West Donegal Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XV
General Industrial GI District
§ 240-68 Purpose.
[Amended 12-21-2015 by Ord. No. 221-2015]
The purpose of the General Industrial (GI) District is to provide for the orderly development of a wide range of industrial uses, to encourage a coordinated interior road system, to control nuisances and hazards, and to encourage appropriate industrial growth in accordance with the Regional Strategic Plan.
§ 240-69 Permitted uses.
Permitted uses shall be as follows:
A.
Laboratories: experimental, research, testing or manufacturing.
B.
Manufacturing, processing, fabricating and assembling.
C.
Parking lots.
D.
Public utility service, structures and buildings constructed in accordance with and subject to the provisions of § 240-96.
E.
Municipal uses, fire houses, and similar public buildings.
F.
Storage, warehousing, wholesaling, including lumber, coal and fuel oil yards, building materials salesrooms which deal primarily with wholesale sales, as opposed to the private consumer accommodated in the General Commercial District.
[Amended 12-21-2015 by Ord. No. 221-2015]
G.
Commercial communications antenna attached to an existing structure and meeting the requirements of § 240-105A.
H.
Accessory uses on the same lot with and customarily incidental to any of the above permitted uses.
§ 240-70 Special exceptions.
The following uses are permitted when a special exception is granted by the Zoning Hearing Board after public hearing. In granting any special exception, the Board may attach conditions to its approval which are necessary in order to preserve and protect the character of the district.
A.
Junkyards shall be permitted within the General Industrial District as a special exception in accordance with the following criteria:
[Amended 12-21-2015 by Ord. No. 221-2015]
(1)
No junk shall be stored closer than 300 feet from an existing dwelling, unless the junk is stored in completely enclosed buildings in which case the building may be located no closer than 100 feet from an existing dwelling.
(2)
No junk shall be stored closer than 100 feet from the legal right-of-way of any public street.
(3)
No material shall be placed in any junkyard in such a manner that it is capable of being transferred out of the junkyard by wind, water or other natural causes.
(4)
The boundaries of any junkyard shall at all times be clearly delineated.
(5)
All paper, rags, cloth and other fibers, and activities involving the same, other than loading and unloading, shall be within completely enclosed buildings.
(6)
The land area used for junkyard purposes shall not be exposed to public view from any public street or road by virtue of its location on a hillside or location on a plateau below street level.
(7)
The junkyard shall be entirely enclosed by a solid fence or wall, at least eight feet, but no more than 10 feet high, constructed of plank boards, brick, cinder blocks or concrete, with access only through solid gates. Such fence or wall shall be kept in good repair and neatly painted in a uniform color.
(8)
The contents of the junkyard shall not be placed or deposited to a height greater than the height of the fence or wall herein required.
(9)
The fence or wall shall be situated no closer to any street or property line than 50 feet. Between the fence or wall and the street or property line, buffer planting shall be placed. At a minimum, such buffer planting shall include one deciduous tree (1 1/2 caliper minimum) at an average of one tree per 40 lineal feet of buffer area, and one evergreen tree or shrub or one deciduous shrub (three feet minimum height) per 20 lineal feet of buffer area.
(10)
All materials shall be stored in such a manner as to prevent the breeding or harboring of rats, insects or other vermin. When necessary, this shall be accomplished by enclosure in containers, raising of materials above ground, separation of types of materials, prevention of collection of stagnant water, extermination procedures, or other means.
(11)
No burning shall be carried out in any junkyard. Fire shall be prevented and hazards avoided by organization and segregation of stored materials, with particular attention to the separation of combustibles from other materials and enclosure of combustibles where necessary, and with the provision of adequate aisles for escape and fire fighting, and by other necessary measures.
(12)
Discarded automobile tires shall be stored in such a manner so that stagnant water and the breeding of insects shall not be permitted.
D.
Accessory buildings and uses customarily incidental to the above permitted uses.
§ 240-71 Design requirements in General Industrial District.
[Amended 12-21-2015 by Ord. No. 221-2015]
The Table of Design Requirements in the General Industrial District is included at the end of the chapter.