West Whiteland Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE IV
Town Center District
§ 325-13 TC Town Center Mixed Use District.
[Amended 3-10-2004 by Ord. No. 310; 4-23-2008 by Ord. No. 360; 4-27-2011 by Ord. No. 386; 3-12-2014 by Ord. No. 410; 9-9-2015 by Ord. No. 426; 4-22-2020 by Ord. No. 453; 2-12-2025 by Ord. No. 484]
A.
Purpose.
(1)
Intent. It is the intent of this district to promote the development of a pedestrian-oriented central area within the Township which contains an integrated mix of residential, retail, office, entertainment, civic, institutional, and recreational uses which can serve as a community focal point.
(2)
Goal. It is the goal of the Town Center to provide a clearly defined single location for the most intensive kinds of uses. The Town Center will encourage innovative planning techniques which will facilitate higher-quality development with unified architectural and building schemes, pedestrian-oriented walkways connecting buildings, bicycle and mass transit access, unified landscaping and signage, and coordinated storm drainage and open space areas that are consistent with the Township Comprehensive Plan.
B.
Use regulations. A lot may be used or occupied for one or more of the following purposes. Conditional use review shall be required only where specifically stated or when the project exceeds one or more of the thresholds specified in § 325-124A of this chapter.
(1)
Group I - residential.
(a)
Apartment dwellings, as defined in § 325-8, above, including apartment units accessory to a nonresidential use. Single-family detached dwellings, two-family dwellings, fourplexes, and townhouses are all hereby prohibited in the TC Town Center District.
(b)
Life-care facility or personal care facility when authorized as a conditional use by the Board of Supervisors subject to § 325-124 of this chapter, and the following conditions:
[1]
The property upon which the facility is located must be contiguous and adjacent to a major arterial street and primary access must be located within the frontage of the property along and upon a major arterial street.
[2]
The Township shall not issue any use and occupancy permit for such a facility until the applicant for such permit has documented, to the satisfaction of the Township, receipt of all pertinent approvals and licenses from the appropriate state agencies.
(2)
Group II - nonresidential and mixed use.
(a)
Office buildings.
(b)
Hotels and motels. Permitted accessory uses include but are not necessarily limited to eating and drinking establishments, fitness facilities, personal services, retail stores, retail services, and meeting rooms and areas suitable for hosting conferences, conventions, receptions, and similar events. Access to accessory uses may be restricted to guests of the hotel or motel at the discretion of the owner.
(c)
Personal services.
(d)
Retail stores and services.
(e)
Eating and drinking establishment.
(f)
Banks and other financial institutions and services.
(g)
Fitness facility.
(h)
Medical services.
(i)
Continuing education facility.
(j)
Public place of amusement and motion-picture theater when authorized as a conditional use by the Board of Supervisors subject to § 325-124 of this chapter, excepting that when such use is a sexually oriented business it shall be prohibited in the Town Center district.
(m)
Mixed-use buildings, subject to the following conditions:
[1]
A mixed-use building may contain any combination of uses permitted in Group II above, except a vehicle fueling station.
[2]
A mixed-use building may contain apartment dwellings in combination with any uses permitted in Group II above, except as noted herein, provided that no such dwelling units shall be permitted on the ground level of the building.
(n)
Governmental facility.
C.
Area and bulk regulations. The area and bulk regulations shall be based upon developable acreage unless stated otherwise. Where a project consists of a tract with multiple contiguous lots in common ownership or under common control or is being developed according to a Master Plan in accordance with § 325-13E, below, the provisions of this section shall be applied as if those lots were a single lot and without regard to the lot lines separating them. Furthermore, the term "perimeter" in such cases shall be interpreted to mean the perimeter of the entire project tract as if the constituent lots of said tract were a single lot. The provisions of this section are subject to modification in accordance with the terms of Exhibit 4, " Bonus Menu," of this Chapter. [1]Where bonuses are employed, the Township shall determine whether they have been properly calculated and applied in the course of conditional use review; in the event conditional use review is not required, such determination shall be made during the land development review.
(1)
Tract size (minimum): two acres (gross acreage).
(2)
Total impervious coverage (maximum): 70% of net lot area.
(3)
Building height (maximum): 60 feet.
(5)
Setbacks.
(a)
Principal buildings, including parking structures.
[1]
Buildings and portions of buildings with a building height of 30 feet or less shall be set back at least 25 feet from the right-of-way of PA Route 100 and U.S. Business Route 30. Where the building height is greater than 30 feet, the portion above 30 feet shall be set back at least 60 feet from the right-of-way of PA Route 100 and U.S. Business Route 30.
[2]
For all public streets except PA Route 100 and U.S. Business Route 30, buildings and portions of buildings with a building height of 30 feet or less shall be set back at least 15 feet from the right-of-way. Where the building height is greater than 30 feet, the portion above 30 feet shall be set back an additional 10 feet for each 10 feet of building height. Therefore, buildings and portions of buildings with a building height more than 30 feet up to 40 feet shall be set back at least 25 feet; more than 40 feet up to 50 feet shall be set back at least 35 feet; and more than 50 feet shall be set back at least 45 feet.
[3]
Buildings shall be set back at least 25 feet from all other property lines (or from the perimeter of the tract where the project involves contiguous lots) if the adjoining property is in the Town Center zoning district; if the adjoining property is not in the Town Center zoning district, the said setback shall be at least 50 feet.
(b)
Setbacks for accessory buildings and other structures shall be as provided for in § 325-31 of this chapter.
(c)
Surface parking areas.
[1]
Surface parking areas shall be set back at least 25 feet from the right-of-way of PA Route 100 and U.S. Business Route 30. A site element screen shall be provided within the setback and shall be continuous, except for driveway and road crossings and permitted signage. The site element screen may include a sidewalk, but such inclusion shall not reduce the amount of required landscaping.
[2]
For all public streets except PA Route 100 and U.S. Business Route 30, surface parking areas shall be set back at least 15 feet from the right-of-way. A site element screen shall be provided within the setback and shall be continuous, except for driveway and road crossings and permitted signage. The site element screen may include a sidewalk, but such inclusion shall not reduce the amount of required landscaping.
[3]
Surface parking areas shall be set back at least 10 feet from all other property lines (or from the perimeter of the tract where the project involves contiguous lots) if the adjoining property is in the Town Center zoning district; if the adjoining property is not in the Town Center zoning district, the setback shall be at least 25 feet.
(6)
Residential buildings, including life care facilities and personal care facilities, shall be separated from all other buildings by at least 30 feet.
(7)
The following building separation distances shall apply to all Group II (nonresidential and mixed use) buildings within a development tract:
(8)
Buildings shall be set back not less than 15 feet from all private cartways, drive aisles, and parking areas. No building setback is required from a dedicated loading area.
(9)
The number of dwelling units permitted on a tract shall not exceed 6.0 dwelling units per acre of the gross lot area of the tract, regardless of whether the tract accommodates a mix of uses or is developed solely for residential use. This limit shall not apply to life care facilities and personal care facilities, as provided for under § 325-13B(1)(b), above.
[1]
Editor's Note: Exhibit 4 is included as an attachment to this chapter.
D.
Architectural design standards. All new construction, including exterior renovations of existing buildings, shall comply with the architectural design standards established by § 281-67 of the West Whiteland Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
(1)
Where no land development or conditional use approval is required for a proposed building or other improvement addressed by the said architectural design standards, the zoning permit application for said building or improvement shall be accompanied by documentation demonstrating compliance of the proposed construction with the said standards.
(2)
Where a proposed building or other improvement addressed by the said architectural design standards requires conditional use approval but not land development review, the conditional use application for said building or improvement shall be accompanied by documentation demonstrating compliance of the proposed construction with the said standards.
(3)
Where a proposed building or other improvement addressed by the said architectural design standards requires land development review, documentation of compliance with the said standards shall be as provided for in the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
(4)
The Township reserves the right to refer the documentation required hereabove to a Township Architectural Review Committee.
E.
Master Plan requirement.
(1)
The following development shall be permitted on tracts with a gross tract area of 10 or more acres only if the Zoning Officer determines that such development is consistent with an approved Master Plan for the tract, as provided for below:
(a)
Any subdivision of land, including subdivisions for the purposes of lease or condominium, except that plans proposing only the merger of two or more lots into a single lot and no other development shall be exempt from the Master Plan requirement.
(2)
Master Plan contents.
(a)
The Master Plan shall show the development of the entire tract.
(b)
The Master Plan shall demonstrate compliance with the Township Zoning Ordinance and shall demonstrate feasibility of compliance with the Township Stormwater Management Ordinance[2], the landscaping requirements found in Article IV of the Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance[3], and the Exton Town Center Design Standards found in Article VII of the Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance[4].
(c)
The Master Plan shall be prepared by a licensed professional engineer, architect, or landscape architect and shall include the following information as a minimum. The use of multiple sheets is encouraged in the interest of showing this information clearly.
[1]
The legal limits of the tract and a statement of its gross and net lot area, including the property lines and gross and net lot area of all constituent parcels.
[2]
Existing conditions on the tract, including all structures and paved areas, topography with a contour interval of not more than two feet, areas where slope exceeds 25%, woodlands, permanent streams and other surface waters, wetland areas, FEMA-designated floodways and areas of 1% annual chance of flood, critical habitat areas identified by the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory, and the boundaries of easements that limit the use of the land.
[3]
Historic resources identified on the Township' s Historic Resources Map that are on the tract or are within 300 feet of the tract perimeter.
[4]
Proposed conditions, including as a minimum:
[a]
The footprint, massing, and use(s) of all proposed buildings, including existing buildings to remain, and including the number and type of proposed dwelling units and the approximate square footage and type of all nonresidential uses;
[b]
Accommodations for vehicular circulation and parking, including connections to the public road network;
[c]
Accommodations for pedestrian and bicycle circulation, which shall be consistent with the Township's Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and shall provide for connections to existing and planned bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure as may be depicted on that Plan;
[d]
Permanent open spaces and public gathering places, which may be landscaped or hardscaped and may include performance spaces, outdoor market areas, and water features;
[e]
Provisions for public transit;
[f]
Areas available and suitable for placement of solar photovoltaic panels and a shadow plan depicting the shade impact of all improvements depicted on the Master Plan at the summer and winter solstices and the equinoxes; and
[g]
Provisions, including, but not limited to, cross-easements, deed restrictions, and other covenants to ensure development, access, operation and maintenance of the tract in accordance with the Master Plan.
[5]
Phasing.
[a]
Development in accordance with the Master Plan may be undertaken in phases or sections by more than one developer or builder.
[b]
The Master Plan shall indicate the limits of each phase and its gross area, but no phase shall be smaller than 10% of the gross tract area of the entire tract for which the Master Plan has been created.
[c]
The Master Plan may, but is not required to, indicate a sequence for the development of the phases. In any event, the phases shall be developed in a manner that allows for a logical and efficient progression in the development of the roads, trails, and other public improvements depicted on the Master Plan and construction of the utility infrastructure that the development will require.
(4)
Status of the approved Master Plan.
(a)
An approved Master Plan shall have the same status as an approved conditional use application. The development of one or more phases shown on an approved Master Plan that is consistent with the Master Plan shall not require submission of a conditional use application, even if those phases involve development that would otherwise require such application pursuant to § 325-124A(1) of this chapter.
(b)
A land development plan for any phase may be deemed consistent with the Master Plan where the use(s) proposed by the land development plan is the same as proposed by the Master Plan and the area of the building footprint(s), the total square footage of nonresidential floor space, the total number of residential units, and the total square footage of proposed open space shown on the land development plan are all within 10% of what is shown for that phase on the Master Plan. If the building configuration(s), and/or massing of the proposed buildings, and/or public amenities shown on a land development plan are, in the determination of the Zoning Officer, significantly different from the approved Master Plan, or if they are inconsistent with the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance, the Township reserves the right to deny approval of the land development plan even if it complies with the preceding quantitative standards.
(c)
If the Master Plan indicates a sequence for the development of its phases, out-of-sequence development of a phase or phases shall not be deemed inconsistent with the Master Plan, provided that the new sequence still represents a logical progression in the development of the tract in the determination of the Zoning Officer.
(5)
Amending the Master Plan.
(b)
Amendments may affect one or more unbuilt phases of an approved Master Plan, but the application must still comply with the standards of § 325-13E(2).
(c)
The configuration of the unbuilt phases may be amended, provided that no phase shall be smaller than 10% of the gross tract area of the tract shown on the original. Master Plan.
(d)
An approved Master Plan shall not be amended within five years of the date of its approval by the Board of Supervisors.
(e)
An amended Master Plan shall not be amended again within five years of the date of the approval of the most recent amendment by the Board of Supervisors.