommodated.

If a property may be subdivided in the future and if the resulting subdivision could create an unacceptable number of driveways or configuration of driveways in the future, then the Township Engineer may require the property owner to enter into an access covenant to restrict future access if the property is further subdivided.

Driveways may extend from the right-of-way of the street to the cartway of the street but shall not change the grade or contour of the street right-of-way, nor shall any person cut into, fill, or in any way alter any gutter, curbing, drainage ditch or storm drain within the right-of-way of a street or easement for the purposes of extending a driveway.

Driveway dimensions.

Design.

Driveway distances and locations.

Driveway surface width.

Driveway angle with center line of intersecting street pavement.

Driveway throat length.

Frontage on private rights-of-way. Development of properties that front on or contain a private right-of-way shall be governed by the following criteria and standards.

Service streets. Service streets (e.g., to loading areas) should be of adequate width to handle the type of traffic anticipated; and should meet the driveway regulations in this chapter as a minimum; be designed according to good engineering practices; and be approved by the Township Planning Commission.

Interior circulation and traffic control.

For commercial and office uses under the same ownership and consolidated for the purposes of development or phased developments comprised of more than one building site, the Township shall require that the development be served by an internal road that is separated from the main roadway. All access to out-parcels shall be internalized using the internal roadway. The driveways for outparcels shall be designed to allow safe and efficient ingress and egress movements from the internal road.

Joint and cross access driveways for commercial uses.

Driveways shall have a maximum grade of 15% while still meeting the design specifications in Part 12, Appendixes, of this chapter.

Driveway distance and location.

Driveway surface width.

Driveway angle with center line of intersecting street pavement.

Driveways material.

A landscape plan, with appropriate details, shall be prepared and submitted at the time of site plan or subdivision and land development application. The landscape plan shall contain and show the following information:

All landscape plans for parking lots 5,000 square feet or greater shall be designed by a landscape architect or other professional nurseryman.

Parking lots should be effectively landscaped with trees and shrubs to reduce glare, to delineate driving lanes and to reduce reflected heat.

Location of screening. A continuous planting, hedge, fence, wall or earthen mounding shall enclose any service structure on all sides unless such structure must be frequently moved, in which case screening on all but one side is required. The average height of the screening material shall be one foot more than the height of the enclosed structure but shall not be required to exceed eight feet in height. When a service structure is located next to a building wall, perimeter landscaping material may fulfill the screening requirements for that side of the service structure if that wall or screening material is of an average height sufficient to meet the height requirement set out in this section. Whenever service structures are screened by plant material, such material may count towards the fulfillment of required landscaping.

Protection of screening material. Whenever screening material is placed around any trash disposal unit or waste collection unit that is emptied or removed mechanically on a regular basis, a fixed barrier to contain the placement of the container shall be provided within the screening material on those sides where there is such material. The barrier shall be at least 18 inches from the material and shall be of sufficient strength to prevent possible damage to the screening when the container is moved. The minimum front opening of the screening material shall be 12 feet to allow service vehicles access to the container.

Buffer Area A is a minimum of 25 feet wide.

Buffer Area B is a minimum of 15 feet wide.

Buffer Area C is a minimum of 10 feet wide.

Buffer Area D. If a residential setback is reduced per the provisions of § 440-403, the landowner, developer or tenant shall provide one of the following:

The buffer area shall be provided and maintained by the landowner, developer or tenant of the said lot between any nonresidential or mixed-use district or use and contiguous residentially zoned districts, except where natural or physical man-made barriers exist that will duplicate the effect of the landscape screen.

In a buffer area, the existing grade shall be maintained for a distance of at least eight feet to provide adequate width for plant material, and the maximum grade in the remainder of the buffer area shall not exceed three feet horizontal to one foot vertical.

All plants not surviving three planting seasons shall be replaced.

Architecturally integrated with the character of the associated structures, site design, landscape and zoning districts;

Directed downward and shielded, or specifically directed to walls, landscape elements or other similar features, so that light is confined within the boundaries of the subject parcel;

Installed so that lights do not blink, flash or be of unusually high intensity or brightness;

Appropriate in height, intensity and scale to the uses and the site they are serving; and

Installed in conformance with the provisions of this section, the Building Code, the Electrical Code, and the site plan approval.

All outdoor light fixtures existing and legally installed prior to the effective date of this section except:

Lights used for holiday decorations, when displayed during the period of display of the Township's public holiday decorations.

Portable temporary lighting used by law enforcement or emergency services personnel to protect life or property.

In single-family residential zones, fixtures containing lamps emitting less than the 1,800 lumens (26 watts for fluorescent lighting, 50 watts for high-intensity discharge, and 100 watts for incandescent), provided that the light fixture is fully shielded and properly focused downward to minimize glare and spill light into the night sky and onto adjacent properties and does not exceed a height of 15 feet.

Streetlights erected on public or private right-of-way. Streetlight design is to be in compliance with the Township streetlighting policy.

Lighting associated with a special event must be approved by the Peters Township Council.

Parking area illumination levels.

Entrance lighting. Multifamily residential and nonresidential development should provide glare-free light fixtures at building entrances and exits. Nonresidential developments shall provide for lighting in accordance with this chapter at all vehicle and pedestrian entrances and on-site vehicle intersections. Entrance lighting may not exceed a height of 12 feet and must be high-pressure sodium. In order to promote safety, lighting levels at entrances shall be equal to the average level of the associated parking lot.

Spillover lighting. With the exception of light sources that do not exceed a height of three feet above finished grade, light sources must be a full cutoff so as to not direct light skyward, and shall be so arranged by means of filters or shields to avoid reflecting lighting onto adjoining properties or streets. Lighting fixtures that do not exceed a height of three feet above finished grade shall be properly focused to minimize glare and spill light into the night sky and onto adjacent properties.

Height.

Decorative lighting. In the Town Center District, decorative lighting shall be utilized. Decorative lights shall be placed along sidewalks in the front and along the public roadway as shown in the picture below. The decorative light used shall be consistent throughout the district, and shall comply with Part 6.

Hours of operation.

Permitted lamp fixture types.

The Township of Peters reserves the right to require adjustments to outdoor lighting after a new site comes on-line and lighting problems or issues are found to exist.

Any building or structure erected, altered, or used and any lot used or occupied for any of the following purposes shall be provided with the minimum number of parking spaces set forth in Figure 500.8 or 500.9, as determined by the Zoning Officer or Planning Director, unless reserve parking or shared parking are being used or the conditions in Subsection A(4) below apply.

In addition to the regulations in Figure 500.9, Minimum Off-Street Parking Space Requirements by Use, the Township may require the developer to provide up to one visitor space for every two units within a multifamily development and may require additional parking facilities for recreational buildings or areas.

Parking space minimum requirements for uses not provided in Figure 500.9 shall be determined by the Township Planning Commission as a component of site plan review and approval.

Any future change in land use for structures or parts of structures exceeding 10,000 square feet in gross floor area shall require a recalculation of the required parking. The recalculation of parking shall be submitted to and approved by Township Planning staff prior to the change in use. In the case of shared parking, if the mixture of uses shall change from the original calculation, a new shared parking calculation shall be required to be submitted to the Township Planning staff for approval.

When a parking space minimum requirement must be established for a commercial center, land development or building exceeding 10,000 square feet in gross floor area in which the uses cannot be reasonably determined or estimated, the Township may apply the following general minimums based on gross floor area:

In any case, the Township reserves the right to adjust the minimum requirement based on site configuration, context of surrounding area and any information available on intended land use.

In addition to minimum parking requirements established in this chapter, the following stacking or queuing areas are required:

Required stacking spaces are subject to the following design and layout standards.

Suitable area must be available on the site for 100% of the parking required above.

The number of spaces which must be paved initially may be reduced by up to 50% by the Township Council or Planning Commission. All stormwater engineering shall be designed based on total parking requirements, including the reserve.

Applicants that anticipate a need for more than 120% of the required parking spaces should design their developments with suitable area for the balance of the total number of spaces required. These spaces shall be held in reserve. The reserve parking spaces shall be constructed by the applicant if and when determined necessary by the Township Council or Planning Commission, upon recommendation of the Zoning Officer.

The Township may require installation of these parking spaces under the following conditions:

The parking spaces required in the above standards may be reduced by an amount determined by the Planning Director when it can be demonstrated through a parking demand study that sufficient parking is already available or can be provided by the subject uses through shared parking.

The use of shared parking shall be required when the development is under the control of a single owner/developer and contains commercial, retail, office, institutional, or public uses with staggered peak parking demands. A parking demand study is encouraged for all development and redevelopment to optimize available parking resources, minimize construction and maintenance costs and enhance community character.

The minimum amount of shared parking required shall be calculated by the Township according to the shared parking calculator maintained by the Planning Department.

A written agreement involving all parties to shared parking arrangements shall be kept on file with the Township. An example agreement appears in Part 12, Appendixes, of this chapter.

The quantity of handicapped spaces for a land development shall be included within the total number of parking spaces required.

The proportion and access of handicapped spaces required by a land development shall conform to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines, US Access Board.

One in every eight accessible spaces, but not less than one, shall be served by an access aisle a minimum of 96 inches wide and shall be designated as "van accessible."

All signage designating accessible spaces shall be in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code requirements.

Surface parking areas provided on-site for new development shall be located at the side, to the rear or at the face of a building that does not front along a street. Corners of primary street intersections shall be avoided in the location of parking lots, as shall the space between a building and the adjacent street frontage it faces. Partial or full underground parking may be used.

The Township Council or Planning Commission shall approve one of the following incentives for parking lots in land or building redevelopment that provides a minimum of 80% of the required parking spaces between the building(s) rear face and rear lot line or side face(s) and side lot line(s):

Where parking lots are allowed to locate, or remain between the face of a building and its street frontage, a five-foot-wide planting area shall be provided between the parking lot and the street right-of-way.

Off-street parking spaces provided in a surface parking lot shall not be located any closer than 10 feet to the right-of-way line of a public or private roadway. The area between the right-of-way and off-street parking spaces shall be seeded and planted with shrubbery, trees or other landscaped barrier that will prevent the shining of lights from the parking area onto the roadway and in accordance with § 440-504 as appropriate.

Parking lot interconnections shall be required. In all commercial, industrial, and mixed-use districts, the landowner and/or developer shall provide a two-way access point in the side yard. If development exists on an adjacent lot, then the access point shall be located so that the maximum traffic flow between parking lots can ultimately occur.[1]

If more than 50% of the use's required parking is located between a public right-of-way line and the front facade of a building, the front yard buffer area shall be a minimum of 25 feet.

Parking lots shall be constructed in accordance with applicable requirements of § 440-508.

No parking garage/structure shall exceed 35 feet in height above the average ground level immediately adjacent to the parking garage/structure.

Parking garages/structures shall be included in all building and net site coverage calculations.

Parking garages/structures shall be illuminated in conformance with the requirements of § 440-506.

Parking structures shall conform to the yard setbacks of a principal building as defined in this chapter.

For development on a lot that includes a mixture of nonresidential and residential uses for which individual uses cannot be reasonably determined or estimated, 3.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area minus 10% of the total number of spaces shall be provided.

When adjacent to a public road right-of-way, an individual surface parking lot shall be equal to or less than 200 feet in length. No more than 50% of the lot's frontage to a public right-of-way shall be used for parking.

If more than one parking lot exists in a development and two or more of the development's parking lots commonly share the same side of a public right-of-way, then one of the following shall occur between the parking lots:

Parking lots for nonresidential uses shall not be constructed in the area between a building's front facade and the lot's front lot line.

Structured parking shall be permitted within mixed-use districts. Parking structures shall be considered a building that is an accessory to the principal use of a site and shall not be included in the site's floor area ratio (FAR) calculation.

Surface parking shall be permitted within the floodplain of a mixed-use district, provided that:

General standards. The proportion of loading spaces shall be provided in accordance with Figure 500.9, Minimum Off-Street Parking and Loading Requirements by Use.

Adequate area that is screened from public view shall be provided for dumpsters and the disposal of waste. Dumpster locations shall be in the rear of a parking lot out of view from public streets where feasible. An illustration of this is provided in Part 12, Appendixes, of this chapter. Off-street loading and unloading space(s) with proper and safe access from the street, service street, or parking lot shall be provided on each lot where it is deemed necessary by the Township Planning Commission. Each loading space shall:

Delivery, loading and service areas.

Off-street parking spaces with the proper and safe access shall be provided within a structure or in the open to serve adequately the uses on each lot within a district. Parking spaces shall be so arranged that no vehicle will back out on any public right-of-way or into an entrance driveway within 20 feet of a street cartway. Stacked spaces are prohibited except for display vehicles.

For purposes of designing the layout of off-street parking facilities, the following minimum design standards shall be observed: (See diagram in Part 12, Appendixes, of this chapter.)

Parking lots for buildings used exclusively for offices may designate up to 1/3 of the required spaces for compact cars in perpendicular spaces of nine feet by 18 feet, provided that the area is identified with signs.

Have an impervious paved surface as required in § 440-503. However, Grasscrete, Monoslab, or equal may be used in place of impervious paving in lightly traveled areas with the permission of the Township Planning Commission.

Have parking stalls clearly delineated by painted lines or markers.

Be provided with guide rails or wheel stops when necessary for safety or protection of adjacent structures, landscaped areas, or downward slopes.

Have all vehicular entrances and exits clearly designated for all weather conditions.

Be adequately lighted if used during evening hours.

Be approximately level, except for necessary drainage purposes. The maximum permissible slope of any parking area shall be 7%. If parking spaces are provided in an area which exceeds 5%, all such spaces shall be perpendicular to the contour lines of the area.

Be landscaped in accordance with §§ 440-504 and 440-505.

A single sample of merchandise may be displayed outdoors in the nonresidential district, provided that:

No display of cars for sale (excluding auto dealers) shall occur on commercial property.

General. All junked or abandoned vehicles are specifically prohibited in this chapter. The outdoor accumulation of rubbish, parts, tires, etc., is regulated by Chapter 274, Nuisances, of the Code of the Township of Peters. Buffer areas and screening requirements are in § 440-505.

Propane. All liquefied petroleum gas containers or tanks of 500 pounds or more shall be installed in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association Bulletin No. 58, 12972, as amended, the Regulations for Liquefied Petroleum Gas of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, and any applicable federal regulations. In addition, all bottled gas cylinder, tank or container installations, regardless of size or locations, shall be protected from tampering and/or damage as required by the Township Fire Marshal and the Fire Prevention Code. (See Chapter 165, Article II.) Installations shall be screened from view in any such manner specified by the Zoning Officer that does not conflict with the above cited regulations.

General Commercial District and Industrial District.

No outdoor storage shall be conducted in any residential districts.

Outdoor storage shall not occur in a front yard or yard adjacent to a residential district.

If outdoor storage exceeds 150 square feet, the landowner or developer shall file a special permit with the Township Planning Department.

Outdoor storage of merchandise related to a farm shall conform to the provisions of Part 6.

A brief description of the proposed project in terms of land use and magnitude.

An inventory and analysis of existing roadway and traffic conditions in the site environs including:

Proposed site-generated traffic volumes in terms of:

An analysis of future traffic conditions including:

A description of future levels of service and their compliance with standards for traffic capacity of streets, intersections and driveways. New streets shall be designed for adequate traffic capacity defined as follows, all referenced by the current edition of the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Highway Capacity Manual approved for use in Pennsylvania by PennDOT.

A description and analysis of the proposed access plan and site plan including:

Traffic circulation mitigating action plan shall include:

Forestry activities of timber harvesting and/or logging, whether by clear-cutting, selective cutting or other common practice, shall be permitted in any zoning district. All forestry activities shall comply with Chapter 402, Trees, Article I, Logging and Timber Harvesting, of the Peters Township Code of Ordinances.

The cutting of trees and/or clearing of vegetation within the maximum buffer area which could be applicable to the lot, as required by § 440-505, or within the minimum building setback as required by Part 4, whichever is greater, unless incidental to imminent development, is prohibited. Grubbing activity, as defined in Subsection A, is permitted where the purpose is to improve the appearance of the lot.

"Imminent development" shall be considered to be development which is reasonably expected to commence and for which there are realistic plans to commence on a minimum basis of eight hours per day, 40 hours per week (utilizing a standard workweek basis of five on, two off) within 60 days of the completed cutting activities and for which a subdivision or land development plan or plat and a conceptual landscape plan has been submitted and approved by the Township.

The penalty for violating this section shall be a maximum of $500 for each day in excess of 60 that the cleared lot is not subject to significant development activities, as defined above, unless the lack of significant development for time in excess of 60 days following the clearing of the lot occurred for reasons other than a lack of reasonable expectations as to when development would and could commence and/or a lack of realistic plans for the commencement of development. This language is not intended to prohibit the cutting of diseased, dead or dying plants or trees, the development of flower or vegetable gardens or the removal of single trees or clumps of vegetation for aesthetic, safety or other concerns. It does prohibit the mass or large-scale defoliation of a lot preparatory to development until shortly before the proposed development actually takes place.

In addition to any other remedy available to the Township and in the event that the construction of structures and/or infrastructure on the site does not commence despite an approved land development plan within six months of the completion of the clearing operations as determined by the Township, the disturbed site shall be reforested in accordance with requirements for the applicable buffer area or, if in the area of any required minimum setback not within a required buffer area, in accordance with the spacing and planning variety required for Buffer Area A. Should this six-month period fall during a season not conducive to planting, the Township may permit the developer and/or landowner to delay this reforestation until a time more conducive, but shall commence, in no case, any later than April 1. Furthermore, at the time of the land development plan or plat approval, the Township shall require that a performance bond be provided, in the favor of the Township, to guarantee this reforestation, in an amount approved by the Township Engineer. The lot must be reforested with a species comparable to the predominant species on the lot prior to the commencement of the clearing operations.

The landscape plan required by § 440-504 shall show the location and species of all existing trees six inches in diameter at breast height (dbh). All such trees shall be marked in the field in order that they may be inspected by the Township. Applicants are encouraged to maximize the retention of all healthy existing trees six inches or more dbh. All trees, including those not listed by the Township Planning Department, are subject to approval by the Township Planning Department with respect to health, location and species type. Trees to be preserved should not be disturbed within the dripline. Any change to the existing grade within the dripline shall disqualify the opportunity for credits. A developer preserving existing approved trees shall be entitled to the following credits from the buffer area requirements of § 440-505:

Single-family lots. Retaining walls shall have a maximum height of six feet.

All other development. See Peters Township Grading Ordinance, Chapter 229 of the Township Code.

Fences and nongravity walls may be used for privacy, protection or screening, but shall not be used in lieu of landscape screening in buffer areas.

Any fence or nongravity wall forward of the building set back line shall be no higher than four feet, shall not be a privacy or chain-link fence and shall not encroach into the street right-of-way. Fences and non-gravity walls in side and rear yards shall not exceed a height of six feet. Fence height measurements shall not include projections above fence posts, decorative features, or other protrusions. A permit to erect a nongravity wall and/or fence shall be required in accordance with the regulations of the Township Planning Department. Athletic fields and similar recreation facilities are exempt from the six-foot height restriction. (See Part 6.)

Fences shall be defined to include a front and back face. The finished side of the fence shall be considered the front face and the front face shall be oriented toward the exterior of a lot so that a maximum of 80% of each structural member of the fence, unless a split rail fence, shall be visible from an adjacent lot.

Privacy fences shall include fences with slat spacing of less than one inch.

No fence in the residential zoning districts shall be barbed wire or electric, excluding use on a farm.

No privacy or chain link fence may be constructed forward of the front setback lines.

No front yard fence shall exceed four feet in total height (measured from the ground to the highest point of fencing material).

No side or rear fence shall exceed six feet in total height (measured from the ground to the highest point of fencing material).

Fences, including decorative fencing, shall not have unprotected spikes or similar components.