Whitpain Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVIII
R-E Research and Engineering District
[Added 6-3-1968 by Ord. No. 4-23]
§ 160-110 Purpose.
It is the purpose of this district to provide suitable controls for research and engineering facilities and related manufacturing and processing incidental to the research and engineering uses and operations, provided that such uses and operations are free from offensive noise, vibration, smoke, odors, glare, hazards of fire or other objectionable and dangerous conditions and that they can be adequately served by Township facilities, including water and sewers, and that they provide for adequate buffer areas, landscaping and screening so as not to impair any adjacent residential development.
§ 160-111 Use regulations.
[Amended 9-4-1985 by Ord. No. 4-83; 1-6-1992 by Ord. No. 4-128; 10-6-1997 by Ord. No. 4-157; 4-5-2005 by Ord. No. 4-205]
A building or group of buildings may be erected, altered or used and any lot or premises may be used or occupied for any of the following purposes and no other:
A.
Offices for administrative, executive, professional sales and other similar uses, the normal attributes of which do not involve retail sales and service.
B.
Laboratory for scientific, agricultural or industrial research and development.
C.
Facilities for research, engineering, designing and related manufacturing and processing incidental to the following: scientific and precision instruments and controls; electronic components, including computers; optical goods; metalized and coated plastic film; photographic reproduction, film and equipment; jewelry and timepieces.
D.
[1]Corporate rental suites. When authorized by conditional use received from the Board of Supervisors, a building or a combination of buildings may be erected or used and a lot area may be used or occupied for a corporate rental suites development meeting the following criteria:
[Added 6-16-2015 by Ord. No. 4-241]
(1)
Tract Size. Any parcel to be used as corporate rental suites development shall have a minimum developable area of 10 contiguous acres, shall have a maximum developable area of 15 contiguous acres, and shall have a minimum of 1,000 feet of frontage on a public street;
(2)
Minimum and maximum development scale. No corporate rental suites development shall consist of less than 100 suites/occupancy units nor more than 300 suites/occupancy units;
(3)
The development shall be served by public sewer and water acceptable to the Township and subject to the approval of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and any applicable local authority;
(4)
The tract of land shall not be contiguous to any property zoned for residential use;
(5)
Compliance with the development standards set forth in § 160-112A through J; and
(6)
Subject to such reasonable conditions or restrictions as the Board of Supervisors may determine as being in the best interests of the public health, safety, and general welfare.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection D, providing for hospitals as a permitted use, added 10-18-2005 by Ord. No. 4-214, was repealed 5-16-2006 by Ord. No. 4-218.
E.
Accessory uses incidental to any of the above-permitted uses, including a cafeteria and other similar services operated by or for the employer for the exclusive use of its employees and business visitors.
F.
Limited storage and service of electronic, computer, pharmaceutical, optical and mechanical components as accessory to a foregoing permitted use, by special exception when authorized by the Zoning Hearing Board, subject to the following conditions:
(1)
Special exceptions shall be authorized only when accessory to a permitted use within the district.
(2)
The area devoted to limited storage and service shall not exceed 10% of the total floor area specifically used and occupied by the principal use to which the storage and service is accessory.
(3)
The limited storage and service shall be permitted only within an enclosed building, and no exterior alterations, such as loading docks and garage doors, shall be permitted.
(4)
The accessory use shall be specifically limited to materials and products such as electronic, computer, pharmaceutical, optical or mechanical components and pieces which are capable of being held in one hand by the average worker.
(5)
No separate signage shall be permitted for this activity.
§ 160-112 Performance standards.
No use shall be permitted which may be noxious or hazardous, and provided further that no exterior storage of materials or equipment shall be permitted, except temporary storage which is not noxious or offensive by reason of odor, dust, fumes, smoke, gas, vibration, noise or risk of fire or explosion, provided that such temporary storage shall be fully concealed by fencing or landscaping and shall be within the area which could be utilized for building on the lot.
A.
Smoke control.
(1)
No smoke shall be emitted from any chimney or other source visible gray greater than No. 1 on the Ringelmann Chart as published by the United States Bureau of Mines.
(2)
Smoke of a shade not darker than No. 2 on the Ringelmann Smoke Chart may be emitted for not more than four minutes in any 30 minutes.
(3)
These provisions applicable to visible gray smoke shall also apply to visible smoke of a different color but with an equivalent apparent opacity.
B.
Control of dust and dirt, fly ash and fumes, vapors and gases.
(1)
No emission shall be made which can cause any damage to health, to animals or vegetation or other form of property or which can cause any excessive soiling at any point.
(2)
No emission of liquids or solid particles from any chimney or otherwise shall exceed 0.3 grain per cubic foot of the covering gas at any point.
(3)
For measurement of the amount of particles in gases resulting from combustion, standard correction shall be applied to a stack temperature of 500° F. and 50% excess air.
C.
Noise shall not violate the Township's Disturbing the Peace Ordinance, at § 83-1 of the Code of Ordinances of Whitpain Township.
D.
(Reserved)
E.
Control of glare and heat. Any operation producing intense glare or heat shall be performed within an enclosed building or behind a solid fence in such manner as to be completely imperceptible from any point along the lot lines.
F.
Control of vibration. No vibration which is discernible to the human sense of feeling without instruments shall be perceptible at any point on the lot lines.
G.
Control of radioactivity or electrical disturbance. There shall be no activities which emit dangerous radioactivity at any point. There shall be no electrical disturbance (except from domestic household appliances) adversely affecting the operation at any point of any equipment other than that of the creator of such disturbance.
H.
Outdoor storage and waste disposal.
(1)
No flammable or explosive liquids, solids or gases shall be stored in bulk above ground; provided, however, that tanks or drums of fuel directly connecting with energy devices, heating devices or appliances located on the same lot as the tanks or drums of fuel are excluded from this provision.
(2)
No materials or wastes shall be deposited upon a lot in such form or manner that they may be transferred off the lot by natural causes or forces.
(3)
All materials or wastes which might cause fumes or dust, which constitute a fire hazard or which may be edible or otherwise be attractive to rodents or insects shall be stored outdoors only in closed containers.
I.
When the owners of two or more contiguous tracts submit a joint land development plan for the development of all of the tracts as an integrated whole, the requirements for area, setbacks, open space, green space, building coverage and other requirements of the Whitpain Township Zoning Ordinance shall be applied to the entire combination of tracts rather than individually, provided that the following conditions are met:
[Added 3-7-2006 by Ord. No. 4-216]
(1)
Development plans shall show the entire area being developed as a whole, and the entirety must meet all of the requirements of the Whitpain Township Zoning Ordinance;
(2)
Ownership of the individual lots may continue after the approval of the development plan, provided that a declaration of covenants and cross easements is recorded which is duly binding upon all owners within the area of the development plan, their successors and assigns, with respect to the use, control and maintenance of all areas other than the actual buildings.
J.
Specific development standards for corporate rental suites developments. Corporate rental suites developments shall comply with the following additional requirements:
[Added 6-16-2015 by Ord. No. 4-241]
(1)
Density. The total number of suites/occupancy units shall not exceed 25 suites/occupancy units per developable acre.
(2)
Unit mix. Suite/occupancy unit mix (as a percentage of total number of suites/occupancy units).
(a)
Studio and/or one-bedroom suites/occupancy units: 50% minimum.
(b)
Units with three or more bedrooms shall not be permitted.
(3)
Building coverage. The maximum coverage of all primary and accessory buildings and structures in a corporate rental suites development shall be no greater than 30%.
(4)
Green space. The minimum green space shall be equal to 50% of the developable acreage of the tract to be developed. Areas devoted to stormwater management, e.g., detention basins, retention basins and BMPs shall be permitted to be included in the required minimum green space.
(5)
Distance between buildings. The horizontal distance, measured in feet, at the closest point between any two buildings shall not be less than 35 feet.
(6)
Building height. No building shall exceed 50 feet in height nor four habitable stories. Habitable stories shall not include any areas of structured parking.
(7)
Amenity space. Each corporate rental suites development shall provide amenity space, including but not limited to social areas, passive and active recreation areas, conference rooms, and/or other required amenities, at a ratio of not less than 40 square feet per suite/occupancy unit.
(8)
Off-street parking and loading.
(a)
Off-street parking shall be provided at a ratio of 1.5 parking spaces per suite/occupancy unit.
(b)
Areas for loading and unloading shall be designed to minimize interference with circulation areas or automobile parking facilities.
(9)
Refuse areas. Areas provided for refuse storage must be visually screened from streets and pedestrian ways with landscaping, privacy fencing, and/or walls.
§ 160-113 Area, width and yard regulations.
A.
Minimum lot area and width. A lot area of not less than five developable acres and a lot width of not less than 300 feet at the building line shall be provided for every building or other structure erected or used for any use permitted in this district.
B.
Front yard. The required minimum depth of a front yard shall be as follows:
(1)
Where a building faces a street on the opposite side of which the land is zoned residential: 150 feet.
(2)
Where a building faces a street and the land on both sides is zoned other than residential: 50 feet.
C.
Side yards. There shall be two side yards on each lot, which shall have an aggregate width of not less than 150 feet, neither side yard having a width of less than 50 feet, provided that any side yard abutting a street shall have a width of not less than 100 feet.
D.
Rear yard. There shall be a rear yard on each lot, the depth of which shall be not less than 50 feet, provided that any rear yard abutting a street shall have a depth of not less than 100 feet.
E.
Building coverage; height of accessory buildings. Principal and accessory buildings shall not occupy more than 20% of the lot area. This area may be increased by a maximum of 5% for accessory buildings only, provided the minimum green area is increased by a like percentage. This increase is in addition to any increases required by the parking space reduction. Accessory buildings adjacent to a residential zoning district may not exceed a height of one story or 18 feet.
[Amended 3-7-2006 by Ord. No. 4-216]
F.
Additional setback for residential zoning districts. In no case shall any building erected either upon the surface of the ground or under the ground be closer than 150 feet to any residential district, nor shall any parking area be closer than 50 feet to any residential district.
[Added 8-3-2004 by Ord. No. 4-204]
§ 160-114 Off-street parking and loading.
[Amended 11-16-1999 by Ord. No. 4-168]
No parking shall be permitted closer than 50 feet of the street ultimate right-of-way line along any lot, nor closer than 50 feet to any lot line abutting or opposite a street right-of-way from a residential district. All parking must be off street and shall be in compliance with the provisions of Article XXVII.
§ 160-115 Screening.
[Amended 11-16-1999 by Ord. No. 4-168; 8-3-2004 by Ord. No. 4-204]
All front yards and all areas delimited by a side or rear lot line abutting or directly across a street from a residential district and to a depth of 50 feet for the entire length thereof shall be maintained as green areas and planted in grass, shrubs and/or trees, except for necessary ways of access there through, which shall be planted in accordance with a plan approved by the Board of Supervisors following a recommendation by the Planning Commission, which shall, at least, conform to the standards and requirements of § 160-107A of the Code of the Township of Whitpain, including all regulations required for screen buffers.
§ 160-116 Signs.
Signs may be erected, subject to the provisions of Article XXVI.
§ 160-117 Submission of planting plan.
A planting plan shall be submitted for approval by the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors.
