Lower Paxton, PA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

Subsection E of § 203-309 applies to all development in the Towne Centre District of Lower Paxton Township. Street layout comes first: blocks cannot exceed 1,000 feet in length before a street intersection, blocks need public pedestrian connections at least every 500 linear feet, and tracts of 10 acres or more need a street connectivity index of 1.40 or more. Buildings face existing and proposed streets with an everyday entrance in the front facade, primary entrances must be accentuated, and loading doors and docks cannot sit in a street-facing facade or within 35 feet of a street.

Walls and windows get numbers. Street-facing walls need 35% to 75% window area, ground floor retail and restaurant facades need at least 50% clear window area starting between 12 and 24 inches above ground level and ending above 86 inches, and smoked, reflective or black glass is prohibited. Walls without windows need at least four architectural treatments from a printed list, such as masonry other than flat concrete block, belt courses, a projecting cornice, decorative tilework or artwork. Roof planes facing a street must be interrupted at least once every 100 feet by at least two features such as a gable, dormer, tower or projecting cornice, and parapets or mansard-type roofs must conceal flat roofs and rooftop equipment. Front facades need a break in depth of at least three feet for every 100 feet of continuous facade, and facades of 200 feet or more need added elements such as awnings, porches or bays.

Parking is pushed out of sight. Surface lots go to the rear or side and never between a building and a street, cannot run more than 70 feet in width along a street without a principal building, and need a three-foot wall, fence or hedge where visible from a street, or a six-foot one next to a residential use. Structured parking within 50 feet of a street curbline needs occupied space along 70% of the street-facing first floor. Outdoor dining must keep a pathway of at least five feet free of obstacles, and advertising is limited to umbrellas, a menu board and canopies. Outdoor storage is not permitted.