Plymouth Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VIII
D Residential Districts
Section 800 Use regulations.
[Ord. No. 403, § 1, 1-14-1963; Ord. No. 840, § 1, 9-8-1980; Ord. No. 1048, § 4, 11-29-1990; Ord. No. 1133, § 7, 9-27-1993; Ord. No. 1293, § 3, 6-15-1999; Ord. No. 1307, § 2, 10-18-1999; Ord. No. 1320, §§ 4 and 5, 4-10-2000; Ord. No. 1476, § 12, 6-11-2007]
A building may be erected, altered or used, and a lot may be used or occupied, for any of the following purposes, and no other:
A.
Any use permitted in article IV, section 400, A, B and D.
B.
Duplex dwelling.
C.
Twin dwelling.
D.
Townhouse dwelling, where public sewer and water are available.
E.
Triplex dwelling.
F.
Quadraplex dwelling.
G.
Parks, playgrounds, tot-lots and open space.
H.
Home-operated beauty parlor conducted in one room of a dwelling by an immediate member of the resident family, provided the work is done by appointment only.
I.
Accessory use on the same lot with customarily incidental to any permitted use.
J.
Hospital (excluding animal hospital), sanitarium, convalescent home or care facility.
Section 801 Height regulations.
[Ord. No. 1307, § 3, 10-18-1999]
The maximum height of buildings and other structures erected or enlarged in this district shall be as prescribed in section 601 of article VI herein.
Section 802 Area, width, yard, building coverage, impervious surface and green space area regulations.
[Ord. No. 840, § 1, 9-8-1980; Ord. No. 1133, § 8, 9-27-1993; Ord. No. 1307, §§ 3, 4, 10-18-1999; Ord. No. 1476, §§ 13, 14, 6-11-2007]
A.
Minimum Lot Area, Width, Maximum Building Coverage, Maximum Impervious Surface and Minimum Green Area A minimum lot area, a minimum lot width at the building line, a maximum building coverage on the lot, a maximum impervious surface on the lot and minimum green area on the lot shall be provided for every principal building erected, altered or used for any use permitted in this district in accordance with the following:
Use | Minimum Lot Area (sq. ft. per family) | Minimum Lot Width (feet) | Maximum Building Coverage (%) | Maximum Impervious Surface (%) | Minimum Green Space Area (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Single-family detached dwelling | 5,000 | 50 | 30% | 45% | 55% |
Twin dwelling | 4,000 | 40 | 25% | 45% | 55% |
Duplex dwelling | 3,000 | 60 | 30% | 50% | 50% |
Triplex/ Quadraplex dwelling | 2,000 | 80 | 30% | 50% | 50% |
Townhouse dwelling | 2,000 | 20 | 35% | 50% | 50% |
For any other use permitted in this district, there shall be a lot area of not less than five thousand (5,000) square feet, a lot width at the building line of not less than fifty (50) feet, a building coverage of not greater than thirty (30) percent, a maximum impervious surface of forty-five (45) percent and a minimum green space area of fifty-five (55) percent. |
B.
Front Yard. There shall be front yard on each lot which shall be not less than twenty-five (25) feet in depth.
C.
Side Yard.
1.
Side yards shall be provided on each interior lot in this district in accordance with the following:
Type of Dwelling | Minimum No. of Yards | Minimum Aggregate Width (feet) | Minimum For Any One (feet) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Single-family detached | 2 | 20 | 8 | |
Duplex | 2 | 25 | 10 | |
Triplex | 2 | 25 | 10 | |
Quadraplex | 1 | 25 | 25 | |
Twin | 1 | 15 | 15 | |
Townhouse-end unit [except as required by Sec. 803.B(2)] | 1 | 15 | 15 |
For any other permitted use, there shall be two (2) side yards, the aggregate width of which shall be not less than twenty (20) feet, neither of which shall be less than eight (8) feet. |
2.
On each corner lot, for any permitted use, the side yard abutting the street shall be not less than twenty-five (25) feet in width and the width of the other side yard shall be not less than the "minimum for any one" listed above for interior lots, for permitted dwelling use, and not less than eight (8) feet for any other permitted use.
D.
Rear Yard. There shall be a rear yard on each lot the depth of which shall be not less than twenty-five (25) feet.
Section 803 Townhouses and attached dwellings.
[Ord. No. 840, § 1, 9-8-1980; Ord. No. 1251, § 1, 1-26-1998; Ord. No. 1253, § 3, 1-26-1998; Ord. No. 1293, § 4, 6-15-1999; Ord. No. 1307, § 6, 10-18-1999; Ord. No. 1382, § 1, 8-12-2002; Ord. No. 1476, § 15, 6-11-2007]
Townhouses and attached dwellings shall be required to meet the other requirements of the D Residential District and shall be required to meet the following special regulations:
A.
General Regulations.
(1)
Tract area. Not less than one contiguous acre exclusive of all rights-of-way for public streets, roads or walkways shall be provided for every area proposed to be used in whole or in part as a townhouse or attached dwelling development.
(2)
Tract ownership. The tract of land to be developed shall be in one ownership or shall be the subject of a single application filed jointly by the owners of the entire tract, and it shall be agreed that the tract shall be developed under single direction and in accordance with the Plymouth Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, this section and other pertinent provisions and of this Ordinance.
(3)
Where the townhouse or attached dwelling units are to be sold either in fee or as condominiums, the maintenance of common land for common open space or recreational use shall be guaranteed by trust indenture approved by the township and filed with the recorder of deeds of Montgomery County or by compliance with the management and maintenance procedures of the Uniform Planned Community Act including the recording in the office of the recorder of deeds of a declaration plan and a code of regulations; or such other equivalent procedures for the management and maintenance of the common elements as may be approved by the council.
(4)
The application for development shall be accompanied by a plan or plans showing detailed use of the entire tract. These plans shall comply with the township subdivision and land development ordinance and all other applicable township ordinances. The plan or plans shall clearly designate the proposed use(s) of each area of the tract.
B.
Building Requirements.
(1)
Density. A maximum of eight (8) dwellings per developable acre shall be allowed. "Developable acre" shall be defined as the area contained within the property lines of the lot(s) excluding that portion of the acreage used for public roads, the ultimate right-of-way of public roads, overhead and underground utility lines (except stormwater management systems), wetlands, floodplains as defined in this Ordinance, and land areas with slopes of fifteen (15) percent or greater.
(2)
Distance between buildings.
(a)
The minimum horizontal distance between any two (2) buildings shall be twenty-five (25) feet, except that this distance shall be fifty (50) feet where one or more facing walls contain a window or door.
(b)
Where exterior ground is in common ownership and where building facades exceed four (4) dwelling units and are parallel, Y must be at least as great as X (see sketch); however, in no case may Y be closer than fifty (50) feet.
 |
(3)
Setbacks. The minimum building setbacks shall be forty (40) feet from any property line, including the buffer area required in Section 803.D., and thirty (30) feet from the right-of-way line, including the buffer area.
(4)
Building size. There shall be no more than eight (8) townhouse dwelling units in a continuing attached row and no more than three (3) contiguous dwelling units shall have a uniform setback from a right-of-way line or parking area. Such variation shall be a minimum of three (3) feet.
C.
Off-Street Parking. Not less than two (2) off-street automobile parking spaces exclusive of garage areas shall be provided for each dwelling unit, and not less than one (1) off-street automobile parking space shall be provided for every five (5) dwelling units for visitor parking. Individual parking spaces shall be of a minimum dimension of nine (9) feet wide by eighteen (18) feet long and shall be designed to permit access to and egress from the parking space without requiring the moving of any other vehicle.
Any parking area designed for ten (10) or more cars shall: |
(1)
Be located twenty-five (25) feet or more from a road right-of-way line;
(2)
Be located twenty (20) feet or more from its associated dwelling unit structure's front and fifteen (15) feet or more from other dwelling unit sides;
(3)
Devote an additional ten (10) percent of all required parking area to interior parking lot landscaping.
D.
Buffers. A townhouse or attached dwelling development shall provide a permanently landscaped planting area of at least fifteen (15) feet in depth immediately adjacent to the boundary line, designed and planted to serve as a screening barrier from any adjoining and contiguous industrial, commercial, office, apartment or other residential district and including locations where a boundary is formed by a public street. In those instances where the boundary line abuts permanent natural features which function as buffers including, but not limited to, stream valleys, ponds, severe grade changes, or natural woodlands, the buffer may, at the discretion of the Township Council, be waived pursuant to the provisions of the Plymouth Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance of 1980, Ordinance No. 837, as amended,[1] for that portion of the boundary. The planting area screening barrier shall be a row of evergreen trees of a height of not less than six (6) feet when planted, spaced not more than ten (10) feet apart on centers, of such a species which attains a height at maturity of not less than twenty (20) feet. A landscaping plan subject to the approval of the Township Council pursuant to the provisions of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance of 1980, Ordinance No. 837, as amended, shall be submitted with the final plans showing all pertinent information, including the location, size and species of all trees and shrubs to be preserved or planted.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Appendix C, Subdivision and Land Development.
E.
Open Space. A minimum twenty (20) percent portion of the total site area, exclusive of the required public improvements and private streets and parking areas, shall be provided for open space and recreation. Private yards associated with individual dwelling units are not considered a portion of open space, but buffers may be included. Private yards may extend beyond the building envelope.
F.
Land Development Plans and Design Standards. Except as modified by this section, the procedures and standards specified in the subdivision and land development regulations shall apply to all proposed townhouse or attached dwelling developments.