El Reno City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XV
Route 66 Overlay District
[Added 10-8-2013 by Ord. No. 9036]
§ 361-109 Purpose and description.
The purpose of the Route 66 Overlay District is to implement the City of El Reno Comprehensive Plan and to protect the character of Route 66, a National Scenic Byway. The Route 66 Overlay District requires additional screening and buffering of industrial uses along this historic corridor; these requirements are intended not to limit or block industrial uses but rather to maintain the historic character of the Route 66 corridor. Maintaining the character and attractiveness of this roadway enhances the economic value of the community by encouraging tourism and trade. This overlay district is established for the purpose of providing a more aesthetically pleasing gateway to the City so Route 66 can continue to be used as an economic base for the community and serve as an entryway into the historic downtown.
§ 361-110 Location.
The Route 66 Overlay District is established and applies to all parcels/lots which front Route 66 from the eastern corporate limit line to Alfadale Road.
§ 361-111 Uses permitted.
Uses in the overlay are those uses permitted in the underlying base zoning district.
§ 361-112 Development standards.
Property development standards as prescribed in the underlying zoning district will apply in the Route 66 Overlay District with the following exceptions:
A.
Landscaping. All new development and redevelopment areas shall be landscaped with trees, ornamental shrubs, and green areas to provide visual buffering, and to enhance the entryway to the community created by the historic Route 66, a National Scenic Byway, that is scenic and welcoming. Landscaping standards in this district are as follow:
(1)
Landscape maintenance. The property owner is responsible for maintaining a landscape plan as originally approved and for the replacement of plant materials that have died, been damaged, or removed, for a period of five years after issuance of a certificate of occupancy or project completion.
(2)
Buffer.
(a)
A fifty-foot-wide buffer outside the ODOT right-of-way and with the required building setback along road frontage is required.
(b)
Planting. Planting is required to screen industrial activities and parking areas from Historic Route 66. If the grade of the site, or other condition, prevents the buffer from accomplishing this purpose, then the minimum requirements may be modified. Minimum requirements include:
[1]
Canopy trees: planted at a ratio of five trees for every 100 feet of frontage.
[2]
Understory trees: planted at a ratio of three trees for every 100 feet of frontage.
[3]
Shrubs: 12 shrubs for every 100 feet of frontage are required.
(3)
Berms. Planting requirements may be reduced by 50% if berms are constructed to provide buffering and screening. Berms shall vary in height and width and must be planted with native drought-tolerant plants. Berms are to be constructed and planted as follows:
(a)
Construction of an earthen berm requires a permit from the City. The permit application shall be signed by the owner and accompanied by a site plan indicating the exact location of the berm, the width, height and length of the berm, existing land contours and proposed contours.
(b)
The height of the berm shall not exceed 12 feet, and the slope of the berm shall not exceed one foot of vertical rise per three feet of horizontal distance (a maximum slope of 3:1).
(c)
Construction of the berm shall comply with applicable portions of the zoning ordinance dealing with stormwater runoff and, if located in a floodplain, shall comply with the provisions contained in the flood damage prevention ordinance.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 194, Flood Control and Drainage; and Art. XIII, Floodplain Regulations, of this chapter.
(d)
Berms adjacent to paved surfaces must be graded to capture all irrigation runoff or to convey it to an appropriate stormwater management feature.
(e)
The berm shall be landscaped; its landscaping shall be maintained by the property owner and shall comply with the provisions of Subsection A(3)(e)[1] through [5] below:
[1]
Grass or ground cover shall be planted on the berm. Proper siltation control shall be effected until such grass or ground cover is established.
[2]
Trees or shrubs shall be planted on the berm. At least 1/2 of the plant material shall be evergreen trees or shrubs. Evergreen trees shall be a minimum of six feet in height, and deciduous trees shall be not less than two inches in diameter measured one foot above the ground when planted.
[3]
All plant material shall be maintained by mowing, trimming, and removal of trash on a regular basis. Dead plant material shall be removed and replaced.
[4]
The construction, maintenance, and landscaping of a berm shall not unreasonably interfere with traffic sight lines on an adjacent street or highway.
(4)
Fences and walls.
(a)
If a fence or wall is constructed in the buffer, the minimum planting requirements may be reduced to:
[1]
Canopy trees: planted at a ratio of four trees for every 100 feet of frontage.
[2]
Understory trees: planted at a ratio of two trees for every 100 feet of frontage.
[3]
Shrubs: optional.
(b)
Height. Fences and walls shall be a minimum of five feet and no taller than eight feet.
(c)
Material. Approved materials include one or a combination of the following: brick, stone, cast-stone, split-faced block, stucco over standard concrete masonry blocks, or other material approved by the administrator. The following are not allowed in the buffer: chain-link or vinyl.
B.
Loading, storage and service areas. In addition to the standards set forth in § 361-16 of this chapter, loading, storage and service areas must meet the following standards:
(1)
All loading, storage and service area shall be located on the side or rear of a building/complex and shall be effectively screened from view if visible from the public right-of-way.
(2)
If a planted buffer is not adequate to screen large-scale loading, storage or service areas from the Route 66 public ROW, additional screening will be required. This screen shall consist of walls, fences, plant material or combination totaling eight feet in height at installation. Wall or fence materials shall be compatible with the primary structure.
C.
Parking.
(1)
In addition to the standards set forth in § 361-16 of this chapter, parking must meet the following standards:
(a)
Parking areas located within 50 feet of an adjacent property or 100 feet of the Route 66 public right-of-way and consisting of more than 20 parking spaces shall be organized into parking pods that are separated by the following perimeter landscaping and island plantings:
[1]
Perimeter landscaping. Perimeter landscaping shall be a minimum of five feet wide, landscaped with shrubs installed at a rate of one for every 15 square feet of landscaped area. Selected shrubs shall not exceed a mature or maintained height of three feet.
[2]
Interior islands. An interior landscaped island shall be provided for every 10 spaces. Each island shall contain a minimum of 200 square feet with a minimum width of eight feet inside the curb and include a minimum of one canopy tree. Interior islands shall be distributed throughout the parking area, with no parking space located more than 100 feet from a planting island. Interior islands may be consolidated or intervals may be expanded in order to preserve existing trees.
[3]
Terminal islands. All rows of spaces shall terminate in a curbed landscaped island. Each island shall conform to the specifications described for interior islands above.
[4]
Median islands. A median island with a minimum width of eight feet inside the curb shall be sited between every six single parking rows and along primary internal and external access drives. Each median island shall be planted at the rate of one canopy tree for every 40 linear feet (spaced a maximum of 50 feet apart). Median intervals may be expanded in order to preserve existing trees.
D.
Preservation of existing landscape features.
(1)
Required landscaped areas shall incorporate existing natural vegetation to the maximum extent feasible. Where existing vegetation is inadequate to meet the required landscaping standards, additional plant material shall be required.
(2)
In the event that the existing vegetation has been credited and is subsequently removed or dies, it shall be replaced with the appropriate planting material.
E.
Signage. In addition to the standards set forth in § 361-23 of this chapter, new signage in the Route 66 corridor must meet the following standards:
(1)
Prohibited sign types: billboard signs, pole or pylon signs, truck or vehicular signs.
(2)
Number. One freestanding sign is allowed on any lot. Two freestanding signs may be allowed on a lot or development having a minimum frontage of 300 feet on each of two adjacent streets, or more than 600 lineal feet of frontage on a single street.
(3)
Landscaping. Shrubs, flowers or ground cover with a planting bed area equal to 1/2 the sign area shall be planted around the base of any freestanding sign.
(4)
Lighting. All freestanding signs may be illuminated either internally or externally. Lighting directed toward a sign shall be shielded so that it does not shine directly into a public right-of-way or residential building and does not interfere with the safe vision of motorists.
F.
Site access.
(1)
Where possible, compatible and complementary uses are encouraged to construct interconnected parking lots, thereby limiting the number of curb cuts on the highway.
(2)
All driveways shall conform to Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) standard specifications for curb cuts and driveway construction.
(3)
Landscaping and design.
(a)
Surface material. Surface shall be a hard, impervious surface and maintained in such a manner that no dust or erosion will result from continuous use.
(b)
Landscaping. Landscaping of entrances, including the construction of low walls, gates and other entrance elements, is encouraged so long as such elements do not disrupt the sight triangle of traffic entering and exiting the site.