Upper Southampton Township
City Zoning Code

Upper Southampton Township is hereby divided into districts of different types, each type being of such number, shape, kind and area, and of such common unity of purpose and adaptability of use that are deemed most suitable to carry out the objectives of this chapter.

Every parcel of land and every building or other structure in the Township, except as otherwise provided by law or by this chapter, shall be subject to the regulations, restrictions, and requirements specified for the district in which it is located.

Residential District:

R-1 Residential Conservation District

R-2 Low Density Residential District

R-3 Moderate Density Residential District

R-4 Moderately High-Density Residential District

R-5 High Density Residential District

R-6 Highest Density Residential District

Commercial Districts:

CC Controlled Commercial District

RS Retail Service District

Industrial Districts:

CI Campus Industrial District

LI Limited Industrial District

Special Overlay District:

OPAS Off Premises Advertising Sign District

TCAA Town Center Active Adult Overlay District

NAA Neighborhood Active Adult Overlay District

Where district boundaries are indicated as approximately coinciding with the center lines of streets or railroad rights-of-way, such center lines shall be construed to be such boundaries.

Where district boundaries are so indicated that they approximately coincide with lot lines, such lot lines shall be construed to be said boundaries.

Where district boundaries are so indicated that they are approximately parallel to the center lines of street or railroad rights-of-way, such district boundaries shall be construed as being parallel thereto and at such distance therefrom as indicated on the Zoning Map.

Where district boundaries divide a lot, the location of such boundaries shall be determined by the use of the scale shown on the Zoning Map unless the boundaries are indicated by dimensions.

R-1 Residential Conservation District. The purpose of the R-1 Residential Conservation District is to provide the conditions of residential development and low dwelling unit density which are conducive especially to the preservation of open space and the conservation and enhancement of existing natural features such as wooded areas, stream valleys, floodplains, scenic vistas, surface and underground water supplies, areas for outdoor recreation and the like; to exclude any activities not compatible with this character of development; and to otherwise create conditions conducive to carrying out the broad purpose of this chapter and of the Comprehensive Plan.

R-2 Low Density Residential District. The purpose of the R-2 Low Density Residential District is to provide a place for detached dwelling units, a place to live and raise families; to provide standards which will encourage the installation of public facilities yet at the same time enhance the physical environment by giving maximum concern for the preservation of open space and natural features; to exclude commercial, industrial or any other activity not compatible with residential development; and to otherwise create conditions conducive to carrying out the broad purposes of this chapter and of the Comprehensive Plan.

R-3 Moderate Density Residential District. The purpose of the R-3 Moderate Density Residential District is to give less emphasis to the size of lot than is accorded in the R-2 Districts but otherwise to provide a place for detached dwelling units, a place to live and raise families; to provide standards which will encourage the installation of public facilities yet at the same time enhance the physical environment by giving maximum concern for the preservation of open space and natural features; to exclude commercial, industrial or any other activity not compatible with residential development; and to create conditions conducive to carrying out the broad purpose of this chapter and of the Comprehensive Plan.

R-4 Moderately High Density Residential District. The purpose of the R-4 Moderately High Density Residential District is to provide a choice of housing types by permitting detached dwelling units and twin singles, duplex, twin duplex and townhouses; to provide reasonable standards for the regulation of the density of population; and to otherwise create conditions conducive to the carrying out of the broad purpose of this chapter and the Comprehensive Plan.

R-5 High Density Residential District. The purpose of the R-5 High Density Residential District is to provide a choice of housing types by permitting all types permitted in R-4 and also garden apartments near or in the town center where shopping facilities, community and municipal services, and public transportation are at hand so as to minimize the necessity for family furnished transportation and to moderate the family economy; to provide reasonable standards for the regulation of the density of population; and to otherwise create conditions conducive to the carrying out of the broad purposes of this chapter and the Comprehensive Plan.

R-6 Highest Density Residential District. The purpose of the R-6 Highest Density Residential District is to provide standards for high intensity residential uses for portions of the Township as provided for in the Comprehensive Plan. The objective in creating this district is to enable the attainment of an additional housing type so located, as to strengthen the identity and vitality of the central area; to provide for residential structures suitable to persons whose life style is served by multi-unit, multi-story residences; to allow more people to live in areas accessible to commercial uses, community facilities, and public transportation, and thereby increase their utility; and to otherwise fulfill the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan.

CC Controlled Commercial District. The purpose of the CC Controlled Commercial District is to provide for nonretail commercial uses, such as administrative and professional offices, medical facilities, educational, religious and philanthropic institutions, and other related low-traffic-generating, nonretail commercial uses; to provide standards which will ensure that such development will be of character compatible with adjacent residential land uses and of such design as to create minimum interference with the traffic flow on public streets; and to otherwise create conditions conducive to carrying out the broad purposes of this chapter and of the Comprehensive Plan.

RS Retail Service District. The purpose of the RS Retail Service District is specifically to provide an area for the location of commercial establishments offering goods and services needed by Township residents; in general to create a focal point for Township activity by including a variety of uses compatible with retail uses; by providing reasonable standards for the harmonious development of these uses; and to otherwise create conditions conducive to carrying out the broad purposes of this chapter and of the Comprehensive Plan.

CI Campus Industrial District. The purpose of the CI Campus Industrial District is to encourage development compatible with surrounding or abutting residential zones, with suitable open spaces, landscaping, and parking areas. To these ends, development is limited to a low concentration; external effects are limited; and permitted uses are confined to those activities that can be carried on in an unobtrusive manner and to certain facilities that are necessary to serve the employees of the district, and in accordance with the broad purposes of this chapter and of the Comprehensive Plan.

LI Limited Industrial District. The purpose of the LI Limited Industrial District is to encourage and to provide for industrial development necessary to the economy of the region; to locate and design industrial development as to constitute a harmonious and appropriate part of the physical development of the Township; and to contribute to the soundness of the economic base of the Township.

OPAS Off-Premises Advertising Sign District. The OPAS Off-Premises Advertising Sign District is an overlay zoning district located, identified and comprised of all properties within 75 feet of both sides of the Pennsylvania Turnpike right-of-way that are located in a LI Limited Industrial or RS Retail Sales District. The purpose of the OPAS Off-Premises Advertising Sign District is to provide an area for the placement of off-premises advertising signs, a/k/a billboards, in the Township; to provide regulations for such signs; to provide standards for construction of such signs; and to locate such signs so that they are not adverse to the health, safety and general welfare of the residents of the Township of Upper Southampton.

TCAA Town Center Active Adult Overlay District. The purpose of the TCAA Town Center Active Adult Overlay District is to guide redevelopment of commercial areas in accordance with the findings, recommendations, goals, objectives, design guidelines and themes, policies, and purposes of the Upper Southampton Township Comprehensive Plan which form the basis for this Town Center Active Adult Overlay District subsection in order to encourage and promote creative and flexible development, redevelopment and revitalization in the vicinity of the heart of the Upper Southampton Township and allow development that decreases auto dependency and mitigates the effects of congestion and pollution, so as to promote and protect the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of the Township and surrounding/adjacent communities while enhancing the economic stability of the Township by promoting the attractiveness, convenience and stability of this region, encourage public transit stops, thus encouraging transit ridership, as well as:

NAA Neighborhood Active Adult Overlay District. The purpose of the NAA Neighborhood Active Adult Overlay District is to guide redevelopment of areas within the R-1 Residential Conservation District in accordance with the findings, recommendations, goals, objectives, design guidelines and themes, policies, and purposes of the Upper Southampton Township Comprehensive Plan which formed the basis for this Neighborhood Active Adult Overlay District. "In order to encourage and promote creative and flexible development, redevelopment and revitalization of Upper Southampton Township in conjunction with preservation of open space and the conservation and enhancement of existing natural features such as wooded areas, stream valleys, flood plains, scenic vistas, surface and underground water supplies, areas for outdoor recreation and the like so as to promote and protect the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of the Township and surrounding/adjacent communities while enhancing the economic stability of the Township by promoting the attractiveness, convenience and stability of this Region."