When provisions of this chapter require submission of a site plan, it shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of this section. Site plans may be approved administratively or by the planning commission, depending on the proposal.

(1)

Submission for approval. A site plan shall be required for the following:

(a)

Any use or development for which the submission of a site plan is required by any provision of this chapter;

(b)

Any development, except single-family and two-family residential, for which off-street parking areas are provided as required in Article XV, off-street parking requirements;

(c)

Any use in an RM, OS, CBD, COR, GBD, I-1, I-2 or PUD district;

(d)

Any use except single- or two-family residential which lies contiguous to a major thoroughfare or collector street;

(e)

All residentially related uses permitted in single-family districts such as, but not limited to, churches, schools, colleges, institutions, and public facilities;

(f)

Accessory buildings or building additions which require additional off-street parking.

(2)

All site plans must be reviewed and approved by the planning commission, with the exception of the following, that may qualify for an administrative site plan review.

(a)

The zoning official, at his discretion, may send a development otherwise eligible for administrative site plan review to the planning commission for review and approval.

(b)

The following development/construction/activity within the city is eligible for administrative site plan approval:

1.

New construction of any principally permitted non-residential or multiple family development that is less than two thousand (2,000) square feet in floor area;

2.

Construction of an addition less than two thousand (2,000) square feet in floor area in a nonresidential district;

3.

Construction of expansion of an impervious surface less than five thousand (5,000) square feet in area;

4.

Changes in use from a non-conforming use to a more conforming use;

5.

A vacant existing building or site to be re-occupied by a use permitted and will not require any significant changes in existing site facilities such as parking, landscaping, lighting, or sidewalks;

6.

Installation of pavement or curbing improvements provided the number of spaces remain constant and the plans and construction are approved by the city engineer;

7.

Relocation of a waste receptacle or screening around the waste receptacle;

8.

Accessory structures in non-residential districts;

9.

Temporary uses, sales, and seasonal events;

10.

Erection of a tower, antenna, or other community facility, essential public service building;

11.

Minor revisions to an approved site plan, limited to:

a.

Changes to Facade or architectural features;

b.

Alterations/substitutions/expansions of approved landscaping areas consistent with the other requirements of the chapter;

12.

Site plan application and submittal requirements are required for administrative site plan approval, consistent with subsection 38-180(3).

(3)

Any person seeking site plan approval hereunder shall submit a site plan, application, and the applicable filing fee to the building department. Application should be made a minimum of thirty (30) days prior to the next regularly scheduled planning commission meeting. The building department shall provide application forms and graphic standards for the site plan. Said site plan shall be prepared by a professional architect, engineer, landscape architect or land planner and must contain the following information:

(a)

A scale of not less than one (1) inch equals fifty (50) feet if the subject property is less than three (3) acres and one (1) inch equals one hundred (100) feet if three (3) acres or more;

(b)

Date, north point, scale, and area of the site in acres and or square feet;

(c)

The dimensions of all lot and property lines, showing the relationship of the subject property to the abutting properties;

(d)

The location of all existing and proposed structures and utilities on the subject property and all existing structures within one hundred (100) feet to the subject property;

(e)

The location and layout of all existing and proposed drives and parking areas;

(f)

The location and right-of-way widths of all abutting streets and alleys;

(g)

The names and addresses of the architect, planner, designer, engineer, or person responsible for the preparation of the site plan;

(h)

The number, location, and layout of off-street parking spaces to include all access roads and the manner in which they are to be surfaced;

(i)

The provision of internal site drainage and necessary city utilities complete with existing and proposed elevations;

(j)

The proposed site landscaping complete with a planting plan to include all proposed walls, fences, and screening in compliance with the provisions of this chapter;

(k)

The elevation of the site in relation to the identified flood hazard area. All proposed construction, reconstruction, or demolition shall be in compliance with local, state, and federal ordinances, laws, or regulations with regard to flood hazard areas;

(l)

A copy of the permit from the local enforcing agency on soil erosion and sedimentation control if the earth change activity involves more than one (1) acre or is within five hundred (500) feet of a lake or stream.

(4)

Upon receipt of a complete site plan, application, and application fee the building department shall forward said documents to the zoning official for distribution to appropriate city departments for comment. Staff comments shall be made with respect to compliance with the minimum technical requirements of city ordinances and the quality of the development consistent with the intent of the building codes, zoning codes and master plan. Upon receipt of all staff comments, the zoning official shall either complete the site plan review under the administrative site plan approval process or review the site plan and make its recommendation to the planning commission which shall consider the application, site plan, all staff, city, and consultant comments and recommendations at the next scheduled meeting.

(5)

Approval of site plan. Every site plan submitted to the city shall be in accordance with the requirements of this chapter. Copies of the site plan shall be submitted to the building department thirty (30) days prior to the city planning commission's regular meeting. No site plan shall be approved until and unless a letter of assurance has been received from the building inspector that the site plan has been reviewed by and is in conformance with all applicable standards of the building department, police department, fire department, engineering department, and city utility department. Further, no construction, reconstruction, demolition, or other site work may progress during the interim, and no building permit(s) shall be issued prior to the final approval of the site plan by the zoning official or by the planning commission. Upon granting final approval of a site plan, three (3) copies of the site plan will be stamped and signed for approval, returning one (1) copy to the petitioner, and delivering two (2) copies to the building inspector.

(6)

In the process of reviewing the site plan, the zoning official or planning commission shall consider:

(a)

The location and design of driveways providing vehicular ingress to and egress from the site, in relation to streets giving access to the site, and in relation to pedestrian traffic;

(b)

The traffic circulation features within the site and location of automobile parking areas; and may make such requirements with respect to any matters as will assure:

1.

Safety and convenience of both vehicular and pedestrian traffic both within the site and in relation to access streets;

2.

Satisfactory and harmonious relationships between the development on the site and the existing and prospective development of contiguous land and adjacent neighborhoods.

(c)

The zoning official or planning commission may further require landscaping, fences, and walls in pursuance of these objectives and same shall be provided and maintained as a condition of the establishment and the continued maintenance of any use to which they are appurtenant;

(d)

In those instances wherein the zoning official or planning commission find that an excessive number of ingress and/or egress points may occur with relation to major or secondary thoroughfares, thereby diminishing the carrying capacity of the thoroughfares, the city may recommend marginal access drives. For a narrow frontage, which will require a single outlet, the city may recommend that money in escrow be placed with the city so as to provide for a marginal service drive equal in length to the frontage of the property involved. Occupancy permits shall not be issued until the improvement is physically provided, or moneys have been deposited with the clerk;

(e)

Whether the site is located within a designated historic overlay district, and whether the proposed action would have an adverse impact on the resources of the historic overlay district, as defined in section 38-76. The planning commission may deny the proposed action if the action would have an unacceptable adverse impact on the historic resource or the historic overlay district itself. The planning commission may also require landscaping or other reasonable methods to minimize the adverse impact any proposed action may have on a historic resource or on the historic overlay district itself.

(7)

An approved PUD site plan shall be required before applicable permits may be issued for any form of construction or removal or disturbance of any natural feature for all planned unit developments in accordance with Article XII.

(Ord. No. 844, § 2, 3-18-24)