§ 27-703. Classification by Construction.

Signs shall, be divided into the following types of construction and shall be subject to the specific regulations listed therewith:

      A.   Ground Sign.

         (1)   A ground sign is any sign erected upon a permanently affixed independent structure (legs or base) so that such structure is the main support of the sign.

         (2)   Ground signs shall not include temporary signs that are attached to mobile trailers containing wheels and capable of being towed from one site to the next.

         (3)   No ground sign shall project to a point nearer than 20 feet from the edge of a street right-of-way, unless obstructing the motorists' view, at which time further setback is required.

         (4)   No support for any ground sign shall be located nearer than 12 feet to any property line. Such signs shall not exceed 20 feet in height nor exceed 80 square feet in total sign area.

      B.   Flat Wall Sign.

         (1)   A flat wall sign is a sign erected or displayed on or parallel to the surface of a building.

         (2)   Flat wall signs may have a maximum area of 15% of the wall area of the wall on which the sign is to be erected.

         (3)   Flat wall signs may be erected upon a canopy or marquee if the structural strength of such canopy or marquee is sufficient to safely carry the additional load, and provided that such signs may not extend beyond the edges of said canopy or marquee or extend within otherwise prohibited areas.

         (4)   Flat wall signs shall not project more than 12 inches from the building wall and must be located so that the lower edge is a minimum of 8 feet above grade where the sign projects from the wall more than 3 inches.

      C.   Wall Projecting Sign.

         (1)   A wall projecting sign is any sign mounted upon a building so that its principal face is at right angles to the building wall.

         (2)   Projecting signs shall be located upon the building so that the lower edge is a minimum of 10 feet above grade.

         (3)   Projecting signs may project a maximum of 10 feet from the building wall, provided however, that no sign shall project to a point nearer than 12 feet from the street right-of-way.

         (4)   No projecting sign shall extend more than 6 feet above the top of the wall upon which it is mounted.

         (5)   Wall projecting signs may be erected upon a canopy or marquee if the structural strength of such canopy or marquee is sufficient to safely carry the additional load, and provided that such signs may not extend beyond the edges of the canopy or marquee.

      D.   Roof Signs.

         (1)   A roof shall be defined as any sign erected or displayed upon the roof of any building or structure or a wall-mounted sign that projects above, a portion of which exceeds the height of the building.

         (2)   No roof sign shall be placed upon the roof of any building so as to prevent the free passage from one part of the roof to the other thereof, or interfere with any openings in such roof.

         (3)   No sign erected upon the roof of any building shall project beyond the edges of said roof in any direction.

         (4)   Roof signs may extend above the roof, or top of wall, a distance equal to '/a the height of the wall or 6 feet, whichever is the smaller height.

         (5)   Roof signs may have a maximum are of 15% of the wall area to which the sign is attached.

         (6)   No roof sign parallel to a building shall extend in length a distance greater than Ys the length of the wall to which it is parallel and in no case may exceed 15 feet in length.

(Ord. 3/9/1993B, § 702)

§ 27-704. Permit Requirements.

   1.   The following signs shall be permitted without requirement of permit for erection when erected and maintained in conformity hereto:

      A.   Official traffic signs.

      B.   Professional, accessory use or name signs.

      C.   Real estate sale-sold-rent-development signs, not exceeding 6 square feet in area.

      D.   That announce a function or event.

      E.   Signs within buildings, not visible from outdoors.

   2.   All other signs shall require the issuance of a permit prior to erection or installation of the sign.

   3.   Applications for sign permits shall be accompanied by scaled plans or diagrams showing the following:

      A.   Dimensions of the lot including any right-of-way lines or building upon which the sign is proposed to be erected.

      B.   Size, dimensions and location of the said sign on the lot or building together with its type, construction, materials to be used, and the manner of installation.

      C.   Any other information which may be required of the applicant by the Zoning Officer.

   4.   Application for permit shall be made in writing to the Zoning Officer and shall contain all information necessary for such Officer to determine whether the proposed sign, or the proposed alterations, conform to all the requirements of this Chapter.

   5.   No sign permit shall be issued except in conformity with the regulations of this Chapter, except upon order of the Zoning Hearing Board, granted pursuant to the procedures established for the issuance of a variance.

   6.   Permits shall be granted or refused within 45 days from date of application, or within 15 days from the date of the Zoning Hearing Board's decision (where applicable).

(Ord. 3/9/1993B, § 703)

§ 27-705. Signs Excluded from Regulation.

The following signs are permitted without a zoning, special use, conditional use or sign permit. However, such signs shall conform to the requirements set forth below:

      A.   Signs erected in connection with elections or political campaigns. Such signs shall be removed within 3 days following the election or conclusion of the campaign. No such sign may exceed 16 square feet in surface area.

      B.   Signs indicating that a special event such as a grand opening, fair, carnival, circus, festival or similar event is to take place on the lot where the sign is located. Such signs may be erected not sooner than 2 weeks before the event and must be removed not later than 3 days after the event.

      C.   Temporary signs of contractors, architects, mechanics and artisans.

         (1)   The signs shall be displayed only while actual work is in progress, and shall not exceed 6 square feet in area, and provided further that such signs must be removed promptly upon completion of work.

         (2)   Should such sign be left on the site beyond the allowable time frame, the Township may impound it and recover a fee from the owner of the sign equal to the costs of removal and storage of the sign.

      D.   Government mandated signs.

(Ord. 3/9/1993B, § 704)

PART 8 PERFORMANCE ZONING

§ 27-801. Authority and Purpose.

   1.   The Municipalities Planning Code makes provisions for waiving standards to promote better land development. This change incorporates similar language into the purpose of the local ordinance.

   2.   It is the intent of this Chapter to encourage flexibility, economy and creativity in layout and design of subdivisions and land development (mobile home parks) and planned residential developments. The Planning Commission should have the authority to alter site requirements in order to encourage sound site planning and development practices that are consistent with contemporary planning concepts and principles and the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.

(Ord. 319/1993B, § 800)

§ 27-802. Definition.

Performance zoning is a method of regulating land use based upon flexibility and creativity. When this approach is used, it supersedes the standards of conventional zoning districts. Under performance zoning, land uses are permitted based upon meeting certain site criteria rather than upon their location in a specific zoning district. The increased flexibility of performance zoning enables the landowner to work with the constraints of the site and to buffer adjoining uses. Performance criteria include site capacity, evaluation and buffer standards which are described in § 27-804, 27-805 and 27-806 of this Chapter.

(Ord. 3/9/1993B, § 801)

§ 27-803. Design Standards.

These standards may be used at the discretion of the Planning Commission to evaluate major subdivision and land development and planned residential developments as an alternative to specific standards and requirements of the particular zoning district. Performance zoning, when applied by the Planning Commission, shall supersede the specific zoning requirements for the district, or districts, in which the development-project is located.

(Ord. 3/9/1993B, § 802)

§ 27-804. Site Capacity Calculation.

   1.   Each site has physical features which are unique and not found elsewhere. Portions of some sites may not be usable due to steep slope, wetland or other sensitive areas.

   2.   A minimum of buildable land also should be reserved for recreation and open space. The purpose of this Section is to establish the appropriate intensity of use to which a specific tract may be put. For each tract, the developer shall submit the following calculation with the initial plan:

      A.   Base Site Area. That portion of the tract which is not usable for the activities proposed for the site shall be subtracted from the site area to determine base site area. Use the following formula to determine the base site area:

1.   Site area of the development as determined by actual onsite survey.	Ac.
2.   Subtract: all land within the ultimate right-of way used for existing roads and utility rights of-way or easements.	Ac.
3.   Subtract: land which is not contiguous; i.e.,
a.   A separate parcel which does not abut or adjoin, nor share common boundaries with the rest of the development, and/or;
b.   Land which is cut off from the main parcel by a road, railroad existing land uses, or major streams so as to serve as a major barrier to common use, or so that it is isolated and unavailable for building purposes.	Ac.
4.   Subtract: land which in a previously approved subdivision was reserved for resource reasons such as flooding or recreation.	Ac.
5.   Subtract: land used or zoned for another use; i.e., land which is used or is to be used for commercial or industrial uses in a residential development, or land in a different zoning district than the primary use.	Ac.
Total: Equals BASE SITE AREA	Ac.

 

      B.   Resource Protection Land. All land within the base site area shall be mapped and measured for the purpose of determining the amount of open space needed to protect it. On the form below identify the amount of land in each resource and then multiply the open space ratio that has been determined for that resource.

   DETERMINATION OF RESOURCE PROTECTION AREA

Resource	Open Space Ratio	Acres of Land in Resource	Land (Acres in Resource x Open Space Ratio) 4
Floodplains	1.00
Floodplain soils	1.00
Lakes or ponds	1.00
Wetlands	1.00
Steep Slope (25% or more)	.85
Forest	.80
Pond Shore	.80
Lake Shore	.70
Steep Slope (15-25%)	.70
Steep Slope (8-15%)	.60
Agricultural Soils Class I	.90
Agricultural Soils Class II	.85
Agricultural Soils Class III	.75
Total Land with Resource Restrictions
Total Resource Protection Land

4 The open space ratio appears in the first column.

   C.   Recreation Land. In order to provide for usable public or common open space as near to each development as possible, the following specific guidelines are intended to assure that a minimum amount of land, not included in the chart above, is retained for open space and recreational purposes:

      Take   Base site area                                       

      Subtract   Total land with Resource Restriction       -                  

      Equals   TOTAL UNRESTRICTED LAND         =                  

      D.   In determining the recreation or open space requirement, or set aside, for a particular type of development, use the following formula:

         Multiply   Total Unrestricted Land by:   x                  

               1.   Zero (0) for single-family detached uses where permitted as part of a major subdivision.

               2.   Two-tenths (0.20) for single-family cluster or performance subdivision in residential districts.

               3.   Two-tenths (0.20) for commercial projects using the performance standard.

               4.   Zero (0) for all uses in the agricultural district.

         Equals TOTAL RECREATION LAND   =                  

      E.   Determination of Site Capacity. Individual site capacity is determined by calculating the net buildable site area. For single-family performance subdivisions, the number of allowable dwelling units is determined by multiplying the net density by net buildable site area. The calculations are as follows:

Take	Resource Protection Land	Ac.
Add	Recreation Land	+                  Ac.
Equals	TOTAL OPEN SPACE	=                  Ac.
Take	Base Site Area	Ac.
Subtract	Total Open Spaces 5	Ac.
Equals	NET BUILDABLE SITE AREA 3	=                  Ac.
Multiply	by Net Density for project area	Ac.
Equals	NUMBER OF DWELLING UNITS (do not round up)	=                  DU's

5 In the case of commercial projects, the net buildable site area is the final calculation.

   NOTE: For commercial projects the formula is intended to provide the developer and Planning Commission with the net buildable site area, including the resource protection and open space set aside, and does not relate to the number of building units.

(Ord. 3/9/1993E, § 803)