1.

Within the Griffin Overlay District, there shall be three development tiers for the purpose of establishing required open space.

2.

Open space shall be provided for new construction as follows:

a.

Open spaces shall be at grade, surrounded by buildings or streetscape elements with a mix of active uses on the ground floor on at least one side, face the public street, and be directly accessible from a public sidewalk along a street. Ground-floor active uses shall include primary entries and exits into the building and may include, but are not limited to, retail storefronts, professional office storefronts and/or the primary façade of residential buildings with direct entries and exits to multiple residential units.

b.

Open spaces shall include appropriate landscaping, including shade trees.

i.

At least one shade tree must be provided within or directly adjacent to the open space for every 2,000 square feet of open space.

ii.

Shade trees must be a minimum of three and one-half inches in caliper measured 12 inches above ground.

iii.

Shall have a minimum mature height of 30 feet and shall be limbed up to a minimum height of eight feet.

c.

Open spaces include front yards, planted areas, fountains, parks, plazas, trails, paths, and hardscape elements related to sidewalks and plazas and similar features which are located on private property.

d.

Private courtyards and other private outdoor amenities shall be located at the interior of the block, behind buildings or on rooftops. Private courtyards and outdoor amenities shall not be counted toward the minimum other open space calculations that may increase maximum building heights.

e.

All open spaces including buffers, setbacks, sidewalk clear zones in excess of the minimum requirements or installed by the applicant, sidewalk zones in excess of the minimum requirements or installed by the applicant, and open spaces shall be fully implemented prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the primary development.

f.

When a private property owner provides landscaping and the landscaping dies within one year of installation, such landscaping shall be replaced within the earliest possible planting season.

g.

Covenants or other legal arrangements shall specify ownership of all open spaces, the method of and responsibility for maintenance, taxes, and insurance, compulsory membership and assessment provisions, and shall be incorporated into legal instruments sufficient to ensure that the open space requirements of this ordinance are maintained.

h.

Seventy-five percent of open space provided on-site must be contiguous.

3.

Transitional buffer zone requirements.Where a lot on the external boundary of the Griffin Overlay District is used for nonresidential purposes and adjoins the boundary of any property outside the district that is zoned for any residential zoning classification, a transitional buffer zone of not less than 15 feet in width shall be provided and maintained in a natural state or so as to maintain an effective visual screen.

a.

Said transitional buffer zone shall not be paved or otherwise covered with non-pervious surfaces.

b.

Shall not be used for parking, loading, storage, or any other uses, except that portions of the transitional buffer zone may be utilized for installation of utilities when necessitated by the development, and when the applicant shows that the utilities cannot be located outside of the transitional buffer zone. Water detention ponds shall not be located within the transitional buffer zones.

c.

No trees, other than dead or diseased trees, shall be removed from said transitional buffer zone, but additional trees and plant material may be added to the transitional buffer zone.

d.

When a new development in the corridor tier abuts a property in the neighborhood tier used as residential, the transitional buffer shall apply.

4.

Landscape buffer requirements for new construction. There shall be the following landscape buffer requirements between buildings, structures, parking areas:

a.

Landscape strips not less than five feet in width shall be provided along all rear property lines. Parking lot landscape requirements will be discussed in Section 722 R.

b.

Ground cover shall also be provided in accordance with the Griffin Overlay Design Guidelines, as provided below, in order to protect tree roots and to prevent erosion. Ground cover shall consist of evergreen shrubs or groundcover plant material mulched with pine bark mulch, or other similar landscaping material.

c.

Newly planted trees shall conform to the Griffin LCI Area Design Guidelines, and as provided below.

d.

No tree shall be planted closer than three feet from the street or sidewalk, and no closer than eight feet from a fire hydrant, sign post, streetlight standard, utility pole, or similar structure.

e.

Landscaping plant materials required to be provided along streets to meet the minimum requirements of this overlay district shall be selected from the following list of species. Plant materials provided in locations other than along streets, and plant materials provided along streets in excess of those required to meet this overlay district may be any species appropriate to the design and location subject to the approval of city staff.

f.

The following Canopy Trees shall be allowed:

i.

Zelkova;

ii.

Red Maple Species;

iii.

Ginkgo, male only;

iv.

Thornless Honey Locust: Inermis;

v.

Elm Species: Athena and Dynasty;

vi.

Oak Species: Darlington, Willow, White; and

vii.

Green Ash.

g.

The following Understory Trees shall be allowed:

i.

Maples: Trident, Hedge, Chalk, Paperbark;

ii.

Chinese Fringe Tree;

iii.

Okame Cherry;

iv.

Aristocrat Pear;

v.

Golden Raintree;

vi.

Crepe Myrtle;

vii.

Ironwood; and

viii.

Treeform Holly Species.

h.

The following Dwarf Shrubs shall be allowed:

i.

Dwarf Holly Species;

ii.

Dwarf Abelia Species;

iii.

Dwarf Nandina Species;

iv.

Dwarf Rose Species;

v.

Dwarf Gardenia Species;

vi.

Dwarf Cephalotaxus; and

vii.

Dwarf Hawthorne Species.

i.

The following Groundcovers shall be allowed:

i.

Daylily Species;

ii.

Liriope Species;

iii.

Mondo Species;

iv.

Pashsandra Species;

v.

Hellaborus Species;

vi.

Hosta Species;

vii.

Asiatic Jasmine Species;

viii.

Crinum Species;

ix.

Evergreen Ferns; and

x.

Dwarf Juniper.

j.

Perennials: Since the City of Griffin is known as the Iris City, the Iris should be used in planters and planting beds.

i.

Sedum Species;

ii.

Lantana;

iii.

Dianthus;

iv.

Lilies;

v.

Geranium;

vi.

Phlox;

vii.

Dwarf Evergreen Grasses;

viii.

Iris;

ix.

Verbena;

x.

Salvia Daises;

xi.

Rudbeckie

xii.

Rainlies;

xiii.

Bulbs; and

xiv.

Coneflowers.