501-1 Purpose and intent. The Lawrenceville Highway (U.S. 29) Corridor Overlay District is the commercial heart of the City of Lilburn and plays a vital role in shaping the city's future relative to transportation, economic development opportunities, and the appearance of the community that is portrayed to the traveling public.

The Corridor Overlay District is intended to enhance the viability and livability of the area along several important thoroughfares. The purpose of the overlay district is to achieve and maintain a unified and pleasing aesthetic/visual quality in landscaping, architecture and signage; and to promote alternative modes of transportation within the district through the provision of pedestrian and bicycle access and local public transit.

501-2 Boundaries and map. The Corridor Overlay District shall apply to all property within the district boundary as shown on the Official Zoning Map of Lilburn, which is hereby adopted and made a part of this ordinance, and which may be amended from time to time in accordance with the procedures established in this zoning ordinance. The Corridor Overlay District includes the entire length of U.S. 29 through Lilburn's city limits and several significant commercial corridors.

501-3 Permitted and conditional uses. Permitted and conditional uses shall be as provided in Article 6, "Use and Supplemental Conditions Tables." In cases where a use is permitted but there are specific use regulations for that use specified in Article 7, such regulations shall also apply and must be complied with.

The Corridor Overlay District is not a zoning district. Within the Corridor Overlay District, the uses permitted by the underlying zoning district are allowed unless expressly prohibited.

501-4 Access management and connectivity. These standards shall apply to all new construction and shall apply to existing site and/or building(s), if over 50 percent of the acreage is proposed for improvement or if improvements or expansions to off-street parking exceed 50 percent of the area of existing off-street parking.

1.

Interparcel vehicle access points shall be provided between all contiguous non-residential properties. A system of joint use driveways and cross access easements shall be used to promote connectivity in the overlay district. This requirement may be waived by the Director only if it is demonstrated that an interparcel connection is not feasible due to traffic safety, topographic, or environmental concerns.

2.

Shared access points should be located along a common property boundary. Where shared access or service driveways occur, an access agreement shall be required by the City. The agreement must be signed by all affected property owners and must be registered with the City Clerk.

3.

New development, which produces more than 1,000 vehicle trips per day, shall provide traffic mitigation by means of traffic signals, traffic controls and turning island, landscaping and any other means necessary to ensure the viability, safety and integrity of Lawrenceville Highway (U.S. 29) as a through corridor. All traffic controls, signals and other improvements must be approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation and/or the Gwinnett County Department of Transportation.

501-5 Pedestrian and bicycle access.

1.

Sidewalks shall be installed on all public streets that the parcel(s) abuts and shall tie into existing sidewalk. Sidewalks measuring a minimum width of five feet shall be provided for commercial development, five feet for residential development.

2.

Sidewalks shall be required adjacent to all public rights-of-way and into and throughout the development. The location of sidewalks shall be reviewed and approved by the City, Gwinnett County Department of Transportation and/or the Georgia Department of Transportation. Sidewalks shall be in conformance with the Development Regulations. For commercial uses, a minimum five-foot wide sidewalk connection shall be provided from public rights-of-way to the entrance(s) of buildings.

3.

Sidewalks shall be constructed with an additional minimum two-foot by eight-foot pad approximately every 300 linear feet to accommodate pedestrian amenities such as benches, and trash containers. All such required amenities shall be decorative, commercial-quality fixtures approved by Planning Department. Sidewalk design and placement of any of these amenities shall be reviewed and approved by the City, Gwinnett County Department of Transportation and/or Georgia Department of Transportation.

4.

If a parcel is located within 500 feet of an existing or proposed greenway/bike trail, a minimum eight-foot wide multi-use trail connection shall be provided.

5.

Bicycle lanes shall be a minimum of five feet wide and marked, where applicable.

6.

Pedestrian lighting shall be provided along public right of way. Pedestrian scale fixtures shall be less than 25 feet tall, classified as decorative and consistent with Town Center Master Plan, with spacing coordinated with pedestrian amenities and approved by Planning Department.

501-6 Site design and building orientation. Principal building entrances shall be oriented to public streets. Garage and loading bay entrances shall be oriented to the rear or side of the building and shall not be visible from the street along the building's frontage.

501-7 Parking. These standards shall apply to all new constructions and shall apply to the existing site and/or building(s), if over 50 percent of the acreage is proposed for improvement or if improvements or expansions to off-street parking exceed 50 percent of the area of existing off-street parking.

1.

For retail developments exceeding 50,000 square feet of gross floor area, at least ten percent of all required parking spaces shall be provided in parking areas of porous paving or grass paving systems, not to exceed 75 parking spaces or as approved by the Director.

2.

Up to 25 percent of the required parking spaces for any development may be designated small vehicle parking. Each small vehicle parking space shall not be less than eight feet in width and 16 feet in depth.

3.

New freestanding buildings or shopping center developments containing 7,500 gross square feet of space or less shall provide no more than 20 percent of parking areas in the front of building(s) and be limited to not more than one double row of parking.

4.

For developments exceeding 7,500 square feet, building placement shall be close to, and oriented toward, the public right-of-way with the majority of parking to the sides and rear where possible, or as approved by the Director.

5.

Provide lighting throughout all parking areas utilizing decorative light poles, not to exceed 25 feet in height with light fixtures that are hooded. Lighting shall be directed to avoid intrusion on adjacent properties and away from adjacent thoroughfares.

501-8 Stormwater detention. Above ground stormwater detention ponds shall be located to the rear or side of buildings. If such a location is not feasible from an engineering standpoint it may be approved in front of a building at surface level if it is designed as an amenity feature with shallow slopes, does not contain fencing, and is surrounded by landscaping approved by the Director.

501-9 Landscaping requirements. These standards shall apply to all new construction and shall apply to the existing site and/or building(s), if the property or structures change use or are unoccupied for a period of 12 consecutive months.

1.

Type and size of plantings shall be in compliance with the City's Buffer, Landscape and Tree Ordinance. At least 50 percent of plantings shall consist of trees three inches in caliper (dbh) or greater.

2.

Provide a minimum ten-foot wide landscaped strip between all road right-of-way and the back-of-curb of abutting off-street paved parking lots. Landscaped strips between road right-of-way and the edge of abutting off-street grassed parking areas shall be five feet in width. At a minimum, landscaped strips shall be planted in accordance with the Lilburn Buffer, Landscape and Tree Ordinance. Alternative plans that result in equivalent tree density unit plantings on the site may be administratively approved by Planning Department.

3.

Dumpsters shall be screened from view on all four sides. Screening shall consist of three solid walls of brick, decorative masonry, and/or stone construction, or similar material approved by the Department, at least six feet in height, with 100 percent solid metal or wooden gates. Dumpsters shall be placed in the rear yard and may be located zero feet from the property line if the adjoining property is zoned nonresidential and zero feet from all applicable buffers if the adjoining property is zoned residential.

4.

Natural vegetation shall remain on the property until issuance of a development permit.

5.

Decorative, commercial-quality bicycle racks, benches, and trash receptacles with liner shall be required for all non-residential developments and shall be of similar style as those outlined in the Lilburn Town Center Master Plan. Maintenance of all such site amenities shall be the responsibility of the property owner.

6.

Any accessories provided on the site such as fences, walls, railings, benches, trash receptacles and/or bicycle racks shall complement conforming building design and style.

501-10 Architectural standards. These architectural design guidelines shall apply to all new construction and expansions of any existing commercial/retail structure:

1.

The massing of building façades oriented to public streets shall incorporate modulation with horizontal breaks at least every 50 feet. Massing and modulation changes could include changes in height, horizontal plane, building projections/recessions, roof form and/or other architectural elements. The Director shall have the authority to increase the modulation of a structure up to 100 feet if the Director finds that such an increase conforms to the vision of the Corridor Overlay District.

2.

Building materials for façades seen from public streets shall be constructed of a mix of materials which may include brick, stone, and glass with textured concrete masonry block, stucco, cement-fiber siding as accents. Facades of dwellings may be constructed with wood siding or similar material approved by the Director.

3.

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

4.

Building design shall include minimum one foot deep cornices, extending along the entire front of buildings and the sides of buildings at least ten feet.

5.

Building design shall include a minimum two-foot high contrasting base, extending along the entire front of buildings and the sides of buildings at least ten feet.

6.

All mechanical, HVAC and like systems shall be screened from street level view (within 300 feet) on the front and sides by an opaque wall or fence of brick, stone, or wood.

7.

Roofing materials shall be City approved palette color.

8.

All new developments with building valuations of more than $750,000.00 shall provide a single "public art" piece to be located in public view on the property. The art piece shall meet the following criteria:

a.

Composition of the piece shall be of permanent materials and require no or low maintenance. No product advertisement is allowed on the piece.

b.

No expressions of profanity or expressions that would be offensive to the general public or violate State laws on obscenity.

c.

Renderings of all public art pieces shall be submitted to the City and approved by City Council prior to the commissioning of the piece or installation on the subject property.

d.

The value of the art piece shall be a minimum of 0.75 percent of the total building valuation according to the City's Building Permit Fee Schedule. City Council may consider a cash donation (for an art piece to be purchased by the City) or sculpture donated to the City in lieu of art placed on a private site.

501-11 Signage Standards. With the exception of ground sign standards, signage in the US29 Overlay shall meet the standards of Chapter 113, Lilburn Sign Ordinance. Ground signage shall be a monument type sign with a base made of materials and color to match or complement the primary building and subject to review by the Planning Director.

(Ord. No. 2014-473, Exh. A, 9-8-2014; Ord. No. 2016-503, Exh. A, 6-13-2016; Ord. No. 2019-542, 10-14-2019; Ord. No. 2021-575, Exh. A, 2-14-2022; Ord. No. 2023-603, Exh. A, 6-12-2023)

502-1.

Purpose and intent. The Old Town Overlay District provides a template for establishing a mixed-use, main street character. The historic features of the Old Town Overlay District provide Main Street and Old Town with unique opportunities for mixed-use development projects that will give character to the streetscape, relate to the surrounding area through character and design, are close to local services and facilities, are oriented to encourage community interaction, foster the use of pedestrian and bicycle transportation, and include commercial land uses that are intended to serve the needs of local residents.

The Old Town Overlay District is not a zoning district. It is an area that has been identified to provide new residential and commercial opportunities through redevelopment and infill development. Within the Old Town Overlay District, the uses permitted by the underlying zoning district are allowed unless expressly prohibited.

The Old Town Overlay District shall provide an opportunity for development of residential, commercial, and mixed use projects. These regulations are intended to provide flexibility in design; encourage a mixture of uses; promote opportunities to live and work in the same space; and to encourage multiple uses in one building or development.

502-2.

Boundaries and map. The Old Town Overlay District standards shall apply to all property within the district boundary as shown on the Official Zoning Map of Lilburn which is hereby adopted and made a part of this ordinance, and which may be amended from time to time in accordance with the procedures established in this zoning ordinance.

This article shall not apply to applications for building permits for accessory structures 400 square feet or less in area. This article shall not apply to a remodel of an existing dwelling or a permit proposal which would increase the existing ground floor area of a dwelling by less than 25 percent.

502-3.

Permitted and conditional uses. Permitted and conditional uses shall be as provided in Article 6, "Use and Supplemental Conditions Tables." In cases where a use is permitted but there are specific use regulations for that use specified in Article 7, such regulations shall also apply and must be complied with.

Encouraged are buildings in this district that are a mix of uses including commercial, office, and residential uses. Mixed-use buildings may include retail service or office uses on the bottom floor, with upper floors used for office or residential uses.

502-4.

Old Town Overlay District Design Guidelines.

1.

Purpose and Adoption of Guidelines.

a.

Incorporation by Reference.

All development, redevelopment, and exterior modifications within the Old Town Overlay District shall comply with the Old Town Overlay District Design Guidelines ("Design Guidelines"), adopted by the Lilburn City Council and incorporated herein by reference as Exhibit A. The Design Guidelines may be amended from time to time by the City Council, and the most current version shall govern. The current version of the Old Town Overlay District Design guidelines shall be maintained in the office of the Director of Planning and made available to the public on the City's official website and at City Hall.

b.

Authority and Standards:

The Guidelines are subject to the standards, policies, and amendments adopted by the Lilburn City Council. The City Council retains sole authority to revise. modify. or supplement the Guidelines through subsequent ordinance or resolution to ensure alignment with the City's Comprehensive Plan, zoning regulations, and community priorities.

c.

Compliance:

All applications for development or building permits within the Old Town Overlay District shall demonstrate compliance with the Guidelines as adopted and amended by the City Council. The Planning Director or designated review body shall administer the Guidelines in accordance with the standards and procedures set forth in this ordinance. Any application that does not demonstrate compliance with the guidelines shall be denied.

i.

To assure that development and redevelopment within the Old Town Overlay District is consistent with the goals of this article, in addition to development regulations provided by City Code, the following is required prior to the issuance of development and building permits by the city.

1.

Building elevations.

2.

Proposed building material samples and "color chips."

3.

Proposed landscaping.

d.

Amendments to Guidelines:

The City Council may amend the Guidelines, including Exhibit A, through a majority vote at a public meeting following notice and a public hearing. Amendments shall be recorded as revised exhibits and made publicly available through the City's official website and at City Hall.

2.

Placement and Orientation.

a.

General: Buildings shall be oriented to the sidewalk or accessible open space, with main entrances facing the primary street. Setbacks shall relate to the surrounding context and encourage a comfortable, walkable pedestrian realm.

b.

Commercial: Street frontages must provide continuous, active, and safe pedestrian environments. Outdoor dining and supplemental zones must not obstruct pedestrian movement. Parking shall be located to the rear or screened from view.

c.

Residential: Front setbacks must allow for a relationship between porches and the sidewalk. Parking areas and garages must be hidden from street view, located to the side or rear of lots.

3.

Architectural Styles.

a.

General: New construction and modifications must reflect the historic character of Old Town Lilburn and be compatible with existing context.

b.

Commercial: Permitted styles include American Georgian, Romanesque, Greek Revival, Italianate, and Modern Industrial, with features such as arches, ornate windows, and articulated facades.

c.

Residential: Permitted styles include Craftsman, Greek Revival, Victorian, Queen Anne, and Italianate. Additions must respect original architecture and not obscure defining features.

4.

Color & Materiality.

a.

General: Use high-quality, authentic, and durable materials. Muted or neutral tones (warm grays, earth tones, deep reds, soft blues/greens) are encouraged for cohesion with historic Main Street.

b.

Commercial: Exterior walls shall utilize brick, glass, wood siding, cementitious siding, stucco, or stone. Metal may be used but not as the predominant material on any facade unless otherwise approved.

c.

Residential: Exterior walls shall consist of brick, stone, wood clapboards, or fiber cement siding. Vinyl siding is prohibited. Roofs shall be asphalt composition, wood shake, tile, or standing seam metal in city-approved colors.

5.

Massing: Scale, Proportion & Volume.

a.

General: Break down large building masses with step-downs, height/plane variations, recessed entrances, balconies, and other dynamic elements.

b.

Commercial: First floor heights shall be consistent with adjacent buildings. Architectural details such as cornices, parapets, and differentiated facades are required.

c.

Residential: Multi-family buildings shall be low-rise (3-6 stories) and use architectural variation to complement surrounding context.

6.

Fenestration.

a.

Commercial:

i.

First-floor commercial facades must have openings (windows/doors) of at least 50 percent of the street-facing facade.

ii.

Upper floors must have at least 20 percent openings.

iii.

Large windows must be broken down with architectural details (e.g., mullions).

iv.

Tinted or reflective glass is discouraged.

b.

Residential:

i.

Fenestration shall be compatible with the selected architectural style and context.

ii.

Window and door arrangements should provide privacy while contributing to the streetscape.

7.

Walls, Fencing, and Screening.

a.

General: Use high-quality, durable materials such as wood, brick, stone, concrete, granite, or steel.

b.

Commercial: Screening and fencing must not obstruct views into storefronts or create unsafe areas.

c.

Residential: Fencing and walls should provide privacy and complement the home and streetscape.

8.

Entry.

a.

General: All public entrances must be accessible and clearly pronounced. facing the primary street or pedestrian thoroughfare.

b.

Commercial: Recessed entrances and activated frontages are encouraged.

c.

Residential: Front porches are required for single-family and duplex residences. with minimum depths and railing styles per the Design Guidelines.

9.

Activated Ground floor.

a.

Commercial: Ground-floor street frontages shall be occupied by active, publicly accessible uses such as retail, dining, or community services. Storefronts must provide a high degree of transparency, with unobstructed views into interior spaces. Supplemental outdoor zones (e.g., outdoor dining) are permitted if they do not impede pedestrian movement. Non-active uses such as parking, storage, or circulation areas are not permitted along primary street frontages.

b.

Residential: Residential ground-floor units are not required to meet commercial transparency standards. Window tinting or enhanced landscaping may be used to promote privacy while maintaining a positive relationship with the streetscape.

10.

Articulation.

a.

General: Building details and articulation elements (awnings, balconies, cornices, parapets, gables, etc.) must promote a human scale and visual interest.

b.

Commercial: Avoid monolithic facades; incorporate variation and detail at the street level.

c.

Residential: Architectural variation should enhance the character of the neighborhood.

11.

Architectural Lighting.

Lighting fixtures must be human-scaled, enhance safety, and accentuate building features without creating light pollution or adverse impacts on adjacent properties. Warm white LED lighting is required; internally lit signs are prohibited.

12.

Outdoor Spaces.

Outdoor spaces must be designed to promote comfort, safety, and community interaction. Private spaces must be clearly separated from public areas using human-scaled elements.

13.

Parking and Parking Structures.

a.

General: Parking lots and structures must be located to the rear or side of buildings where possible, buffered by landscaping, and designed to minimize curb cuts and pedestrian conflicts.

b.

Commercial: Encourage on-street parking where appropriate. Parking structures should include active ground-floor uses or pedestrian amenities along street frontages.

c.

Residential: Garages and parking areas must be screened from street view.

14.

Planting Zones.

Planting zones must use local, resilient species and be designed by a licensed landscape architect. Vegetation should provide shade and aesthetic interest without impeding pedestrian movement or sightlines.

15.

Signage.

a.

Signage must comply with Chapter 113 of the Lilburn Sign Ordinance and the Design Guidelines. Signs must be indirectly lit, of pedestrian scale, and complementary to the building's architecture. Animated, internally lit, or backlit signs are prohibited.

b.

In this district, "building sign" shall include the following permanent sign types defined in Chapter 113: wall signs, window signs, projecting signs and awning signs and where there is a conflict between this section and Chapter 113, this Section shall control, unless alternative signage is approved by City Council as a condition of zoning or by variance pursuant to Section 113.21.

c.

Maximum sign area. The total maximum allowed area for all building signs is 1.5 square feet per linear foot of a tenant's horizontal building facade.

i.

Calculations shall be based on the facade with the primary entrance or if more than one, the public entrance which faces the public road of greatest capacity. If the facade of primary entrance is at least 50 percent less than another facade facing a public road, an average of the two measurements may be used to determine the aggregate allowed area, subject to sign location review by Planning Director or designated review body.

ii.

The total maximum allowed square footage for building signs, as calculated by the method described above, may be allocated across wall sign area, window sign area, projecting sign area, and/or awning sign area in accordance with this Section. By way of example, an eligible owner may elect to assign all allowed square footage to a wall sign or use a portion of the allowed square footage for a wall sign with a portion of the remaining square footage for a window sign. The area for each sign is deducted from the maximum allowed sign square footage.

d.

Requirements by sign type. In assigning allowed square footage to building signs, sign-specific requirements apply as follows:

i.

One wall sign is allowed per tenant space per public street front facade.

ii.

Window signs in this District shall require a permit if they exceed 30 percent of the total glazed window area including doors on the building facade.

iii.

One projecting sign is allowed per tenant space, restricted to placement at a public entrance, and projecting no more than four feet and providing at least eight clear feet of height from bottom elevation at the entrance, and limited to a maximum size of eight square feet. A projecting sign may not be placed within eight feet of another projecting sign. The allowance does not preclude use of one exempt sign under an awning which is not visible from a street.

iv.

Awning signs are allowed on the front valance only and may not exceed eight inches in height, with one-inch negative space on the top and bottom of the valance.

e.

Lighting. Lighting of building signs shall be in accordance with the following requirements:

i.

Signs shall be indirectly illuminated signs (front-lighting). Illuminated signs proposed to be constructed or maintained within 75 feet of the property line of any single-family residential lot may be approved by administrative variance in accordance with Section 113-21 and where minimum design provides directional light to a pedestrian path, includes a programmable or auto-shutoff light fixture, or provides screening from adjacent residences.

ii.

Allowed lighting may use white LED bulbs. The bulbs shall be warm (yellow-white), not cool (white-blue) and they shall be hooded or directional so as not to shine light above the horizontal plane of the sign or outward toward a public thoroughfare.

iii.

Internally lit signs and signsilluminated from behind the sign face or panel (back-lighting) are prohibited.

f.

Exempt signs. Signs listed in Chapter 113-12 and the following signs are exempt from permitting within the Overlay, subject to all size and height limits in Section 113-15A Sign Table and placement that does not interfere with pedestrian traffic:

i.

Sidewalk or sandwich signs placed at a public entrance and removed at close of business.

16.

Pop-Up and Temporary Structures.

a.

General:

i.

Pop-up and temporary structures, including tents, shade structures, kiosks, food vending units, and similar Installations, are permitted only in accordance with the standards set forth in the Old Town Overlay District Design Guidelines (Exhibit A) and applicable sections of the Lilburn Zoning Ordinance.

ii.

All such structures must be designed and sited to complement the character of the district and shall not obscure permanent architectural features or impede pedestrian flow.

b.

Commercial:

i.

Temporary structures for commercial uses (e.g., outdoor retail sales, events, or food vending) must be located on private property, set back from public rights-of-way unless otherwise aoproved, and must not block required pedestrian pathways or accessible routes.

ii.

Materials and colors shall be compatible with adjacent permanent structures.

iii.

Duration, frequency, and extent of use shall comply with city permit requirements and limitations as set forth in Article 7, Section 731, and Article 12, Section 1204 of the Zoning Ordinance.

c.

Residential:

i.

Temporary structures for residential uses (e.g., garden tents, event canopies) are permitted for limited durations as specified in the Design Guidelines and city code.

ii.

Temporary structures for residential uses (e.g., garden tents, event canopies) are permitted for limited durations as specified in the Design Guidelines and city code.

d.

Additional Requirements:

i.

All temporary structures must be maintained ln good condition and removed promptly at the end of the approved period.

ii.

Structures related to construction activity (e.g., trailers, portable restrooms) are allowed only during active construction with a valid permit and must be screened from public view to the extent practicable.

17.

Public Art.

a.

Public art must complement the building and surrounding context, use durable materials, and not obscure architectural features. Murals should be limited to one per block face and be reviewed by the City as required.

b.

All new commercial developments with building valuations of more than $750.000.00 shall provide a single "public art" piece to be located in public view on the property. The art piece shall meet the following criteria:

i.

Composition of the piece shall be of permanent materials and require no or low maintenance.

ii.

No product advertisement is allowed on the piece.

iii.

No expressions of profanity or expressions that would be offensive to the general public or violate state laws on obscenity.

iv.

Renderings of all public art pieces shall be submitted to the city and approved by city council prior to the commissioning of the piece or installation on the subject property.

v.

The value of the art piece shall be a minimum of 0.75 percent of the total building valuation according to the city's building permit fee schedule. City council may consider a cash donation (for an art piece to be purchased by the city) or sculpture donated to the city in lieu of art placed on a private site.

502-5.

Additional design criteria for approval. The following design criteria will be considered by the department in the review of applications for development projects within the Old Town Overlay District:

1.

Connectivity. Infill should achieve connectivity between on-site and off-site transportation systems, streetscapes, and open space networks. Sidewalks need to be provided which connect to the existing or planned adjacent sidewalk system, and streets need to connect to the adjacent existing or planned street pattern.

2.

Circulation. If the infill development is large enough, new street systems should be laid out as an interconnected network and designed to meet the needs of bicyclists, strollers, wheelchairs, pedestrians, and motor vehicles.

3.

Alley garages. Garages accessed by alleys can enhance the design and function of infill projects and therefore should be considered and implemented as appropriate.

(Ord. No. 2016-503, Exh. A, 6-13-2016; Ord. No. 2019-542, 10-14-2019; Ord. No. 2021-575, Exh. A, 2-14-2022; Ord. No. 2022-596, Att. 1, 11-14-2022; Ord. No. 2023-603, Exh. A, 6-12-2023; Ord. No. 2025-648, Exh. A, 5-12-2025)