Radnor Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVIII
PLU Public Land Use District
§ 280-83 Establishment; purpose.
A new zoning classification, hereinafter referred to as the Public Land Use District (PLU), is established along with standards for use and development within such district, which shall be designed to make special provisions for facilities and uses which are noncommercial, public-service oriented and which are owned by the Township, school district, county, state or federal government, other public authorities or public agencies or public oriented non-sectarian community groups. Many of these uses are necessary for the service to the general public and have unique locational or physical requirements.
§ 280-84 Territory.
[Amended 11-14-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-20]
The land included within the Public Land Use District created by this article, and the Township Engineer shall prepare appropriate legal descriptions of land which shall be designated in Appendix A of this article.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Appendix A is on file and available for inspection in the office of the Township Secretary.
§ 280-85 Use regulations.
[Amended 1-3-2011 by Ord. No. 2010-23]
A building may be erected or used and a lot may be occupied for any of the following purposes:
A.
Municipal, county, state or federal buildings or uses. This use is limited to facilities of Radnor Township, Delaware County, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or the federal government and may include administration buildings, police facilities, recreation facilities, libraries, road maintenance facilities and emergency management facilities.
B.
Public schools. This use includes facilities of the Radnor Township School District and school-related uses in support of or accessory to the school district.
C.
Public education facilities. This use includes adult educational centers or other similar facilities operated by an educational, civic or philanthropic institution.
D.
Public parks and recreation facilities or nonprofit community recreation facilities open to the public.
E.
Public transportation facilities.
F.
Public utility facilities.
G.
Post office.
H.
Public art gallery.
I.
Public parking facilities.
J.
Private library: operated by an educational, historic, or other nonprofit organization.
K.
Office uses of existing Radnor Township buildings for governmental, educational, civic, philanthropic, or other nonprofit organizations.
L.
Accessory uses on the same lot which shall be incidental to a permitted use, including the following:
(1)
Accessory residential or caretaker use within existing Radnor Township buildings.
(2)
Accessory agricultural or agricultural retail, provided that at least 50% of such products shall have been grown or produced on the property on which they are offered for sale.
(3)
Accessory catering or accessory concession operation to a permitted use.
M.
The following uses, when authorized as a special exception by the Zoning Hearing Board, subject to the general standards as prescribed in § 280-145, and provided that the Board shall determine that the placement of such use is of a public necessity and that planting, buffering or other measures are taken to safeguard the character of existing and enjoining districts.
(1)
Radio and television towers and other telecommunication facilities when operated only by a Township agency, governmental agency, public utility corporation, or federally licensed telecommunications company.
§ 280-86 Area and height regulations.
A.
Lot area and width. A minimum lot area and width shall not be required within this district.
B.
Building area. Not more than 30% of the total lot area may be occupied by buildings and not less than 55% of the total lot area, exclusive of those areas within the right-of-way, shall be devoted to landscaping.
[Amended 4-27-1998 by Ord. No. 98-04]
C.
Front yard. All buildings shall have a minimum front yard setback of at least equal to that of the most restrictive and adjoining zoning districts, provided that where such district adjoins an agricultural, residential or planned apartment zoning district, the minimum front yard setback shall be 120 feet.
D.
Side and rear yard setbacks. All buildings shall have a minimum side and rear yard setback of 25 feet or no less than the required minimum side or rear yard setback of the adjoining zoning district, provided that where the adjoining district is zoned agricultural, residential or planned apartment, the setback shall be 120 feet.
E.
Building height. No building or structure shall exceed three stories or 38 feet, except for sports field lighting on Township property which has been approved by the Board of Commissioners, at its discretion, and is subject to the following:
[Amended 2-25-2013 by Ord. No. 2012-11]
(1)
Maximum height of the light standard shall not exceed 85 feet.
(2)
Lights shall not exceed a maximum footcandle reading at the property line in excess of 0.2 fc (footcandles) unless otherwise approved by the Board of Commissioners.
(3)
Light fixtures shall be shielded to reduce light spillage beyond the extent of the property line.
(4)
Light fixtures shall be positioned so that the emanating light does not shine into streets in such a manner as to interfere with or distract a driver's vision and/or directly onto adjacent properties.
(5)
Lights shall be turned on no earlier than dusk and turned off no later than 10:30 p.m., unless otherwise approved by the Township.
(6)
Notice of any proposed field lighting project shall be provided to adjacent property owners within 500 feet of the subject site.
F.
Accessory building exception. The regulations applicable to building placement shall apply to accessory buildings, except when authorized as a special exception by the Zoning Hearing Board in the case of a small accessory building which is incidental to the permitted use.
G.
Riparian buffer setback: 35 feet.
[Added 12-8-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-22]
§ 280-87 Special regulations.
A.
The owner shall be required to place and maintain along both rear and side property lines a buffer planting strip as defined in § 280-4B of this chapter. The minimum width shall be 10 feet, except that when adjoining an agricultural, residential or planned apartment zoning district, the minimum width shall be increased to 20 feet containing berms, hedges, evergreens, shrubbery or suitable vegetation of sufficient planted density to produce a visual screening not to be seen through and of sufficient height to constitute an effective screen and give maximum protection and immediate visual screening to an abutting property or district. Wherever possible, the owner shall make every effort to retain existing natural screening, such as vegetation and topography. Constructed berms shall have a maximum slope of 33% with grass cover or 50% when shrubbery or ground cover is used. Fencing may be used in combination with berms and/or vegetation to achieve the buffer, but may not be used alone.
B.
All evergreen vegetation to be planted shall not be less than five feet in height at the time of planting and shall be of such species that the expected height at maturity shall not be less than 15 feet.
C.
All deciduous trees to be planted shall not be less than eight feet in height with a two-inch caliper.
D.
As an alternative to the possible linear appearance of the minimum requirements above, applicants are encouraged to provide innovative, free-form buffers which need not be located within the minimum required width. Such alternative buffers shall be subject to approval by the Township.
E.
A landscaping plan shall be required which shall be subject to Township approval.
§ 280-88 Off-street parking, loading and storage areas.
B.
Setbacks.
(1)
Front yard. A minimum front yard setback shall be maintained of not less than the required setback for the most restrictive and adjoining zoning district, but in no case shall be less than 20 feet. Landscaping shall be required within the setback area consisting of trees, shrubbery, berms and other ground cover of sufficient density and height as to create an effective visual screen.
(2)
Side and rear yard. A side and rear yard setback of 10 feet shall be required, except when such use adjoins an agricultural, residential or planned apartment zoning district, the setback shall be increased to 20 feet. The owner of any property shall make every effort to ensure that all off-street parking, loading and storage areas as required by this section are effectively screened by use of natural topography berms, hedges or other approved dense vegetation so as to provide maximum protection for adjacent zones which may be designated for residential use.
§ 280-89 Changes in ownership or use.
Any land within a Public Land Use District which, because of its ownership or use, at any time is not fully subject to the Township's regulatory powers under this article shall be covered by this article without further action by the Township immediately upon any change in ownership or use which makes such Article fully applicable to such land.