Recognizing the special nature of certain thoroughfares and the impact of the appearance of this corridor and its importance to the local economy, the intent of this section is to establish minimum standards and regulations for all building development, building design and orientation, site development, signage and landscaping, that will help insure that development is aesthetically pleasing and economically viable. This section applies to all land in the corridor, regardless of the underlying zoning district designation, and supersedes base district regulations in the corridor unless the zoning district requirements are more stringent. In those cases, the base district regulations apply.

The purpose of these regulations is to ensure creativity and compatibility of the planning and design among land uses in the corridor as well as to encourage a responsible land ethic. Additionally, these regulations have been developed with consideration of the character of the corridor in an attempt to ensure quality development and redevelopment as it occurs, to conserve the value of property as well as to enhance the investment of all those locating within the corridor.

These corridor overlay districts are designed to work in conjunction with the underlying zoning district(s), present and future, in order to exercise reasonable control over the land and to accomplish the stated purpose.

(Ord. No. 135-182, 7-16-07)

These regulations shall apply to all lots, parcels and tracts that have any frontage upon the following rights-of-ways within the corporate limits of the City of Pelham:

1.

Alabama State Highway 31

2.

Alabama State Highway 119

3.

Alabama State Highway 261

4.

Amphitheater Road

5.

Applegate Parkway

6.

Business Park Drive

7.

Commerce Boulevard

8.

Huntley Parkway

9.

Interstate 65

10.

Metro Parkway

11.

Oak Park Drive

12.

Oak Mountain State Park Road

13.

Old Montgomery Highway

14.

Shelby County Highway 11

15.

Shelby County Highway 17

16.

Shelby County Highway 35, a distance of .5 miles in a general northerly direction from its intersection with Shelby County Highway 52W

17.

Shelby County Highway 52

18.

Southgate Drive

The uses permitted under any zone district classification coupled with the Overlay District are not affected by such overlay district designation. Only the potential development of the subject property is affected.

In the interpretation and application of this section, all provisions shall be:

(1)

Considered as minimum requirements; and

(2)

Substantially construed in favor of the governing body.

Any property developed as single-family residential shall be excluded from the requirements of this section.

(Ord. No. 135-182, 7-16-07; Ord. No. 135-218, § 2, 4-2-18)

All design elements required by this section shall be illustrated or described within the application materials prepared for the review of staff. Any submission made without such requirements shall be deemed incomplete. Incomplete submissions shall not be considered.

(Ord. No. 135-182, 7-16-07)

The zoning official is empowered to make interpretations of the requirements stated within the corridor overlay district. Appeal of the zoning official's interpretation may be filed with the city council.

(Ord. No. 135-182, 7-16-07)

In consideration of an application for a building permit for property located in the corridor overlay district, the property owner or his or her agent shall submit a site plan and accompanying information to the City of Pelham Department of planning, engineering and permits for review and approval. The site plan shall be drawn to a scale no smaller than one inch equals 50 feet and shall show the following information:

1.

All dimensions and distances, property lines, easements, landscaping, buffers and public and private rights-of-way.

2.

Existing and proposed buildings and structures, including signs, trash containers, fences, walls, light poles, power poles, outdoor utility equipment and structures, and roof and ground-mounted mechanical appurtenance units. Power to any new construction shall be underground.

3.

Location, height, size, materials, color, and lighting of all signs. See Article XXII, sign ordinance.

4.

Bodies of water, stormwater detention areas, drainage structures, sanitary sewer lines and facilities, and water distribution lines.

5.

Driveways, accommodations for pedestrians, parking areas, existing and proposed parking spaces, access aisles and other vehicle maneuvering areas; along with all required landscaping. See Article XXIII, off-street parking and loading requirements and Article XXIV, section 9, landscaping and buffers.

6.

All existing and proposed built improvements, natural features such as rock outcroppings, streams, and other landscape elements; plant materials keyed to a planting schedule with botanical names, common names, cultivar (if any), quantity of materials, size of materials at time of planting.

7.

Sufficient information and detail to clearly demonstrate that all applicable requirements and standards of this section are fully satisfied.

8.

The site plan shall be accompanied by:

a.

A grading plan which shows all areas of cut and fill and the grade of all finished floor elevations.

b.

An access management plan approved by the Alabama Department of Transportation or the Shelby County Highway Department, dependent upon which regulatory authority is responsible for the right-of-way being accessed.

c.

Certification that building orientation, materials and design comply with the requirements of section 6 [of this article].

d.

An exterior lighting plan which shows compliance with section 8 [of this article], including the proposed foot candles of artificial light on and off premises.

e.

A sign plan which shows compliance with section 10 [of this article].

f.

A landscape plan and an irrigation plan which shows compliance with section 12 [of this article].

g.

An erosion and sedimentation plan which meets or exceeds the requirements of the City of Pelham "Ordinance to Establish Storm Water Management and Water Quality Controls, Programs, Regulations, Prohibitions, and Penalties" (Ordinance No. 328).

h.

Other plans or specifications necessary to show compliance with this section.

9.

Screening walls and fences shall be compatible in color and materials of the building on the premises, which show compliance with section 7 [of this article].

10.

Color and lighting of all signs shall be compatible in color with material of the building on the premises. Location, height, size: see Article XXII, sign ordinance.

No structure or land shall hereafter be located, extended, converted, or structurally altered without full compliance with the terms of this Section and other applicable regulations.

(Ord. No. 135-182, 7-16-07; Ord. No. 135-251, § 1, 8-15-22)

The following standards shall apply to all development in the corridor, except single-family detached dwellings:

1.

Minimum front building setback from the corridor overlay district right-of-way shall be 50 feet. The maximum front building setback shall be 75 feet from the right-of-way.

2.

Service and loading areas, outdoor storage areas, trash receptacles, utility equipment, mechanical units, satellite dishes and similar appurtenances shall be located so as to minimize visibility from public right-of-way and shall be visually screened from view from off the premises. Trash receptacles shall be located within a four-sided structure which completely conceals the trash receptacle. The color and architecture of the structure shall be compatible with that of the building which it serves.

3.

The outdoor display of sales merchandise and outside storage shall not be visible from public right-of-way. However, the requirements set forth for outside storage in the applicable underlying zoning district corresponding to each permitted use shall apply.

4.

Mechanical units shall be ground-mounted whenever possible. However, in all cases, roof-mounted units and ground-mounted units shall be screened from view from public right-of-way.

5.

Building orientation shall be such that the structure's main entrance fronts the Corridor, and that a minimum of 60 percent of the structure's width is along the front building line. Loading and service areas shall not face the corridor right-of-way, except in the case of double frontage lots, where such areas must be located in a rear or side yard which faces the right-of-way. All loading and service areas shall be screened from view from off the premises.

6.

In order to prolong the life of buildings, reduce the need for periodic maintenance and maintain a character, which is commensurate with the public interest, the following materials shall be used as primary exterior building wall finishes on portions of the building which are visible from the corridor overlay district right-of-way: brick, stone, glass, wood, stucco, imitation stucco, composite, precast concrete, poured concrete, and/or split-face concrete block. Primary shall mean a minimum of 75 percent. Any of these listed materials can be used in combination to meet the primary requirement. Other architectural grade finishes may be used for accent at the discretion of the zoning administrator or director.

7.

Nonstructural awnings, covered with cloth fabric, or rigid metal, shall not project more than seven feet from the building wall shall neither be lower than eight feet nor higher than 14 feet above grade and shall not be internally illuminated.

(Ord. No. 135-182, 7-16-07; Ord. No. 135-244, § 1, 1-24-22; Ord. No. 135-251, § 1, 8-15-22)

1.

Screening walls and fences shall be compatible in color and materials of the building on the premises.

2.

Fences designed to create privacy or separation shall be made of masonry, ornamental metal, durable wood, vinyl that is designed and fabricated to appear as wood, or a combination of these materials. Chainlink, plastic or wire fencing is not permitted for fences visible from public property.

3.

When visible from public property, solid fences shall have an evergreen-landscaped strip on the corridor overlay district right-of-way side of the fence.

4.

Fences and walls shall not restrict traffic intersection sight lines.

(Ord. No. 135-182, 7-16-07)

1.

Lighting shall have underground electric service.

2.

The intensity, location, and design of lighting shall be such that not more than one foot candle of light is cast upon adjacent property or the public right-of-way. Light fixtures shall be designed to cast light downward. Where necessary, cutoff devices shall be used to minimize glare off-premises.

3.

Exterior lights shall not exceed 20 feet in height.

4.

Wooden light poles are prohibited on private property.

5.

Light poles and fixtures shall be compatible with the architecture of the buildings on the premises.

6.

Flashing, blinking, or intermittent lights, or bare neon tubing, are prohibited.

(Ord. No. 135-182, 7-16-07; Ord. No. 135-251, § 1, 8-15-22)

1.

Except for retaining walls, smooth topographic transition shall be provided throughout the site and between properties. Slopes steeper than a three to one slope (three horizontal to one vertical) are prohibited.

2.

The exterior surface of retaining walls shall be compatible with the architecture and site design of the property.

3.

Retaining walls which exceed eight feet in height and are visible from public right-of-way shall be visually screened with vegetation.

4.

In areas which are visible from public right-of-way, subsurface drainage structures and grass swales shall be used to manage stormwater. Open ditches are prohibited.

5.

The use of crushed granite or limestone for slope stabilization is prohibited in the public right-of-way and areas which are visible from the through and auxiliary lanes of the corridor overlay district right-of-way.

6.

Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the premises, all slopes shall be stabilized with grass or other evergreen groundcover or other vegetation.

(Ord. No. 135-182, 7-16-07)

1.

Only monument style free-standing signs will be permitted in the Corridor Overlay District. Sign materials for the base and supporting elements shall be coordinated with the exterior cladding of the structures.

2.

Signs in the Corridor Overlay District shall be in accordance with the following:

a.

A monument sign not to exceed 20 feet from the grade, at maximum size of 90 square feet.

b.

Wall signs on no more than two building walls, not to exceed 20 percent of the front building wall, however, the maximum square footage for both walls cannot exceed 150 square feet. The front building wall shall provide the majority of this allowance, while the secondary wall sign is limited to ten percent of the overall allowable square footage.

c.

Any electronic message display sign cannot exceed 50 percent of the total copy area of the monument sign, subject to the following:

i.

No such sign shall feature any flashing, scrolling or other movement.

ii.

The screen image shall be static, with a 30 second delay for each screen image.

d.

Cabinet or box signs are not allowed for wall signs, except for low profile logo shape signs.

(Ord. No. 135-182, 7-16-07; Ord. No. 135-251, § 1, 8-15-22)

1.

Off-street parking spaces shall be provided in accordance with the requirements for specific uses set forth in article XXIII, off-street parking and loading requirements, in addition to the following:

a.

No more than two rows of parking shall be allowed

b.

Overall available parking shall not exceed more than five percent of the required parking as required in article XXIII.

(Ord. No. 135-182, 7-16-07; Ord. No. 135-251, § 1, 8-15-22)

1.

Landscaping and buffers shall be in accordance with the requirements for specific uses set forth in article XXIV, section 9, landscaping and buffers, in addition to the following:

a.

For parking areas exceeding 25 spaces, landscaped parking islands shall be provided for each ten parking spaces. An alternate landscape parking plan to provide a continuous landscape strip to separate rows of parking with each row capped with a landscaped island, may be allowed at the discretion of the zoning administrator or the director.

b.

Landscape buffer strip shall be provided as follows:

i.

Front buffer strips shall be a minimum of ten feet, planted with one shade tree per 30 linear feet of lot frontage, supplemented with a continuous double-staggered row of shrubs.

ii.

Rear and side buffer strips shall be a minimum of five feet, planted with one shade tree per 30 linear feet.

c.

A minimum ten foot buffer shall separate industrial uses from commercial uses.

d.

A minimum 20-foot buffer shall separate commercial uses from residential uses. The buffer may be a planted buffer meeting article XXIV, section 9, a privacy wall or a combination of both plantings and wall

e.

A minimum 30-foot buffer shall separate industrial uses from residential use. The buffer will consist of a privacy wall supplemented with evergreen plantings.

(Ord. No. 135-182, 7-16-07; Ord. No. 135-251, § 1, 8-15-22)

If any section, subsection, clause, provision, or portion of this ordinance shall be held to be invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, such holding shall not affect any other section, subsection, clause, provision, or portion of this ordinance which is not in and of itself invalid or unconstitutional.

(Ord. No. 135-182, 7-16-07)