Bulverde City Zoning Code
ARTICLE 14
05 SPECIAL DISTRICTS
§ 14.05.001 Village Overlay.
(a)
The Village Overlay District is defined as the commercial zoned property located generally along both sides of Bulverde Road between Highway 281 and the Comal County roadmaintenance limit west of Highway 281, and the commercially zoned property along both sides of Cougar Bend between Bulverde Road and Panther/Wildcat Drive (as indicated generally below).
Bulverde Village Overlay
(b)
Intent.
(1)
The land uses and general character of development in Bulverde Village shall be as described in the Downtown Bulverde Village Vision, adopted in January 2016.
(2)
A mix of uses appropriate in buildings consistent in scale and form to the existing downtown development pattern is envisioned.
(3)
As much as possible, existing natural areas shall be preserved.
(4)
The development of pedestrian amenities and a landscaped street edge is planned and plant materials shall be chosen from a list of landscape materials included in the vision study.
(5)
A plaza or public open space at the intersection of Bulverde Road and Cougar Bend is envisioned as a public open space.
(c)
Bulverde Village Overlay design guidelines.
The following design guidelines shall be enforced in the Village Overlay District:
(1)
Building material.
(A)
All exterior walls of all buildings shall be limestone, native natural rock, rough-hewn lumber, corrugated metal or other materials consistent in appearance with the existing historic buildings in the village area.
(B)
Roofing material.
Roofing materials shall consist of corrugated metal, standing seam metal or other materials consistent with the existing historic buildings in the village area. Wood roofing materials are expressly prohibited.
(C)
Front porch.
All buildings shall incorporate a covered front porch along at least 50% of the total building front facade into the architectural design. Such porch coverings shall use rough-hewn lumber, posts or stone for supports and other design elements similar to the existing historic buildings in the village area.
(D)
Reuse of existing buildings.
The reuse of existing historic buildings as shells for new commercial development is encouraged.
(Ordinance 437, ex. A, adopted 9/13/16; Ordinance 687 adopted 2/8/22)
§ 14.05.003 Scenic Gateway Overlay.
(a)
Purpose and intent.
The purpose of the requirements for the Scenic Corridor Overlay District is to protect and enhance the entrance corridors to the City of Bulverde, which will:
(b)
Applicability.
(1)
The following standards shall be applied for all properties, platted or unplatted, within the specific corridors listed below falling within the city limits. These standards shall be in addition to other regulations set forth in any other ordinance of the City of Bulverde.
(2)
Landscape buffer.
A 25-foot landscape buffer, measured from the front property line immediately adjacent to the right-of-way is required. Where land is reserved for future rights-of-way per city, county or state thoroughfare plans, the landscape buffer shall be measured from the line of reservation/dedication.
(3)
Landscaping requirements.
The landscape buffer shall preserve the natural look of the land. All protected, specimen, and majestic trees as defined by article 17.06 of the Bulverde Code of Ordinances shall be preserved, excluding the area required for driveways. If no protected trees exist, or fewer protected trees than one tree per ten (10) feet of roadway frontage exist, then new trees meeting the standards as defined in the aforementioned article 17.06 shall be planted in the landscape buffer as described below. Additional landscaping in the buffer shall consist of native, drought-resistant plants and grasses.
(A)
Trees shall be planted a minimum of 10 feet from the property line or start of the landscape buffer as described in subsection (b)(2) above.
(B)
A sufficient number of trees shall be planted to achieve a total number of trees (existing protected trees and/or new trees) of at least one tree for each 10 feet of roadway frontage.
(C)
Trees may be staggered or clustered but shall be planted at regular intervals to mimic the natural forests in the area. A tree planting plan shall be submitted to the city for review and approval as part of the building permit process.
(4)
Service areas.
No service areas shall be permitted to front U.S. Highway 281, State Highway 46 or F.M. 1863. Service drives shall be permitted to cross the landscape buffer perpendicularly only, and no service drive shall be permitted to be constructed parallel to the landscape buffer.
(5)
Utilities.
(A)
Drainage facilities are not allowed within the landscape buffer except those that are necessary to convey drainage in the shortest possible route to or from the street right-of-way. Drainage facilities include all detention ponds, water-quality ponds, outlet structures, drainage berms, improved channels, or other improvements associated with the drainage improvements.
(B)
All detention ponds and water-quality ponds within the Scenic Gateway Overlay District buffer shall be designed to the greatest extent possible to conform to the natural terrain of the land and if possible as curvilinear, nonrectangular shapes. Detention ponds and water-quality ponds within the landscape buffer shall be designed so that the facilities do not require chain-link fences or concrete walls (or similar material). Outlet structures may be concrete with architectural treatment. Native stone is required for detention ponds and water-quality ponds if the ponds are located behind or within the landscape buffer. Gabions are expressly prohibited.
(C)
Fencing is allowed around detention ponds only if the fencing is constructed of wrought iron or tubular steel or other similar product. The fence and any detention or water-quality ponds shall be buffered from the street view by planting native, drought-resistant plants and grasses that will, at maturity, screen at least 40 percent of the view of the detention pond and fence.
(D)
Separate ponds for each lot may be utilized if they are designed with a curvilinear contoured shape, are designed not to require fencing, are able to utilize vegetative slope stabilization with a slope not exceeding 3:1, and no structural retaining walls are used.
(E)
Dumpsters shall be located on a concrete pad enclosed on three sides by a solid masonry wall with solid gates across the front. This wall shall be at least six (6) feet in height, and at least two feet higher than the top of the dumpster. The style and finish of the walls and gates shall be consistent with the appearance of the building(s) it serves and drawn under the seal of a professional engineer.
(F)
All utilities must be located underground.
(Ordinance 437, ex. A, adopted 9/13/16; Ordinance 586, sec. 2D, adopted 6/11/19)