The purpose of this district is to encourage and direct development within the boundaries of the Main Street Corridor Development Area as defined in the Eaton Rapids Comprehensive Plan and implement that portion of the City of Eaton Rapids Comprehensive Plan addressing the corridor.

Further objectives of this Article include:

A.

To accommodate commercial development while maintaining a residential character within the corridor.

B.

To encourage a concentration of commercial uses for the mutual advantage of both merchants and consumers and to avoid strip commercial development.

C.

To provide space for automobile-oriented commercial uses.

D.

To provide adequate and appropriate separation and/or buffering of commercial uses and residential or less intensive commercial areas.

E.

To provide appropriately designed off-street parking and managing access to individual sites.

F.

To promote developments where the physical, visual, and spatial characteristics are established and reinforced through the consistent use of compatible urban design and architectural elements that improve the visual character of the corridor.

G.

To discourage commercial and business uses that create objectionable noise, glare, odors, or other nuisances.

The mixed use district shall be considered an overlay to the existing zoning districts identified on the official City of Eaton Rapids Zoning Map. The areas of the mixed use district shall coincide with the boundaries of the area identified as the "Main Street Corridor Development Area - Future Land Use" in the Eaton Rapids Comprehensive Plan (1999).

Development, including the erection of any nonresidential structure or building or conversion of any residential structure or building into a nonresidential use within the mixed use district shall not occur except in full conformance with this Article and all other articles and sections of this Ordinance which are applicable, except as provided otherwise within this Ordinance.

Within the mixed use district, no land use shall be used and no building shall be erected except for one (1) or more of the uses identified in the underlying zoning district as a principal permitted use, unless otherwise provided for as a conditional use.

Within the mixed use district, the uses identified as conditional uses in the underlying zoning district shall require a conditional use approval and shall comply with any applicable conditional use requirements identified in Article XXIII.

The following requirements shall be met within a Mixed Use District (MXD):

A.

Development plan approval for all permitted and conditional uses as specified in Article XVI of this Ordinance.

B.

Off-street parking, loading, and access management standards for all uses as specified in Article XXI of this Ordinance.

C.

Signs for all uses as specified in Article XXII of this Ordinance.

D.

Height, area, lot coverage, yard regulations, building mass, and yard regulations as specified in Article XVII of this Ordinance.

E.

Landscaping requirements as specified in Article XX of this Ordinance.

f.

Design, architectural, and building material standards as specified in Article XIX of this Ordinance.