Part 9
C-1 General Commercial District
§27-901 Purpose of District.
The purpose of the C-1 General Commercial District is to:
A. Provide for areas of commercial activity which requires large-scale parking facilities or has a high traffic impact.
B. Provide additional areas for multi-family dwelling units.
C. Provide additional areas for neighborhood and other type commercial uses.
D. Exclude uses not compatible with the above objectives.
(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-38)
§27-902 Review Procedures.
1. A development plan shall be prepared and submitted to the Borough showing the overall development scheme, including location, proposed site layout, existing zoning, parking facilities, all adjacent highways and alleys with traffic flow patterns and a list of the kind of establishments to be located on the site and their floor areas. Also to be submitted are preliminary architectural sketches, elevations and engineering plans showing proposed methods of water runoff control.
2. When a particular development is classified as a subdivision or land development, approval of issuance of a building permit(s) will be granted only upon submission and approval of preliminary and final plans under the Borough Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance [Chapter 22].
(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-39)
§27-903 Permitted Uses.
Permitted uses in the C-1 General Commercial District are as follows:
A. Business or professional office, bank, savings and loan association or other financial institutions, passenger station for public transportation.
B. Retail establishment for sale of dry goods, drugs, food, jewelry, variety and general merchandise, hardware, household furnishings and supplies, instruments, electronic appliances, including repair service and job printing.
C. Restaurant, tearoom, café, confectionery or other place serving food or beverages.
D. Automobile court or motel, indoor theater, bowling lanes or other similar place of indoor recreation.
E. Sale of new automobiles and farm implements, including repairs; used car and used implement sales only as accessory to new sales; gasoline filling station; storage garage; public garage; and car wash.
F. Personal service shop, including barber, beauty salon, shoe repair, tailor, dressmaking and pickup station for laundry and dry cleaning.
G. Automatic self-service laundry and dry cleaning, with proper approval of waste disposal by health authority having jurisdiction.
H. Frozen-food lockers.
I. Office or office building for administrative, executive and professional activity and similar activities involving the performance or rendering of professional services, such as financial institution, mortician and the sale of real estate, and business office, including the showing of samples, sale promotion and demonstration of equipment, and merchandise can be warehoused on the premises for sale, exchange or delivery thereon.
J. Restaurant; provided, however, that any professional or business establishment may include private cafeteria or lunchroom facilities for the exclusive use of its employees as an accessory use.
K. Living quarters for a proprietor, building manager, caretaker or watchman if employed on the premises, as an accessory use within a principal building.
L. Retail establishment for the sale of plumbing and heating equipment and supplies, lumberyard, including the customary storage and work yards incidental thereto when screened by a fence, wall or planting screen.
M. Schools for music, dance, business, etc.
N. Warehouses.
O. Research and development industries.
P. Multi-family dwellings.
Q. Multi-family dwellings combined with a neighborhood commercial-type establishment.
R. Nursing homes, sanatoriums and hospitals.
S. Appropriate public uses and essential services.
T. Conversions to any permitted use provided that all regulations pertaining to conversions are met. See §27-1317.
U. Indoor theater, bowling lanes, or other similar place of indoor recreation. [Ord. 642]
(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-40; as amended by Ord. 642, 3/6/1995, §3(a))
§27-904 Special Exception Uses.
Conversions to single or two-family dwellings provided that all regulations pertaining to conversions are met. See §27-1317.
(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-40.1)
§27-905 Area and Bulk Regulations.
1. Area and bulk regulations for commercial uses in the C-1 General Commercial District are as follows:
A. Impervious Coverage. No lot shall be covered more than 80 percent with impervious surface, including, but not limited to, principal and accessory buildings, driveways, walkways and parking areas.
B. Building Coverage. No lot shall be covered more than 50 percent by buildings.
C. Minimum Front Yard. There shall be a front yard on each lot, the depth of which shall be not less than 25 feet, exclusive of parking space. [Ord. 575]
D. Minimum Side Yard. There shall be two side yards of a minimum of 25 feet per side, except that when a mutual agreement is subscribed to by the adjoining property owners, no side yard shall be required where two or more commercial uses adjoin side by side. However, in no case shall common walls be permitted between properties of separate ownership. In the case of such a series of adjoining structures on lots of single and separate ownership abutting and paralleling a public right- of-way, an unobstructed passage at least 20 feet in width shall be provided at grade level at intervals of not more than 400 feet apart. [Ord. 652]
E. Minimum Rear Yard. There shall be a rear yard of not less than 25 feet.
F. Height. Three stories or 40 feet maximum, whichever is the lesser.
2. Area and bulk regulations for multi-family dwellings in the C-1 General Commercial District are as follows:
A. Multi-family dwellings shall conform to the regulations in §§27-606, 27-607, 27-901 and 27-1401.1.
3. Area and bulk regulations for industrial uses in the C-1 Commercial District are as follows:
A. Industrial uses shall conform to the area and bulk regulations in subsection .1, except that there shall be a rear yard of not less than 20 feet.
(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-41; ; as amended by Ord. 575, 12/12/1987, §I; by Ord. 642, 3/6/1995, §3(b); by Ord. 652, 3/6/1995, §3(c))
§27-906 Vehicular Ingress and Egress.
For vehicular ingress and egress regulations, see §§27-1305 and 27-1314.2.
(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-42)
§27-907 Outdoor Display of Merchandise.
The neat and orderly outdoor display of merchandise may be permitted in reasonable amounts, provided that such display does not interfere with the safe and efficient flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-43)
§27-908 Performance Standards.
The performance standards in the C-1 General Commercial District shall be the same as for research and development industries.
(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-44)
§27-909 Landscaping.
Any part or portion of the site which is not used for buildings, other structures, loading or parking spaces and aisles, sidewalks and designated storage areas shall be provided with an all-season ground cover and shall be landscaped with small trees and shrubs in accordance with an overall landscape plan. To facilitate the processing of plot plans, a plant schedule should be prepared giving the botanical and common names of the plants to be used, the sizes to be planted and the quantity and spacing of each.
(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-45)
§27-910 Screening and Special Design Requirements.
Screening and special design requirements in the C-1 General Commercial District are as follows:
A. See §27-1314.
B. Along each side or rear property line which directly abuts an R-1 or R-2 District boundary line or residential property, the required yard shall be used as a buffer area on which shall be placed hedge, evergreens or other suitable plantings sufficient to constitute an effective screen.
(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-46)
§27-911 Off-Street Parking.
For off-street parking requirements, see Part 14.
(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-47)
§27-912 Signs.
For sign regulations, see Part 15.
(Ord. 565, 11/17/1986, §140-48)