The highway corridor is an overlay established to allow and encourage high intensity multifunctional development, in compliance with an approved site plan, within appropriate highway corridors and as set forth in the Okmulgee comprehensive plan in order to:

   A.   Allow for the development of a diversity of intense uses which benefit from mutual proximity and from the immediate service of high capacity thoroughfares.

   B.   Maximize the interrelationship between land use and transportation and in particular encourage development patterns compatible with the evolution of transit systems.

   C.   Maximize the utilization of the higher capacity segments of area and regionalize the transportation systems.

   D.   Encourage a more productive use of land consistent with the public objectives and standards of accessibility and land use compatibility.

   E.   Establish criteria for developing in accordance with the Okmulgee comprehensive plan in this special overlay district keeping in mind the following:

      1.   Compatibility with adjacent and abutting planned land uses.

      2.   Strip development should be avoided by assembling small parcels, to result in a more orderly pattern of development and improved points of ingress and egress along and throughout this special district.

      3.   Through traffic into adjacent low intensity residential districts shall be discouraged by designing collector streets that will not function as direct avenues of neighborhood cut through.

      4.   Parking areas within medium and high intensity developments shall be screened from abutting residential areas and collector streets by an opaque fence with or without vegetative screening that shall be a condition of approval and shall be maintained as a continuing condition of occupancy and use of the land.

      5.   Setbacks and other buffer areas shall be used in combination with screening to improve compatibility of medium and high intensity uses with adjacent and planned low intensity uses.

      6.   The granting of medium and high intensity zoning shall be conditioned upon each such request that is located at the edges of a planned medium or high intensity area being its own buffer. More specifically, requests for medium or high intensity zoning shall include areas of more restrictive zoning along its periphery to discourage the potential for strip zoning in the special zoning district that would not be in accordance with the Okmulgee comprehensive plan.

      7.   Sign controls shall be established as a condition of approval to assure a uniform character throughout the special zoning district to reduce the impact of such signs on adjacent or abutting residential uses, to guard against visual clutter and to provide increased safety to the traveling public.

      8.   Development sensitive areas, including, but not limited to, floodplains, shall be shown on all proposals and given special attention in the proposed development design.

      9.   The expansion of existing medium or high intensity land use or zoning shall be granted only in accordance with the Okmulgee comprehensive plan and the provisions of this special zoning district.

      10.   No residential development other than RMF shall be considered high density. Any preexisting residential development will be encouraged to rezone that portion of the highway corridor to a more appropriate use upon the destruction or removal of the preexisting residential structures or the cessation of the use.

   F.   Preserve the integrity of the Okmulgee major street and highway plan as set forth in the Okmulgee comprehensive plan. (Ord. 1953, 2010)

The principal uses permitted in the highway corridor district may consist of one or more of the use units permitted by right within the general zoning district within which the highway corridor district is located. The use units are grouping of individual uses and are fully described, including their respective off street parking, loading, and screening requirements and other use conditions in chapter 11 of this title. (Ord. 1953, 2010)

   A.   Accessory uses permitted in the highway corridor district are those customarily incidental to the principal uses within the general zoning district within which the corridor district is located.

   B.   Signs as principal uses shall conform to the requirements of the general zoning district within which the highway corridor district is located, provided, however, that signs in the highway corridor district, which are accessory to permitted principal uses, are subject to the use conditions as set forth in the general zoning district in which the corridor district is located.

   C.   Accessory buildings shall meet the minimum building setback lines of the applicable general district. (Ord. 1953, 2010)

It is the intent of the highway corridor district that the bulk and area requirements of the general district shall apply for the intensity of the respective uses and shall remain essentially the same as that which would be permitted if the area were developed conventionally. (Ord. 1953, 2010)

In order that the integrity of the Okmulgee major street and highway plan as set forth in the Okmulgee comprehensive plan shall be preserved and that the traffic carrying capacity of U.S. Highway 75 (Wood Drive) be maintained and protected, the following standards are established as follows:

   A.   For any corridor development on vacant, undeveloped rezoned land, access shall be principally from internal collector service streets, and traffic carrying capacity of U.S. Highway 75 (Wood Drive) shall be protected within the special district.

   B.   Private parking areas that require mutual accessways shall be designed to facilitate the development of the subject tract and adjacent properties.

   C.   The use of frontage roads along U.S. Highway 75 (Wood Drive) and the major thoroughfares that abut the special district shall be encouraged for medium and high intensity land uses.

   D.   Ingress and egress to medium and high intensity areas shall be planned in such a manner as to not mix with or utilize those minor or local streets that provide access to predominantly low intensity areas. Access to minor or local streets from medium and high intensity areas is not in accordance with the provisions of this special district.

   E.   Restrict the granting of curb cuts, median cuts, or traffic signals to only those needed to address the requirements of planned development and as permitted by the Oklahoma department of transportation.

   F.   Private access points to U.S. Highway 75 (Wood Drive) and adjacent streets should be consolidated and limited in such a manner as to provide the maximum degree of safety to the traveling public while recognizing the needs for access from abutting areas. For lots with frontage in these areas, private access points to U.S. Highway 75 (Wood Drive) are permitted and limited as follows:

      1.   Shared driveways and access points are strongly encouraged for adjoining lots having frontage along U.S. Highway 75 (Wood Drive).

      2.   One access drive per lot per one hundred sixty five feet (165') of lot frontage along U.S. Highway 75 (Wood Drive).

      3.   For lots with less than one hundred sixty five feet (165') of frontage, one access drive may be provided serving two (2) adjoining lots through a mutual access agreement to serve those lots having frontage. Provided, however, no more than one access drive may be permitted per combined lot frontage of less than three hundred thirty feet (330').

      4.   Access drives onto adjoining streets shall be required to have the nearest edge of the driveways no closer than forty feet (40') from the lot line parallel to and bordering U.S. Highway 75 (Wood Drive).

   G.   All parking areas shall be paved with appropriate all weather material. (Ord. 1953, 2010)