Upper Darby, PA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

Section 550-23A states the district's intent "to encourage development that is compatible with the historical character and scale of the Traditional Downtown Business District with respect to uses, building dimensions, building design and functions," while promoting redevelopment of existing buildings for mixed office, retail, residential and service uses. That intent is carried out through the general design standards in § 550-23E. Pedestrian circulation rules require the principal customer entrance to connect directly to the public sidewalk, and where on-site parking is provided, continuous internal walkways at least five feet wide must link the sidewalk or street right-of-way to the building entrance and connect to transit stops and street crossings, distinguished from driving surfaces with pavers, bricks or scored concrete.

Refuse storage must be inside the building or in an outdoor area enclosed by walls or opaque fencing between six and twelve feet high, with containers no taller than six feet, and the refuse area must sit at least ten feet from any adjacent residential property line or street right-of-way and stay shielded from view of neighboring properties. The district also layers in the § 550-23G height bonus program, which rewards historic facade preservation, public plazas and streetscape amenities with additional building height up to 125 feet total, reinforcing the same design-quality goals as direct standards.

Together these provisions function as Upper Darby's downtown design guide, administered by the Zoning Officer under § 550-53 with special exception uses reviewed by the Zoning Hearing Board under § 550-54.