Learn About Zoning and Codes

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The C-2 zoning district in Pennsylvania is a Highway Commercial District designed for light and heavy commercial activities along major highway corridors. It allows for various uses, including automotive sales, service, and storage, as well as light manufacturing and warehousing. The district aims to provide sites for commercial activities while promoting economic growth and supporting local businesses.

A convenience store / mini-market (NOT a full-scale grocery store) that includes gasoline sales as an accessory use is listed in the C-2 district as a use by special exception (i.e., it’s allowed only if the Zoning Hearing Board/Board of Supervisors grants the required special-exception/conditional use approval and the proposal meets the special-exception standards). 

A standalone motor-fuel service station (pumps/forecourt as the principal use) is not expressly listed as a principal permitted use in the C-2 schedule; and would therefore need a variance or a special-exception.

Concord township has announced that this Land Development and Conditional Use application have been paused while the applicant applies for Zoning Relief. The developer wants Concord Township to provide zoning relief for Giant's Fuel Pumping Operation, which is not permitted. Here’s the process if a developer seeks ANY zoning relief:

A. Filing

Developer files:

• application, engineered plan, traffic info, zoning relief justification and fee

B. Legal Notification

Required under the PA MPC:

• property is posted; neighbors receive mailed notice and newspaper notice published

C. Zoning Hearing Board (ZBH) Hearing

At the hearing:

• Developer presents experts (engineer, traffic, planner)
• Township presents zoning officer
• Residents may appear, testify, cross-examine, or become parties
• Hearings may span multiple meetings

D. Decision

ZHB issues a written decision: They can approve, approve with conditions or deny

Residents have four major ways to participate:

1. Appear and Speak at the Hearing (Simple, No Lawyer Needed)

Any resident may:

• speak during public comment
• question the applicant’s witnesses
• submit photos, documents, or expert letters
• You do not need to be a party for this — but party status gives more rights.

2. Request PARTY STATUS

Party status lets you:

• cross-examine witnesses
• call your own experts
• submit evidence
• appeal the decision to court

Who can get party status?

• People who live near the property
• HOAs
• Neighborhood groups
• Sometimes directly affected residents on connecting roads

Your request is made verbally at the start of the hearing: “I request party status as an immediately affected neighboring property owner.”

3. Submit Written Evidence or Expert Reports

Common things residents submit:

• Traffic safety analysis
• Sight-distance photos
• Stormwater flooding evidence
• Noise or lighting impact reports
• Zoning ordinance citations (often overlooked by developers)

4. Challenge Whether the Applicant Meets the Legal Standards

Residents can argue the developer fails to meet MPC standards:

For a variance:

• no unique physical hardship, hardship is self-created, request is too large and/or project harms neighborhood character

For a special exception:

• applicant didn’t meet ordinance criteria, increases traffic beyond safe level, inadequate buffering and/or environmental or stormwater impacts

For a conditional use:

Board of Supervisors can impose conditions

Residents can push for limitations:

• hours, lighting, delivery restrictions, setbacks and/or traffic mitigation

Concord Township Code section 160-76 states that all proposed subdivisions or land developments shall be coordinated and planned so as to be compatible with adjoining or nearby neighborhoods or approved subdivisions or land developments to the end that harmonious development will result. Such coordination shall also pertain to subdivisions or land developments located adjacent to neighboring municipalities.

In simpler terms: when a developer submits a subdivision or land development plan in Concord Township, Delaware County, PA, they must show that the proposal has been designed with consideration for surrounding land, existing or future developments, and that the infrastructure (streets, utilities, stormwater, etc.) will connect or align properly with adjacent or nearby properties.

This Code helps with planning for land uses that cross township lines — like shopping centers, quarries, highways, or large housing developments — and sharing responsibility for providing a full range of uses required under Pennsylvania law.

Example application: If Concord Township and Chadds Ford Township wanted to jointly plan the Route 202 corridor, they could adopt a joint comprehensive plan and compatible zoning ordinances under Article VIII that would allow coordinated traffic, design, and use standards — and shared review through a joint zoning hearing board.

For any Pennsylvania township (like Concord Township in Delaware County):

• The township’s zoning ordinance and subdivision & land development ordinance (SALDO) must conform to the MPC.
• Zoning hearings, variances, and conditional uses all follow MPC procedural rules.
• Neighboring municipalities can comment on developments near shared borders 
• Residents and developers can appeal zoning decisions to the Court of Common Pleas under Article X.