A.

This article applies to the Commercial District, including all Mixed-Use projects approved for the Commercial District

B.

Prior to any construction, improvements, planting or any other modifications within any streets, alleys, sidewalks, or parking areas, plans or drawings for such construction, improvements, plantings or modification shall be subject to review by the zoning official certifying that all requirements of this article have been met.

The purpose of this article is to provide regulations governing the construction, reconstruction, and alteration of streets and blocks within the city.

A.

Block and lot standard measurements shall be made at the edge of the full right-of-way.

B.

Sidewalk landscaped area width and total sidewalk width measurements shall be taken from the back of curb nearest the sidewalk.

C.

Sidewalk clear zone width measurements shall be taken between the nearest edges of the landscaped zone to the nearest edge of the sidewalk supplemental front yard.

D.

Sidewalk supplemental yard width measurements shall be taken from the building line, or the nearest building street facade, to the edge of the clear zone.

Whenever a development of four acres or greater is to be developed or redeveloped, maximum block size requirements shall apply.

A.

The maximum block size is 200 feet by 400 feet. An increase in the maximum block size may be approved only when it is determined that such size is not feasible due to limitations imposed by existing street locations or other fixed structural or topographical features; provided that the increase in block size is approved by variance.

B.

The minimum length of a single block face is 180 feet. A decrease in block face length may be approved by the mayor and council when it is determined that such minimum length is not feasible due to limitations imposed by existing street locations or other fixed structural or topographical features, and that pedestrian and vehicular safety is not impaired.

C.

Blocks shall be formed by streets, not alleys.

A sidewalk shall be located at the sole expense of the developer or builder along all streets within the Commercial District, and along all arterial and collector streets within the city, in keeping with the following requirements

A.

Three parts of a sidewalk: Sidewalks consist of three required areas, a sidewalk landscape zone for street trees and street furniture, a sidewalk clear zone for pedestrian travel, and a supplemental front yard for commercial outdoor dining and product displays, and for residential steps, stoops and porches. Width requirements for each of the three areas of the sidewalk are as indicated on the street type and sidewalk area table located at the end of this section.

B.

Street configuration shall not intrude into the required sidewalk area: Buildings shall be located a sufficient distance from the back of the street curb, in order to ensure that all required sidewalk landscaped zone, clear zone, and supplemental yard widths are met or exceeded. Further, sidewalk width, including the sidewalk landscaped zone, shall not be reduced adjacent to a street's right-turn lane.

C.

Reduction of sidewalk landscaped zone at intersections: At street intersections and driveway crossings, the landscaped zone may be reduced within the area where street pavement widens to provide a turning radius for right-turning vehicles.

D.

At street intersections, the corners of buildings shall be cut at an angle, curved, or otherwise setback an additional distance, where needed to ensure that all sidewalk clear zone and supplemental zone requirements are met or exceeded.

E.

Within the sidewalk landscape zone, the following applies.

1.

Street trees are required, as indicated in the street type and sidewalk area table that follows at the end of this section.

2.

Newly planted trees shall be a minimum caliper of three and one-half inches measured 12 inches above ground level and have a minimum mature height of 50 feet. Trees may be reduced in size, subject to a variance and only upon the zoning official making a written determination that an overhead or underground obstruction such as utilities or bedrock, prevent trees of a greater height, and approving an alternate tree size or type, subject to meeting all other street tree requirements.

3.

Street trees shall be planted a maximum of 50 feet on center and spaced equal distance between streetlights and in-line with end stripes of any adjacent parallel parking spaces. New street trees may be planted a greater distance from existing trees, subject to a variance and only upon the mayor and council approving an alternate location and making a written determination that either a new tree should be moved from beneath an existing, healthy tree canopy; or a determination that strictly meeting minimum spacing requirements would be detrimental to the health of a tree; and subject to meeting all other street tree requirements.

4.

New trees installed within the Commercial District shall be 16 feet or taller. Street trees shall be pruned to a minimum height of ten feet above the sidewalk surface at the time of planting when located in the Commercial District. All other street trees shall be maintained such that all limbs are a minimum of seven feet above the sidewalk surface.

5.

Street trees along arterial streets shall have a minimum planting area of 70 square feet, and along all other streets shall have a minimum planting area of 49 square feet.

6.

Tree planting areas and unpaved areas between tree planting areas shall be planted with evergreen ground cover such as Liriope Spicata, Mondo Grass, or other evergreen ground cover with a maximum mature height of 18 inches, as approved by the city. Evergreen shrubs with a maximum mature height of three feet may be planted, when such areas are located adjacent to arterial streets and not adjacent to on-street parking.

7.

Street furniture and trees: Street furniture and pavers where installed, and all street trees, shall have a location and type subject to approval by the city, including but not limited to the following: benches, waste receptacles, tree grates, bicycle racks, newspaper stands and pedestrian lights. Tree grates are not encouraged and shall be permitted only where sidewalk area is limited and shall be a minimum size of eight feet by five feet. Any pedestrian lights shall be spaced equal distance between street trees.

8.

On-street parking on a narrow street: On narrow local streets where street width is limited, and on-street parking is required or desired, street trees may be provided in landscaped areas located between on-street parking spaces, also known as landscaped bulb-outs, subject to approval by the mayor and council. The minimum planting area within such landscaped bulb-outs shall be 60 square feet.

9.

The Tree Conservation Ordinance applies to all development, construction or redevelopment within the Commercial District.

F.

Within the sidewalk clear zone, the following applies.

1.

Nothing shall be permitted to be located in or intrude upon the clear zone, up to a distance of eight feet above the clear zone surface. Permitted steps, raised stoops, porches and terraces shall be set back a minimum of six inches from the clear zone.

G.

Within all sidewalk supplemental front yards, the following applies.

1.

Nothing shall be placed within the supplemental front yard that blocks visibility or direct pedestrian access from the sidewalk clear zone to the primary pedestrian entrance on the front building facade.

2.

Width requirements for supplemental front yards include a minimum width and an average minimum width, which is intended to encourage variety in the distance of building facades from the sidewalk clear zone. See the street type and sidewalk table below.

3.

Where buildings, which existed before Feb 13, 2017, are adjacent to supplemental front yards that are less than five feet in width, outdoor dining may encroach a maximum of two feet into the sidewalk clear zone, as measured from the front building facade.

H.

Supplemental front yards adjacent to storefront treatment, and all supplemental front yards within the Commercial District have the following additional requirements.

1.

Hardscaping shall be provided for a minimum of 80 percent, and up to 100 percent, of the supplemental zone's horizontal surface area adjacent to storefront treatments.

2.

No landscaping shall be installed that would block pedestrian travel within a distance of five feet from the storefront display window, not including moveable decorative planters.

3.

No structure or object, including any fence, wall, or decorative feature, shall be permanently attached to the supplemental yard in any way, nor shall exceed 48 inches in height.

4.

No portion of a building may intrude into a supplemental front yard.

5.

Porches, stoops, and steps must be recessed into the building, so that there is no intrusion into the supplemental front yard.

6.

Supplemental zone widths will be measured from the face of any permanent building protrusions that is located within eight feet vertical of the sidewalk area. Such permanent building protrusions do not include permitted signs, but do include protrusions such as bay windows, balconies, columns and turrets.

I.

Supplemental front yards that are adjacent to residential treatment, and that are within the Commercial District have the following additional requirements:

1.

Terraces, porches, and stoops are permitted to encroach a maximum depth of 60 percent of the supplemental yard depth.

2.

Stairs may be located from a building to within six inches of the clear zone.

3.

Any porches shall be a minimum width of six feet as measured from the building street facade, and a minimum length of eight feet.

4.

Terraces, porches, and stoops that are not a required "accessible route into and through the dwelling unit," as established by Sec. 804 [42 U.S.C. 3604] (3) (C) (iii) (I) of the Fair Housing Act, shall have a minimum finished floor height of 24 inches above the sidewalk grade. Such terraces, porches, and stoops shall not be considered street facade.

5.

The height of walls and fences, including retaining walls, shall not exceed 48 inches above sidewalk grade, and railings and safety walls around porches, stoops, and steps shall not exceed 48 inches above the height of the adjacent walking surface. Steps shall have hand rails.

6.

Within the Commercial District landscaping shall cover a minimum of 40 percent of the supplemental front yard.

7.

Landscaped areas adjacent to the sidewalk clear zone shall be separated from the clear zone by a raised edge of masonry or concrete, with a minimum height of six inches and a minimum width of six inches.

8.

Inclusion of outdoor dining in the landscaped zone: Within the Commercial District the sidewalk supplemental front yard width requirement may be reduced subject to a variance approved by the mayor and council, provided that the sidewalk area is adjacent to a storefront treatment, and provided that the sidewalk landscape zone is increased by an additional minimum width of six feet for purposes of locating outdoor dining.

A.

Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy (CO) for any new building located on a new street or proposed new street, the street shall be either constructed or guaranteed through bonds to the standards established herein.

B.

One-way streets, including one-way pairs, are prohibited except where traffic lanes split to completely surround a park area.

C.

No acceleration/deceleration lanes are permitted. Arterial streets are permitted right-turn lanes at street intersections, provided sidewalk requirements are met.

D.

Property access along arterial streets shall be provided such that driveway cuts are eliminated wherever possible. Driveway cuts that cannot be eliminated shall be consolidated or reduced in width as much as possible.

E.

The property owner is responsible for the dedication of the right-of-way in accordance with the provisions established by the City of Pine Lake.

F.

New streets' right-of-way shall include sidewalks.

G.

When new streets are developed and dedicated in accordance with requirements for streets and sidewalks provided herein, the maximum building floor area that would have otherwise been allowed within such dedicated street right-of-way shall be allowed to be developed elsewhere on the site, subject to a variance to increase height requirements. Increased heights shall not be permitted within height limitation areas adjacent to R districts, and as otherwise prohibited.

H.

Streets shall be designed to accommodate natural features and preserve mature trees to the maximum extent practicable. A grid pattern is allowable for streets but not required, however, continuity is required. Dead-end streets and cul-de-sacs are prohibited.

I.

The right-of-way for all new streets shall be platted on a final survey plat according to specified street requirements as indicated on the Street Type Table.

J.

New streets shall be a local street. See Street Type Table, below.

A.

Alleys shall be provided only from local streets.

B.

Alleys are required to be provided through a block, or along the rear property line, whenever feasible.

C.

Service areas and off-street parking shall have access provided from an alley, unless such access is not feasible.

D.

Alleys shall meet widths, setbacks and edge of right-of way requirements as set forth in the Alley Requirements Table below.

A.

Street crossings: A pedestrian crossing shall be clearly marked at the intersection of all streets.

B.

Width of pedestrian crossings: Pedestrian street, alley and driveway crossings shall connect and be directly in-line with opposing sidewalks and shall have a width that is equal to or greater than the width of the clear zone of such opposing sidewalks.

C.

Intervening driveways and alleys: Any paving, including concrete and special or decorative paving, within the sidewalk landscape zone, sidewalk clear zone or sidewalk supplemental front yard shall continue across any intervening driveway or alley, which will signal vehicles that pedestrians have the right-of way.

A.

On-street parking is required for local streets on which commercial properties front. On-street parking is prohibited on any road included in the county road system, including Rockbridge Road and Allgood Road. On-street parking may be either parallel or angle parking and shall be subject to the approval of the mayor and council through site plan approval at the time of development. Once initial development occurs utilizing either parallel or angle parking, any additional parking added through subsequent construction on property within the area included within the site plan or within 500 feet of the boundaries of an approved site plan shall utilize an identical form of on-street parking.

B.

Angle parking, where permitted on new streets, shall meet the following dimensional requirements. Forty-five-degree angle parking shall require a parking space depth of 19 feet, nine feet in width and two, ten foot wide travel lanes. Sixty-degree angle parking shall require a parking space depth of 20 feet, nine feet in width and two, 11 foot wide travel lanes.

C.

Parallel parking, where permitted on new streets, shall meet the following dimensional requirements: Each space shall be a minimum of 20 feet in depth and nine feet in width.