Council Action Requested:
Application by Lancaster County Water & Sewer District for an amendment to Section 2.4, regarding building heights, requesting an exemption for LCWSD water tanks and alteration from the current setback standards.
Points to Consider:
Lancaster County Water and Sewer Districts elevated water tanks are currently required to meet the setback requirement "For every foot of building height, the developer shall provide setbacks equal to the height of the building" This is more common for building facades than setbacks for utilities such as water tanks.
The text amendment proposed for the LCWSD elevated tanks would be required to meet the setback requirements of the zoning district they reside in. This would allow LCWSD staff to more easily access the towers as needed, and continue to allow the utility to serve the citizens with water using existing properties.
A chart listing the zoning setbacks is attached per Council's request from the last meeting.
Funding and Liability Factors:
N/A
Recommendation:
The proposed text amendment received unanimous recommendation for approval at March's Planning Commission meeting.
Staff also recommends approval.
At the April 22, 2023 Council meeting, the Council and applicant negotiated an amendment to ensure that the water towers would not be more than 25 feet from any right-of-way. The resulting amendment would read:
“For every foot of building height, the developer shall provide setbacks equal to the height of the building”. Lancaster County Water and Sewer District’s Elevated Water Tanks will be required to conform to the setbacks within the zoning district they reside in with minimum 25 feet front setback in all zoning districts.”