1. General Requirements.
A. For all residential subdivisions of 25 or more dwelling units, recreational facilities shall be provided unless waived by the Board of Supervisors.
B. Recreation facilities shall be constructed on open space within detached clustered subdivisions and performance standard developments.
C. Recreation facilities shall be readily accessible to all development residents; or in the case of recreation facilities dedicated to the Township, shall be easily and safely accessible to the general public. At least one side of the recreation area shall abut a street for a minimum distance of 50 feet for access of emergency and maintenance vehicles, and parking facilities where deemed necessary by the Township.
D. The configuration of recreation areas must be able to accommodate recreation activities proposed by the development plans. Required minimum area shall not include narrow or irregular pieces of land which are remnants from plotting and/or street and parking areas.
E. Recreation areas shall not be traversed by utility easements unless said utilities are placed underground and no part of them or their supportive equipment protrudes above ground level.
F. Active recreation areas shall be located such that the use of recreational facilities will not be a nuisance to the residents of nearby dwelling units. Adequate buffering/fencing shall be constructed to separate recreational facilities from private properties.
G. The developer shall be required to improve the recreation land so that it is usable for the intended activity, including necessary facilities and equipment. Proposed improvements, including facilities and equipment, shall be acceptable to Springfield Township.
H. Springfield Township may, but shall not be required to, accept any portion(s) of the recreational land/facilities provided. Recreational facilities not dedicated to, or accepted by Springfield Township, shall be owned and maintained by a Homeowner’s Association or other method acceptable to the Township.
I. Proposed recreation areas and facilities may be reviewed by the Springfield Township Park and Recreation Board pursuant to § 306 of this Ordinance, as deemed necessary by the Board of Supervisors.
J. Sites designated for recreation land shall not contain lands with natural resources required to be protected in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance, stormwater management facilities or lands designated for any other purpose.
2. Minimum Recreation Facility Requirements. The following table lists facilities required to be fully improved by this Section. Alternate facilities (e.g., walking paths, exercise trails, bird watching area, gazebo, etc.) may be installed in-lieu-of the following table when authorized by the Board of Supervisors.
A.
Total No. of Lots/Dwelling Units | No. of Playfields | No. of Tot Lots/Playgrounds | No. of Basketball or Tennis Courts |
Total No. of Lots/Dwelling Units | No. of Playfields | No. of Tot Lots/Playgrounds | No. of Basketball or Tennis Courts |
25 to 49 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
50 to 99 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
100 to 149 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
150 to 199 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
200 to 249 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
250 to 299 | 6 | 6 | 3 |
300 to 349 | 7 | 7 | 3 |
350 to 400 | 8 | 8 | 4 |
B. In addition, for over 400 lots/dwelling units, additional recreational facilities including, but not limited to, a community building or fully improved sports fields (e.g., dugouts, fencing, goals, lighting, etc.) may be required as determined by the Township.
3. Tot Lot/Playground Requirements.
A. Use of tot lots/playground shall be limited to daylight hours only; no lighting shall be installed.
B. Low maintenance play equipment and structures shall be included and confined by a gated fence, a minimum of 3 feet high. The gate shall be self-closing and self-latching.
C. Sitting areas, including benches, shall be provided for the convenience of persons supervising the children.
D. Shade trees shall be provided for sitting and play areas; gazebo or picnic- type shelters may be used in addition to shade trees.
E. Where a tot lot/playground is placed adjacent to a playfield, practical measures, such a fencing and orientation of facilities, shall be used to reduce hazards, especially from balls, frisbees, or other flying objects.
F. Tot lot/playground shall meet the safety and design guidelines of the Handbook for Public Playground Safety, Publication No. 325, as amended from the US Consumer Products Safety Commission.
G. Minimum dimensional standards shall be as follows:
(1) Minimum area–2,500 square feet within the fenced area. Applicants shall provide a landscaped buffer area around the fenced area, a minimum of 10 feet in depth.
(2) Minimum horizontal dimension–35 feet.
(3) Minimum setbacks:
(a) From lot lines–10 feet.
(b) From the ultimate right-of-way of local streets–25 feet.
(c) From the ultimate right-of-way of collector/arterial streets–50 feet.
H. Locations. At convenient, centralized intervals, requiring not longer than a 1,000 feet walk from any dwelling unit.
I. Where more than one tot lot/playground is required, the facilities shall be designed to accommodate varying age groups.
4. Playfield Requirements.
A. Playfields shall be used only during daylight hours; no lighting shall be installed.
B. Playfields are intended for informal, neighborhood use. Playfields shall not be used for formalized programs such as Little League Baseball, Soccer or Midget Football unless located, designed and intended for use by the entire community.
C. Playfields shall consist of a lawn area, unobstructed by trees, shrubs, benches and other playground equipment. Trees and shrubs shall be installed along the perimeter of a playfield to define its limits, enhance its appearance and filter noise generated by activities.
D. Playfields shall be gently sloped, not less than 1 percent nor more than 2 percent grade and shall be well-drained so that they are suitable for use in good weather.
E. Playfields must be fenced if dedicated to the Township.
F. Sitting areas must be provided along the perimeter of playfields dedicated to the Township.
G. Minimum dimensional standards shall be as follows:
(1) Minimum area–25,000 square feet.
(2) Minimal horizontal dimension–150 feet.
(3) Minimum Setbacks to the Edge of a Playfield.
(a) From any dwelling unit–100 feet.
(b) From any property line–50 feet.
(c) From the ultimate right-of-way of local streets–50 feet.
(d) From the ultimate right-of-way of collector/arterial streets–100 feet.
H. Locations at convenient, centralized intervals.
5. Basketball and Tennis Court Requirements.
A. Courts shall be constructed in accordance with specifications approved by the Township Engineer, and shall be oriented in a north-south direction.
B. Minimum dimensional standards shall be as follows:
(1) Court areas shall be of standard size.
(2) Minimum Setbacks to the Edge of Paving.
(a) From any dwelling unit–125 feet.
(b) From any property line–50 feet.
(c) From the ultimate right-of-way of local streets–50 feet.
(d) From the ultimate right-of-way of collector/arterial streets–100 feet.
C. Tennis courts shall be fenced around the entire perimeter with minimum 10 feet high fencing.
D. Basketball courts shall be fenced with a minimum 6 feet high fencing when the edge of pavement is less than 30 feet from an area with a downward slope exceeding 8 percent.
E. Lighting may be provided for nighttime use of courts, so arranged that no glare affects abutting residences or streets, on a demand-activated basis, until no later than 10 p.m.
F. Locations at convenient, centralized intervals.
6. Consolidation of Facilities. Applicants are required to provide the numbers and types of facilities as required in this Section, spaced for convenient access by the residents. However, applicants are encouraged to consolidate several facilities in fewer locations to better serve the residents’ needs in the following possible ways:
A. By locating all required tennis or basketball courts in one area, thereby restricting noise and light to one area, and precluding the need to search the neighborhood for a free court.
B. By combining two 25,000 square feet playfields into one 50,000 square feet area to permit larger fields for softball, football, soccer, or other fields sports, while maintaining the neighborhood use character.
C. By creating one or more park-like facilities rather than simply several sets of scattered facilities.
D. By locating some tot lots in combined areas while retaining others on individual sites to guarantee short walking distances to tot lots.
(Ord. 163, passed 2-28-2012, § 526)