The purpose of this article is to establish architectural design and site development standards for regulation of development and construction within General Commercial and General Industry districts in the City of Haralson. These standards are intended to give direction to both owners and potential developers of property encompassed by the Overlay. The further purpose is to ensure quality development and preserve and enhance Haralson's historic character and small City charm. These standards are intended to encourage development consistent with the City's Comprehensive Plan.

The standards and requirements of this article shall apply to all General Commercial and General Industry properties within the geography defined in section 8.3. These standards shall apply to all new construction and shall apply to the affected portions of any redevelopment site or refurbished building where such renovation exceeds 50% of the assessed value. Whenever the standards of the Historic Commercial District (HCD) impose a more restrictive standard than the provisions outlined elsewhere in this ordinance or any other ordinance, statute or covenant, the standards of the HRC shall govern.

The general boundary of the HCD shall be defined by those properties having frontage on Main Street between the intersection of Highway 85 and Depot Street and Line Creek Road, and/or Line Creek Road between Main Street and Railroad Street, and/or Railroad Street, and/or Railroad Avenue. The actual overlay zoning boundary shall be as approved by the Council and as subsequently designated on the Official Zoning Map.

The following uses shall be prohibited within the HCD:

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Adult Entertainment establishments as defined in section 12.2.

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Motor vehicle sales.

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Motor vehicle service/repair (unless parking for all vehicles being serviced is in the rear of the building).

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Billiard hall.

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Boat storage.

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Boat sales, service and repair.

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Builder supplies and storage.

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Bus station.

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Contractor equipment—materials storage.

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Equipment rental—industrial.

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Outdoor flea market.

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Junk yard or salvage yard.

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Manufacturing facility (unless it involves only the assembly of pre-manufactured component parts).

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Mini-warehouse.

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Recycling center or collection station.

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Heavy equipment repair.

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Tire sales or service (unless parking for all vehicles being serviced is in the rear of the building).

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Truck terminal.

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Wrecker services.

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Pawn shops, including title pawn.

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Liquor stores.

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Check cashing outlets.

A.

Streetscape. A streetscape plan for all development in the HCD shall be subject to approval by the Council. Front yard landscaping areas shall be as provided herein along the entire property frontage, except where driveways or other openings may be required. Landscaping shall utilize fences, berms, walls, sidewalks, trees and other such methods subject to approval by the Council.

B.

Underground Utilities. All on site utility service entrances (i.e., communication, electric) shall be located underground.

C.

Site Development. Mass grading of a site shall be prohibited and all clearing shall be subject to section 8.5 of this Article. Projects to be developed in phases shall be issued land disturbance permits for only those phases or portions of phases to be built within a subsequent 12-month period.

D.

Site Inspection. All required silt fence and tree protection fencing shall be installed and inspected before land disturbance commences.

A.

Parking: Unless a parking courtyard design can be achieved, off-street parking shall be uniformly distributed across the building site. The area between the front of the building and the right-of-way shall be limited to a maximum of 25 percent of the required parking and limited to a maximum of one double row of parking. A maximum of 50 percent of off-street parking shall be located to the sides of the building, with the remaining parking located to the rear of the building.

Development tracts having no public right-of-way to the rear of the site and accommodating truck loading areas to the rear of the principal building shall be exempt from these requirements; however, parking located between the front of the building and the right-of-way shall be limited to a maximum of 50 percent of the required parking.

No parking or service areas shall be permitted within the required front setback or within 20 feet of the property line of any adjoining residential zoning lot. All parking and service areas must be separated from adjoining residential zoning lots by a suitable planting screen, fence or wall at least six feet in height above finished grade. The above required screen, fence or wall must provide for a reasonable visual separation between the properties.

Parking and loading space requirements are as defined in Article 9.

A.

Intent. The intent of the HCD is to encourage the development of shop front type structures of a small-scale nature which can accommodate a variety of retail and office institutional uses. The structure is a maximum 8,000 square feet for the first floor and a maximum of 15,000 square feet including the second and third floors. A group of shop front buildings can be combined to form a mixed-use neighborhood center atmosphere. Buildings shall be designed to depict the appearance of architectural styles found in small cities of Georgia between the 19 ^th century and 1950. These styles consist primarily of brick facades having parapets and flat roofs.

B.

Architectural design. Office, commercial, and industrial structures shall comply with the following standards:

1.

Building facades shall consist of architectural treatments of brick, stone, concrete stucco, cementitious siding or natural wood in combination with glass and metal as support and trim components, only. Metal sided or portable buildings, vinyl siding and aluminum siding shall be prohibited. Synthetic stucco shall also be prohibited as a primary exterior finish material, provided that accent features not exceeding 10 percent of the building façade may consist of synthetic stucco.

2.

Buildings shall have flat roofs with a parapet wall; mansard roof styles shall be prohibited.

3.

Facades of multiple tenant buildings shall be varied in depth, parapet height or building materials to produce an appearance of multiple tenant occupancy. Two and three story is encouraged, and a minimum façade height of 24 feet shall be achieved.

4.

A distinctive architectural entry feature shall be provided for individual tenant entrances for commercial spaces exceeding 10,000 square feet of leasable area.

5.

All exterior walls visible from roadways or parking areas shall incorporate changes in building material and color or varying façade such as trellises, false windows or recessed panels reminiscent of window, door or colonnade openings, or storefront along every 150 linear feet of such wall.

6.

Roof parapets shall be articulated to provide visual relief. Parapets shall include articulations or architectural features at a minimum rate of every 100 linear feet. The minimum height of articulations or such features shall be one foot, and may be provided as height offset or façade projections such as porticoes or towers.

7.

Building design shall include minimum one-foot deep cornices, extending along the entire front of buildings and the sides of buildings a minimum of 10 feet.

8.

Building design shall include a minimum one-foot high contrasting base, extending along the entire front of buildings and the sides of buildings a minimum of 10 feet. Building façade materials shall be combined only horizontally, with the heavier, more substantial materials placed below the lighter.

9.

Windows. Blank, windowless walls are prohibited along primary and secondary facades. Street level storefronts shall consist of display windows comprising a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 80 percent of the primary and secondary facades. All other building stories shall have windows that equal a minimum of 30 percent and maximum of 60 percent of the total façade, with each story being calculated independently. Mirrored glass with a reflection index of greater than 20 percent is prohibited.

10.

Roof-mounted Equipment. Roof-mounted equipment shall be screened from view or isolated so as not to be visible from any public right-of-way or residential zoning district within 150 feet as viewed from 5 feet above ground level. Roof screens and parapet walls shall be coordinated with the building to present a unified appearance.

C.

Accessory structures. Accessory structures shall be constructed with the same materials as the principal structure and shall match the predominant façade colors and rooflines. Banding and roofing materials of accessory structures, which shall include, but not be limited to gasoline sales canopies, shall also match the materials and colors of the predominant façade.

A.

Building Setback. Setback requirements in the Overlay shall be in accordance with the applicable underlying district unless a variance is obtained per section 15.8.

B.

Utilities. All on site utility service entrances (i.e., communication, electric) shall be located underground.

All mechanical, HVAC and like systems shall be screened on all sides by an opaque wall. Such screening shall be identical to the exterior finish materials of the principal building.

C.

Landscaping. All developments shall to the extent practical provide entryway berming for the purpose of shielding parking areas, loading docks, dumpsters, and similar areas from view by employing the following methods, in order of preference:

1.

Preservation of natural land forms, trees and other landscape elements.

2.

Landscaped berms with asymmetrical groupings of plant materials, including trees and shrubs which are long lived, and indigenous to Haralson and this part of Georgia and 50 percent of which shall be evergreen species.

3.

Landscaped berms with linear, open form fences.

Buildings shall incorporate live plant materials as foundation plantings.

Any site furnishings such as railings, benches, trash receptacles and bicycle racks shall complement the building design and style.

A landscape buffer having a minimum horizontal dimension of 15 feet shall be provided along all abutting residential property lines.

A minimum of 8 percent of the parking lot shall be landscaped. Landscaped areas shall be protected by raised curbs or fixed wheel stops and shall have a minimum area of 120 square feet and minimum dimension of 6 feet. No parking space shall be located within 50 feet from a canopy tree or a drip line.

One canopy tree shall be planted for every 250 square feet of landscaped area. Shrubs shall be planted at a ratio of three for every one tree.

A minimum of 20 percent of all existing trees having a diameter of 12 inches or greater shall be retained. This requirement shall be in addition to the standards of any required landscape area; however, such retention may be achieved through tree preservation within such areas.

D.

Detention Facilities. Detention ponds or retention areas shall be designed to blend with adjacent landscaped areas to the greatest possible extent. Such storm water facilities may be located within a buffer; however, when located adjacent to the perimeter of the building site, fenced ponds shall not be located in a front yard or within 50 feet of a property boundary.

E.

Signs. All signage shall be in accordance with Article 10 of this ordinance.

F.

Loading Areas. Loading docks and loading areas shall be located or screened so as to be concealed from view from neighboring streets and properties. No loading dock shall be located between the primary or secondary façade of any building and a public street. All loading docks shall be screened from view of any street or residentially zoned lot by a continuous planting of evergreen shrubs. Shrubs shall be moderately growing, be a minimum height of six (6) feet at time of planting, and reach a height of eight (8) feet within two years of planting. Commercial properties that adjoin a residential zoning lot to the rear shall enclose loading areas using a masonry wall constructed of materials and exterior finishes identical to the side elevations and having a minimum height of 6 feet and a maximum height of 10 feet.

G.

Outdoor Storage. No unenclosed, outside storage shall be permitted. Such enclosure as will permit unroofed, outside storage shall be comprised of walls having a minimum height of 6 feet, but in no case less than the height of equipment, materials, merchandise or other goods to be stored or exceeding 10 feet in height. These walls shall be identical in exterior finish materials to the walls of the primary or secondary façade of the principal structure. Fencing, with or without typical fence screening materials, shall not be considered as a screening wall. Chain link fencing is prohibited. Outdoor display of merchandise shall be permitted provided such display is located adjacent to the principal structure and conforms to the setbacks for the zoning district.

H.

Pedestrian Improvements. All developments shall provide sidewalks having a minimum width of 6 feet along all frontages of the lot that abut a public street. Continuous on site sidewalks having a minimum width of 4 feet shall be provided from the public sidewalk to the principal customer entrance of all buildings on the site. Such sidewalks shall provide weather protection features such as awnings or arcades along the building façade within 30 feet of all customer entrances. Sidewalks shall connect focal points of pedestrian activity such as, but not limited to, street crossings, building and store entrances. Sidewalks having a minimum width of 6 feet shall be provided along the full length of the building façade featuring a customer entrance, and along any façade abutting public parking areas. All buildings shall provide direct pedestrian access from on-site parking areas as well as the public sidewalk. All on site sidewalks shall be distinguished from vehicular surfaces through the use of durable, low maintenance materials such as pavers, bricks, or scored concrete to enhance pedestrian safety.

I.

Lighting Design. Streetlights shall be provided along all public right-of-ways utilizing decorative light poles and fixtures consistent with the design adopted by the City for the HCD. The light source shall be of the latest night-friendly technology. Streetlights shall be staggered, 150 feet on-center, along both sides of the roadway. Lighting in parking areas shall provide area lighting sufficient to achieve a minimum illumination of 2.4 foot-candles of light as measured at grade level and recommended in the IESNA Lighting Handbook. All building entrances, walks and vehicular access shall be lit. The following lighting guidelines shall apply:

1.

Walk and Access Lighting: 120-Volt Halogen 20 to 50 Watts.

2.

Architectural and Landscape Lighting: 120-Volt Halogen 50 to 100 Watts.

J.

Dumpsters. Dumpsters shall be screened from view on all four sides. Screening shall consist of three solid walls of brick, stone or stucco construction, a minimum of six feet in height, and the fourth wall shall be comprised of opaque metal or wooden gates. The gate opening shall have a minimum width of 12 feet. All dumpster shall be equipped with lids. The pad of the gated dumpster enclosure shall be concrete pad and all dumpster approaches shall also be concrete and have a minimum length of 10 feet. Dumpster shall be located a minimum of 50 feet from any residential zoning district or use.

All developments shall reserve a minimum of 20 percent of the gross lot area as greenspace. Greenspace shall be strategically located for the beneficial use of customers and employees. No more than 50 percent of required greenspace shall be located within a 100-year floodplain, wetlands or utility easement.

A.

Application Procedures. All applicants for new development, redevelopment or refurbishment of site or building where such renovation exceeds 50% of the assessed value, and/or construction permits that expand the use or building footprint shall apply for plan approval through the City Clerk. Application forms available from the City must be submitted, together with a scaled site plan depicting the proposed improvements. Applications shall be filed with the City Clerk thirty (30) days prior to the meeting of the Planning Commission at which the application is to be considered. No construction or site work of any kind shall be permitted prior to approval of plans and specifications by the Council.

B.

Pre-application Conference. Prior to filing an application for rezoning, development permits or building permits of property within the HCD, the applicant shall confer with the City Clerk for the purpose of reviewing the proposal and to obtain information about development standards and ordinances affecting property within the HCD.

C.

Site Plan Requirement. Any application for rezoning, development permits or building permits of property within the HCD shall be accompanied by a site plan as provided below. A narrative containing the following information shall also be provided:

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A description of the character of the development, including a summary of floor area by use, number and types of commercial spaces, total lot area and square footage allocation for parking, landscaping and greenspace.

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A development and construction schedule indicating major milestones in the proposed development.

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Projects to be developed in phases shall provide a general statement of the proposed development schedule by phase.

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Any agreements, provisions and covenants that govern the use, maintenance and protection of the development and any common or greenspace areas.

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A professional traffic study may be required for projects expected to generate more than 500 vehicle trips per day.

A "Design Book" that will depict and guide architectural style, scale and materials to be used in the development shall also be produced by the applicant. The front, rear and side elevations and perspective drawings of all structures to be built must be included in the Design Book.

D.

Application Requirements. Applications for development under this Article shall be accompanied by a scaled site plan of not greater than one inch equals 50 feet depicting: (1) lot size and dimensions; (2) proposed project, including use, building footprint, height, materials and front, rear and side building elevations; (3) pedestrian circulation; (4) vehicular access and parking facilities; loading facilities; (5) buffers, greenspace and landscaping; (6) site lighting; (7) furnishings; (8) proposed signs; (9) dumpsters; and (10) adjoining uses and zoning. Information concerning the latter shall indicate the architectural relationship of the proposed project or improvement to the surrounding context and shall be in the form of sketches or photographs.

E.

Review Procedures. The Planning Commission shall review all applications regulated under this Article. Such review shall ensure proposal consistency with the purposes of this Article and conformance to the standards contained herein. Site plan review by the Planning Commission shall precede any action by the Council. The findings and recommendations of the Planning Commission shall be provided to the Council, which may incorporate such findings and recommendations in their consideration of the proposal. Planning Commission shall be empowered to issue non-binding approvals or denials of site development, construction or alteration matters. All applications require final action by the Council.

Applications proposing construction or site work that, in the opinion of the Planning Commission, do not comply with the standards of this Article shall be presented to the Council as nonconforming and the Planning Commission shall recommend denial.

Applications that may be approved by the Council shall be forwarded to the City Clerk and the necessary permits issued. Should the applicant be unable or unwilling to comply with the recommended changes suggested to reach compliance with this Ordinance, no permits shall be issued. All recommended changes shall comply with the standards set out herein.

The findings of the Planning Commission shall comprise only non-binding recommendations to the Council, and the governing body shall be empowered to approve or deny the application based on those recommendations and application of this Article.