The Zoning Districts set forth in this Article are hereby established for the purpose of classifying all land within the territorial jurisdiction of the Town of Pilot Mountain in furtherance of achieving the goals of the Land Use Plan and to provide for the health, safety and general welfare of the public.

Zoning districts shall be classified into the following types:

1. Base Districts. Base zoning districts are intended to establish the general character of an area through the regulation of uses, lot sizes, density and other development standards unique to each district. Base Districts are further divided into the following classes:
   1. Residential Districts. Residential Districts are intended to provide for the use and development of land for household living, while also permitting limited nonresidential uses, such as civic and institutional uses, that may be developed and used in a manner that is compatible with the residential character of these areas.
   2. Nonresidential Districts. Nonresidential Districts are intended to provide for the use and development of land for commercial, office, civic, institutional, industrial and similar uses of land in areas that are suited for more intensive land uses and development.
2. Overlay Districts. Overlay Districts are intended for use as a method of implementing additional regulatory provisions that address situations that are unique to portions of the Town’s jurisdiction, irrespective of the boundaries of the Base Districts. These districts are also intended to facilitate the use and development of land for a unique purpose or in a unique manner, where such use or development would not be appropriate throughout a particular Base District. Where assigned, Overlay Districts shall apply in addition to the Base District, Conditional District or Special Purpose District that is used to classify the land.
3. Conditional Zoning Districts. Conditional Zoning Districts are established as “equivalent” districts that mirror the Base Districts in all respects, including permitted uses, density and development standards. These districts may only be established upon application by a property owner, and are intended for use in situations where the minimum standards of a Base District may not fully address all of the development concerns associated with a proposal for the use or development of a particular property. To address such situations, the Conditional Zoning Districts provide the opportunity for a property owner to propose such conditions and restrictions, in addition to the generally applicable standards of the Base District, as he determines is reasonable and necessary to permit the use or development of his property. In approving a Conditional Zoning District map amendment, the Board of Commissioners may also impose such conditions and restrictions, in addition to the standards of the Base District and what is proposed by the property owner (with their agreement), as it deems reasonable and necessary to facilitate the compatible use and development of the property.
4. Special Purpose Conditional Districts. Special Purpose Conditional Districts are similar to the Conditional Zoning Districts in that they may only be established upon the approval by the Board of Commissioners of an application by the property owner. These districts, however, differ from the Conditional Zoning Districts in that they are not tied to an individual Base District. Special Purpose Conditional Districts are intended to facilitate larger scale developments containing a mixture of land use types and intensities where the approval of a master plan and accompanying regulations that are unique to the district will achieve an equal or better result than the application of multiple Base or Conditional Zoning Districts would otherwise achieve.

1. Residential Districts
   1. Residential-Agricultural (RA). The RA district is established as a district in which the principal use of the land is for low-density residential or agricultural purposes. It is established to provide and protect low-density residential areas for those desiring that type of environment. This district is intended to ensure that residential development not having access to public water supplies and dependent upon septic tanks for sewage disposal will occur at a sufficiently low density to provide a healthful environment.
   2. Residential Low Density District (RL). The RL district is established as a district in which the principal use of land is for low-density single-family residences, along with limited home occupations and public and private community uses. These districts are intended to insure that residential development not having access to public water supplies and dependent upon septic tanks for sewage disposal will occur at a sufficiently low density to provide a healthful environment.
   3. Residential Medium Density District (RM). The RM district is established as a district in which the principal use of land is for medium density single-family and two-family residences, along with limited home occupations and public and private community uses. The regulations are intended to prohibit any use that, because of its character, would interfere with the residential nature of this district. It is expected that municipal water and sewerage facilities will be available to each lot in the districts, or a reasonable expectation of service in the near future.
   4. Residential High Density District (RH). The RH district permits high-density residential development. Single-family, two-family and multi-family dwellings are permitted. The regulations of this district are intended to provide the community with areas of relatively high-density neighborhood for residents desiring small dwelling units and multi-family structures.
2. Nonresidential Districts
   1. Office and Institutional District (OI). The OI district is intended to serve as a transitional land use between higher intensity districts and lower intensity districts, while permitting the establishment of certain moderate intensity non-residential uses.
   2. Central Business District (CB). The CB district is established as the centrally located trade and commercial service area of the community. The regulations of this district are designed to encourage the continued use of land for community trade and commercial service uses, and to permit a concentrated development of permitted uses while maintaining a substantial relationship between the intensity of land uses and the capability of utilities and streets.
   3. General Business District (GB). GB districts are generally located on major thoroughfares and collector streets in the Pilot Mountain planning area. They are intended to provide for offices, personal services and the retailing of durable and convenience goods for the community. Because these commercial uses are subject to public view and are important to the economy of the area, they should have ample parking, controlled traffic movement and suitable landscaping.
   4. Highway Business District (HB). The HB district is intended primarily to accommodate higher intensity commercial uses and facilitate the redevelopment of legacy commercial areas along the Old US 52 Corridor in the Town’s planning jurisdiction.
   5. General Manufacturing District (GM). The GM district is established for those areas of the community where the principal use of land is for manufacturing, industrial and warehousing uses. These uses, by their nature, may create some nuisances, which are not properly associated with residential, institutional, commercial and/or service establishments. These uses normally seek outlying locations on large tracts of land where the operations involved do not detract from the developmental potential of nearby undeveloped properties.
   6. Light Industrial District (LI). The LI district is established to provide for industries that, in their normal operations, have minimal adverse effect upon adjoining properties.

1. Downtown Design Overlay District (DDO). The DDO is established to provide for high quality development within Pilot Mountain’s downtown area by requiring adherence to a set of urban design requirements that enhance the aesthetic appearance and compatibility of new development and redevelopment projects within the town’s vital historic downtown core.
2. Watershed Overlay (WO). The Watershed Overlay District is established to comply with statutory mandates for the protection of water quality within drinking-water supply watersheds by imposing limitations on certain uses, requiring storm water controls and limiting development density.

A Conditional Zoning District directly corresponding to, and having the same intent and basic regulations as each Base District is established. Such districts shall be differentiated from the Base District by the notation of CD (Conditional District). In addition to the “CD” designation, each adopted Conditional Zoning District shall be assigned a unique identifier in the Town’s GIS database that constitutes the Official Zoning Map. Such identifier shall be based on the case number of the Zoning Map Amendment by which it was established to ensure that all associated conditions and restrictions unique to that district are indexed for future reference. Each adopted Conditional Zoning District shall constitute a distinct district with unique conditions specific to that district that are more restrictive than those established for the equivalent Base District. Examples of additional conditions include limitations on the uses permitted in the district, limits on residential density, limits on signage, additional buffering or landscaping requirements and similar development standards.