Upper Moreland Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVIII
Limited Industrial District
§ 350-109 Declaration of legislative intent.
In expansion of the statement of community development objectives in Article I, § 350-4, of this chapter, it is hereby declared to be the intent of this article with respect to Industrial Districts to provide for the orderly and planned establishment of a variety of nonpolluting industrial uses that are needed to meet both local and regional employment needs and market demands and that will take advantage of the superior locations and highway accessibility offered by the Pennsylvania Turnpike and County Line Road. Specifically, it is the intent of this district to:
A.
Provide for selected, non-nuisance industrial type establishments, which require large sites and land areas.
B.
Provide performance standards, setbacks and buffering requirements to ensure that the type and magnitude of industrial development in this district will cause minimal negative effects on the surrounding residential neighborhoods on the sensibilities of local residents.
C.
Recognize the need for more flexible lotting practices for industrial parks to encourage superior site design, to preserve valuable natural features and other amenities, and to reflect the varied site needs of the prospective tenants of said parks, in furtherance of the general welfare of the residents of Upper Moreland Township.
§ 350-110 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 listed in the Use Matrix,[1] and no other, 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.
§ 350-111 General regulations.
A.
The erection, construction, alteration or use of buildings or premises for any and all of the purposes for Limited Industrial Districts shall be conducted wholly within a completely enclosed building or in a court enclosed on all sides by buildings, except for on-site parking and loading incidental thereto, and then approved by the Zoning Hearing Board, and public utility facilities normally enclosed within a building.
B.
Utilities. All utility lines (electrical, telephone, etc.) shall be placed underground.
§ 350-112 Dimensional standards.
The following area and height regulations shall apply:
Lot | |
Lot area, minimum | 2 acres |
Lot width, minimum | 125 feet |
Impervious coverage, maximum | 70% |
Setbacks | |
Yard setback, front, minimum | 25 feet |
Yard setback, side, minimum | 20 feet |
Yard setback, rear, minimum | 35 feet, subject to exception in Subsection A hereinafter set forth |
Building | |
Building height, maximum | 2 stories or 40 feet, whichever is greater |
A.
Residential buffer. In no case shall any building or structure be erected closer than 200 feet to any residential district nor any parking area to be closer than 100 feet to any residential tract. The buffer area shall be maintained by the owner as a green area entirely covered by grass, shrubs, and trees in accordance with the SALDO (see Ch. 300, Subdivision and Land Development).
§ 350-113 Restriction on odor, dust, and noise.
No building may be erected, altered or used and no lot or premises may be used for any trade industry or business that is noxious or offensive by reason of odor, dust, smoke, gas, vibration, or noise, and no public garage shall be permitted, unless authorized and permitted as a special exception by the Zoning Hearing Board, as set forth in §§ 350-205 through 350-211 of this chapter.
§ 350-114 Additional regulations.
A.
Distribution center (Use E-6). In addition to the other provisions of this article and when authorized by the Zoning Hearing Board in accordance with the provisions of Article XXX, distribution centers shall meet the following standards:
(1)
The applicant shall conduct a traffic study which, in addition to all requirements of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance,[1] shall include presubmission traffic counts for all intersections which, in the determination of the Township, will be utilized by traffic servicing the distribution center. There shall be no increase in delays, in any direction, at those intersections which will be utilized by traffic servicing the distribution center.
(2)
Trucks shall take direct access to and from the property from arterial roads only.
B.
Coordinated parking and loading. In order to promote more efficient use of parking and loading areas; to reduce the number of driveway intersections with public roads; and to reduce stormwater runoff by allowing a reduction in paved areas, parking and loading facilities on abutting properties shall be coordinated in accordance with the following requirements:
(1)
Parking and loading facilities may be constructed with common facilities, through sharing access driveways and maneuvering areas and forming a continuous paved surface across abutting property lines.
(2)
Applicants are encouraged to locate coordinated loading areas in conjunction with coordinated parking areas.
(3)
All participating property owners with such coordinated driveway and parking facilities shall obtain shared parking agreements and access easements to be approved by the municipality.
C.
Landscape plan. The applicant shall be required to use the services of a registered landscape architect, who shall prepare a detailed grading and planting plan in an effort to provide the most effective choice of plant materials arranged in an imaginative, pleasant, and functional manner to sufficiently buffer, screen, and protect neighboring properties outside of the Limited Industrial District. Creation of a linear berm with monotonous repetition in planting design is prohibited.
§ 350-115 Conditional use standards.
A.
Use A-11, Outdoor storage. Notwithstanding the applicable laws and regulations of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Article IV, Use Regulations, and § 350-175, Environmental performance standards, the following standards shall apply:
(1)
The Use A-11, Outdoor storage, may be operated outdoors as stated herein.
(a)
The lot shall be fenced with a solid or other opaque fence, at least six feet in height, which shall be maintained in good order, and the lot shall be landscaped so that its activities are effectively shielded from neighboring properties and passersby.
(b)
Periodic sales of vehicles impounded at the vehicle impoundment lot shall be permitted.
(c)
No vehicle may be stored for more than 180 days, and the operator of the vehicle impoundment lot shall keep adequate records of ownership and duration of the vehicles on the lot to ensure that no vehicle may be stored on the lot for more than 180 days.
(d)
Vehicle parts, trash, and waste fluids shall be stored inside a building.
(2)
The Use A-11, Outdoor storage, may not be operated in conjunction with a junkyard.
(3)
Any such use that borders on a residential district shall have a 100-foot setback of the parking/storage area from the residential district boundary, and the setback area shall be maintained as green area and planted with a screen buffer in accordance with the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.[1]
(4)
Any such use that borders on a residential district shall have a thirty-foot-wide landscape screen buffer in accordance with the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, excluding arborvitaes.
(5)
The parking and storage area shall be paved with a macadam or another surface approved by the Township Engineer.
(6)
The outdoor storage shall be subject to such other reasonable conditions as the Commissioners may deem reasonable at the conditional use hearing in light of the location of the lot and the character of the district as well as nearby properties.
B.
Use E-9, Junkyard. The junkyard may be operated outdoors as stated herein.
(1)
"Junk" shall be defined as any discarded article or material, including, but not limited to, scrap metal, paper, rags, glass, containers, tires, junked or abandoned motor vehicles, trailers, machinery and equipment, and other salvageable materials. For purposes of this subsection, the term "junk" shall not include hazardous wastes or materials, industrial residual wastes, or municipal wastes as defined in the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management Act.[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: See 35 P.S. § 6018.101 et seq.
(2)
The lot shall be fenced with a solid or other opaque fence, at least six feet in height, which shall be maintained in good order, and the lot shall be landscaped so that its activities are effectively shielded from neighboring properties and passersby.
(3)
No junk material, accessory structure, related activity or other enclosure shall be stored, placed, located, or conducted within 50 feet of any public street right-of-way, body of water, stream or wetland, or any adjoining property line.
(4)
Where determined appropriate by the Township, the applicant may be required to prepare and submit a soil erosion and sedimentation control plan for the facility.
(5)
All junk materials shall be placed so that they are incapable of being transported off the premises by wind, water, or other natural causes.
(6)
All junk shall be stored or arranged so as to permit access by fire-fighting equipment and to prevent the accumulation of water.
(7)
No junk shall be piled to a height exceeding six feet.
(8)
All gasoline and oil shall be drained from junked vehicles prior to being accepted at the facility.
(9)
All hazardous or toxic materials, including freon and antifreeze, shall be drained from appliances prior to their acceptance at the facility.
(10)
No oil, grease, tires, gasoline or other similar material shall be burned at any time, and all other burning shall be controlled at all times.
(11)
All junkyards shall be maintained in such a manner to avoid causing public or private nuisances; causing any offensive or noxious odors; or causing the breeding or harboring of rats, flies, or other vermin that could be hazardous to public health.
(12)
Any junkyard that borders on a residential district shall have a 500-foot setback of the parking/storage area from the residential district boundary, and the setback area shall be maintained as green area.
(14)
The junkyard shall be subject to such other reasonable conditions as the Commissioners may deem reasonable at the conditional use hearing in light of the location of the lot.
C.
Use D-8, Sexually oriented businesses (adult use). Regulations pertaining to adult or sexually oriented business uses, as defined and regulated in Chapter 57, are subject to the following requirements:
(1)
Location of sexually oriented businesses. No sexually oriented businesses shall be located within 1,000 feet of the property line of a lot used for the following uses unless separated from the adult use by the Pennsylvania Turnpike or railroad. A person commits a violation of this chapter and Chapter 57 if the person operates or causes to be operated a sexually oriented business within 1,000 feet of:
(a)
A church, synagogue, mosque, temple or building which is used primarily for religious worship and/or related religious activities;
(b)
A public or private educational facility, including but not limited to child day-care facilities, nursery schools, preschools, kindergartens, elementary schools, private schools, intermediate schools, junior high schools, middle schools, high schools, vocational schools, secondary schools, continuation schools, special education schools, junior colleges, and universities. A school includes the school grounds, but does not include facilities used primarily for another purpose and only incidentally as a school;
(c)
A public or privately owned park or recreational area which has been designated for park or recreational activities, including but not limited to passive or active park or parkland, playground, nature trails, swimming pools, reservoir, athletic field, basketball or tennis courts, pedestrian/bicycle paths, wilderness areas, or other similar public land; and
(d)
A licensed premises, licensed pursuant to the alcoholic beverage control regulations of the commonwealth.
(2)
No sexually oriented business shall be located within 500 feet of the following uses. A person commits a violation of this chapter and Chapter 57 if the person operates or causes to be operated a sexually oriented business within 500 feet of:
(3)
An adult use or sexually oriented business may not have frontage on Pioneer Road or Easton Road, or be located within 300 feet of the legal right-of-way of Welsh Road, York Road, Fitzwatertown Road, Terwood Road, Davisville Road, Byberry Road, County Line Road, Pioneer Road, or Easton Road.
D.
Signage. Any adult establishment or sexually oriented businesses are subject to the following signage requirements in lieu of signage otherwise permitted in the zoning district under Article XXV, General Provisions:
(1)
Wall signs are limited to a total of 40 square feet and any such wall sign must face the street frontage on which access to the building is located;
(2)
No roof signs are permitted;
(3)
One freestanding sign, not to exceed 40 square feet per face in area or 20 feet in height, is permitted;
(4)
No internally illuminated, LED or digital signs are permitted; and
(5)
No flashing elements, rotating, pulsing, marching, video, lasers, beacons, strobe lights, streaming video, moving pictures or animated graphics are permitted.