Ross Township City Zoning Code
PART 14
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
§ 27-1401 Applicability.
[Ord. 2035, 12/9/2002, § 1400]
All uses in districts shall be subject to the following standards of operation.
§ 27-1402 Environmental Performance Standards.
[Ord. 2035, 12/9/2002, § 1401; as amended by Ord. 2288, 4/12/2010]
1.
The developer shall determine the presence of environmental or natural features on the site and shall meet the following standards of environmental protection. Site alterations, regrading, filling or clearing of vegetation prior to submission of the plans for development shall be in violation of this chapter.
A.
Floodplains. All such lands are identified on the Zoning Map. See Chapter 8 of the Ross Township Code of Ordinances, "Floodplains," for specific regulations.
B.
Areas of Moderate to High Landslide Susceptibility Produced by the Influence of Natural And/or Man-related Activity. Specific sites, which are being planned for development, can be reviewed for landslide susceptibility by the Allegheny County Planning Commission, Soil Conservation Service, or geology report.
C.
Ponds or Watercourses. These areas shall be left as permanent open space. No development, filling, piping or diverting shall be permitted except for required roads.
E.
Soil Erosion and Sedimentation.
(1)
All development shall be conducted in such a manner so as to minimize accelerated erosion and sedimentation damage and shall comply with the requirements of the Clean Streams Law, 35 P.S. § 691.1 et seq.
(2)
Soil erosion and sedimentation control shall be in accordance with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, "Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Manual."
§ 27-1403 Buffer Yards.
[Ord. 2035, 12/9/2002, § 1402; as amended by Ord. 2288, 4/12/2010]
1.
Buffer yards are required in all industrial and commercial districts and as indicated in Part 9 where the commercial or industrial district adjoin any residential district.
A.
The buffer yard shall be measured from the district boundary line or from the near street line where a street serves as the district boundary line.
B.
The buffer yard may be adjacent with required front, side or rear yards and, in case of conflict, the larger yard requirements shall apply.
C.
In all buffer yards, the entire width shall be maintained and kept clean of all debris, rubbish, weeds and tall grass.
D.
No structure, manufacturing or processing activity or storage of materials shall be permitted in the buffer yard.
E.
All buffer yards shall include a dense screen planting of trees, shrubs or other plant materials, or both, to the full length of the lot line to serve as a barrier to visibility, airborne particles and glare. Such screen planting shall be in accordance with the following requirements:
(1)
Plant materials used in the screen planting shall be at least three feet high when planted and be of such species as will produce ultimately a dense visual screen at least eight feet high.
(2)
The screen planting shall be maintained permanently and any plant material which does not live shall be replaced within one year.
(3)
The screen planting shall be so placed that at maturity it will not overhang any street or property line.
(4)
In accordance with the provisions of § 27-1005, a clear sight triangle shall be maintained at all street intersections and at all points where private accessways intersect public streets.
(5)
The screen planting shall be broken only at points of vehicular or pedestrian access.
(6)
When recommended by the Planning Commission, the buffer yard may be averaged if the total number of square feet of the required buffered yard is maintained. The width in Subsection 1H is the average with the minimum being 60% of the average and the maximum width being sufficiently wide to achieve the required area.
(7)
Existing deciduous and coniferous trees above two inches caliper and/or six feet in height unless otherwise specifically approved by the Zoning Officer shall be preserved in the buffer yard except where clearance is required to ensure adequate sight distances. Any removal should, where feasible, involve relocation rather than clearing.
(8)
Buffer width and planting material shall be laid out to respect existing or proposed off-site uses. The minimum width may be used where compatible single-family uses adjoin or where the property abuts nonbuildable land. The object of the planting shall be defined in the plan as visual and to prevent access to hazardous areas.
(9)
Generally, a minimum of 25% of plant material shall be evergreen, 10% flowering, the remainder shall be deciduous. Planting shall be adequate in quantity to fully cover the minimum buffer, but may be clumped or grouped for maximum efficiency.
(10)
Self-maintaining ground cover or grass shall be planted at the edge of the buffer.
F.
No screen planting shall be required along streets which form district boundary lines, provided that:
G.
Prior to the issuance of any building permit, a complete landscaping plan showing the arrangement of all buffer yards, the placement, species and size of all plant materials, and the placement, size and materials of all fences to be placed in such buffer yards shall be reviewed by the Building Code Official to ascertain that the plans are in conformance with the terms of this chapter.
H.
Size of Buffer Yards.
(1)
For all PRDs, mobile home parks, places of worship, nursing homes and hospital sites, against any residential district, the size of buffer yards shall be 25 feet.
(2)
The size of buffer yards for commercial and industrial districts against any residential district or as otherwise required in this chapter shall be as follows:
District | Feet | |
|---|---|---|
C-1 | 50 | |
C-2 | 30 | |
C-3 | 15 | |
I-1 | 50 |
§ 27-1404 Storage and Waste Disposal.
[Ord. 2035, 12/9/2002, § 1404; as amended by Ord. 2288, 4/12/2010; and by Ord. 2308, 10/1/2012, § 6]
1.
No highly flammable or explosive liquids, solids or gases shall be stored in bulk above ground except the following, and as provided by the Township Fire Code and Floodplain Management regulations.
A.
Tanks or drums of fuel connected directly with energy devices or heating appliances located and operated on the same lot as the tanks or drums of fuel, specifically designed to handle the material.
B.
All trash or waste receptacles shall be in side or rear yards and screened from view of adjacent properties (all districts).
2.
All outdoor storage facilities for fuel, raw materials and products and all fuel, raw materials and products stored outdoors shall be enclosed by a six-foot chain-link fence or a substitute approved by the Building Code Official.
3.
No materials or wastes shall be deposited upon a lot in such form or manner that they may be transported off the lot by natural causes or forces; nor shall any substance which can contaminate wells, watercourses, or potable water supplies otherwise render such wells, watercourses, or potable water supplies undesirable as sources of water supply or recreation; nor shall any substance which will destroy aquatic life be allowed to enter any wells, watercourses, or potable water supplies.
4.
Any materials or wastes which might cause fumes or dust or which constitute a fire hazard or which may be edible or otherwise attractive to rodents or insects shall be stored outdoors only if enclosed in containers adequate to eliminate such hazards.
5.
All nonconforming storage and water disposal uses must be brought into conformity with this chapter.
6.
The accumulation of waste, materials and residue (from the operation of the landscape contracting and supply business) in vehicles and/or equipment shall be prohibited.
§ 27-1405 Glare.
[Ord. 2035, 12/9/2002, § 1407]
No use shall produce a strong light or a reflection of a strong light greater than 10 footcandles beyond its lot lines or onto any public road.
§ 27-1406 Odor.
[Ord. 2035, 12/9/2002; as added by Ord. 2308, 10/1/2012, § 5]
No use shall emit odorous gases or other odorous matter in such quantities as to be offensive at any point on or beyond its lot lines.
§ 27-1407 Smoke.
[Ord. 2035, 12/9/2002; as added by Ord. 2308, 10/1/2012, § 5]
No emission at any point from any point from any chimney or otherwise of visible smoke from commercial and industrial uses in excess of that permitted by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Allegheny County Board of Health shall be permitted.
§ 27-1408 Dust, Fumes, Vapors, and Gases.
[Ord. 2035, 12/9/2002; as added by Ord. 2308, 10/1/2012, § 5]
The emission of dust, dirt, fly ash, fumes, vapors or gases which can cause any damage to human health, to animals, to vegetation, or to property or which can cause any soiling or staining of persons or property at any point beyond the lot line of the use creating the emission is herewith prohibited.
§ 27-1409 Noise.
[Ord. 2035, 12/9/2002; as added by Ord. 2308, 10/1/2012, § 5]
No person, or his agent, servant, employee, customer or invitee, shall cause to be made or continue any loud, unusual or unnecessary noise, whether the same by horns, bells, voice, hammering, grinding, singing, music, radio, television, loudspeaker, dance, bulldozers, cement mixers, jackhammers, and other like mechanical devices, apparatus or equipment utilized in the construction industry, or any form or manner of noise or sound whatsoever which either annoys, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health or general welfare of nearby residents and/or their visitors. The provisions of this Part shall not apply to any mechanical device, apparatus or equipment used or connected with emergency work, and shall also not apply to the use of lawnmowers, chainsaws and other mechanical or motorized tools commonly used on residential property, provided the same shall only be used during daylight hours, but not before 8:00 a.m., local time and not after 9:00 p.m. local time, and shall not be used in the operation of any business on the property. The provisions of this section shall also not apply to noise created by (A) normal land development and construction activities carried on during the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and (B) snow removal equipment.
§ 27-1410 Heat, Cold, Dampness or Movement of Air.
[Ord. 2035, 12/9/2002; as added by Ord. 2308, 10/1/2012, § 5]
No activities producing heat, cold, dampness or movement of air are permitted which shall produce any material effect on the temperature, motion or humidity of the atmosphere at the lot line or beyond.
§ 27-1411 Electrical Disturbance or Radioactivity.
[Ord. 2035, 12/9/2002; as added by Ord. 2308, 10/1/2012, § 5]
No activities which emit dangerous radioactivity at any point are permitted, and no electrical disturbance adversely affecting the operation at any point of any equipment other than that of the creator of such disturbance shall be permitted.