Tredyffrin Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XI
PA Planned Apartment Districts
[Amended 8-15-1983 by Ord. No. HR-76; 12-3-1991 by Ord. No. HR-189; 6-6-1994 by Ord. No. HR-232; 5-1-2006 by Ord. No. HR-352]
§ 208-36 Purpose.
PA Planned Apartment Districts are designed to make special provision for low lot coverage, low-density apartment development in limited areas of transition between major highways or commercial areas and single-family residential development and where apartment development is considered appropriate by virtue of such criteria as direct access to major highways, proximity to public transportation, availability of public sewer and water facilities, adequacy of or provision for school, recreation and other community facilities, environmental amenity and safety. PA Planned Apartment Districts may be established and development therein authorized only in accordance with the special development regulations of § 208-102 and the other applicable provisions of this chapter.
§ 208-37 Use regulations.
Land and buildings may be used or occupied for any of the following uses and no other:
A.
One single-family detached dwelling on a lot held in single and separate ownership.
B.
A multifamily dwelling or apartment house.
C.
A group or cluster of dwellings which may include the following: single-family semidetached or attached dwellings; two-family detached, semidetached or attached dwellings; or multifamily dwellings.
D.
Accessory use on the same lot with and customarily incidental to the foregoing apartment use, which may include the following:
(1)
Off-street parking area or parking structure.
(2)
Recreational use or facility such as a swimming pool, golf course, tennis courts, paddle tennis courts, sports or play area and community clubs or buildings, including maintenance buildings accessory thereto, where such uses are designed primarily to serve the residents of the apartment development.
(3)
No-impact home-based business, pursuant to the requirements of § 208-120.
(4)
When authorized as a special exception, low-impact home-based business, pursuant to the requirements of § 208-120.
E.
Signs when erected and maintained in accordance with Article XXV.
§ 208-38 Area, bulk and height regulations relating to single-family detached dwellings.
A.
Lot area and width. A lot area of not less than 10,000 square feet and a lot width of not less than 60 feet at the building line shall be provided.
B.
Building coverage. Not more than 20% of the lot area may be occupied by buildings.
C.
Impervious coverage. Not more than 30% of the lot area may be covered by impervious surface.
D.
Front yard. There shall be a front yard on each street on which the lot abuts, the depth of which shall be at least 25 feet.
E.
Side yards. There shall be two side yards not less than 30 feet in aggregate width and neither less than 15 feet in width.
F.
Rear yard. There shall be a rear yard, the depth of which shall be at least 25 feet.
G.
Height. The height of any building shall not exceed 35 feet.
§ 208-38.1 Area, bulk and height regulations relating to multi-family dwellings or group or cluster of dwellings.
For any multifamily dwelling or group or cluster of dwellings permitted in § 208-37C, the following standards shall apply:
A.
Lot area and width. A lot area of not less than five acres, an average lot area per dwelling unit of not less than 3,500 square feet and a lot width at the building line of not less than 200 feet shall be provided.
B.
Building coverage. Not more than 20% of the lot area may be occupied by buildings.
C.
Impervious coverage. Not more than 45% of the lot area may be covered by impervious surface.
D.
Yards and building placement. Each building on a lot shall be not less than 65 feet from any street line and not less than 50 feet from any other property line. No building shall be closer than 25 feet from any internal street line or 15 feet from a common parking area.
(1)
The distance between buildings which are not more than three stories in height shall be not less than 30 feet. However, this distance may be reduced to not less than 10 feet if the following conditions are met:
(a)
Not more than one of the buildings has windows, doors or any other openings facing the area between the buildings.
(b)
The combined length of buildings which do not meet the 30 feet between buildings required shall not exceed 210 feet along any single frontage, measured in a straight line from the exterior points of the buildings.
(2)
The distance between buildings which are more than three stories in height shall not be less than 35 feet.
E.
Height. The height of any building shall not exceed 35 feet.
F.
Height limit bonus by conditional use. When authorized as a conditional use, a multifamily dwelling or apartment house permitted in this district may be built to a height not to exceed 55 feet in order to preserve more of the site's natural amenities and reduce the visual impact of the buildings by judicious use of the site's topography; provided, however, that the applicant demonstrates compliance with all of the following conditions to the satisfaction of the Board of Supervisors:
(1)
The existing topography of the lot on which the building is proposed shall be such that construction of a building, meeting all of the other requirements of this section, would result in less disturbance than a building built to the normal height limit of this district, without benefit of any bonus. In order to achieve this result, the design of the building shall be integrated into the topography of the lot.
(2)
The maximum gross floor area for the building(s) shall be no greater than legally permitted without benefit of this conditional use.
(3)
The maximum elevation above sea level of a building which could be built on the subject lot without benefit of any bonus ("by right") and in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and the Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance,[1] is higher than the maximum elevation of the building which would be built if this conditional use bonus is granted. The criterion shall be demonstrated with both the "by right" building and the proposed building shown on the sketch plan required below.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 181, Subdivision and Land Development.
(4)
Compliance with Subsection F(1), (2) and (3) shall be documented by submission of a sketch plan indicating development in full compliance with the development standards of this district without benefit of this conditional use. Said plan shall be drawn in conformance with § 181-35 of the Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
(5)
The architectural design of any buildings for which additional height is sought shall be uniform and consistent with other buildings in the same development. The architectural design and building materials used for screening rooftop equipment shall be consistent with the design of and materials used for the principal portion of the building on which it is located.
(6)
The setback of the building(s) for which the height bonus is proposed shall be a minimum of 150 feet from any lot line, except that in the case of a lot line abutting a right-of-way of a railroad or public utility power line, the setback shall be not less than 100 feet. The restrictions of this subsection need not be met along any property line(s) shared with another lot(s) which is part of the same master plan development as is the lot(s) on which the subject buildings is located; in this situation, the setback shall be the applicable setback, as normally required in this district.
(7)
In formulating a recommendation for a conditional use application pursuant to this section, the Planning Commission shall consider the appropriateness of buildings to the surrounding area, including consideration of the character of surrounding properties and the impact of buildings thereon. The Board of Supervisors shall determine if the applicant has adequately addressed the same issues in making a decision concerning the conditional use based upon testimony presented at the conditional use public hearing(s).
G.
Buffer areas. Along each property line which directly abuts a residential district or use, a buffer area of not less than 35 feet in width, in accordance with the provisions of § 208-102B, shall be provided.
H.
Sewer and water. No application for an apartment building or project shall be considered unless such building or project can and will be served by a public sewer and public water system prior to occupancy.
