Royersford City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XIII
CB Central Business District
§ 475-83 Legislative intent.
In expansion of the declaration of legislative intent contained in Article I, § 475-2, of this chapter and the statement of community development objectives contained in Article I, § 475-4, of this chapter, it is hereby declared to be the intent of this Article XIII with respect to the CB Central Business District to encourage the development and redevelopment of retail sales and service establishments, business and professional offices, and adjunct residential uses in the commercial core areas of the Borough of Royersford. Furthermore, it is the intent of this Article XIII to establish reasonable standards of performance to ensure that such uses are appropriate to the needs of the local community, are compatible with surrounding residential development, and will not generate large volumes of vehicular traffic. Finally, it is the intent of this Article XIII to provide incentives to encourage the development of pedestrian-oriented facilities and services in the Central Business District which will serve to increase street-level activity and thereby help to restore and enhance the commercial vitality of this area.
§ 475-84 Permitted uses.
[Amended 7-28-1992 by Ord. No. 728]
In a CB Central Business District, a building may be erected, altered, or used, and a lot may be occupied for any of the following uses and no other:
A.
Retail sales establishment or service shop.
B.
Personal service shop.
C.
Hotel, tourist home, or rooming house for transient use only.
D.
Restaurant or tavern, excluding drive-in and fast-food restaurants.
E.
Business or professional office; studio.
F.
Bank or other financial institution, excluding drive-in facilities.
G.
Club or lodge.
H.
Multifamily dwellings, in compliance with the requirements of Article VII, R-3 Residence District, for multifamily dwellings.
I.
Mixed-use structures containing any combination of permitted uses, providing that residential uses shall be located at or above the second-story level.
J.
The following when authorized as a conditional use by the Borough Council:
(1)
Indoor recreational facility.
(2)
Parking lot or garage.
(3)
Bank or other financial institution with drive-in facilities.
(4)
Mixed-use structures containing any combination of conditional use or any conditional use(s) in combination with any permitted use(s), provided that residential uses shall be located at or above the second-story level.
(5)
Housing for elderly, subject to the requirements set forth in Article VIII herein.
(6)
Any use of the same general character as those listed in Subsections A through I above.
K.
Accessory uses on the same lot as and customarily incidental to any of the above permitted or conditional uses.
L.
Home occupations.
M.
Forestry.
[Added at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
§ 475-85 Conditional use standards and criteria.
[Amended 9-26-1989 by Ord. No. 704]
Prior to granting approval of a conditional use in the CB Central Business District, as provided for in § 475-84J herein, the Borough Council shall be assured that the proposed use meets the standards of § 475-30 of this chapter as well as the requirements listed below:
A.
The use shall not generate high intensities of vehicular traffic, noise, noxious odors, air pollution or glare, nor result in pedestrian-vehicular conflict or other safety hazards.
B.
Any parking lot or garage for off-street parking or for the storage of motor vehicles shall be separated from a street or highway by a raised curb, planting strip, wall or other suitable barrier against unchanneled vehicular entrance or exit, except for necessary accessways or driveways. The number and location of such accessways shall be governed by the regulations contained in Article XVII herein.
C.
In the case of a bank or savings-and-loan association with drive-in facilities, the circulation plan for the drive-in window shall be integrated safely and efficiently into the overall circulation pattern of the Borough in a manner than minimizes internal traffic congestion, which plan shall be presented to Borough Council prior to consideration of the conditional use application.
D.
Housing for the elderly in the CB Central Business District shall be located and designed in such a manner so as to ensure the safety and comfort of prospective residents. Factors which shall be considered in evaluating the development plan and proposed location for housing for the elderly in the CB District shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1)
The proximity of the proposed development to major traffic intersections and the resultant likelihood of pedestrian-vehicular conflict.
(2)
The character of development in the surrounding area and the likelihood of any significant negative impact resulting from noise, glare, odor, or other noxious effects of commercial, industrial, or other high-intensity use.
§ 475-86 Development requirements.
[Amended 7-28-1992 by Ord. No. 728]
The following standards shall apply in the CB Central Business District:
A.
Minimum lot area: 3,000 square feet.
B.
Minimum lot width at the building line: 25 feet.
C.
Minimum front yard measured from the curbline; applies to both streets for corner lots: nine feet.
D.
Minimum side yard:
(1)
Buildings attached along a party wall: zero feet.
(2)
Freestanding buildings: five feet.
(3)
With access driveway: 12 feet.
E.
Minimum distance between buildings on abutting lots, unless buildings are attached: 10 feet.
F.
Minimum rear yard:
(1)
From Borough-owned parking lots: five feet.
(2)
From all other rear property lines: 25 feet.
G.
Maximum building coverage: 80%.
[Amended 8-9-2016 by Ord. No. 883]
H.
Maximum impervious coverage: 95%.
I.
Maximum height: 50 feet or four stories, whichever is more restrictive.
[Amended 8-9-2016 by Ord. No. 883]
J.
Lots which directly abut a Borough-owned parking lot and which had part of the lot taken for the parking lot may use the portion taken by the Borough for measuring side yard setbacks, building coverage, and impervious coverage.
§ 475-87 Additional development regulations.
The following additional development regulations shall apply in the CB Central Business District:
A.
Maximum building dimension. The greatest dimension of a structure, measured parallel to exterior building walls, shall be 150 feet, except when authorized as a special exception by the Zoning Hearing Board. For circular or partially circular buildings, the diameter or assumed diameter shall not exceed 175 feet, except by special exception.
B.
Landscaped area. If a new principal commercial building will be built with a lot line directly contiguous to the lot line of an existing dwelling in a residential district, then a five-foot-minimum-width landscaped area with trees, shrubs and vegetative ground cover shall be provided along that residential lot line. The Zoning Officer may approve an applicant's proposed design for a decorative fence with a six-foot average height in place of the trees in the CB District where the applicant shows that space for the trees is overly limited. If one side of the fence is more finished, that side shall face towards the neighboring property.
[Amended 8-9-2016 by Ord. No. 883]
C.
Public facilities and services. All uses in the CB Central Business District shall be capable of being served by public sewer and centralized water facilities. No use shall create an unreasonable burden upon other Borough services.
D.
Integrated developments. In those instances wherein development in the CB District is proposed to consist of multiple buildings, the following regulations shall apply:
(1)
The entire development shall be designed as an architecturally integrated unit.
(2)
The minimum distance between a building or group of buildings shall be 20 feet, except that all structures connected by common roofline or covered walkways shall be considered as one building.
(3)
Parking areas and access drives shall be planned in a manner which provides for safe and efficient internal circulation. The number of parking spaces provided shall be equal to the total number required for each use within the proposed development, as specified in Article XVII of this chapter, except where a lesser number may be permitted when parking is shared, according to the provisions of § 475-117 herein.
§ 475-88 Nuisance controls.
Uses in the CB Central Business District shall make provisions for control of each of the following:
A.
Access. A planned system of efficient ingress, egress, and internal circulation of traffic which shall interfere minimally with nearby traffic flow shall be required. Loading and unloading areas shall be provided where deemed necessary and shall be located to the rear of the proposed use. Such areas shall be so arranged that they may be used without blockage or interference with the use of accessways or automobile parking areas.
B.
Lighting. Lighting shall be arranged in a manner which will protect adjacent highways and neighboring properties from unreasonable direct glare or hazardous interference of any kind.
C.
Service. Areas for loading and unloading of delivery trucks and other vehicles and for the servicing of refuse collection, fuel, and other services shall be provided and shall be adequate in size. A plan for weekly disposal of solid waste material shall be required. All solid waste material shall be stored in covered containers. No solid waste shall be stored closer than within five feet of any property line. Refuse collection areas shall be shielded from the direct view of any adjacent property by walls which measure a minimum of six feet in height.
D.
Traffic. The existing road system must be able to accommodate in a safe and efficient manner the peak traffic generated by any use proposed in the CB District. In order to determine that existing residential areas will not be infringed upon by significant volumes of traffic from a proposed use, the Borough Council may request a traffic impact statement, as described below:
(1)
A traffic impact study shall present sufficient information to enable the Borough staff to assess the impact of the proposed use on the roads within the Borough. The study must demonstrate that the use will not adversely affect surrounding areas or traffic circulation generally in the Borough, or else identify any traffic problems that might be caused or aggravated by the use and delineate solutions to those problems. Based upon the findings of the study, the Borough Council may require other improvements, both on-site and off-site, which would alleviate hazardous or congested situations directly attributable to the proposed development, as a condition of approval.
(2)
The traffic impact study shall be prepared for a study area extending a minimum of 1/2 mile on all abutting roads from the boundaries of the proposed use. This area may be modified at the discretion of the Borough Council.
(3)
The traffic impact study shall be prepared by a qualified traffic engineer who possesses the credentials outlined for a Municipal Traffic Engineer defined in Pennsylvania Code Chapter 612, entitled "Municipal Traffic Engineering Certification."
§ 475-89 Parking.
Off-street parking facilities shall be provided and maintained in the CB Central Business District in accordance with the requirements of Article XVII herein.
§ 475-90 Signs.
Signs shall be permitted in the CB Central Business District subject to the provisions of Article XVIII herein.
§ 475-91 Plan submission requirements.
An application for development in the CB Central Business District shall be accompanied by a plan, or plans, showing the detailed use of the entire tract, which plan or plans shall comply with all requirements of other applicable ordinances of the Borough and which shall clearly designate the proposed use(s) of each area of the tract. Development plans required in this district shall include the following:
A.
A plot plan of the lot showing the location of all present and proposed buildings, drives, parking lots, landscaping, and other constructional features on the lot, and all buildings, streets, alleys, highways, streams, and other topographical features of the lot and within 200 feet of any lot line.
B.
Architectural renderings or sketches for any proposed buildings and landscaping within the proposed development.
C.
A description of the uses proposed in sufficient detail to indicate the effects of these operations in producing traffic congestion, noise, glare or safety hazards.
D.
Engineering and architectural plans for the handling of any access traffic congestion, noise, glare, or safety hazards.
E.
The location of proposed utility and drainage systems.
F.
Any other pertinent data that the Planning Commission may require.
§ 475-92 Conversions.
[Amended 1-10-2023 by Ord. No. 924]
All conversions must meet all requirements of this Article XIII as if the property being converted were new construction and also the requirements of § 475-29.
