(1) Legislative Findings. The Council finds
that:
(a) Major public and private investments have been made and
continue to be made in and around the East Falls section of the City to preserve
and protect the economic development potential, prevent declining property
values, encourage investment and tourism, promote residential uses in and
adjacent to this area of the City, and protect and promote the economic vitality
of this area of Philadelphia;
(b) The revitalization of the East Falls
Commercial District is important to the economic vitality and diverse character
of Philadelphia in that it serves as a shopping and recreation area for
residents of Philadelphia;
(c) The East Falls Commercial District is an
area consisting of a fragile and unique balance of retail development surrounded
by a predominantly single-family residential area within walking distance or a
short commute;
(d) The narrow streets in this community, combined with
the proximity of Kelly drive and the Schuylkill River, place limitations on the
availability of on-street parking;
(e) There are certain geographic
conditions that place limitations on opportunities to provide off-street parking
in this area of the City. The surrounding residential community is densely
developed, the southwestern edge of the community is bounded by the Schuylkill
River and a slope rising toward Henry avenue characterizes the northeastern
edge;
(f) It is desirable to maintain the street scale, historical
character and pedestrian friendly atmosphere of Ridge avenue as future
development and redevelopment progresses along Ridge avenue and Midvale
avenue;
(g) It is further desirable to extend and reinforce the
commercial flavor of the district, which currently exists near the intersection
of Ridge avenue and Midvale avenue to the east and to the west along Ridge
avenue;
(h) Therefore, special land use and zoning controls, providing
for the prohibition of certain uses and the institution of certain development
controls, are required to preserve the integrity of the residential community
and to promote and help guide appropriate commercial
development.
(2) District
Boundaries.
[416] For the purposes of this
section, the East Falls Special District Controls shall apply to all
commercially zoned properties within an area bounded by Weightman street, Ridge
avenue, a line approximately seventy-seven feet northwest of Calumet street,
Cresson street, Calumet street, Conrad street, Midvale avenue, Cresson street,
Indian Queen lane, Krail street, the Roosevelt Boulevard Extension and the
Schuylkill River as well as all commercially zoned properties with frontage on
Ridge avenue between the Roosevelt Boulevard Extension and Scotts
lane.
(3) Prohibited Uses. Within the area subject to the East Falls
Special District Controls and notwithstanding any other Chapter of this Title,
the following uses shall be prohibited:
(a) Athletic drill hall; dance
hall; theater; motion picture theater; and other entertainment of guests and
patrons as a principal use;
(b) Automobile repair
shop;
(c) Automobile sales lot;
(d) Automobile service station
for the retail sale of automobile fuels, lubricants, radiator fluids and
accessories, and for the performance indoors of incidental service and minor
repairs to automobiles, incidental car washing indoors;
(e) Bottling
and/or distributing of liquids for human consumption;
(f) Central
heating plant;
(g) Installations of auto, boat, motorcycle or truck
parts;
(h) Outdoor amusement parks;
(i) Penal and correctional
institutions;
(j) Radio or television transmission
tower;
(k) Restaurant which serves patrons who remain in their
automobiles; restaurant, cafe or soda and ice cream fountain which dispenses
food at retail through a window or aperture which opens onto the sidewalk or
public arcade area;
(l) Retail sale of packaged beverages as a main use
and the retail sale of malt beverages for take out as an accessory
use;
(m) Sales of live poultry, live fish, or live animals for human
consumption;
(n) The following sales, separately or in any combination:
automobiles and parts, motorcycles; boats and farm
equipment;
(o) Trolley and cab stations, bus terminals, car and bus
barns;
(p) Water booster or sewer sub-stations; telephone exchange
buildings; railroad passenger stations; electric transforming or gas regulating
sub-stations.
(4) The following retail sales, separately or in any
combination, shall not exceed 1,500 square feet in gross floor
area:
(a) Electric appliances;
(b) Floor
coverings;
(c) Furniture;
(d) Garden
supplies;
(e) Hardware;
(f) Household
appliances;
(g) Office equipment and supplies;
(h) Radio and
television sets and parts.
(5) Height Regulations.
(a) The main
cornice line of any newly erected building shall not be less than 25 feet above
the average sidewalk level.
(6) Building Setback
Line.
(a) Newly erected buildings shall not be set back from the street
line of Ridge avenue and/or Midvale avenue;
(b) For lots located west
of Calumet street with Ridge avenue frontage which also have a secondary
frontage on Kelly drive, or lots with Kelly drive frontage, all newly erected
buildings shall provide a minimum 25 feet setback from the street line of Kelly
drive. Such setback shall provide a landscaped area as follows:
(.1) A
landscaped berm at least 18 feet deep and 3 feet in height;
(.2) The
landscaped area shall be installed along the entire Kelly drive
frontage;
(.3) The planting material shall be installed at the top of
the berm and shall be at least 3 feet tall at the time of installation and shall
be planted with no less than 6 feet between the centers of
plantings;
(.4) The type of plant material shall be selected from a
list of types, sizes of species of plants, and number of plants that are
appropriate to achieve adequate screening and appropriate for the location. This
list shall be prepared and maintained by the City Planning Commission, in
conjunction with the Fairmount Park Commission;
(.5) The required
screening shall be maintained in a manner to ensure its survival. In the event
that any landscaping dies, it shall be replaced at the required
ratio.
(7) Maximum Building Width.
(a) The maximum width of any
newly erected building or existing building to which an addition is added which
increases the building's frontage along Ridge avenue and/or Midvale avenue
after the effective date of this Section shall comply with the following
building width requirements:
(.1) Buildings or portions of buildings
with frontage on Ridge avenue and/or Midvale avenue shall be constructed so that
the total frontage of the building along Ridge avenue and/or Midvale avenue and
the width of the building at its widest point measured on a line parallel with
Ridge avenue and/or Midvale avenue does not exceed 100 feet, provided, that
buildings with frontage on both Ridge avenue and Midvale avenue shall be
constructed so that the total frontage of the building along each street and the
width of the building at its widest point measured on a line parallel with Ridge
avenue and Midvale avenue does not exceed 100 feet.
(8) Off-street
Parking. In addition to the requirements set forth below, see Chapter 14-400 of
this Title:
(a) There shall be provided on the same lot, at the time of
the erection of any new building or structure, or for the extension of any
building or structure, off-street parking spaces in accordance with the
following requirements:
(.1) For uses other than restaurants, the
number of parking spaces shall be provided in accordance with the following
schedule: