AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWNSHIP OF EAST ROCKHILL, BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA; PROVIDING FOR AN OMNIBUS AMENDMENT OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF EAST ROCKHILL TOWNSHIP, AS CODIFIED AS CHAPTER 27 OF THE EAST ROCKHILL TOWNSHIP CODE, AND PARTICULARLY PROVIDING FOR: THE CREATION OF NEW DEFINITIONS; THE REVISION OF EXISTING DEFINITIONS; THE CREATION OF NEW USES AND REGULATIONS FOR COMMERCIAL KENNELS, ACCESSORY FARM BUSINESSES, WAREHOUSE/LOGISTICS, MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES AND PROCESSING FACILITIES, SHORT-TERM RESIDENTIAL RENTALS, AND TRUCKING TERMINALS; THE AMENDMENT OF EXISTING USES AND EXISTING USE REGULATIONS, INCLUDING SITE CAPACITY AND SITE REQUIREMENTS FOR B2 AND B3 USES; REVISION OF THE TABLE OF USE REGULATIONS TO PROVIDE FOR NEW USES AND TO REVISE THE DISTRICTS AND MANNER IN WHICH OTHER USES ARE PERMITTED; REVISION OF THE STANDARDS GOVERNING NONCONFORMING USES AND ABANDONMENT; THE REPEAL AND REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING LIGHTING AND BUFFER REQUIREMENTS; RELOCATION OF NUISANCE STANDARDS FROM THE ZONING ORDINANCE TO THE ORDINANCES OF GENERAL POWERS; CREATION OF A NUISANCE STANDARD FOR INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES; CREATION OF ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES FOR PUBLIC NUISANCES; REVISING THE SUBDIVISION AND LAND DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE TO REQUIRE STREET TREES TO BE PLACED ON THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE OF A SIDEWALK; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE OF FIVE DAYS AFTER ENACTMENT
Notice is hereby given that the East Rockhill Township Board of Supervisors will hold a hearing for and consider possible adoption of a comprehensive update of the East Rockhill Township Zoning Ordinance at its March 26, 2024 meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the East Rockhill Township Municipal Building, located at 1622 Ridge Road, Perkasie, PA 18944. A summary of the amendments included within the proposed ordinance is as follows:
- ARTICLE I- the revision of existing definitions for “Dwelling Unit,” “Family,” “Lot Area,” “Small Warehouse Logistics Use,” and “Large Warehouse Logistics Use;” the creation of new definitions related to “Decks” and “Single Housekeeping Unit;”
- ARTICLE II - The creation of new uses and attendant regulations for commercial kennels, accessory farm businesses, warehouse/logistics, medical marijuana dispensaries and processing facilities, short-term residential rentals, and trucking terminals; the amendment of existing uses and use regulations, including site capacity and site requirements for the B2- Detached Dwelling Cluster Subdivision and the B3 Performance Standard Development uses. The B2- Detached Dwelling Cluster Subdivision is amended to require the following minimum site areas: Resource Protection- 20 acres; Rural Residential- 20 acres; Suburban- 10 acres; R-1 Residential – 10 acres; and Village Residential- 5 acres. The B3 Performance Standard Development site area requirements are amended to provide the following minimum site areas: Suburban – 25 acres; R-1 Residential- 25 acres; and Village Residential – 10 acres.
- ARTICLE III - Revision of the table of use regulations to provide for new uses and to revise the districts and manner in which other uses are permitted.
- ARTICLE IV - Revision of the standards governing nonconforming uses and abandonment; revision of administrative provisions of the Zoning Ordinance related to zoning permit review procedures and mandatory submissions with applications for zoning permits and for conditional use applications.
- ARTICLE V - Replacement of existing lighting and buffer requirements in their entirety; relocation of nuisance standards from the zoning ordinance to the ordinance of general powers;
- ARTICLE VI - Creation of a nuisance standard for invasive plant species; creation of enforcement procedures for public nuisances.
- ARTICLE VII – Modifying the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance to require street trees to be placed on the residential side of the sidewalk.
- ARTICLES VIII THROUGH X – Providing for repealer of inconsistent ordinances, severability of unlawful or invalid provisions, and an effective date of five days after enactment.
Copies of the full text of this Ordinance are available to any interested party for inspection and/or copying during normal business hours at the East Rockhill Township Municipal Building, the Bucks County Law Library or the offices of this newspaper. ALL INTERESTED PARTIES ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THIS HEARING
