(a) Purpose. The purpose of this district is to provide for low density, single-family residential development and to complement this, by providing for cluster development in the same districts.
(b) Uses.
(1) Permitted uses.
A. Single-Family Dwellings
B. Accessory Uses or uses clearly incidental to any permitted or conditional use and which will not create a nuisance or hazard
C. Family Day-Care Home
D. Governmental Uses
E. Public Recreation, including parks, playgrounds ballfields, swimming pools, tennis courts, and picnicking
(2) Conditionally permitted uses.
A. Home Occupations
B. Places of Worship
C. Private Outdoor Recreation, including golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools and clubhouses
D. Public Utility Substations, Carrier Stations, and Water Tanks
E. Schools, elementary, secondary and colleges
F. Temporary Construction Buildings
(Ord. 98-12. Passed 4-7-98.)
G. Keeping of Horses subject to the requirements of subsection (g) hereof.
(Ord. 2001-22. Passed 6-5-01.)
(c) Water and Sanitary Sewer Requirements. All uses and lots established within this district must be served by public water and sanitary sewer service. Use or development of any lot without these public utility services shall be permitted subject to a determination by the Village Council that said central water and sanitary sewers are not reasonably accessible to the lot and that it is not economically feasible to extend them. In such cases, lots may be authorized to be temporarily served by individual wells and/or on-site sewage disposal systems, provided however that the minimum lot size shall be five (5) acres and that the owner shall consent in writing to connect to the water and sanitary sewer systems at such time as they become available to the site.
(d) Cluster Development Alternate.
(1) In order to encourage greater attractiveness, flexibility, and utilization of space to obtain a more desirable environment than may be possible through the strict application of minimum requirements of the R-SF2 District, single family dwellings may be clustered in accordance with the regulations of this section on land zoned in R-SF2 Districts to permit the flexible spacing of lots and buildings in order to encourage:
A. The creation of functional and interesting residential areas.
B. The provision of readily accessible recreation areas and open spaces.
C. The conservation of the natural amenities of the landscape.
D. The separation of pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular circulation.
(2) Purpose and intent. The purpose of the Cluster Development Alternate is to protect and preserve rural character and open space in the Village of Doylestown. The Cluster Development Alternate is also intended to protect environmentally sensitive areas which have a limited carrying capacity for development and to provide for low density residential development which is consistent with the character and atmosphere of the Village.
(3) Applicability of cluster standards. The provisions of this section shall apply whenever an owner or developer elects to submit plans in accordance with its provisions and whenever the Planning Commission finds and determines that the application of the planning standards and regulations of this section would:
A. Preserve or protect natural features or environmental conditions of a land area proposed to be developed;
B. Meet the open space or recreational needs of the future residents of a land area proposed to be developed;
C. Assure an arrangement or placement of improvements and/or dwelling units on the land area proposed to be developed which will be functional and serviceable in all respects; and
D. Not significantly impact the use of the land area proposed to be developed when considered as a whole for the purposes and to the extent permitted under this Zoning Code.
(4) Cluster development requirements. The following criteria are established to guide and control the planning, development, and use of land in a single-family cluster development.
A. Additional Permitted Uses. The uses permitted shall be those uses normally permitted in the zoning district provided, however, the following additional uses may be permitted in the cluster portion of the development area:
1. Common open space.
2. Guest parking areas.
B. Minimum Area. The minimum area to qualify for a Cluster Development shall not be less than five (5) contiguous acres.
C. Maximum Density. The residential density of the entire Cluster Development area shall not exceed two and five-tenths (2.5) dwelling units per acre.
D. Required Open Space. In any Cluster Development, the total public or common open space area shall be not less than thirty (30) percent of the gross acreage of the entire Cluster Development area.
E. Building Arrangement. The design criteria set forth in this section are intended to provide considerable latitude and freedom to encourage variety in the arrangement of the bulk and shape of buildings, open space, and landscape features. The dwellings may be arranged in various groups, courts, sequences, or clusters with open spaces organized and related to the dwellings to provide privacy while forming a unified composition of buildings and space. Although latitude in design is provided and encouraged, no dwelling unit within a Cluster Development shall be less than twenty (20) feet from any boundary line of said Cluster Development.
F. Lot and Yard Requirements. Lot and yard requirements for a Cluster Development shall be as set forth in the approved Development Plan provided, however, that the following minimums shall be maintained:
1. The front setback for each dwelling unit within any Cluster Development shall be not less than twenty-five (25) feet from the nearest edge of street pavement.
2. The minimum separation between buildings within a cluster area shall be:
a. Side to side, 15 feet.
b. Side to rear, 30 feet.
c. Rear to rear, 50 feet.
(Ord. 98-12. Passed 4-7-98.)
3. The riparian setback for each permitted use and conditionally permitted use within any Cluster Development shall be 25 feet measured from the stream center of Snipe Creek.
(Ord. 2006-12. Passed 7-11-06.)
G. Access and Vehicular Circulation. Each Cluster Development shall be served by a dedicated street. However, individual dwelling units within such cluster need not abut a dedicated street, provided that:
1. Each dwelling unit is accessible, by means of a private drive, to service and emergency vehicles in a manner acceptable to the Village Engineer and Fire Chief.
2. Construction methods, standards, and materials for private drives meet accepted engineering practice and are approved by the Village Engineer.
3. The location, design, and construction of all utilities on private or common land is approved by the Village Engineer.
4. The preservation and maintenance of all private drives and utilities on private land is assured by firm commitment of the abutting owners through documents recorded in the office of the County Recorder or in such other form as is approved by the Village Solicitor.
H. Parking. Parking shall be required in accordance with the requirements set forth in Chapter 1167. Additional guest off-street parking areas may be required by the Planning Commission if it determines that such additional parking is necessary to adequately serve the needs of the Cluster Development.
I. Ownership and Perpetual Maintenance. Proposed ownerships of all recreation, park, common areas, and open space areas shall be identified and a perpetual maintenance plan for said areas submitted to the Village for review and approval. Said plan shall set forth responsibility for maintenance of all such areas and describe the method of financing said maintenance program. The Perpetual Maintenance Plan shall become part of the Development Plan if approved by the Village and shall be placed on record with the County Recorder along with the final site plans and/or subdivision plats for the development.
(5) Application and review procedures. Applications for a Cluster Development shall be submitted for review and approval in accordance with the provisions of this section.
A. Preapplication Conference. Prior to formal submission of an application and development plans for a Cluster Development, the applicant shall request by letter and attend an information preapplication conference with the Planning Commission.
The purpose of the preapplication conference is to familiarize the applicant with the Cluster Development requirements and process and the Village's expectations regarding the property. The conference is also intended to provide the applicant with an opportunity to discuss the general approach to the project and to obtain informal comments and direction from the Village which may help to expedite the formal review process.
B. Application. The owner or developer shall submit an application for Cluster Development to the Zoning Inspector. Said application shall include:
1. Deposits and fees as established by Council.
2. Eight (8) copies of the Preliminary Development Plan.
3. The proposed forms of covenants and deed restrictions, including those with respect to the use and perpetual maintenance of common land and/or private streets.
C. Preliminary Development Plan Requirements. Preliminary Development Plans submitted with applications for Cluster Developments shall include:
1. The name of the development and the names and addresses of the owners and developers.
2. A scale, north arrow, and date.
3. The proposed assignment of use and subdivision of land, including the proposed locations of buildings.
4. Existing and proposed vehicular and pedestrian traffic patterns, including the proposed location and design of public and private streets and easement, as well as the names, locations, and dimensions of existing streets and easements.
5. Preliminary plans for provision of utilities.
6. Proposed parking layout, including ingress and egress.
7. A boundary survey of the entire proposed Cluster Development including the proposed dimensions of any lots to be platted within the development.
8. Topography showing contours at an interval of two (2) feet or less.
9. A table showing the total number of acres to be developed and the amount of acreage to be used for each type of use, including each dwelling type, streets, parking areas, recreational and open space areas, and other facilities. Such table shall list the total number of dwellings proposed as well as the number of each type of dwelling unit.
10. Identification of all natural features, including existing water courses, wetlands, and flood areas.
11. Anticipated development phasing and scheduling.
12. Preliminary plans for the installation of landscaping. Said Development Plan shall be prepared by persons professionally qualified to prepare such plans.
D. Transmission. Upon determination that a complete submittal has been made, the Zoning Inspector shall declare the preliminary Development Plan to be officially filed and shall transmit copies to appropriate officials and agencies for their review and comments. Comments and recommendations from those officials and agencies shall be made available to the Commission.
E. Commission Action. The Planning Commission shall review said plan and shall act thereon within sixty (60) days of the filing date, unless said time is extended by mutual consent of the Commission and the applicant. The Commission may approve the cluster plan as submitted or modified, conditionally approve the plan and stipulate the condition of such approval, or disapprove the plan. The action of the Commission shall be noted on two (2) copies of the preliminary Development Plan and the application form and one (1) copy of each shall be returned to the applicant. One copy of each shall be retained on file by the Zoning Inspector.
F. Effect of Approval. Approval of a preliminary Cluster Development Plan by the Planning Commission is not an acceptance of the subdivision for record. It is an approval of a general plan as a guide for the preparation of improvement plans and the final site plan or subdivision plat. Approval of a preliminary plan shall be effective for a period of one year following the date of the approval by the Planning Commission, unless an extension of time is granted.
Upon expiration of a preliminary plan approval, no approval of a final plat shall be given until the preliminary plan has been resubmitted and approved. Approval of a Preliminary Development Plan for a cluster development shall constitute preliminary site plan or subdivision plat approval and authorize the developer to proceed to final plan submittal.
(6) Final subdivision approval. The developer of any parcel of land, for which a Preliminary Cluster Development Plan has been previously approved as set forth herein, may prepare and submit a final subdivision plan of the Cluster Development in conformance with the requirements for final subdivision plats as set forth in the Village of Doylestown Subdivision Regulations.
(e) Buffers. No buffers are required along the boundaries of this district.
(f) Enclosure Requirements. All outside storage of governmental or commercial inventory or equipment or any other use which may represent a hazard to trespassers must be enclosed with a fence or wall at least seven (7) feet in height.
(Ord. 98-12. Passed 4-7-98.)
(g) Keeping of Horses. The Planning Commission may authorize the keeping of horses and a private stable as a conditional use pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 1165 provided that, in addition to such other requirements or restrictions the Planning Commission shall attach to such conditional use permit, each application for such use shall comply with the following :
(1) There shall be not more than one (1) horse for each two (2) acres of lot area.
(2) No private stable shall be designed to accommodate more than one (1) horse for each two (2) acres of lot area.
(3) The portion of the property intended to contain the horses is enclosed with a fence, the design and location of which has been approved by the Planning Commission.
(4) No private stable shall be located nearer than fifty (50) feet to any public street, any property lot line, nor any dwelling, except those to which such stable is accessory.
(Ord. 2001-22. Passed 6-5-01.)