1. Lot Area Required. The lot and yard requirements for any new building or use shall not include any part of a lot required by any other building or use to comply with the requirements of this Ordinance.
2. Reduction of Land Areas. No lot area or required yard, setback, open space or open land shall be so reduced that such area is less than is required by this Ordinance.
3. Front Yard Requirements.
A. Where a minimum depth of front yard is specified, an open land area of at least the specified depth shall be provided between the street line or lines and the nearest point of any building or structure, except as provided in § 501.3.B, .C and .D, below. Street lines are considered to be established by the future rights-of-way when so designated to avoid interference with anticipated future road widening and improvements.
B. For those properties fronting on streets which are classified by the Township Comprehensive Plan as an arterial, the minimum front yard shall be at least 65 feet unless an additional setback for the district is required by this Ordinance.
C. Ground story bays and covered porches not over half the length of the front wall may project 5 feet into any front yard. Chimneys, flues, sills, footers, cornices, or gutters may project not more than 2 feet into a required front yard.
D. These provisions shall not apply to walls less than 4 feet high above the finished grade in the required front yard.
4. Side and Rear Yard Requirements.
A. No portion of a building or structure shall be built within the minimum side or rear yard depth as measured from the side lot line or a rear lot line specified herein, except for driveways and those other projections provided in the following provisions:
(1) Bays, balconies, chimneys, steps, stoops, footers, wheelchair ramps, covered porches and fire escapes may project into a required side or rear yard not more than 4 feet.
(2) Fences with a maximum height of 7 feet, measured above the natural grade, and terraces, wheelchair ramps, uncovered unenclosed porches or decks, or other structures no less than 3 feet above the floor of the ground story may occupy a required side and rear yard, provided that a covered porch or deck shall not be located closer than 15 feet to any side or rear property line.
(3) Accessory Structures. Completely detached accessory structures with a height of less than 15 feet and a maximum building floor area of 300 square feet may occupy a required side or rear yard within zoning districts where the principal structure side or rear yard exceeds 15 feet. However, the accessory structure shall not be located closer than 15 feet to any side or rear property boundary. Any other accessory structure shall meet principal building setbacks.
5. Through Lots. In the case of through lots, 1 yard shall be designated on the plans as the rear yard and 1 yard as the front yard. The front yard shall be the yard between the building and the street from which the lot takes access.
6. Flag Lots. A flag lot is a parcel of land which does not contain the required minimum lot width at the minimum front yard (building setback line) as measured from the street line, but which has direct access to a public street through a narrow strip of land which is part of the same lot. A flag lot consists of the pole being the narrow strip of land with direct access to a public street; and the flag, being the part of the lot that widens to achieve the minimum lot width requirements for the district in which the lot is located. Flag lots are prohibited.
7. Exceptions to Minimum Lot Size.
A. Larger lot sizes may be required where lots are affected by resource restrictions. The minimum lot size required per lot shall be determined by the district requirements as set forth in Article 6 herein, except that lots with resource restrictions may be required to be larger than the minimum in accordance with § 510 of this Article.
B. Lot sizes may need to be larger than the specified minimum lot area in order to accommodate on-lot wastewater disposal systems and to allow for adequate water supply from on-lot wells.
C. If a lot proposed for subdivision is subject to a preferential assessment under State Act 319, and a new lot would be required by this Ordinance to be larger than 3 acres, then by special exception, the Zoning Hearing Board may reduce the lot size to 3 acres if the following additional requirements are met:
(1) The property owner agrees in writing to continue to have the remainder of the land remain under Act 319 for a minimum of 3 additional years after the date of the special exception decision without creating any new lots.
(2) The requirements of State Act 319 for subdivision shall be met.
(3) The subdivision shall meet all other requirements of this Ordinance.
(4) The County Board of Assessment must be notified in writing of the proposed subdivision. Proof of notification must be submitted to the Township.
(5) Slopes greater than 25 percent shall not be disturbed as part of the development of the new lot.
8. Height. Except for those exceptions provided for herein, the maximum height of buildings and structures shall be 35 feet. Spires/steeples of places of worship, belfries, silos, agricultural mechanical equipment, utility lines and structures, smokestacks, allowed communications towers, and flagpoles may exceed the maximum height of the district regulations in height provided that they are set back from all lot lines a distance equal to its height and meet all other applicable regulations of this Ordinance. Accessory wind-powered generating facilities (Use H-15), commercial wind-powered generating facilities (Use F-8), and water towers (under Use F-1) may also exceed the maximum height, provided they comply with the provisions for such uses in § 404. Ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) panels (Uses F-7 and H-14) may not exceed 20 feet in height under the provisions in § 404.
(Ord. 173, passed 1-5-2015)
9. Lots Divided by Municipal Boundaries. In the case of lots divided by municipal boundaries, the portion of a lot which lies within the Township shall be subject to the rules and regulations of this Ordinance and only that land within the Township shall be used in determining the net build able site area.
10. Previous Restrictions. No parcel containing any deed restriction, conservation easement or previous plan restriction forbidding subdivision of that parcel may be further subdivided under this Ordinance or under the Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. No use shall be allowed that would violate a conservation easement or deed restriction that is enforceable by the Township or an incorporated nature conservancy organization.
11. Setbacks from Resource Protected Lands. On lots that include lands with floodplains, lakes, ponds, riparian buffers or wetland buffers, the minimum building setback shall be measured from the limit of these resource protected lands rather than from the lot lines, so that the required minimum yard areas are free of resource restricted lands.
(Ord. 158, passed 8-24-2010)
(Ord. passed 10-2-2007, § 500; Ord. 156, passed 4-27-2010, § 27; Ord. 158, passed 8-24-2010, § 01; Ord. 173, passed 1-5-2015, § 13; Ord. 191, passed 1-8-2019)