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Tinicum Township City Zoning Code

ARTICLE VIII

C-1 Commercial District

§ 395-34 District purposes.

The purposes of this district are to provide for a wide range of pedestrian- and highway-oriented retail and service uses which are intended to serve both transient and neighborhood customers and to allow, regulate and provide sufficient space for automobile-related merchandising, including the provision of sufficient off-street parking facilities.

§ 395-35 Uses permitted by right.

A building may be erected, altered or used and a lot may be used for only one or more of the following uses:
A. 
Retail store, including general merchandise, hardware, or variety store, gift shop, pharmacy or similar establishment.
B. 
Food store, including grocery store, supermarket, and bakery, confectionery, or convenience store (e.g., Wawa, etc.) where goods are sold at retail.
C. 
Personal service shop, including barbershop, beautician, shoe repair, tailor, fitness salon or spa or laundromat.
D. 
Eating or drinking establishment, including standard restaurant, pizza shop, delicatessen or similar use, and take-out establishment, but excluding drive-through establishment.
E. 
Caterer.
F. 
Bank or other financial institution.
G. 
Medical or dental office or clinic.
H. 
Veterinarian.
I. 
Office or office building.
J. 
General service and repair, such as furniture, watch, radio, appliance and similar establishments but excluding service and/or repair of automobiles and heavy equipment such as trucks, tractors, construction equipment, etc.
K. 
Tradesman's shop, such as electrician, carpenter.
L. 
Commercial education, such as beauty school, business school, computer training center, etc.
M. 
Movie theater or place of amusement, excluding adult entertainment, as defined in Article XIXA.
N. 
Tinicum Township municipal building or other low-impact municipal use.
O. 
Multifamily building.
P. 
Multifamily unit (apartment), above a commercial use permitted in this district.
Q. 
Any use of the same general character as any of the uses permitted above, provided that it is consistent with the purposes of the district and not detrimental to the surrounding neighborhood. The Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) shall make such determination after recommendation by the Township Engineer.

§ 395-36 Uses permitted by special exception.

The following uses shall be permitted only by special exception, subject to Articles XXI and XXVI.
A. 
Wholesale establishment.
B. 
Funeral home or mortuary, subject to § 395-151J.
C. 
Child day-care center, subject to § 395-151H.
D. 
Nursery school or kindergarten.
E. 
Drive-through establishment, such as a restaurant, bank or car wash.
F. 
Residential conversion, subject to § 395-151E.
G. 
Boarding house and rooming house, as defined in Article II.

§ 395-37 Accessory uses and structures.

A. 
Outdoor storage in the side or rear yard only, provided that such storage area is completely screened from the street or sidewalk by an opaque fence or similar effective visual barrier (such as a wall or berm) which shall be not less than six feet high.
B. 
Off-street parking, subject to Article XXII.
C. 
Sign, subject to Article XXIII.
D. 
Satellite antenna, subject to § 395-139.
E. 
Small collection facility for recycling, subject to § 395-143.
F. 
Any accessory use on the same lot or tract with and customarily incidental to any of the above permitted uses, and not detrimental to the neighborhood.

§ 395-38 Special development regulations.

A. 
Each permitted use shall be conducted within a completely enclosed building.
B. 
A planted visual screen, as defined in Article II, shall be provided as required in § 395-141 in areas that abut a residential district.
C. 
Landscaping shall be provided in accordance with § 395-142.
D. 
No goods, items or equipment shall be offered for sale beyond the front lines of a building, except for temporary sales or promotions lasting not more than five days. Any such temporary event or sale including display or sale beyond the front line of the building, which exceeds five days in duration, shall require a permit from the Township.
E. 
All applicable provisions of Article XXII, Parking Regulations, Article XXIV, Performance Standards, and Article XXIII, Signs, shall be followed.
F. 
All refuse shall be placed in closed, vermin-proof containers.

§ 395-39 Area and bulk regulations.

Unless specifically noted otherwise, the following shall be minimum requirements:
A. 
Detached buildings.
(1) 
Lot area: 5,000 square feet.
(2) 
Lot width: 50 feet.
(3) 
Front yard: depth shall be equal to the predominant front yards of existing buildings on the same block. Where there are no existing buildings within 100 feet of the proposed building, such proposed building shall have a front yard of not less than five feet or more than 15 feet.
(4) 
Side yards: 20 feet aggregate and eight feet, minimum.
(5) 
Rear yard: 15 feet.
(6) 
Building coverage: 50%, maximum.
(7) 
Impervious surface: 70%, maximum.
(8) 
Height: 40 feet or three stories, maximum.
B. 
Attached buildings.
(1) 
Unit width: 20 feet.
(2) 
Distance between buildings: 25 feet.
(3) 
Front yard: subject to § 395-39A(3) above.
(4) 
Side yard: 15 feet each side, at end of row.
(5) 
Rear yard: 15 feet.
(6) 
Building coverage: 50%, maximum.
(7) 
Impervious surface: 70%, maximum.
(8) 
Height: 40 feet or three stories, maximum.