25-A-1

Statement of intent. Recognizing the value of the Savannah Riverfront as an economic, historic, recreational, and visual resource of tremendous value to the citizens of Augusta and surrounding area and further recognizing it as an area of critical and sensitive environmental concern, it is the intent of this section to provide for the orderly and aesthetic development or redevelopment of the lands adjoining the Savannah River by:

(a)

Creating a special Riverfront Development Review Board comprised of persons with an interest or expertise in the orderly development of this resource.

(b)

Limiting land uses to those which will provide the best utilization of the benefits afforded by a riverfront location.

(c)

Insuring that the regulations applicable to the riverfront will be responsive to the dictates of the development economy at a given time.

(d)

Setting forth sufficient design and development standards and criteria to provide for maximum public benefit from the further development of the riverfront area through a mixture of land uses, the provision and maintenance of public access, elimination or mitigation of negative environmental impact from development, aesthetic controls, and the beneficial coordination of residential, recreational, and commercial utilization of the riverfront lands.

25-A-2

District boundaries. The PDR (Planned Development Riverfront) Zone shall consist of all of that area bounded by the following:

That area lying within a line beginning at the intersection of the Columbia and Richmond County boundary line and the centerline of the first level of the Augusta Canal; thence in a northeasterly direction along said boundary line to its intersection with the centerline of the Savannah River; thence along the centerline of the Savannah River in a southeasterly direction to a point intersected by a Bearing N 66#176; 50'28"E; thence S 66°50'28"W to a point on the south bank of the Savannah River; thence S 66#176;50'28"W a distance of 490.15 feet to a point; thence, N15#176; 31' 32"W a distance of 817 feet, more or less, to a point on the south toe of the Augusta levee; thence along the south toe of the Augusta levee in a westerly direction to its intersection with the northwest right-of-way line of East Boundary Extended; thence along the northwest right-of-way line of East Boundary Extended and East Boundary in a southerly direction to a point located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Reynolds Street and East Boundary; thence in a southerly direction along the northwest right-of-way line of East Boundary a distance of 200.0 feet to a point; thence, in a westerly direction running parallel to Reynolds Street to a point located on the southeast right-of-way line of 9th Street; thence in a southwesterly direction along the southeast right-of-way line of 9th Street to a point located where the southwest right-of-way line of Jones Street Extended intersects with the southeast right-of-way line of 9th Street; thence in a westerly direction along the southwest right-of-way line of Jones Street Extended to a point located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Jones Street Extended and 9th Street; thence in a southerly direction along the northwest right-of-way line of 9th Street a distance of 100.0 feet to a point; thence in a westerly direction running parallel to Jones Street to its intersection with the centerline of Hawk's Gulley; thence in a southerly direction along the centerline of Hawk's Gulley Extended to the centerline of Broad Street; thence in a westerly direction along the centerline of Broad Street to its intersection with the centerline of the first level of the Augusta Canal; thence along the centerline of the first level of the Augusta Canal in a northwesterly direction to its intersection with the southern right-of-way of the Seaboard System Railroad line; thence, running in a westerly direction along the southern right-of-way of the Seaboard System Railroad line until its intersection with the southeast right-of-way of I-20; thence, in a northeasterly direction along the southeast right-of-way line of I-20 until its intersection with the centerline of the first level of the Augusta Canal; thence, in a northwesterly direction along the centerline of the first level of the Augusta Canal to the point of beginning.

25-A-3

Creation of Riverfront Development Review Board. Augusta-Richmond County Commission shall create a Riverfront Development Review Board which shall consist of ten (10) members, one of whom shall reside in each of the ten districts that together constitute Augusta.

(a)

Composition. The ten (10) members shall be selected from the following:

1.

One (1) member of Augusta-Richmond County Commission;

2.

One (1) member of the Augusta-Richmond County Planning Commission;

3.

One (1) member of the Augusta Port Authority;

4.

One (1) member of the Executive Committee of Historic Augusta, Inc.

5.

One (1) member of Augusta Tomorrow; and

6.

Five (5) residents of Augusta-Richmond County.

Ex-officio, nonvoting members shall include:

1.

Executive Director of the Augusta Planning and Development Department

2.

Director of the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development; and

3.

Director of the Department of Public Works.

(b)

Terms of office. The members of the Review Board shall serve without pay. Initial terms should be five (5) two-year terms and five (5) four-year terms. All reappointment terms thereafter shall be for four years. All members shall be eligible for re-appointment provided that they continue to meet the criteria for their original appointment.

(c)

Organization. The Review Board shall elect one of its members as Chairman and one as Vice-Chairman. The Chairman shall preside over meetings of the Review Board and shall have the right to vote on matters brought before the Board. A Secretary to the Review Board shall be appointed from the Staff of the Augusta Planning and Development Department and shall take minutes of each meeting. A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum. By-laws governing the time and place of meetings and other necessary rules of procedure may be drawn and adopted by the Board.

(d)

Powers and duties. The Riverfront Development Review Board shall review all plans for development of properties lying within the boundaries of the PDR (Planned Development Riverfront) Zone. The review shall consist of an evaluation of compliance with the provisions for this section and evaluation of the aesthetic qualities of the proposed development relative to adjacent developments. The Review Board shall make a recommendation in writing to the Augusta, Georgia Planning Commission for approval, modification, or disapproval of the proposed development. No site plan shall be approved or building permit issued until such written recommendation has been received and considered by the staff of the Augusta Planning and Development Department, provided, however, that such recommendation shall be transmitted no later than 45 days after receipt or the proposed development shall be deemed to be approved by the Review Board.

(e)

An annual meeting shall be held on the second Tuesday of January each year at 10:00 a.m. at the office of the Planning and Development Department, and other meetings may be held at any time after proper notice on an as-needed basis.

25-A-4

Permitted uses. The following uses may be permitted in the PDR (Planned Development Riverfront) Zone:

(a)

Food stores

(b)

Apparel and accessory stores

(c)

Water-based transportation and recreational facilities

(d)

Eating and drinking places

(e)

Florist and gift shops

(f)

Newsstands and bookstores

(g)

Beauty and barber shops

(h)

Automobile parking lots and parking structures

(i)

Marine equipment sales and services

(j)

Professional offices

(k)

Governmental facilities and activities

(l)

Furniture and/or home furnishing stores

(m)

Antique shops

(n)

Drugstores

(o)

Sporting goods stores

(p)

Jewelry shops

(q)

Hobby, toy and game stores

(r)

Camera and photographic supply shops

(s)

Tobacco shops

(t)

Hotels, motels, or other lodging places except boarding houses, manufactured home parks or travel trailer parks

(u)

Personal or business service establishments

(v)

Entertainment establishments as follows:

1.

Motion picture theaters

2.

Performing arts theaters and studios

3.

Museums and art galleries

4.

Other entertainment, cultural, and educational establishments, upon approval of the Planning Commission

(w)

Residential uses, all types, provided that the density shall be approved by the Riverfront Development Review Board.

(x)

The following manufacturing type activities provided they are carried out in conjunction with on-site retail sale of finished products:

1.

Bakery

2.

Confectionery

3.

Leather goods

4.

Pottery and related products

5.

Glass and glassware

6.

Jewelry making

7.

Metal craft products

(y)

Uses not specified may be permitted upon approval of the Planning Commission.

25-A-5

Development standards and requirements:

(a)

Yard and setback requirements. There shall be no minimum lot size, side or rear setback, percentage of lot coverage or lot width, provided, however, that measures are taken to provide reasonable visual and acoustical privacy for dwelling units and that no building or structure shall be constructed so as to encroach within the designated flood way of the Savannah River.

(b)

Public access. Application for approval of development in the PDR zone shall include provisions for public access from a publicly-owned or maintained roadway to that portion of the property designated as and defined by the 100-Year Floodplain limit line under an Ordinance entitled "An Ordinance to Prevent Damage From Floods; To Regulate Land Uses in the Flood Plain, and for Other Purposes."

1.

Public access areas shall consist of the designated 100 Year Floodplain and one (1) twenty (20) foot access easement for every three hundred (300) feet of river frontage, or portion thereof, to be occupied by the proposed development.

2.

The flood way and access easements shall be dedicated to the Augusta-Richmond County Commission, be suitably landscaped, and contain a walkway of sufficient width and surfaced with an all-weather material as approved by the Department of Public Works to facilitate pedestrian movement to and from the public roadway.

3.

Said easement shall be permanently maintained by the owner, developer, or an association of owners or residents having responsibility for common areas within the proposed development.

4.

All public access easements shall be clearly marked as such with a permanent sign of not less than three (3) square feet in area.

(c)

Building design and site planning standards. The following special building design and site planning standards shall apply in the PDR Zone.

1.

All development in the PDR zone shall comply with an Ordinance entitled "An Ordinance to Prevent Damage From Floods; To Regulate Land Uses in the Flood Plain, and For Other Purposes" and approval of development plans under the provisions of this section shall not constitute approval under other applicable codes and ordinances.

2.

No fencing along the exterior property lines of any development in the PDR zone shall be permitted unless the proposed fence is integrated completely with the design of the buildings, i.e. similar in materials, design, and detailing. Developers are required to fence or screen off-street parking and loading areas from view from public roadways utilizing a four (4) foot fence, screen, or landscaped earthen berm.

3.

All construction in a PDR zone shall be of the following materials: brick, stucco, poured-in-place architectural concrete, exposed aggregate pre cast panels, and wood siding where appropriate and permitted by codes. Unacceptable construction materials include metal siding, concrete block, and high maintenance finishes such as paint on concrete block. Exceptions to the provisions of this subsection may be granted for additions or modifications to existing buildings, or for construction on the same parcel and in close proximity to existing buildings. Exceptions may be granted only in the case of hardship where it is determined that the aesthetics of the surrounding area would not be adversely affected.

4.

All mechanical equipment and service areas shall be screened from view from adjacent roads and pedestrian ways, other structures, and the Levee by structures or devices integral to the architecture of the building. Wherever practicable, all utility systems in the development shall be underground.

5.

Preservation of existing trees on-site is required. Applications for approval of development plans in the PDR Zone shall show the location and type of all existing trees having a diameter measurement of ten (10) inches measured at a height of four (4) feet above ground level and shall indicate which of these trees are to be retained. Removal of trees of that size or larger is prohibited except where necessary to allow construction of buildings; needed for street rights-of-way, walkways, and ancillary structures such as patios; the tree is diseased, injured, or otherwise may pose an unsafe visibility or sight distance; or unduly restricts the economic use of the property. Where it is necessary to remove existing trees, the developer is required to replace them with planting elsewhere on-site.

6.

All development proposed for the PDR zone will be reviewed for its impact on or utilization of historic and potentially historic structures. Developers are encouraged to coordinate adaptive renovation and use of existing structures with the appropriate local agencies or organizations having an interest in historic preservation.

25-A-6

Application requirements:

(a)

An application for approval of development plans in the PDR Zone shall be made to the Executive Director of the Augusta Planning and Development Department. Eleven copies of the plans shall be provided to allow transmittal to the members of the Riverfront Development Review Board at least seven (7) days prior to the date of the Review Board meeting. Upon receipt of an application, the Executive Director shall cause the members of the Review Board to be notified of the date, time, and place of the meeting and shall transmit copies of the proposed development plans to the membership.

(b)

An application for review of the development plans shall include:

1.

A boundary and topographic plat of the land to be included in the entire development showing all rights-of-way and easements affecting the property.

2.

A plat showing any new building lots and their boundaries along with the square footage contained in each and the location and rights-of-way of proposed streets and public pedestrian ways.

3.

The location of existing and proposed buildings and the number of stories contained in each.

4.

The location and elevation of the water supply, sanitary, and storm drainage systems.

5.

The location and type of all common areas along with a statement of the method to be used to insure the continued maintenance of such areas.

6.

The location of all curb cuts, driving lanes, and parking areas.

7.

The location and height of all walls, fences, and screen plantings.

8.

A statement of proposed uses on a building by building basis and, where applicable, on a floor by floor basis.

9.

Architectural drawings indicating the proposed appearance of each elevation and a general statement regarding exterior colors and materials.

10.

The proposed location and character of signs and exterior lighting, service areas and doors, and loading facilities.

11.

A landscaping plan showing the location, size, and type of all plant materials whether existing or proposed.

12.

For residential developments, a tabulation of the total area, number of dwelling units, off-street parking spaces and overall density per acre.

(c)

Upon completion of its review, the Riverfront Development Review Board shall transmit its findings along with recommendations for modifications, if any, to the Executive Director of the Augusta Planning and Development Department who shall process the proposed development plans in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance and the Land Subdivision Regulations for Augusta Commission, if applicable.

(d)

Any change in the approved development plan which affects the intent and character of the development, the density or land use pattern, the location or dimensions of streets or other access ways, or similar changes shall be reviewed in the same manner as set forth above.

Amended Sept. 2012 - add 25-A-3(e)

SPECIAL DISTRICT CLASSIFICATIONS