Encourage the retention of the unique village atmosphere of the Village of Palm and the area along Route 29 north of Kraussdale Road by preserving the existing buildings and landscape to the greatest extent possible and by encouraging infill development of retail, office and residential uses that are compatible with the historic village setting in size, scale and architectural character.

Encourage the retention of existing buildings by permitting a variety of commercial, office and residential uses which are compatible with the existing structural types, lot sizes and other physical, visual and historical characteristics of the Village Commercial District.

Permit uses which allow conversion of existing buildings in a manner which maintains the visual character and architectural scale of existing development within the district.

Discourage development of strip-type highway-oriented commercial uses which require incongruous architectural styles, excessive paved areas and numerous curb cuts.

Encourage the consolidation of driveways, parking and curb cuts to provide more efficient, economical and safe access and parking.

Encourage a coordinated pedestrian path system to provide efficient, pleasant and convenient pedestrian access from parking areas to and among the various permitted uses.

Minimize visual and functional conflicts between residential and nonresidential uses within and abutting the district.

Encourage the formation and continuance of an uncongested environment for business and professional offices intermingled harmoniously with residences and certain other commercial uses.

Discourage overdevelopment of lots by limiting the maximum permitted development and the maximum impervious coverage.

Encourage compact development that is served by central sewer and water services, and encourage extension of such utilities to serve village areas.

Provide standards and criteria for village commercial development in appropriate areas of the Township in accordance with the Upper Perkiomen Valley Regional Comprehensive Plan.

Business or professional offices, including medical, dental and other health care offices, veterinary offices (without boarding facilities), and similar uses.

Public utility, municipal or government offices.

Educational, religious or philanthropic institution.

Personal service shop, including but not limited to such uses as tailor, barber, beauty salon, dry-cleaning dropoff, and copy center.

Specialized retail as per Article II, Definitions, herein.

Bank or financial office, without drive-in facilities.

General retail, including uses such as grocery, bakery, hardware store, drugstore, and similar uses, up to a maximum of 5,000 square feet per use.

Restaurant, cafeteria or tavern, not to include fast-food or drive-in restaurants.

Small appliance and equipment repair and/or rental.

Studio for art, dance, music, photography, or fitness facilities that do not require court areas.

Production of crafts, woodworking or similar uses by artisans, provided that noise levels do not exceed those typical of permitted uses.

Single-family detached dwelling.

Village house dwelling.

Two-family: twin or duplex.

(Reserved)[1]

No-impact home-based business as defined herein, except that such permission shall not supersede any deed restriction, covenant or agreement restricting the use of land, nor any master deed, bylaw or other document applicable to a common-interest-ownership community.

Institutional uses, in compliance with Article XXVI, Institutional Use Regulations, of this chapter.

Multifamily building as defined in § 500-201, subject to the following additional requirements:

Undertaking or funeral establishment.

Retail printing and publishing.

Drive-in facilities for uses listed in § 500-1602.

On-site storage facilities ancillary to a permitted use.

Clubs, lodges or other fraternal organizations.

Family or group day-care home.

Day-care center, in accordance with the standards of § 500-822 herein.

Bed-and-breakfast establishment, in accordance with the standards of § 500-810 herein.

Exercise facility with court(s).

Automobile or other vehicle sales, service, repair or washing.

Fuel service or filling station.

Storage facilities for off-site uses; i.e., mini warehouses.

Bulk storage and sale of building materials and supplies; i.e., home center.

Beverage distributors.

For lots without public water service:

For lots without public sewer service:

For residential uses permitted under § 500-1602, the following regulations apply:

For all nonresidential uses other than those permitted under §§ 500-1602 and 500-1603, the following regulations apply:

For all uses permitted in this district, the following regulations apply:

The following standards apply to lots that are nonconforming in terms of area or width. Lots that are rendered nonconforming by the current absence of public utilities are discussed under § 500-1605 herein.

All development in the VCR Village Commercial/Residential District shall be served by public sewer and water.

Sufficient off-street loading and unloading facilities shall be provided which do not conflict with pedestrian or vehicular movement.

Off-street parking shall be provided in accordance with Article IX of this chapter. The siting of all required parking spaces in the side or rear yard is strongly encouraged and shall not interfere with pedestrian or vehicular movement. No parking areas shall be located in the front yard area of any residential use. No on-street parking will be permitted.

All signs shall comply with Article X of this chapter.

All uses shall be connected by a safe and convenient pedestrian circulation system, which shall connect buildings with sidewalks along streets and parking areas, common areas and other buildings. Pedestrian connections may not be required if the applicant can show why such connections are impossible.

Safe and convenient vehicular connections between parking areas on adjacent lots used for nonresidential purposes shall be required except where impractical because of environmental constraints (such as steep slopes or mature trees) or other site constraints (such as existing buildings or structures). Common parking areas serving two or more lots are strongly encouraged to increase flexibility and reduce the number of street access points. Each use shall provide parking to meet the requirements of this chapter. Cross-access easements shall be provided for all common parking areas.

Trash and refuse shall either be stored inside the building or within an opaque screened area, located in the rear or side yards, which shall be at least six feet high or higher if necessary to screen the trash.

Lighting facilities shall not produce unreasonable glare or hazardous interference on abutting properties or highways.

Landscaping and buffer requirements:

Additional regulations for uses with drive-in (drive-through) facilities.

Existing buildings, especially those built prior to 1940 and contributing to the historic character of the village, should be retained where possible. Front and side building facades and front porches, if any, should be preserved.

Additions to existing buildings or new buildings on a lot should be located to the rear or side, where possible, and should be compatible with the existing building in the following respects:

The applicant shall submit sufficient information in the form of architectural elevations or sketches of building additions, restorations or new buildings in order to determine to what extent the design guidelines are being followed.

In order to facilitate traffic circulation, all parking areas for a proposed use should be directly connected to nonresidential parking areas on adjacent lots. If a connection cannot be made when the proposed use is constructed, a driveway may be provided extending to the adjacent property line in a location where a future connection can be made. Cross-easements between properties should be provided where necessary.

For any development that follows the design guidelines of § 500-1609A through D above, the maximum building coverage permitted may be increased to 35% of lot area, and the maximum impervious coverage may be increased to 75% of lot area.

For developing shared driveway access with an abutting lot, the area of the shared driveway (but not the surrounding parking area) shall be exempted from impervious. The bonus shall apply to each lot; if only one lot is being developed, a cross-easement to an abutting lot or lots shall be offered and recorded on the plan of the first lot. To use this bonus, no additional driveways shall be permitted to access either lot from an arterial street. Additional driveways may be permitted off a side street or service road.

The following elements are encouraged and shall be exempted from impervious coverage limitations: