Westtown Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XI
C-1 Neighborhood and Highway Commercial District
§ 170-1100 Statement of intent.
In addition to the goals presented in the general purpose and the community development objectives sections of this chapter, the purpose of this district is to provide a unified area, designed according to a plan of highway-related stores and services which will serve the regional needs of this area. It is to provide an area in the Township for neighborhood stores and to provide regulations requiring landscaping, as well as provisions covering the submission of plans, so that this area may be made to blend with adjoining uses and designed to prevent congestion and hazards. An additional major purpose of this district is to ensure a safe and efficient movement of vehicular traffic along, onto, and off of PA Route 926 (Street Road), U.S. Route 202, PA Route 352, and PA Route 3, recognizing their importance as major highways serving traffic traveling through the region.
§ 170-1101 Use regulations.
[Amended 12-5-1994 by Ord. No. 94-6; 3-3-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2]
A.
Uses by right. A building may be erected, altered, or used, and a lot or premises may be used or occupied, by right, for any of the following purposes and no other:
(1)
Retail sales.
(2)
Barber shop, hairdresser, dry-cleaning outlets (excluding cleaning and pressing services) and such other shops for personal service.
(3)
Restaurant, retail bakery, or other places preparing, selling, and/or serving food or beverages, provided that such establishments have inside service and/or seating (where appropriate) only.
(4)
General business, professional, governmental, and administrative offices.
(5)
Banks and similar financial institutions.
(6)
Medical services.
[Amended 4-4-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-03]
(7)
Motel.
(8)
Wholesale sales, storage, or distribution facilities.
(9)
Customary accessory uses associated with any commercial use permitted by this section.
(10)
Religious use.
(11)
Funeral parlor.
(12)
Veterinary clinic for the treatment of domestic animals.
[Added 4-4-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-03]
B.
Uses by special exception. The following uses shall be permitted when approved as a special exception by the Zoning Hearing Board in accordance with the terms of this article and § 170-2108 of this chapter:
(1)
Restaurant, retail bakery, or other places preparing, selling, and/or serving food or beverages which have inside service and/or seating (where appropriate) and which require drive-through window takeout service.
(2)
Public recreational facilities, including bowling alleys, theaters, and similar forms of amusement.
(3)
Automobile service station, provided that all gasoline pumps and service facilities are set back at least 30 feet from the street line and provided further that no service station shall be located within 500 feet of another service station on the same side of the street.
(4)
Automobile sales and service agency, including used car lot and repair shop adjacent to and in connection therewith.
(5)
Car wash.
(6)
Auto service and repair facilities in accordance with the provisions of § 170-1602 of this chapter.
(7)
Adult-oriented establishment, provided that all of the following additional requirements shall be met:
(a)
The applicant shall prove compliance with all applicable state laws. Any Township zoning approval shall be conditioned upon compliance with Chapter 55, Title 68 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, and shall be withdrawn if such law is violated. The applicant shall annually provide the Township with the legal name and phone number of a local on-site manager who shall be responsible to ensure that there is compliance with state laws.
(b)
Any building area occupied by the use shall be set back a minimum of 300 feet from the lot lines of all of the following existing uses: any dwelling, place of worship, cemetery, park, playground, school or child day-care center.
(c)
The use shall not operate between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
(8)
Boardinghouse, provided the lot shall include a minimum of 2,000 feet of lot area per resident, up to total maximum of 20 residents.
(9)
Manufactured/mobile home park, which shall meet the regulations of the MU District, and not the regulations of the C-1 District.
§ 170-1102 Area and bulk regulations.
The following regulations shall apply to all uses permitted by right and special exception in the C-1 District:
A.
Minimum lot area: two acres.
B.
Minimum lot width: 300 feet at building setback line; in addition, 300 feet at future right-of-way line of Routes 202, 926, 3, and 352.
C.
Maximum building coverage: 25%.
D.
Maximum other impervious surface area: 65%.
[Amended 3-3-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-2]
E.
Maximum floor area ratio: 0.40 times the lot area.
F.
Minimum front yard setback: 50 feet for any building or parking area.
G.
Minimum side yards:
(1)
Fifteen feet minimum for each, except 50 feet from the future right-of-way line of Route 202 or Route 3 and 30 feet from the future right-of-way line of Route 926 or Route 352.
H.
Minimum rear yard: 50 feet.
I.
Maximum building height: three stories, not to exceed 38 feet.
[Amended 5-1-1995 by Ord. No. 95-2]
J.
Any accessory use or structure shall be located in compliance with front, side and rear yard requirements of this district.
§ 170-1103 Design standards.
The following design standards shall apply:
§ 170-1104 General standards.
A.
No use shall be conducted in the required front, side, and rear yards.
B.
No goods shall be displayed in the required front, side, and rear yards.
C.
The parcel or parcels shall be in single and separate ownership, or proof of option shall be furnished at the time of application, or a joint application shall be filed by separate owners. The proposed tract shall be capable of an integrated design of a complete commercial center within its boundary.
§ 170-1105 Buffer requirements.
In addition to the requirements of § 170-1508 of this chapter, there shall be a fifty-foot buffer strip maintained on the property containing any use authorized within this district, when such use abuts any A/C, R-1, R-2, or R-3 District. Such buffer strip shall be in addition to any and all applicable area and bulk regulations, including setback regulations. The buffer strip shall be planted and shall not include any paved area.
§ 170-1106 Plan submission requirements.
A.
In order to demonstrate compliance with the terms of this article, any applicant proposing any use authorized by right within the C-1 District shall submit a plan (map and text) to the Township Zoning Officer, describing specifically how the requirements of this article will be addressed.
B.
Where the proposed use constitutes a subdivision or land development, as defined by Chapter 149, Subdivision and Land Development, the plan submission requirements of that chapter shall supersede the provisions of this section.
C.
For any conditional use application, the submission requirements under § 170-2009 of this chapter shall govern, and the plan submitted shall demonstrate compliance with the requirements of this article.
D.
Any plan also shall include a certification from the Chief of the fire company responsible for serving the site as to the adequacy of access for emergency vehicles and the sufficiency of available water for fire-fighting purposes. Where the water source is off site, suitable arrangements to assure access at all times shall be demonstrated by the applicant.
E.
Upon submission of an application for development within the C-1 District, all owners of property within 500 feet of any portion of the tract on which such development is proposed shall be notified of the application and of the process through which the application will be reviewed.