§ 143-28. Design and development standards and requirements., Article III. General Provisions, Chapter 143. Zoning, Part II. General Legislation, Code of Ordinances, Lower Providence

The architectural character of buildings and structures shall be harmonious.

(1)

The Township wishes to encourage the creation of visual interest in buildings and to discourage visual monotony due to long, flat building planes. There are many ways to develop visual interest, e.g., wing walls, patios, fences, walls, landscaping, overhanging roofs, projecting rooms from the building face, balconies, detailing, and either vertical and/or horizontal building breaks. The Township recommends use of any or all of the above methods.

(2)

In order to establish a minimal involvement with aesthetic concerns and to encourage buildings to conform to the surface grade, the following standards are proposed for building breaks. These are not to be considered mandatory or inflexible. However, if the developer does not conform to these standards, he shall demonstrate to the Township's satisfaction what other steps he has taken to alleviate aesthetic monotony and to conform to grade.

(a)

Vertical breaks: a total break footage of four vertical feet in minimum increments of 16 inches in every 160 horizontal building feet or within three fire walls.

(b)

Horizontal breaks: a total break footage of eight horizontal feet in minimum increments of 32 inches in every 160 horizontal building feet or within three fire walls. In addition, angles in the building wall of 22° or more will be considered equivalent to an eight-foot break.

Landscaping. The site shall be landscaped in accordance with an overall site landscaping plan providing for at least the following requirements:

(1)

Screening requirements.

(a)

When the site to be developed adjoins an area not within the same zoning district, the buffer area of the site shall contain a planted screen to act as a visual barrier unless, upon approval of the Board of Supervisors, equivalent screening is provided by natural areas, topography, or recreational areas. The planted screen shall be composed of plants and trees arranged to form both high-level and low-level screening.

(b)

The high-level screen shall be composed of a double row of evergreen trees spaced 15 feet apart on center, with the trees in one row offset 7 1/2 feet from the trees in the other row, and the rows shall be at least five feet apart. These trees shall be not less than six feet in height at the time of planting and shall be of such species that the expected height at maturity shall be not less than 20 feet.

(c)

The low-level screen may be any plant materials approved by the Township. Plants shall be not less than two feet in height at the time of planting and spaced at intervals of no more than five feet on center.

(2)

Any area not used for buildings, structures, paved areas, or screening shall be planted with an all-season ground cover and other landscaping materials in accordance with the landscaping and screening plan. Existing vegetative materials shall be preserved wherever possible.

Lighting in the R-4 and R-5 Districts. The site shall be provided with lighting facilities in accordance with an overall site lighting plan consistent with the light level standards set by the electrical utility company for various conditions of pedestrian and vehicle safety and security. Sites adjoining highways and neighboring properties shall protect such adjoiners from direct glare.

Circulation. A unified circulation system for vehicle and pedestrian use shall be provided in accordance with an overall circulation plan and shall meet the following requirements:

(1)

Dwelling unit location shall correspond to a locator or address system to provide an efficient identification of address location for emergency service or delivery service.

(2)

Every dwelling unit shall be accessible to the circulation system and be no further than 150 feet from the closest point of servicing by emergency, delivery, and trash collection vehicles. All buildings and structures must be accessible to fire emergency equipment under all weather conditions, and the routes of accessibility must be designed to avoid entrapment of vehicles and equipment and the constraining of fire-fighting operations.

(3)

All land areas on the site to be used in common by the residents shall be accessible to every dwelling unit by a system of walkways and natural paths as provided for under Chapter 123, Subdivision and Development of Land, of the Code of the Township of Lower Providence.

(4)

Provisions shall be made for safe and efficient ingress to and egress from public streets and highways without undue congestion or interference with normal traffic flow. All points of vehicular access to and from public streets shall be located not less than 200 feet from the intersection of any two public streets.

Utility systems. All utility lines servicing the development must be placed underground. All utility distribution systems must be acceptable to the selective cutting of service during fire and other emergencies and shall be identified on a plan and furnished to the Township.

Operation and maintenance. The development shall be designed to provide for the normal accouterments and community requirements of household living and property maintenance, including the following:

(1)

Identification of responsible party and the equipment and facilities required for the maintenance and landscaping of buildings and other structures, including storage and maintenance areas.

(2)

A system for storage and collection of solid waste generated on the site that is consistent with the standards of solid waste management.

(3)

A system for the removal and storage of snow and ice accumulations upon streets, walkways, and parking areas within four hours after the snow has ceased to fall.

(4)

A system for prevention, reporting, and soliciting of aid in response to the threat of property and person from fire, natural disaster, or criminal intent.

(5)

A television antenna or receiving system that requires no more than one visible outside antenna per building but is capable of servicing all dwelling units within the building.

(6)

A storage system for securing personal property that includes consideration of storage needs for immediate use, long-range storage, and ground-level protection of bicycles, perambulators, and similar types of equipment.

No dwelling unit shall be used and no use and occupancy permit shall be issued until it has been adequately provided with both public water and public sanitary sewer service.

Open space.

(1)

Open space, as defined by this chapter, shall be indicated on the site plan and shall conform with the following:

(a)

A minimum of 20% of the gross site area shall be dedicated as open space, unless a larger area of open space is required by a specific use and/or zoning district. A maximum of 20% of this open space area may consist of floodplain areas.

(b)

Such land set aside for open space shall be suitable to serve the purpose of active and/or passive recreation by reason of its size, shape, location, and topography and shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Supervisors.

(c)

The developer shall satisfy the Township that there are adequate provisions to assure retention and all future maintenance of such open space areas by maintaining ownership, or by providing for and establishing an organization for the ownership and maintenance of these areas, and such organization shall not be dissolved nor shall it dispose of the open space area by sale or otherwise, except to an organization conceived and established to own and maintain this open space area, without first offering to dedicate the same to the Township. Should the developer or organization retain ownership of the open space area, the following shall be required:

[1]

A maintenance bond in the amount of 50% of the appraised value of the open space area and all improvements shall be provided to the Township by the developer or organization.

[2]

A proof of insurance with liability coverage of $500,000 per incident and $1,000,000 aggregate shall be furnished to the Township and renewed annually.

(d)

The area or areas of open space shall be easily and safely accessible for all areas of the development to be served, have good ingress and egress, and have access to a public road. Where access to a public road is by frontage, the frontage shall be a minimum of 50 feet in width. Where access is through easements, a minimum of two easements, each with a minimum width of 20 feet, shall be provided.

(e)

The area or areas of open space should have suitable topography and soil conditions for use and development as a recreation area. Water surfaces and wetlands shall be deleted from the gross area for all calculations.

(f)

Size and shape for the area or areas of open space shall be suitable for development as a park. A guideline is that no single side of a property with a quadrilateral configuration shall amount to more than 40% of the tract's perimeter. An example of an unacceptable piece of land is one that is 30 feet wide and 500 feet long. This guideline does not apply to areas being developed as a bicycle route, pedestrian path, or as a connecting trail to other facilities.

(g)

The proposed open space shall consist of one or more well-placed, adequately sized areas, designed to accommodate the anticipated open space and recreational uses, rather than divided up into numerous smaller parcels with minimal utility as recreational facilities. A suggested guideline is that no area shall consist of less than 40% of the total acreage of the land dedicated or set aside as open space, and in all cases, no open space area shall be less than 5,000 square feet in size. A development or site may contain smaller undeveloped areas, but these areas cannot be counted towards meeting the minimum amount of open space required to be provided under this chapter.

(h)

The area or areas of open space shall, to the greatest extent practical, be easily accessible to essential utilities, including power, water, sewage, and telephone. All of these facilities are placed underground and, no part of them or their supportive equipment shall protrude above ground level, except as approved by the Board of Supervisors.

(i)

Fifty percent or more of the finished grade of the area or areas of open space to be dedicated or set aside shall have a slope of 3% or less.

(j)

The area or areas of open space shall be compatible with the objectives, guidelines, and recommendations set forth in the Lower Providence Township Park and Recreation Plan, as amended, and the requirements of Lower Providence Township Recreation Land and Fees, as amended.

(k)

Any design or development of these open space areas shall be done according to current standards established by the National Recreation and Parks Association.

(2)

Should a developer dedicate or set aside a portion of land for open space that fails to meet the quantity and/or quality requirements as outlined elsewhere in this chapter or should the Board of Supervisors determine the land contribution insufficient due to the inclusion of unacceptable parcels of land, as defined in this section, monetary contributions shall be required to supplement the required land contribution.

(3)

The monetary amount shall be equal to the fair market value of the acreage which the developer has failed to dedicated or set aside, unless the Board of Supervisors has agreed to another process to valuate this missing open space area. The fair market value shall be determined by an appraisal, conducted by an appraiser selected by the Township and paid for by the developer, of the predevelopment value of the subdivision property. Said contribution shall be made prior to procurement of a building permit, and all money paid to the Township pursuant to this provision shall be kept in a parks and recreation capital revenue fund.