317 Ruth Rd, Harleysville, PA 19438

Residential-Office District

In expansion of the community development objectives contained in Article II of this chapter and in support of the goals and recommendations of the Township's Comprehensive Plan, it is the intent of this article to: Allow limited office uses as a transition between intensive commercial or industrial uses located on major roads and existing residential areas; Limit the impact of nonresidential development on residences by requiring a residential character, limiting the scale of buildings, controlling the location of parking areas and requiring buffer landscaping; Control access and limit the impact of development on the Township's major roads; Allow residences that are located on smaller lots and close to other residences to convert to office uses, provided that the residential character of the neighborhood is not changed; Allow greater intensity development to occur on larger tracts that border existing Mixed-Use or Industrial Zoning Districts; Permit existing nonconforming industrial uses to continue to operate, provided that the potential negative impact of these uses on abutting residential properties is adequately mitigated to the satisfaction of the Board of Supervisors, and encourage redevelopment of those sites with uses more compatible with the surrounding community; Encourage the development of employment centers and retail services along the Route 63 corridor between Mainland and Harleysville as an alternative to highway commercial-type development.