Williams Township City Zoning Code
PART 4
"A" AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT
§ 27-401 Purpose.
[Ord. No. 2020-01, 1/6/2020]
To recognize and seek to preserve agricultural lands and to protect environmentally sensitive areas, considering topography, soil type and present use. To steer more dense growth away from the "A" District and to areas closer to community facilities and services. To recognize areas to which it would be difficult and expensive to extend sewer and water lines, and to continue to sewer because of pumping station costs. To avoid nuisance complaints against farmers from new residents, by not encouraging dense residential growth near active large farms or livestock operations. To provide for certain nonagricultural uses that support and are compatible with farming operations.
§ 27-402 Township and Municipal Authority Exemption.
[Ord. No. 2020-01, 1/6/2020]
The requirements of this chapter shall not apply to uses or structures owned by Williams Township or for municipal authorities created solely by Williams Township.
§ 27-403 Permitted-by-Right Uses.
[Ord. No. 2020-01, 1/6/2020]
Only the following uses are permitted by right in the "A" Agricultural District, provided that the requirements for specific uses of Part 14 are met and the environmental preservation provisions of Part 15 are met and the conservation development provisions in Part 19 are met:
A.
The following residential uses:
(1)
One Single-Family Detached Dwelling. Provided that the dwelling would not be located closer than 120 feet to a building being currently actively used for an animal husbandry use, except for a dwelling owned by the owner of the animal husbandry use.
B.
The following agricultural uses:
C.
The following miscellaneous uses:
(1)
Campground.
(2)
Cemetery.*
(3)
Commercial communications tower.*
(5)
Audubon international certified golf course.*
(6)
Home-based business, no-impact.
(7)
Membership club.
(8)
Nonhousehold stable.*
(9)
Place of worship.*
(10)
Picnic grove.*
(11)
Public or private primary or secondary school.*
(12)
Publicly owned recreation.
(13)
Township-owned use.
D.
The following accessory uses require a zoning permit:
(1)
Accessory apartment within an existing single-family detached dwelling.**
(2)
Accessory use or structure clearly customary and incidental to a permitted by right, special exception or conditional use.**
(3)
Accessory use or structure permitted under § 27-1403C.**
(4)
Essential services.**
(5)
Limited small engine and tractor repair and workshop.
(6)
Recreational facilities limited to use by residents of a development and their occasional guests.
(7)
Retail sales of agricultural products primarily produced on the premises.**
(8)
Sale of agricultural fertilizers, seeds or animal feed, not involving manufacture or processing.
(9)
Swimming pool, private.**
(10)
Solar energy system, on-site usage.**
[Amended by Ord. No. 2022-02, 5/11/2022]
(11)
Geothermal system.**
(12)
Wind turbine.**
§ 27-403.1 Special Exception Uses.
[Ord. No. 2020-01, 1/6/2020]
Only the following uses are permitted by special exception in the "A" District, provided that the requirements for specific uses of Part 14 are met:
A.
Animal cemetery.
B.
Animal hospital.*
C.
Bed-and-breakfast use.**
D.
College or university.*
E.
Home occupation.**
F.
"In-law" suite.**
G.
Kennel.*
H.
Leaf composting.**
I.
Short-term transient rentals.*
J.
Swimming pool, public.*
K.
Non-tower wireless communications facilities that do substantially change the wireless support structure to which they are attached, or that otherwise do not fall under the Pennsylvania Wireless Broadband Collocation Act.
L.
Small WCF.
N.
Solar energy system, off-site usage.
[Added by Ord. No. 2022-02, 5/11/2022]
O.
Wind energy facility.
[Added by Ord. No. 2022-02, 5/11/2022]
§ 27-404 Conditional Uses.
§ 27-405 Lot and Setback Regulations.
[Ord. No. 2020-01, 1/6/2020]
A.
Lot and setback regulations for uses in the "A" District shall be as follows, unless a more restrictive requirement is stated in Part 14 for a particular use or elsewhere in this chapter. See definitions of these terms in Part 2.
(1)
Minimum lot area: 87,120 square feet (with or without public water and sewer service).
(2)
Minimum lot width: 180 feet, except 250 feet for any use with a driveway entering directly onto an arterial street.
(3)
Maximum building coverage: 10%.
(4)
Maximum impervious coverage: 20%.
(5)
Minimum front yard setback: 50 feet from future street right-of-way for both principal and accessory structures. The following variation is also permitted: Up to 50% of the principal residential buildings may be located up to five feet forward of the front yard building setback line, provided that an equal or greater number of principal residential buildings in the same stage of construction and on the same street will be five feet or greater behind the front yard building setback line. This variation shall only be permitted if approved at the time of the approval of the subdivision plan.
(6)
Minimum side yard setback: 15 feet for principal structures and (for each of two side yards); 10 feet for accessory structures and uses. Corner lots: see § 27-1304B.
(7)
Minimum rear yard setback: 40 feet for principal structures and 10 feet for accessory structures and uses.
(8)
Minimum setback: from 50 feet for all buildings.
(9)
Maximum height: 35 feet, except agricultural structures may be up to 120 feet.
(10)
Minimum setback: 100 feet for any new dwelling from an Industrial District boundary.