(7) Accessory Signs. 302

(a)   Accessory signs in the SP-INS district shall comply with this § 14-404(7) and applicable provisions of Chapter 14-900 (Signs).

(b)   Signs accessory to office, retail sales, or commercial services uses in the SP-INS district shall comply with the CMX-2 sign controls set forth in § 14-904(2) (Controls Applicable to Specific Zoning Districts 303 ).

(c)   Signs accessory to uses other than office, retail sales, and commercial services shall be permitted in accordance with the following limitations and conditions:

(.1)   Only wall, marquee, and freestanding signs are permitted. Signs shall not extend over a public right-of-way.

(.2)   Sign area of any sign shall not exceed 64 sq. ft.

(.3)   Non-commercial directional signs for pedestrians or automobiles shall be exempt from subsections (.1) and (.2), above, provided each individual sign does not exceed a maximum sign area of 25 sq. ft. and does not exceed a maximum height of six ft. Logos are permitted on directional signs, provided they do not exceed ten percent (10%) of the total sign area. Static illumination shall be permitted. Animated illumination and digital displays shall be prohibited.

 

Notes

302	Amended, Bill No. 120430-A (approved January 14, 2013).
303	Revised by Code editor to conform to subsection's caption.

(8) Fences and Retaining Walls.

Fences are permitted in this district in accordance with the following limitations and conditions:

(a)   If an SP-INS zoned lot is not adjacent to a lot in a Residential district, fences may not exceed six ft. in height, except that fences surrounding athletic fields may be up to 15 ft. in height.

(b)   If an SP-INS-zoned lot is adjacent to a lot in a Residential district, fences may not exceed a height equal to one hundred twenty-five percent (125%) of the maximum fence height permitted by the most restrictive adjacent Residential district.

(c)   Any portion of a retaining wall that exists above the higher level grade shall comply with the requirements for fences. Where a fence is located on top of a retaining wall, the combined height of the retaining wall that exists above the higher level grade and fence shall not exceed the maximum height permitted for a fence. This subsection shall not apply to any retaining wall required to meet alternative standards by any provision of The Philadelphia Code, any provision of state or federal law, or any regulations adopted to implement the code or those laws.

(9) Property Lines.

Applications within the SP-INS district may propose development that crosses over lot lines between individual abutting lots and without regard to individual lot setbacks, provided that (a) all of the lots on which the development is to occur are in common ownership, and (b) the proposed development is consistent with the approved master plan for the district.

(10) Regulations Applicable to Germantown Avenue. 304

The following additional regulations are applicable to SP-INS-zoned lots located adjacent to an RSD-1 zoning district and with street frontage on Germantown Avenue between Northwestern Avenue and Bells Mills Road. When the regulations of this § 14-404(10) (Regulations Applicable to Germantown Avenue) conflict with any other subsection of § 14-404 (SP-INS, Institutional (Special Purpose) District) or § 14-510 (Wissahickon Watershed Overlay District), the requirements of this § 14-404(10) (Regulations Applicable to Germantown Avenue) shall control.

(a)   The following uses shall be prohibited:

(.1)   Pool or billiards rooms;

(.2)   Bowling alleys;

(.3)   Fraternity and sorority houses;

(.4)   Hospitals;

(.5)   Post offices;

(.6)   Repair of household appliances and fixtures;

(.7)   Personal vehicle sales and rentals;

(.8)   Retail sales of department store merchandise, electric appliances and fixtures, floor coverings, furniture, household appliances, meat, packaged paints, seafood, or variety store merchandise;

(.9)   Animal services; and

(.10)   Basic utilities and services, limited to telephone exchange buildings.

(b)   The minimum area of the SP-INS district shall be 30 acres of contiguous land area.

(c)   Solely within the buildable area of the approved Master Plan and the internal road system, construction and earth moving activity on previously disturbed slopes in excess of twenty-five percent (25%) may be permitted when such construction is in accordance with applicable regulations of and plans approved by the Water Department, the Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and any other agencies having jurisdiction.

(d)   Portions of the SP-INS district located on the north side of Germantown Avenue between Northwestern Avenue and Hillcrest Avenue shall comply with the following:

(.1)   The gross floor area of all buildings shall not exceed forty-eight and one-half percent (48.5%) of the total area of the SP-INS district nor 925,000 sq. ft., exclusive of streets.

(.2)   Solely within the buildable area of the approved Master Plan and the internal road system, new impervious ground cover may be constructed as part of the relocation and widening of existing internal roads when the internal road improvements result in a net decrease in impervious surface within the floodplain and floodway and when such construction is in accordance with applicable regulations of and plans approved by the Water Department, the Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and any other agencies having jurisdiction.

(e)   Portions of the SP-INS district located on the south side of Germantown Avenue between Northwestern Avenue and Bells Mills Road shall comply with the following:

(.1)   The gross floor area of all buildings shall not exceed thirty-eight percent (38%) of the total area of the SP-INS district nor 500,000 sq. ft., exclusive of streets.

(.2)   Solely within the buildable area of the approved Master Plan and the internal road system, ground coverage may not exceed twenty percent (20%) in Category 1 areas of the /WWO Wissahickon Watershed overlay district when accompanied by mitigation measures such as green roofs, stormwater cisterns and bioswales, or other engineering countermeasures which reduce the volume and rate of stormwater runoff to the Wissahickon Creek in accordance with applicable regulations of and plans approved by the Water Department, the Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and any other agencies having jurisdiction.

(f)   The exceptions authorized by the provisions of § 14-404(10)(c), § 14-404(10)(d)(.2), and § 14-404(10)(e)(.2), above shall be applicable only to those improvements authorized through the enactment of SP-INS district rezoning legislation and the accompanying approved Master Plan for the Chestnut Hill College campuses and which are consistent with the allowances provided in § 14-404(10)(d)(.1) and § 14-404(10)(e)(.1), above.

(g)   Notwithstanding the provisions of § 14-404(10)(c), § 14-404(10)(d)(.2), and § 14-404(10)(e)(.2), above, all rights of appeal under § 14-303(15)(a) (Appeals to Zoning Board of Adjustment) from any decision of L&I, including, without limitation the issuance of any zoning permit under § 14-303(6) (Zoning Permits), shall be preserved.

 

Notes

304	Amended, Bill No. 120774-A (approved January 14, 2013).

§ 14-405. SP-ENT, Entertainment (Special Purpose) District.

(1) Purpose.

The SP-ENT, Entertainment (Special Purpose) district is intended to encourage the orderly development of major entertainment facilities and certain other uses in accordance with an approved master plan. The master plan must be approved, and may be amended as necessary, and is subject to restrictions on the type of use and certain other development controls.

(2) Use Regulations.

(a)   Uses are allowed in SP-ENT districts in accordance with Table 14-602-4. Regulated uses (See § 14-603(13) (Regulated Uses)) are not allowed unless otherwise expressly stated.

(b)   These regulations are not intended to limit the authority of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board under the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Act to identify the property on which it will permit a Category 2 licensed gaming facility within the City.

(c)   These regulations should not be construed to prohibit any use that is exclusively regulated and permitted by the Commonwealth under the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Act.

(d)   Multiple principal uses and principal structures are allowed on a single lot in the SP-ENT district.

(3) Area Regulations.

(a)   District Area and Boundaries.

Boundaries should be so designated to afford a reasonable line of division between the district and adjacent uses consistent to carry out the purposes and scope of this Zoning Code. The master plan should also provide for reasonable, compatible spatial relationships between buildings that are situated on the periphery of the district and abutting non-SP-ENT district areas.

(b)   Gross Floor Area. 305

The total gross floor area of all the buildings may not exceed four hundred percent (400%) of the SP- ENT district. Underground parking will not be included in this calculation. Properties located in an SP-ENT district that is located adjacent to an SP-STA Sports Stadium (Special Purpose) District, will be permitted an additional gross floor area of two hundred percent (200%) of the SP-ENT district.

(c)   Open Area. 306

For sites that consist of four acres or more, at least thirty percent (30%) of the site must be open area, except that properties in the SP-ENT district that are approved with a green roof of at least three acres will only be required an open area equal to fifteen percent (15%) of the site. For sites of less than four acres, at least ten percent (10%) must be open area. At least fifty percent (50%) of this required open area must be constructed of a permeable surface except where a green roof of at least three acres has been approved, where only forty percent (40%) of the required open area must be constructed of a permeable surface. The total open area calculation may not include open-air parking lots. For purposes of this subsection (c), "green roof" shall mean a treatment to a rooftop that supports living vegetation; includes a synthetic, high quality waterproof membrane, drainage layer, root barrier, soil layer, and vegetation layer; is maintained for the life of the building; and has been approved by the Water Department for adequate stormwater mitigation.

(d)   Open Area Above Ground Level.

Up to thirty percent (30%) of the required open area may be located above the ground level, provided that the open area above ground level is accessible by building occupants.

(e)   Yards.

Front, side, and rear yards will be required in this district as follows and as may be required as part of the approval of an SP-ENT master plan:

(.1)   Parking Location.

Surface parking areas, and any access to parking, aisles, loading, or other servicing will not be permitted within 25 ft. of any residential district.

(.2)   Waterfront Setback.

(.a)   When located along the Schuylkill or Delaware Rivers, all lots must provide or allow for an unencumbered waterfront setback from the top of the bank of any river to allow for unrestricted public access to the river's edge. Any land located within this setback that is dedicated to the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or any public entity will be included in the determination of conformance with the area regulations of the SP-ENT district. This waterfront setback must include open space that is accessible to the public, either privately or publicly owned, at a width of at least 30 ft. and must include a publicly or privately owned right-of-way dedicated for pedestrian and bicycle traffic at a width of at least 20 ft.

(.b)   The Commission may reduce this waterfront setback requirement for all or part of a site if site-specific conditions warrant such reduction, but in no case will the waterfront setback at any spot be less than 30 ft. total, including the pedestrian and bicycle right-of-way. Foundations or structures supporting exterior open spaces shall be permitted within the 50- foot waterfront setback, provided that any encroachment will not reduce the 20-foot minimum width of the pedestrian and bicycle right-of-way. 307

 

Notes

305	Amended, Bill No. 150767 (approved December 23, 2015).
306	Amended, Bill No. 150767 (approved December 23, 2015).
307	Amended, Bill No. 130162 (approved April 30, 2013).

(4) Height Regulations. 308

The height of any building shall not exceed 300 ft. or 30 stories.

 

Notes

308	Amended, Bill No. 120774-A (approved January 14, 2013).