Plymouth Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XXXVII
Business Park Districts
Section 3700 Purpose.
[Ord. No. 1019, § 14, 11-13-1989]
The purpose of the Business Park District is to encourage the planned development of a multiuse center including limited manufacturing, office and retail uses adjacent to a major highway.
Section 3701 General district regulations.
[Ord. No. 1019, § 14, 11-13-1989]
A.
Minimum Tract Size: The minimum gross acreage of a tract eligible for a business park development shall be forty (40) acres.
B.
Unified Plan: Any development in a business park development shall consist of a unified, harmonious grouping of buildings, service and parking areas, and landscaped open space, planned and designed as an integrated unit.
C.
Location: The tract of land to be developed shall be located adjacent to and readily accessible from existing or planned major regional highways or limited access highways.
D.
Ownership: The tract of land to be developed shall be in one (1) ownership, or shall be the subject of an application filed jointly by the owners of the entire tract, and in which it shall be agreed that the tract will be developed under single direction in accordance with an approved plan.
E.
Land Development Plan: The application for land development shall be accompanied by a plan, or plans, meeting the requirements of Section 404 of the Plymouth Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, showing in detail the proposed use of the entire tract. The plan(s) shall clearly designate the proposed use(s) of each lot of the tract.
F.
Development Phases and Permits: The development of a business park center shall be executed in stages according to a phasing plan submitted by the applicant and approved by the township council according to the provisions of section 3712 and shall be executed in accordance with a development agreement. The owners, developer and township shall enter into the agreement embodying all details regarding compliance with this article to assure the binding nature thereof for the overall tract and its development. The agreement shall be recorded with the final record plan meeting the requirement of section 403 of the Plymouth Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
G.
Sewer and Water Facilities: All building in a Business Park District shall be served by public water facilities and public sanitary sewer facilities subject to the approval of any applicable agency. An application for a business park center shall include a letter(s) from the applicant stating the estimated demand of the proposal for sewer and water facilities, and from the appropriate water and sewer authority stating the present allocated available capacity of the utility, their concurrence or lack thereof with the applicant's estimate of demand, the estimated timetable for the provision of the full amount of water or sewage treatment capacity needed in the event the total required is not presently available, and a letter of preliminary approval indicating the conditions and terms needed for full approval of the application for utility service.
Section 3702 Permitted uses.
[Ord. No. 1019, § 14, 11-13-1989; Ord. No. 1195, § 1, 7-15-1996; Ord. No. 1589, § I, 10-13-2014]
A building or combination of buildings may be erected, altered or used and a lot may be used or occupied for any of the following purposes or a combination of the following purposes:
A.
Retail sales and services.
B.
Hotel.
C.
Offices for administrative, banking, data processing, executive, professional, sales, or other uses of the same general character.
D.
Fabrication of products from previously prepared materials, including, but not limited to, bone, cloth or textiles, cork, flooring, fur, feathers, hair, horn, glass, paper, sheet rubber, shell or wood.
E.
Manufacturing or processing of beverages, confections, cream, all food products (exclusive of fish packing or as otherwise excepted herein), ceramics, clothing, plastics, electrical appliances, furniture, hardware, tools, patterns, dies, specific instruments, jewelry, time pieces, optical goods, musical instruments, toys, cosmetics (exclusive of soap), tobacco products, and pharmaceuticals. For the purposes of this article, trash transfer stations shall not be considered manufacturing or processing.
F.
Wholesale trade, including, but not limited to, the storage and sale of lumber, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, building materials and supplies.
G.
Food service or catering.
H.
Printing of paper, plastic and metal.
I.
Public utility facilities.
J.
Research, development and testing of new products, laboratories.
K.
Warehousing and distributing, excluding storage for personal household use.
Section 3703 Accessory uses.
[Ord. No. 1019, § 14, 11-13-1989]
The following accessory uses are permitted when used in conjunction with a principal use or structure:
A.
Security watch stations for watchmen or caretakers which may contain sleeping and cooking facilities.
B.
Repair facilities for the maintenance of vehicles used in the operation of the principal use.
C.
Storage garages for vehicles used in the operation of the principal use.
F.
Accessory use on the same lot with and customarily incidental to any permitted use.
Section 3704 Special exceptions.
[Ord. No. 1019, § 14, 11-13-1989]
Any of the following uses shall be permitted when authorized as a special exception by the zoning hearing board pursuant to article XXI of this appendix:
A.
Taverns.
B.
Day care or nursery facilities.
C.
Physical fitness centers.
D.
Transit stations, including facilities for rail cars, buses and helicopters; provided, that a report and site plans describing the full operating impact of the proposed facility are submitted to the township and that the township council makes positive findings that the proposed facilities are safe, reduce the demand for automotive use at the business park center, and assist in promoting the economic viability of the development.
E.
Heliport and/or helistop, subject to Federal Aviation Administration and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Aviation site approval.
F.
Any use of the same general character as any permitted use.
Section 3705 Performance standards.
[Ord. No. 1019, § 14, 11-13-1989]
Any activity or use in the Business Park District shall comply with the requirements of article XXXV, Performance Standards.
Section 3706 Height, area, yard and building coverage, impervious surface and green space area regulations.
[Ord. No. 1019, § 14, 11-13-1989; Ord. No. 1353, § 3, 6-11-2001; Ord. No. 1476, § 38, 6-11-2007]
A.
Minimum Tract Frontage on a Public Street: One thousand (1,000) feet.
B.
Maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR): Sixty (60) percent.
C.
Maximum Impervious Surface Coverage: Sixty-five (65) percent of total lot area.
D.
Minimum Setbacks from Streets:
1.
Any building face to an arterial street: 50 feet.
2.
Any building face to a collector street located at the perimeter of a tract: 30 feet.
3.
Any building face to a private street located in the interior of a tract: 15 feet.
4.
Any building face to a parking space: 10 feet.
5.
Surface parking areas to an arterial street: 30 feet.
6.
Surface parking areas to a collector street: 20 feet.
7.
Surface parking areas to a private street: 15 feet.
E.
Minimum Setback Requirements for Buildings and Parking Structures, Measured from the Tract Perimeter.
1.
Any yard setback: Fifty (50) feet from any tract boundary.
2.
Residential district: Any setback requirement shall be increased to three hundred (300) feet where the tract abuts a residential zoning district, except where separated by a limited access highway, in which case the setback may be reduced to fifty (50) feet.
F.
Minimum Setback Requirements for Surface Parking Areas and Interior Roadways, Measured from the Tract Perimeter:
1.
Any yard setback: Thirty-five (35) feet from any tract boundary unless the yard abuts a limited access highway in which case there shall be no setback requirement, provided that no parking spaces shall be located within thirty-five (35) feet of a tract boundary.
2.
Residential district: Any setback requirement shall be increased to fifty (50) feet where the tract abuts a residential zoning district, except where separated by a limited access highway, in which case the setback may be reduced to thirty-five (35) feet.
G.
Maximum Height: One hundred fifty (150) feet, except that buildings shall be permitted in excess of one hundred fifty (150) feet, but in no event greater than two hundred (200) feet; provided, that no point of any building shall be at a higher elevation than the highest point of a building permitted by right at the highest ground elevation within the buildable area of the tract.
H.
Minimum Spacing Between Buildings and Parking Structures or Parking Structure and Parking Structure:
Number of Parking Levels Above Grade | Minimum Distance in Feet | |
|---|---|---|
1 to 2 | 30 | |
3 | 35 | |
4 | 40 | |
5 | 45 | |
6 | 50 |
I.
Green Space Area Requirement: The minimum required green space area on any lot shall not be less than thirty-five (35) percent.
J.
Maximum Building Coverage: Thirty-five (35) percent of lot area.
Section 3707 Buffering requirements.
[Ord. No. 1019, § 14, 11-13-1989]
Buffering shall be required pursuant to Section 1706 of this Ordinance.
Section 3708 Berming requirements.
[Ord. No. 1019, § 14, 11-13-1989]
Berming shall be required pursuant to Section 1707 of this Ordinance.
Section 3709 Design requirements for front yards.
[Ord. No. 1019, § 14, 11-13-1989]
No loading or unloading area, terminal area, or transfer station shall be located in front of the building line except for the drop-off or pickup of passengers.
Section 3710 Parking and loading requirements.
[Ord. No. 1019, § 14, 11-13-1989; Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 9-22-1997; Ord. No. 1253, § 13, 1-26-1998; Ord. No. 1353, § 4, 6-11-2001; Ord. No. 1476, § 31, 6-11-2007]
Every Business Park District shall provide adequate parking facilities including, but not limited to, accessways, driveways, drive aisles, collector drives, loading areas, parking spaces, parking structures, and pedestrian walkways to ensure the efficient circulation of vehicles and pedestrians both on- and off-site in conformance with the requirements of this section. The size of a parking space shall be reduced to nine (9) feet by eighteen (18) feet. The width of a parking aisle as required by Section 1700 may be reduced to twenty-four (24) feet, provided that an area equivalent to the difference between the standard of Section 1700 and the reduced standards of this section is subtracted from the allowable impervious surface coverage limit upon application to the Township Council and approval therefrom. Where the permitted use of the development contains more than one (1) parking use category, the parking requirements shall be the sum of the individual uses computed separately in accordance with this section. The number of required spaces shall be considered the minimum number necessary in order to provide for adequate parking. Township Council may, in its discretion, in a case where there is more than one use on one lot or condominium unit which have different peak hours of usage, reduce the aggregate amount of required parking space upon determination that greater efficiency is effected by joint use of a common parking area, but in no case shall the required off-street parking area be reduced more than twenty-five percent (25%). The number of parking spaces that shall be required is as follows:
A.
Retail Sales and Service Uses: Five (5) spaces per one thousand (1,000) square feet of gross leasable floor area.
B.
Office Uses:
Four (4) spaces per one thousand (1,000) square feet of gross leasable floor area up to and including one hundred thousand (100,000) square feet. | |
Three and one-half (3 1/2) spaces per one thousand (1,000) square feet of gross leasable floor area in excess of one hundred thousand (100,000) square feet. |
C.
Hotel Uses: One and three-tenths (1.3) spaces per guest room or rental unit.
D.
Warehouse and Wholesale Uses: One (1) parking space per each one thousand (1,000) square feet or fraction thereof.
E.
Industrial, Manufacturing, Fabricating or Research and Development Establishments: One (1) space for every eight hundred (800) square feet of gross leasable floor area.
F.
Other Uses Not Specifically Stated Herein: Four and one-half (4 1/2) spaces per one thousand (1,000) square feet of gross leasable floor area.
Section 3711 (Reserved) [1]
Section 3712 Application and review by planning agency; approval or disapproval by Township Council.
[Ord. No. 1019, § 14, 11-13-1989]
A.
The land development plan for any business park development shall be submitted to the township and reviewed and approved by Township Council prior to the issuance of any permits. Information to be shown on all business park center plans shall meet the requirements of Section 401, Section 403 and Section 404 of the Plymouth Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
B.
The planning agency shall review the land development plans for any business park center project submitted to it and shall submit these plans, with recommendations thereon, to the Township Council for final review and action thereon.
C.
Upon receipt of the land development plan, together with the recommendations of the planning agency for any business park, the Township Council shall, after review, have the power to approve or disapprove such plan and to impose reasonable conditions on an approval. The secretary of the township council shall notify the applicant in writing of council's final decision and any required special conditions imposed upon any business parking development.
Section 3713 Further subdivision of tract.
[Ord. No. 1019, § 14, 11-13-1989]
A.
Where the township council shall have approved plans of a business park development in accordance with the regulations herein, the subsequent division of that tract or part thereof into lots incident to the development of the use shall thereafter be exempted from the provisions of the Plymouth Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance; provided, that the deeds conveying lots or parts of the tract shall contain covenants requiring the purchasers to, at all times, operate and maintain such lots or parts of the tract in good order and repair and in a clean and sanitary condition; that cross-easements for parking areas and all appurtenant ways, pedestrian access, and utilities shall be maintained between all lots; and that such deed covenants shall be subject to the approval of the township council upon the advice of the township solicitor.
B.
The purchaser of any lot, parcel or other real estate in the Business Park District shall so covenant and agree thereby to be bound by such conditions as set forth in paragraph A. above.