Upper Moreland Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVII
BC Business Center District
§ 350-104 Intent.
In expansion of the statement of community development objectives in Article I, § 350-4, of this chapter, and in furtherance of the goals and policies of the adopted Upper Moreland Township Comprehensive Plan, it is hereby declared to be the general intent of this article with respect to the Business Center District to provide for the orderly and planned establishment of employment-oriented office, research and development, laboratory uses, and a variety of nonpolluting light industrial uses in both planned centers and on individual sites that are needed to meet both local and regional employment needs and market demands. Specifically, it is the intent of the BC District to:
A.
Encourage high-quality office and light manufacturing uses that offer site amenities to tenants and provide quality jobs for Township residents.
B.
Retain and attract small-scale commercial uses, institutional uses, and other compatible uses that will help to create and maintain a vibrant, campus-like employment center.
C.
Provide for the extension of the power line and cross county trails and integrate pedestrian walkways, public parks and gathering spaces.
D.
Promote pedestrian orientation of streets and buildings to ensure a walkable setting.
E.
Give priority to pedestrian movement along sidewalks and trails and access to amenities, open spaces, and streets, and discourage design that gives priority to vehicular convenience only.
F.
Provide additional amenities that benefit public health, safety, and welfare, such as adequate open space, efficient roadways, and safe bicycle and pedestrian connections.
G.
Encourage architectural detail, attractive signage, and appropriate site design through the application of development standards.
H.
Encourage cross-access easements and shared driveways and parking to minimize the number of curb cuts that interrupt the pedestrian network, and to provide for more efficient utilization and distribution of parking within the BC District.
§ 350-105 Use regulations.
A building may be erected, altered, or used, and a lot may be occupied or used, in whole or in part, for any of the uses permitted, as shown in the Use Matrix,[1] and no other, with uses allowed to be mixed within a building or mixed in separate buildings on a property, provided that such uses shall comply with the district regulations established in this article and all other applicable sections of this chapter. Such uses shall comply with the district regulations established in Article IV, Use Regulations (in the event of a conflict between district and use regulations, the more stringent regulation shall be applicable), and all other applicable sections of this chapter.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Table of Uses is included as an attachment to this chapter. See also Art. IV, Use Regulations.
§ 350-106 Dimensional standards.
The following site development requirements shall be complied with for a development proposal in the BC District:
Minimum lot size (excluding existing public road rights-of-way) | 1 acre | |
Minimum lot width at the building line | 100 feet | |
Minimum building setbacks measured from: | ||
Curbline of arterial roads | 20 feet | |
Curbline of local street (for buildings up to 40 feet in height) | 15 feet | |
Abutting property line (for buildings 40 feet to 60 feet in height) | 20 feet | |
Abutting property line of residentially zoning district or property | 40 feet | |
Maximum building length | 300 feet | |
Minimum spacing between buildings: | ||
Between buildings up to 45 feet high | 20 feet | |
Between buildings from 45 feet to 65 feet high | 40 feet | |
Portions of buildings sharing a party wall | 0 feet | |
Minimum surface parking setbacks from: | ||
Side and rear property lines | 20 feet (0 feet when there is a shared parking agreement between adjacent properties) | |
Abutting residential zoning district | 15 feet | |
Minimum loading setbacks from: | ||
(1) | Curbline of any street | Loading not permitted on that portion of the lot between the building and the street or streets on which the lot is located |
(2) | Abutting residential, recreational or institutional zoning district | 50 feet from institutional; not permitted abutting residential or recreational |
Maximum impervious coverage | 75% of lot area | |
§ 350-107 Attached building regulations.
To promote more efficient lot usage and permit visual enhancement of developments through coordinated construction, buildings may be permitted to abut lot lines and/or be attached to buildings on other lots in accordance with the following regulations:
A.
Any two buildings may be attached to one another at one party wall along a side or rear property line.
B.
Up to four buildings may be attached to each other by means of one side party wall and one rear party wall each, provided such attachment occurs completely within the subdivision or land development proposed by the applicant.
§ 350-108 Additional regulations.
All development in the BC District shall comply with the following design standards, in addition to all regulations in the Upper Moreland Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.[1] Applicants for land developments in the BC District shall submit architectural renderings in conjunction with the land development application to demonstrate how the development will comply with the design standards and to further show the building materials to be used in the project and the architectural details and renderings for each building.
A.
Open space. Properties that have frontage on Maryland Road or Computer Avenue shall provide open space and shall meet the following requirements:
(1)
The open space may consist of plazas, central greens, trails, greenways, pedestrian malls, picnic areas, and other similar types of usable spaces. The open space may be centrally located or may consist of multiple spaces.
(2)
The open space shall be a minimum of 300 square feet or a minimum of 5% of lot area, whichever is greater.
(a)
If the lot width is 200 linear feet or greater, then the open space shall be a minimum of 400 square feet or a minimum of 5% of lot area, whichever is greater.
(3)
A pedestrian plaza shall be located at the ground level and accessible by sidewalk, pedestrian path, or trail.
(4)
A pedestrian plaza shall not include a fence or wall between the sidewalk and the plaza.
(5)
Road rights-of-way and required buffer or setback areas shall not be included as part of the required gathering space.
(6)
The open space shall meet the following design requirements:
(a)
Gathering space shall be designed as focal points within the development and shall be located to make public access as easy and straightforward as possible. Public access shall be guaranteed to all required open space through a deed restriction or other means acceptable to the municipal governing body.
(b)
The pedestrian plaza shall have 50% shade coverage.
(c)
Up to 25% of the required gathering space can be used for natural features preservation or stormwater management, provided the stormwater management facilities are designed as a vegetated amenity, such as rain gardens.
(7)
An operations and maintenance plan, ensuring that all landscaping and man-made items are maintained in perpetuity and are replaced if they can no longer be feasibly maintained, shall be prepared for the common open space area and submitted to the municipality for approval.
B.
Streetscape standards. All developments within the BC District shall include a well-designed and attractive streetscape that enhances pedestrian safety and fosters a sense of place within the station area.
(1)
Sidewalks and verges.
(a)
Sidewalks of at least eight feet in width shall be provided along both sides of all public and private streets within the development.
(b)
Additional internal pedestrian pathways shall be provided in order to create a completely linked network of convenient pedestrian connections between all building entrances, parking areas, open spaces, trails, train stations, bus stops, and other public amenities within the development and adjacent developments.
(c)
Sidewalks are required to connect the street frontage to all front building entrances, parking areas, plazas, and any other destination that generates pedestrian traffic. Sidewalks shall connect to existing sidewalks on abutting tracts and other nearby pedestrian destination points and transit stops.
(d)
For frontages along arterial roads, a four-foot-wide verge shall be provided between the sidewalk and curbline which may be either landscaped or hardscaped.
(2)
Shade trees. Trees shall be planted along both sides of all public and private streets and along driveways and internal pedestrian walkways in accordance with the following regulations:
(a)
One shade tree shall be planted for every 30 linear feet of public or private street frontage, driveway length, or internal pedestrian walkway length.
(b)
The spacing between individual shade trees may be adjusted to accommodate utilities, driveways, and other constraints.
(c)
Shade trees shall have a minimum caliper of 2.5 inches at the time of planting.
(d)
Shade trees planted along a public or private street frontage may be planted as part of a landscaped verge, or planted within a hardscaped verge in a tree well.
(e)
Street furniture. At least two benches, bicycle parking in accordance with § 350-183, and one trash and recycling receptacle shall be provided for every 300 feet of public street frontage. The street furniture shall be located adjacent to the building facade, unless on-street parking is present, in which case street furniture may be located along the curb. Such amenities shall be maintained in perpetuity by the property owner.
C.
Service and loading areas. Where required, these areas shall be located on the side or rear of the building and shall be screened so that the visual and acoustic impact of these functions is fully contained and out of view of adjacent properties and public streets. (See Article XXVI, Parking and Loading § 350-181, for loading, unloading, waste disposal, and service area regulations.)
D.
Refuse collection areas. In addition to the regulations for Use A-13, Refuse collection facilities, in Article IV, Use Regulations, the following standards shall be satisfied:
(1)
Refuse collection areas shall be located indoors wherever feasible.
(2)
Where indoor refuse collection and storage is impracticable or infeasible, refuse may be stored out of doors, provided the refuse collection area is located to the rear of the building and is set back at least 50 feet from all property lines abutting a residential district or use and 25 feet from all property lines abutting a nonresidential district or use.
(3)
Any external refuse collection area shall be located within an enclosure that is architecturally compatible with the primary building(s) on the site and is appropriately screened from the direct view of any adjacent properties with landscaping in compliance with the screen buffer standards set forth in the Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.[2]