To promote, protect and facilitate one or more of the following: public health, safety, morals, general welfare, coordinated and practical community development, proper density of population, emergency management preparedness and operations, adequate light and air, police protection, vehicle parking and loading space, transportation, water, sewerage, schools, recreational facilities, public grounds, the safe, reliable and adequate water supply for domestic, commercial, agricultural or industrial use, preservation of the natural, scenic, and historic values in the environment, preservation of forests, wetlands, groundwater protection, aquifers, and floodplains, and other public requirements.

To prevent one or more of the following: overcrowding of land, blight, danger, congestion in travel, fire, flood, panic, or other dangers.

To preserve the natural, historical and cultural resources, and prime agriculture and farmland considering topography, soil type and classification, and present use.

To provide for the use of land within the municipality for residential housing of various dwelling types encompassing all basic forms of housing, including single-family and two-family dwellings, and a reasonable range of multifamily dwellings in various arrangements, including mobile or manufactured homes and mobile or manufactured home parks; provided, however, that no zoning ordinance shall be deemed invalid for the failure to provide for any other specific dwelling type.

To accommodate reasonable overall community growth, including population and employment growth, and opportunities for development of a variety of residential dwelling types and nonresidential uses.

To encourage the revitalization of established commercial corridors and urban centers.

To achieve the best use of land within the Township, ensuring that varying land uses will complement one another, and to control the indiscriminate scattering of commercial, industrial and other urban-type land uses into a predominantly rural and agricultural area.

To establish realistic population densities in order to ensure adequate circulation, health standards, privacy and open space and in order to provide utilities, protection, services, and facilities in the most economical and efficient manner.

To encourage a land use pattern that will improve the efficiency, convenience, and safety of existing and future road systems in order to provide better internal circulation and movement of people and goods throughout the Township.

To guide the location and siting of future development and to establish development standards so as to minimize the negative impacts on the natural environment while preserving the environment, which includes the cultural and historical resources of the Township.

To preserve open space and agriculture (farmland) and expand recreational activities within the Township through the addition of new parkland and an interconnected trail/path system.

To stimulate the local economy by encouraging controlled and appropriate commercial, industrial, residential, and recreational growth which will provide for local employment, local shopping, and local recreational opportunities, which will strengthen the local tax base and at the same time minimize the negative aspects of these growth pressures.

To encourage and promote the provisions of a reasonable range and variety of housing types to meet the needs of all Township residents.

To strive for coordination of land use planning and zoning between adjacent communities and among regional municipalities.

To encourage ingenuity in architectural design and site planning by providing for innovative residential, commercial, and industrial concepts as opposed to rigid, inflexible, conventional land use controls.

To maintain and enhance Warrington Township as a desirable place in which to live, work, shop, and play by the employment of high standards to guide the quality of future and existing development while at the same time providing community facilities and services on a sound fiscal basis.

To use the Warrington Township Comprehensive Plan Update (2018), as amended, as a guide for making decisions regarding the physical development of land and as the basis for evaluating proposed actions affecting physical development of land in Warrington Township.

In interpreting and applying the provisions of this chapter they shall be held to be the minimum requirements for the promotion of health, safety, and the general welfare of the Township and its citizens. It is intended that these minimum requirements be implemented in a way allowing appropriate flexibility in the future development of the Township and that the Board of Supervisors use sound professional judgment in any decisions concerning the implementation of these minimum requirements for the ultimate benefits of the Township and its citizens. It is not intended by this chapter to interfere with or abrogate or annul any rules or regulations previously adopted or permits previously issued by the Township which are not in conflict with any provisions of this chapter, nor is it intended by this chapter to interfere with or abrogate or annul any easements, covenants, building restrictions or other agreements between parties; provided, however, that where this chapter imposes a greater restriction upon the use of the building, or requires a larger open space than is imposed or required by such ordinance, rules, regulations, or permits or by easements, covenants, building restrictions or agreements, the provisions of this chapter shall control.

The district charts, found in Article IV, are intended as supporting material to the regulations in Article III, Use Regulations, and in Article IV, Classification of Districts. The district charts list the purpose of each district, the uses permitted, as well as the area and dimensional requirements of all permitted uses within each zoning district. The district charts shall be in accordance with all provisions found within Article III, Use Regulations, and Article IV, Classification of Districts, as amended. If a discrepancy were to occur between the provisions in Article III or Article IV and the district charts, then the text of Article III or Article IV shall govern.

The requirements of this Ordinance shall not apply to facilities owned by Warrington Township that are intended for governmental, public health, or safety purposes. For the purpose of this section, "Warrington Township facilities" shall mean water wells, pump stations, and similar utilities, including protective sheds and other structures; public and school district bus shelters; and Township-owned stormwater and communications facilities.

Township-owned buildings that are being used for private or commercial purposes, other than Warrington Township facilities and Use C5, Municipal use, will not be covered by § 370-106, Township exemption.

No building, structure, area of a use or land shall be used, subdivided, occupied, erected, moved, structurally altered, enlarged, constructed, converted, maintained, extended, created, reconstructed, replaced, changed in use, excavated, cleared of vegetation, or expanded in intensity except pursuant to the regulations and procedures of this chapter.

This chapter permits, prohibits, regulates, restricts, and determines: