The purpose of these provisions is to promote harmonious, functional relationships among the various elements within any development such as the location of activities, vehicular and pedestrian circulation systems and visual form to ensure physical, social and economic compatibility with neighboring developments and conditions, as well as the community at large and to prevent detrimental impact to the natural environment on and off the site by providing for review and evaluation by the planning and zoning commission of minimum standards set forth in this article. Such review will permit maximum flexibility in evaluating each plan on its merits and encourage variety and innovation while ensuring privacy and safety on all levels.

(Zoning Ord. 1999, § 17-1)

All site plans involving any new development or construction shall be required to have site plan approval from the planning and zoning commission. Final planning and zoning commission approval of site plans must be achieved prior to issuance of any building permit.

(Zoning Ord. 1999, § 17-2)

The site plan approval provisions contained herein shall apply to the following uses:

(1)

All multiple-family dwellings in excess of ten units.

(2)

All manufactured or mobile home parks.

(3)

All commercial and industrial development of one acre or more.

(Zoning Ord. 1999, § 17-3)

The planning and zoning commission shall consider the following when reviewing site plans:

(1)

General character and compatibility. The planning and zoning commission shall determine that the proposed development is compatible or in agreement (internally or with surrounding areas) in terms of housing types, yard depths, ground coverage, tree cover, surface drainage, density (in residential developments) and will result in the least possible detrimental impact to the site and surrounding areas and will be designed so as not to cause substantial depreciation of property values, or reduce the safety, light, or general convenience of neighboring developments.

(2)

Ingress to and egress from property and internal circulation, including access of service and emergency vehicles and design of off-street parking and loading areas.

(3)

The location and arrangement of all buildings and structures, with regard to setback requirements and special consideration given to aspects such as visual form, sociability, and personal safety, with regard to police and fire protection.

(4)

Environmental aspects, with regard to sedimentation, drainage, and flood control and preservation of natural greenery on the site.

(5)

Utilities, with regard to availability and suitability for the use intended, and consideration of hook-in and service locations, including fire hydrants.

(6)

Screening, buffering, and landscaping, with regard to the type and dimensions, to preserve the character of surrounding areas and to provide privacy for the site in question.

(7)

Recreation and open space, with attention to the location, size, and development of the areas with regard to their usability, adequacy, and their relationship to community-wide open spaces and recreation facilities (for residential developments).

(Zoning Ord. 1999, § 17-4)

The following process shall be utilized to obtain approval of site plans:

(1)

Pre-site plan review conference. The applicant for site plan review shall meet with the building inspector to discuss basic site plan procedures and requirements to consider the elements of the site in question and to proposed development.

(2)

Administrative processing.

a.

Building inspector review. Following the pre-site plan review conference, a site plan may be filed with the building inspector. The applicant shall submit five copies of the material as indicated in section 50-445. The material will be distributed to various departments or offices for review and comment relative to their specialty or concern. The comments and recommendations from the various departments and offices will be collected and compiled by the building inspector and the site plan with all comments and recommendations will be presented to the planning and zoning commission for their consideration.

b.

Planning and zoning commission review. The planning and zoning commission shall consider the site plan and determine whether it meets the intent of this article. The planning and zoning commission shall have 45 days after receiving the plan in which to review and act thereon. If, at the end of the 45 days, the planning and zoning commission is unable to give approval to the plan, the petitioner may request in writing that the city council review the site plan for which approval has not been granted. Said written request shall also contain the commission's reasons for not granting approval. The city council shall then review the decision of the planning and zoning commission and either approve or disapprove the site plan as submitted to them.

(3)

Building permit procedures. Site plan approval, as granted by the planning and zoning commission, shall be effective for a period of six months unless otherwise specified at the time of approval. A building permit must be applied for within this period or the site plan may be deemed null and void. At the end of the six months, an extension for additional time not to exceed six months may be granted upon for formal request to the planning and zoning commission at their discretion. A building permit may be issued for construction of the development as exactly as shown on the final approved site plan. No changes, alterations, or modifications to the approved site plan shall occur unless a final site plan amendment is approved.

(Zoning Ord. 1999, § 17-5)

The applicant must submit five copies of the following required materials and information for site plan review:

(1)

A legal description of the property under review for site plan approval.

(2)

Site conditions information, including:

a.

A topographic map of the site at a scale not smaller than one inch equals 100 feet, showing two-foot contours;

b.

Soil type and evaluation for entire site, including consistency, texture, percolation capacity, bearing strength, shrink/swell potential, etc.;

c.

Means or methods of controlling sedimentation.

(3)

A site conditions map at a scale not smaller than one inch equals 100 feet, showing:

a.

A location map showing the relationship of the site to such external facilities as streets, residential areas, commercial facilities, and recreation/open space areas;

b.

The exact location of all existing public streets, rights-of-way, easements, and other reservations of the land in the area of the property in question and adjacent properties in the same frontage, indicating the locations of buildings and structures on such adjacent properties, means of ingress and egress to such properties, off-street parking, loading and service areas, if any, for or on such properties, and any screening or buffering on such properties and the nature and type thereof;

c.

The exact location, size, and capacity of all existing utilities, including existing fire hydrant locations;

d.

The exact location of all water holding or carrying facilities, natural or man-made, including creeks, ponds, sinkholes, ditches, culverts, and storm sewers.

(4)

A site development plan at a scale not smaller than one inch equals 60 feet, showing:

a.

The name of the planner, architect, or designer who prepared the plans, the name of the developer (whether it be an individual, group or corporation), the name of the proposed project or development, a north arrow, and a date;

b.

The exact location of all proposed streets, driveways, or other facilities designed to accommodate vehicular movement in the development, points of ingress and egress, parking areas, including the exact number of spaces, and loading and service areas, including the location of dumpsters, and a traffic impact analysis of projected trip generation for the development;

c.

The exact locations of all proposed buildings and structures to be included in the development:

1.

For commercial or industrial development, an indication of gross floor area of all buildings;

2.

For residential development, an indication of the exact number of dwelling units broken down into sizes by bedrooms (number of one-bedroom units, number of two-bedroom units, etc.);

d.

The manner of drainage of the property, showing the manner of drainage of all impervious surfaces (including roofs of buildings) and all green areas, including all control devices such as storm sewers and retention or detention facilities;

e.

The percentage of the site that will be covered by building and structures and the percentage that will be covered by streets, drives, parking and loading areas;

f.

A development timetable if the project is to be constructed in phases.

(Zoning Ord. 1999, § 17-6)

Changes, alterations, or modifications to any finally approved site that involves construction, removal, or relocation of a building or structure; redesign or modification of the vehicular or pedestrian circulation system (including all points of access, drives, parking areas, and walkways); modification of all the drainage system, or relocation of any landscaped area shall require approval of the planning and zoning commission in accordance with the procedures described in section 50-445.

(Zoning Ord. 1999, § 17-7)