Royersford City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XIV
HB Highway Business District
§ 475-93 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 XIV with respect to the HB Highway Business District to establish reasonable standards of performance for the development of highway-oriented commercial use serving both local and regional needs in those locations which satisfy the highway access, off-street parking, and service area requirements normally associated with such uses. In addition, it is the intent of this Article XIV to provide standards which will ensure that such higher intensity, traffic-generating commercial uses will not have a negative impact on abutting residential neighborhoods in the Borough of Royersford.
§ 475-94 Permitted uses.
[Amended 6-14-1984 by Ord. No. 632; 8-11-2020 by Ord. No. 904; 11-12-2024 by Ord. No. 931]
In a HB Highway 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.
Automobile and allied sales or service shop or gasoline filling station.
D.
Motel, hotel, tourist home, or rooming house for transient use only.
E.
Restaurant or tavern, fast-food restaurant or drive-in.
F.
Business or professional office; studio.
G.
Bank or other financial institution.
H.
Wholesale business establishment.
I.
Indoor recreational facilities.
J.
Parking lot or garage.
K.
Multifamily dwellings in accordance with the provisions of Article VII, R-3 Residence District, of this chapter.
L.
Any use of the same general character as those listed in Subsections A through J above, when authorized as a special exception by the Zoning Hearing Board.
M.
Accessory uses on the same lot as and customarily incidental to any of the above permitted uses, which accessory uses may include a residence for the proprietor of a permitted business use.
N.
Forestry.
O.
Tobacco store/smoke shop, by special exception.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: For special exceptions, see § 475-33.1.
P.
Cigar lounge, by special exception.
§ 475-95 Development regulations.
The following standards shall apply in the HB Highway Business District:
A.
Minimum lot area: 10,000 square feet.
B.
Minimum lot width at the building line: 75 feet.
C.
Minimum front yard measured from the ultimate right-of-way line; applies to both streets for corner lots: 15 feet.
D.
Minimum side yard: 10 feet.
E.
Minimum rear yard: 25 feet.
F.
Maximum building coverage (percent of total lot area): 50%.
G.
Maximum building height: 35 feet.
H.
Maximum impervious coverage (percent of total lot area): 80%.
[Added 1-10-2023 by Ord. No. 924]
§ 475-96 Additional development regulations.
The following additional regulations shall apply in the HB Highway 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.
Buffer area. There shall be a screen buffer at least 10 feet in depth along all boundaries of the development constructed pursuant to this Article XIV which abuts a residential or institutional use or district.
C.
Public facilities and services. All uses in a HB Highway 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 HB 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 rooflines 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 this 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 therein.
§ 475-97 Nuisance controls.
Uses in a HB Highway 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 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. No solid waste shall be stored closer than within 15 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 an HB 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 of 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 67 Pa. Code Ch. 205, Municipal Traffic Engineering Certification.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
§ 475-98 Parking.
Off-street parking facilities shall be provided and maintained in an HB Highway Business District in accordance with the requirements of Article XVII herein.
§ 475-99 Signs.
Signs shall be permitted in a HB Highway Business District subject to the provisions of Article XVIII herein.
§ 475-100 Plan submission requirements.
An application for development in a HB Highway 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 of 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 congestion, noise, glare, or safety hazard.
D.
Engineering and architectural plans for the handling of any access traffic congestion, noise, glare, or safety hazard.
E.
The location of proposed utility and drainage systems.
F.
Any other pertinent data that the Planning Commission may require.
§ 475-101 Conversions.
[Amendede 1-10-2023 by Ord. No. 924]
All conversions must meet all requirements of this Article XIV as if the property being converted were new construction and also the requirements of § 475-29.
