For purposes of this ordinance, the following zoning districts are hereby established:

(Ord. No. 09-12, § 5, 5-4-09; Ord. No. 11-24, § 1, 9-6-11; Ord. No. 12-10, § 1, 6-18-12; Ord. No. 16-13, § 2, 7-18-16; Ord. No. 17-04, § 1, 4-17-17)

Collectively, these districts are intended to advance the purposes of this ordinance, as stated in the preamble. Individually, each district is designed and intended to accomplish the following more specific objectives.

R RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT

The purpose of this district is to foster, sustain, and protect areas in which the principal use of land is for single-family dwellings and related support uses.

RP RURAL PRESERVATION DISTRICT

The intent of this classification is to preserve, sustain, and protect from suburban encroachment rural areas and resources, particularly forest and agricultural, and maintain a balanced rural-urban environment.

The retention of open lands, woodlands, plantations, and farmlands, which make up a large part of this area, are essential to clean air, water, wildlife, many natural cycles, and a balanced environment, among other things. Even more essential from an economic perspective are the agricultural lands and farming operations in this area. Also provided by this district is a rural environment of larger acreage lots.

RE RESOURCE EXTRACTION

The intent of this classification is to protect, preserve, sustain, and protect activities which specifically extract or harvest natural resources for commercial or industrial purposes, such as mining, excavations, excavation operations and activities, while concurrently ensuring protection of the health, safety, welfare of nearby residents and the value of nearby property. The resource extraction district will protect economically important mineral resources of the county for current and future use and will protect existing land uses adjacent to potential mineral lands from undue harm that may result from mineral extraction activity.

Businesses extracting resources are essential activities that may present unique challenges when considering adjacent properties and protection of public health, safety and welfare. However, it is intended that this zoning classification only apply to those portions of the county where the potential for conflict between adjacent current and future land uses and the mineral extraction activities are minimal. Any zoning map amendment to designate a property as RE should be carefully considered by assessing the following factors, including but not limited to: impact on environmentally sensitive areas and critical natural resources; impact on health, safety and welfare of the county residents; impact on the character of existing communities; impact on adjacent land value; traffic generation and potential mitigation; and any other factor considered essential to address.

RC RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT

The purpose of this district is to protect from misuse and to ensure for future generations the county's environmentally sensitive, wetlands, marshes, rivers, creeks, and other natural resources critical to the ecosystems they support, however, the above is not intended to discourage quality development.

Due to the fragile nature of these resources, development standards for this district generally are more rigid than elsewhere in the county, requiring closer attention to the environment, and mitigation of land disturbing activity which would negatively impact such resources.

CC COMMUNITY COMMERCIAL

The intent of this district is to provide commercial nodes in convenient and strategic locations of the county to meet "community needs, and to encourage clustering commercial development as opposed to strip commercial development and commercial sprawl. Community commercial areas are intended to provide adequate, logically placed and convenient locations for commercial establishments in relation to residential housing and to minimize trip generation for those living in zoned rural preservation.

GC GENERAL COMMERCIAL DISTRICT

This district is intended to support large commercial development(s) in major unincorporated areas of Jasper County, such as Point South, during the time span of the county's comprehensive plan, to the year 2015. This district is projected to have most public facilities and infrastructure in support of urban development such as schools, sewer, water, streets, etc., and as such is intended to provide the regulations and capital improvements which will support new development. It consists of areas where development logically should locate as a consequence of planned public facilities and associated capital expenditures. District regulations permit limited development of generally suburban character, providing for a full range of commercial, institutional, industrial and residential uses.

ID INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT

The intent of this district is to accommodate certain industrial uses which, based on their operational characteristics, are incompatible with residential, social, medical, and commercial environs. As a result, the establishment of such districts shall be restricted to areas geographically removed or buffered from such environs, and the operations of such uses monitored by performance standards to ensure environmental compatibility.

MB MIXED BUSINESS DISTRICT

The purpose of this district is to provide suitable locations for a mixture of commercial and low-intensity industrial uses at key nodes and corridors throughout the county. Mixed business locations are generally located along major thoroughfares in centers where existing development is located and provide good access to transportation routes. Intense manufacturing operations are not allowed in this district and specific development standards are in place to protect neighboring land uses, including residential properties.

(Ord. No. 09-12, § 6, 5-4-09; Ord. No. 11-24, § 2, 9-6-11)

PDD PLANNED DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT

The intent of the Planned Development District is to encourage flexibility in the development of land in order to promote its most appropriate use; and to do so in a manner that will enhance public health, safety, morals, and general welfare.

Within the PDD, regulations adapted to unified planning and development are intended to accomplish the purpose of zoning and other applicable regulations to an equivalent or higher degree than where such regulations are designed to control unscheduled development on individual level or tracts, promote economical and efficient land use, provide an improved level of amenities including open spaces, foster a harmonious variety of uses, encourage creative design, and produce a better environment.

In view of the substantial public advantage of "planned development", it is the intent of these regulations to promote and encourage or require development in this form where appropriate in character, timing, and location, including large undeveloped tracts.

FHOD FLOOD HAZARD OVERLAY DISTRICTS

The intent of the flood hazard overlay district is to protect human life and health, minimize property damage, encourage appropriate construction practices, and minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions by requiring that uses vulnerable to floods, including facilities which serve such uses, be protected against flood damage at the time of initial construction.

Additionally, this overlay district is intended to help maintain a stable tax base by providing for the sound use and development of flood-prone areas and to ensure that potential home buyers are notified that property is in a flood area. The provisions of this overlay district are intended to minimize damage to public facilities and utilities such as water and gas mains, electric, telephone, and sewer lines, street and bridges located in the floodplain, and prolonged business interruptions; and to minimize expenditures of public money for costly flood control projects and rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding.

ACOD AIRPORT COMPATIBILITY OVERLAY DISTRICT

The intent of the airport compatibility overlay district is to protect the dual interests of airports and neighboring land uses, and to promote the use and development of land in a manner that is compatible with the operation and use of an airport so as to protect the public investment in, and benefit provided by the facility to the region. The overlay district also protects the public health, safety, convenience, and general welfare of citizens who utilize the facility or live and work in the vicinity by preventing the creation or establishment of obstructions or incompatible land uses that are hazardous to the airport's operation or the public welfare. In general, the overlay district shall:

1.

Protect and promote the general health, safety, economy, and welfare of airport environs.

2.

Prevent the impairment and promote the utility and safety of airports.

3.

Promote land use compatibility between airports and surrounding development.

4.

Protect the character and stability of existing land uses.

5.

Enhance environmental conditions in areas affected by airports and airport operations.

6.

Prohibit noise sensitive uses within locations around the airport that are impacted by aircraft-related noise.

7.

Protect the functional integrity of the airport by prohibiting land uses that are negatively affected by the higher levels of noise generated by aircraft operations.

8.

Protect airport operations and reduce conflicts between aircraft and structures by requiring height limits within certain distances of the airport facilities.

LLOD LEVY-LIMEHOUSE OVERLAY DISTRICT

The intent of the Levy-Limehouse Overlay District is to provide the residents of this unique unincorporated community the ability to subdivide parcels, as though they were within a municipality, parcels which are smaller in size than that allowed by the underlying zoning district(s).

HCOD HIGHWAY CORRIDOR OVERLAY DISTRICT

The intent of the highway corridor overlay district is to provide additional buffering protection along frontage properties in special growth areas in accordance with the Jasper County Comprehensive Plan.

IPOD Interstate Proximity Overlay District

The purpose and intent of the IPOD is to promote a flexible mix of industrial and commercial highway interchange appropriate uses. The county recognizes that certain areas of the county are areas of economic importance based upon the availability of infrastructure, proximity to energy, utilities and transportation are critical. The IPOD adds an extra layer of land use regulation over the underlying zoning, which allows increased flexibility in land use, exempts certain provisions of this ordinance, and adds safeguards to ensure proper industrial and commercial growth.

SFFZ Solar Farm Floating Zone

The purpose and intent of the Solar Farm Floating Zone (SFFZ) is to promote the use of solar energy as a source of electricity and facilitate the construction, installation, and operation of Solar Energy Systems (SES) in Jasper County in a manner that promotes economic development and ensures the protection of health, safety, and welfare while also avoiding adverse impacts to important areas such as agricultural lands, endangered species habitats, conservation lands, and other sensitive lands.

GCOD Gateway Corridor Overlay District

The purpose of the Gateway Corridor Overlay District (GCOD) is to promote an appropriate mix of commercial land uses that can coexist with residential land uses. Jasper County recognizes that infrastructure and transportation needs are critical and should be considered relative to connectivity, aesthetic appearance, and safety. The intent of the Gateway Corridor Overlay District is to provide overall design standards that will enhance the entrance into the county and discourage incompatible land uses that may detract from the image of this important gateway. The GCOD specifies the types of uses and additional development standards needed in this area which will have significant influence on the overall character and appearance of Jasper County.

(Ord. No. 12-10, § 2, 6-18-12; Ord. No. 16-13, § 3, 7-18-16; Ord. No. 17-04, § 2, 4-17-17)