This document shall be known, and may be referred to, as the Village of Davis Junction Zoning Ordinance, or alternatively Zoning Ordinance.

This Zoning Ordinance was prepared in accordance with the Village of Davis Junction's (hereinafter "Davis Junction" or "Village") authority to comprehensively plan for its future economic and land use development pursuant to Division 12 of the Illinois Municipal Code, 65 ILCS 5/11-12-4 et seq., and the authority to establish zoning and other land use regulations pursuant to Division 13 of the Illinois Municipal Code, 65 ILCS 5/11-13-1 et seq., and in furtherance of these authorities to achieve the following goals and objectives:

This Zoning Ordinance, together with the Village's Comprehensive Plan and Subdivision and Development Ordinance, is designed to control the rate of growth of the Village through management of new development to create a compatible and efficient land use pattern that diversifies the Village's tax base, fosters cost-effective and efficient provisions of Village and other public services and maintains the Village's rural character. These growth management goals are facilitated through this Zoning Ordinance by establishing regulations that:

1.

Create and maintain an appropriate balance of land uses;

2.

Focus new development adjacent to existing developed areas to prevent the premature conversion of farmland;

3.

Guide infill development in a manner consistent with the design, character, function, and scale of adjacent uses;

4.

Assure that the density of new development does not overwhelm existing and planned utility systems, schools, roadways, other public services, and other taxing bodies;

5.

Provide generous setbacks and landscaping to buffer areas of more intensive development from areas of residential and institutional development; and

6.

Maintain existing natural features, buffers, wetlands, floodplain, and tree lines and strands.

This Zoning Ordinance, together with the Village's Comprehensive Plan and Subdivision and Development Ordinance, is designed to maintain and enhance the Village's existing single-family residential neighborhoods and provide for a housing inventory that will be diversified in dwelling unit type, size, and design, which supports the local population; accommodates projected future growth; creates a high-quality residential environment; and, strengthens the desirability of the community. These residential areas goals are facilitated through this Zoning Ordinance by establishing regulations that:

1.

Maintain and enhance the single-family image and character of Davis Junction, by promoting single-family residential development and subdivisions;

2.

Promote medium to large-lot single-family housing to preserve open space areas, and establish a low-density and rural character for the Village;

3.

Accommodate medium density housing as part of larger, mixed residential planned developments near the Original Town District to meet the needs of all existing and future residents, including elderly and first time home buyers;

4.

Promote clustering of houses and other conservation design techniques on sites containing wetlands, floodplain, large wooded areas, or other natural resources in order to minimize the impact to quality natural areas and to maintain and preserve these areas for public enjoyment;

5.

Ensure that residential growth is consistent with the capacity of public facilities, services, schools, and infrastructure to serve new development;

6.

Avoid the creation of small, isolated pockets of residential land use that cannot be served efficiently by sewer and water, public services, schools, and police and fire protection;

7.

Prevent unnecessary sprawl by requiring residential development to adhere to the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan;

8.

Establish design and development guidelines for residential development in order to promote attractive and compatible development;

9.

Establish review procedures for architecture to prevent monotonous development in new residential subdivisions;

10.

Protect existing and planned residential areas from encroachment by land uses that are incompatible or which may create adverse impacts;

11.

Require protection of the natural environment and to provide amenities for residents, including parks, parkway trees, sidewalks, and bicycle paths;

12.

Preserve natural features, such as wooded areas, vegetation, wildlife habitat, waterways, wetlands, topography, and scenic vistas;

13.

Preserve existing structures that reflect the history and heritage of Davis Junction, including the preservation of farmsteads, barns, homes, and sites of unique character or historical significance;

14.

Establish landscape screening, increased setbacks, and restricted access requirements for houses that will be located along collector roadways and railroads, and maintain existing wooded buffers and tree lines where possible; and

15.

Ensure adequate, usable parkland and open spaces in all new residential developments, designed to meet the needs of residents.

This Zoning Ordinance, together with the Village's Comprehensive Plan and Subdivision and Development Ordinance, is designed to promote new commercial and business development that provides local residents and the neighboring communities with a diversity of goods and services, enhances the Village's tax base, reduces the burden on schools, and provides employment opportunities. These commercial development goals are facilitated through this Zoning Ordinance by establishing regulations that:

1.

Establish design and development guidelines for commercial development in order to ensure new commercial development is attractive and complimentary to the existing and desired character of the Village;

2.

Require landscaping and buffering for commercial storage areas visible to the public;

3.

Require landscape screening between new commercial development and existing or planned residential or institutional uses to be provided within perimeter yards of the commercial property;

4.

Encourage a variety of new commercial uses that will increase the range of shopping and employment opportunities, and strengthen and expand the Village's tax and economic base;

5.

Encourage the grouping of retail, office, and commercial activities in centers of unified design character (including façade treatment, signs, lighting, and architectural design);

6.

Discourage the development of commercial uses at locations that cannot be adequately served by existing transportation, utilities and other public facilities;

7.

Promote site planning that is in accordance with good planning practice; and

8.

Ensure that appropriate stormwater management and environmental protection provisions are included in all new commercial developments.

This Zoning Ordinance, together with the Village's Comprehensive Plan and Subdivision and Development Ordinance, is designed to reestablish and revitalize the Village's original settlement area by planning for the creation of a compact Original Town District consisting of less intense and residentially scaled civic, commercial, institutional, and residential uses to retain the charm and character of this historic area of town. These Original Town District goals are facilitated through this Zoning Ordinance by establishing regulations that:

1.

Create a centralized focal point for the Original Town District consisting of civic uses such as a Village Hall or town square;

2.

Establish design guidelines for signs, lighting, landscaping and architecture to create a unified theme and character for the Original Town District, picking up cues from historic buildings such as the original Village Hall and Historical Society Building;

3.

Encourage and incentivize development within the Original Town District to liberally utilize and include plazas, brick walkways, pedestrian amenities, and gathering places;

4.

Market the areas along Route 72 within the Original Town District for major commercial development that could serve as anchors for the area, drawing visitors into the Original Town District;

5.

Promote the reuse and rehabilitation of older buildings where possible;

6.

Require all new construction within the Original Town District to be compatible with the scale and overall existing character of the area;

7.

Encourage the development of boutique shops and services, office/residential conversions, and family-style restaurants within the Original Town District; and

8.

Promote a diverse range of housing types in the Original Town District, including housing options for seniors.

This Zoning Ordinance, together with the Village's Comprehensive Plan and Subdivision and Development Ordinance, is designed to promote industrial, light industrial, logistics, and business park uses that can capitalize on proximity to the Greater Rockford Airport, Interstate 39, and other locational benefits that complement other types of local development and ensure a diversified economy, strengthen the Village's tax base, and provide employment opportunities for Village residents. These business parks and light industrial goals are facilitated through this Zoning Ordinance by establishing regulations that:

1.

Promote the continued operation of the local landfill facilities while minimizing impacts on residential areas;

2.

Promote the development of industrial and business uses in Ogle County to maximize access to Interstate 39 and the Greater Rockford Airport; and to minimize business park traffic within other parts of the Village;

3.

Discourage the development of single-site industrial development and encourage the development of larger "business parks" designed to accommodate multiple users to provide Village services more cost effectively;

4.

Promote attractive, "campus" type development within the Village's business parks defined by generously landscaped sites; wide, tree-lined streets; quality architecture; landscaped buffers along all boundary lines of the park; screening of off-street parking and unenclosed loading; pedestrian linkages; and uniform signage and lighting for business park and industrial development;

5.

Require all industrial buildings to be compatible to adjacent surroundings in form, texture, colors, consistent with a campus-type setting;

6.

Emphasize logistics, office, high-tech, and research uses in the Village's business park and industrial areas;

7.

Ensure off-street parking and loading facilities within all business park and light industrial sites are adequately screened and buffered; and

8.

Require screening and visual separation between business park and light industrial uses and other nearby land uses, including extensive perimeter landscaping of business parks adjacent to residential neighborhoods or major roadways.

This Zoning Ordinance, together with the Village's Comprehensive Plan and Subdivision and Development Ordinance, is designed to establish a coordinated network of roads and streets, pedestrian connections, recreational trails, and public transportation services that results in the safe and efficient movement of vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians, accommodates Plan recommendations, reinforces surrounding land development patterns, and compliments the rural character of the Village. These transportation goals are facilitated through this Zoning Ordinance by establishing regulations that:

1.

Support the Comprehensive Plan's identification of new roads, streets, connections, and access points which will be needed to serve projected growth, so that adequate rights-of-way can be reserved as development occurs;

2.

Establish and promote a functional classification system for all existing and planned roadways in Davis Junction's planning area;

3.

Establish a street system that provides for multiple east-west and north-south roads through Davis Junction, to minimize the likelihood of congestion, "cut-through" traffic, and over use of select roads;

4.

Discourage direct access onto individual properties from Route 72, Route 251, and other arterial streets;

5.

Maximize safety and maintain the operational efficiency of Davis Junction's arterial and collector streets by: promoting the consolidation of existing curb cuts; and minimizing the number of curb cuts allowed for new development;

6.

Locate land uses that are high trip generators, such as commercial, along roads that can or will be upgraded to handle such traffic;

7.

Create a desirable network for pedestrian circulation by requiring all developers of all types of development to provide sidewalks and/or bike trails within/through their developments and along both sides of all streets; and

8.

Develop a multipurpose trail system, using existing rights-of-way, protected greenbelts, open space corridors, and easements to provide connections between subdivisions, schools, parks, shopping areas, public facilities, open spaces, and other multi-use trails in the area to ensure safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle access to all park sites and recreational areas.

This Zoning Ordinance, together with the Village's Comprehensive Plan and Subdivision and Development Ordinance, is designed to protect, preserve, and enhance the area's existing natural resources, wooded areas, rolling topography, scenic vistas and environmentally sensitive open spaces that contribute significantly to the rural image and identity of Davis Junction. These natural environmental goals are facilitated through this Zoning Ordinance by establishing regulations that:

1.

Regulate the key "environmental corridors" that pass through Davis Junction, which include Killbuck Creek, Stillman Creek, agricultural drainage and irrigation channels, and other surface watercourses, flood prone areas, wetlands, native vegetation, and wildlife habitats, into an integrated area-wide open space network;

2.

Protect groundwater recharge areas valuable to the long-range supply of water to the Village and region;

3.

Identify, protect, preserve, and provide access to important natural areas and resources, including Killbuck Creek by acquiring land or easements and setting these areas aside as permanent open spaces;

4.

Promote attractive detention basins and retention ponds at appropriate locations that contribute to the desired character and appearance of the Village and promote aquatic biodiversity;

5.

Implement Ogle County's Greenway and Trails Plan including the acquisition of open space within the Village's boundaries and planning area;

6.

Maintain the functional value of natural areas, such as floodplains, wetlands, and wooded areas, when planning all new developments within Davis Junction;

7.

Develop and preserve the network of linear open spaces illustrated on the Comprehensive Plan to protect streams, wetlands, floodplains, hydric soils; connect Killbuck Creek, parks, and other permanent open lands; and serve as a buffer between incompatible land uses;

8.

Discourage development in areas where soils display characteristics that make development infeasible, such as hydric soils that are saturated, flooded, or ponded for at least part of the year;

9.

Promote clustering of houses and other conservation design techniques on sites containing wetlands, floodplain, large wooded areas, or other natural resources in order to minimize the impact to quality natural areas and to maintain and preserve these areas for public enjoyment;

10.

Preserve Davis Junction's existing, mature trees;

11.

Prevent the development of floodplains, and encourage the use of flood prone land for public open space, recreation, wildlife habitat, and pedestrian trails; and

12.

Protect aquifers, wetlands, and streams from pollutants by establishing buffer areas to reduce soil erosion and contamination by fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and other physical, chemical, or biological substance carried into waterways by stormwater runoff.

This Zoning Ordinance, together with the Village's Comprehensive Plan and Subdivision and Development Ordinance, is designed to support and provide public facilities and services such as schools and education, police and fire protection, garbage collection and recycling, road maintenance and snow removal, health and medical, and social services for all residents and businesses of Davis Junction. These community facilities and services goals are facilitated through this Zoning Ordinance by establishing regulations that:

1.

Provide and maintain a high level of municipal and community services, on appropriately-sized parcels in suitable locations;

2.

Encourage, cooperate, and participate in the planning of schools, religious institutions, and other community services to meet existing and future needs of Davis Junction to ensure these important facilities do not consume valuable tax-generating parcels; are easily accessible; and do not generate unnecessary traffic within residential neighborhoods;

3.

Encourage efficient land use planning to minimize inefficiencies and reduce costs of providing public services, such as: school bus travel; snow plowing and road repair; postal service; and, emergency services (fire, police and ambulance);

4.

Ensure that all sites, facilities, and buildings for all Village departments and services are adequate; complement the neighborhoods in which they are located; are attractive and well-maintained; and undertake maintenance, expansion and replacement programs as necessary; and

5.

Promote community, cultural and religious institutional organizations that will enhance the Village's appeal and maintain the Village's rural character.

This Zoning Ordinance, together with the Village's Comprehensive Plan and Subdivision and Development Ordinance, is designed to uphold a well-designed park and recreation system consisting of adequate open space, facilities and amenities to serve the needs of all segments of Davis Junction's population. These parks and recreation goals are facilitated through this Zoning Ordinance by establishing regulations that:

1.

Require developers to provide active and passive recreation areas within walking distance of all new dwellings, designed to serve the needs of the residential community;

2.

Locate neighborhood parks in the middle of a development to equitably serve the entire development;

3.

Encourage the development of community parks and programmed/scheduled recreational facilities next to existing schools and proposed school sites or collector and arterial streets;

4.

Expand the Davis Junction Community Park as part of improvements and development within the Original Town District to reinforce the civic core of the community and to provide for a central gathering place and activity area for all residents of Davis Junction;

5.

Develop a multipurpose trail system, using existing rights-of-way, protected greenbelts, open space corridors, and easements to provide connections between subdivisions, schools, parks, shopping areas, public facilities, open spaces and other multi-use trails in the area to ensure safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle access to all park sites and recreational areas;

6.

Undertake more extensive landscaping and "greening" programs along IL Route 72, IL Route 251, Junction Road, and other major street corridors, including the appropriate location of right-of-way trees; and

7.

Continue to support Ogle County's Trail Master Plan.

This Zoning Ordinance, together with the Village's Comprehensive Plan and Subdivision and Development Ordinance, is designed to prevent the premature conversion of prime agricultural land to non-agricultural uses by the use of careful planning for utility extensions and the orderly phasing of development. These agricultural goals are facilitated through this Zoning Ordinance by establishing regulations that:

1.

Identify areas for prime agricultural use and prevent the premature conversion of these areas for new development;

2.

Provide for appropriate transitional uses between the existing and planned portions of the community to protect agricultural land and to minimize conflicts between dissimilar uses; and

3.

Require new subdivisions that are proposed to be constructed next to active farms, which are intended to be a permanent agricultural use, to maintain a 100-foot, landscaped buffer between residences and agricultural operations.

This Zoning Ordinance, together with the Village's Comprehensive Plan and Subdivision and Development Ordinance, is designed to preserve the justifiable expectations of property owners and promote and enhance the taxable value of all categories of property in the Village. These justifiable expectations and taxable value goals are facilitated through this Zoning Ordinance by establishing regulations that:

1.

Protect and respect the justifiable reliance of existing residents, business people, and taxpayers on the continuation of existing, established land use patterns;

2.

Establish procedures for the efficient and effective use of provisions of this Zoning Ordinance;

3.

Establish standards for the review of applications filed pursuant to this Zoning Ordinance; and

4.

Protect and enhance the taxable value of land and buildings.

This Zoning Ordinance, together with the Village's Comprehensive Plan and Subdivision and Development Ordinance, is designed to establish a zoning and entitlements process that is uniform, thorough, equitable, and protective of property owners' rights. These administrative goals are facilitated through this Zoning Ordinance by establishing regulations that:

1.

Define the powers and duties of administrative officers and bodies necessary to administer this Zoning Ordinance;

2.

Establish procedures for the efficient and effective use of the provisions of this Zoning Ordinance;

3.

Establish standards for the review of applications filed pursuant to this Zoning Ordinance; and

4.

Prescribe penalties for the violation of the provision of this Zoning Ordinance.