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Thornbury Township Chester County
City Zoning Code

ARTICLE VIII

B - Business District

§ 155-800 Purpose.

It is the purpose of this district to provide sufficient space in appropriate locations for the types of shopping, professional, and service establishments anticipated to be needed in the Township. Specifically, this district seeks to:
A. 
Protect commercial development against intrusive uses which are incompatible and against objectionable influences.
B. 
Provide appropriate space for the requirements of commerce, including the provision of off-street parking spaces, safe circulation of pedestrian and motor traffic in the zone and in nearby areas.
C. 
Promote the most desirable use of land and pattern of building development in accord with a well-considered plan for the district as a whole and to protect the character of the area and nearby districts.
D. 
Ensure a safe and efficient movement of vehicular traffic along, onto, and off of U.S. Route 202, recognizing its importance as a major highway serving traffic traveling through the region, especially in terms of billboard advertising.
E. 
Achieve the applicable purposes and community development objectives of Article I.

§ 155-801 Uses permitted by right.

A. 
Artisan trades.
B. 
Bakeries.
C. 
Bank or other financial institution.
D. 
Building trades.
E. 
Day care per § 155-1608.
F. 
Funeral homes per § 155-1610.
G. 
Gasoline service stations per § 155-1611.
H. 
Medical office or clinic.
I. 
Non-tower-based wireless communications facilities per § 155-1615.
J. 
Personal service shop.
K. 
Professional office.
L. 
Restaurant per § 155-1620.
M. 
Retail store.
N. 
Veterinary clinic and dog day care per § 155-1623.

§ 155-802 Uses permitted by special exception.

The following uses shall be permitted by special exception, when authorized by the Zoning Hearing Board, subject to the provisions of § 155-2005 and the specific sections listed below:
A. 
(Reserved)

§ 155-803 Conditional uses.

The following uses shall be permitted by conditional use, when authorized by the Board of Supervisors, subject to the provisions of § 155-2105 and the specific sections listed below:
A. 
Shopping center development aggregating over 30,000 feet square or more of gross floor area.
B. 
Communication towers per § 155-1606.
C. 
Billboards per § 155-1707.
D. 
Drive-through services per § 155-1609.

§ 155-804 Accessory uses and structures.

Except as otherwise indicated in this chapter, accessory uses customarily incidental to any of the principal uses in this district shall be permitted by right on the same lot as the principal use and subject to the applicable provisions for accessory uses of Article XVI. The following specific accessory uses shall also be permitted by right subject to the applicable provisions of Article XVI:
A. 
Storage within a completely enclosed building in conjunction with a permitted use.
B. 
Microwave antennas per § 155-1614.

§ 155-805 Area and bulk regulations.

Unless specifically stated otherwise or differing for a specific use as authorized by this chapter, the following shall be the minimum area and bulk regulations for the district.
A. 
Lot coverages.
(1) 
Building coverage (less than one acre): 30% maximum.
(2) 
Building coverage (greater than one acre): 25% maximum.
(3) 
Impervious coverage (less than one acre): 75% maximum.
(4) 
Impervious coverage (greater than one acre): 70% maximum.
B. 
Principal structure.
(1) 
Minimum lot size: 12,000 square feet.
(2) 
Lot frontage: 50 feet.
(3) 
Front yard setback: 35 feet.
(4) 
Side yard setback: 12 feet.
(5) 
Rear yard setback: 25 feet.
(6) 
Building height: three stories or 35 feet.
C. 
Accessory structure(s). See § 155-1500 for lot and bulk standards for various types of accessory structures.

§ 155-806 Design standards.

The following design standards as applicable for permitted uses in this district shall include:
A. 
Supplemental Use Standards, per Article XVI.
B. 
Signs, per Article XVII.
C. 
Natural Resource Protections, per Article XIV.
D. 
Historic Resources Protection, per Article XIII.
E. 
General Standards, per Article XV.
F. 
Off-Street Parking and Loading, per Article XVIII.
G. 
Fences, Walls and Screens, per Chapter 76.
H. 
Floodplain Management, per Chapter 83.
I. 
Stormwater Management, per Chapter 116.
J. 
In addition, new development proposed within this district, as well as the rehabilitation, alteration, or modification of existing structures or uses, shall comply with the following design standards:
(1) 
Landscaping and buffer planting strips shall be required in accordance with § 155-1504.
(2) 
Commercial storage shall be in accordance with § 155-1501.
(3) 
Lighting shall be in accordance with § 155-1505.
(4) 
If a use is included as part of a larger business complex and an internal access road is established therein, the frontage requirement as defined under § 155-805B(2) may be considered as measured along the internal access road.
(5) 
No outdoor vending machine, self-service station, or similar use shall be allowed in any required yard abutting a street or on a public sidewalk.
(6) 
Roof top structures. All rooftop structures, including, but not limited to, heat pumps, cooling towers or other mechanical equipment shall be screened from view by a single piece of the building structure which is aesthetically compatible in design and materials and color with the building façade and which is at least equal in height to the highest rooftop structure.
(7) 
No wholesale delivery or pickup shall be permitted in the area between the building and any street line.