In addition to the principal uses which are designated herein as being permitted within the several zoning districts established by the chapter, it is intended that certain uses customarily incidental or accessory to such principal uses shall also be permitted. For the purposes of this chapter, therefore, each of the following uses is considered to be a customary accessory use, and, as such, may be situated on the same lot with the principal use or uses to which it serves as an accessory.

(a)

Accessory structures and uses for residences.

(1)

Private garage for the occupant's automobiles or vehicles. Must be noncommercial usage of garage.

(2)

Parking area or open storage space for motor vehicles belonging to the occupant, and provided that this regulation shall not be misconstrued to mean commercial uses are allowed.

(3)

Shed for the storage of equipment.

(4)

Children's playhouse or play equipment.

(5)

Private kennel, pens, or cages for occupant's pets provided it does not create a nuisance to neighbors.

(6)

Private swimming pool with bath house or cabana provided they are not used for residential purposes.

(7)

Structures designed and used for the purposes of shelter in the event of catastrophes.

(8)

Noncommercial flower, ornamental shrub or vegetable garden, or greenhouse.

(9)

Private boat dock, boat houses.

(b)

Accessory structures and uses for church buildings.

(1)

Religious education buildings.

(2)

Parsonage, pastorium, or parish house, together with any use accessory to a dwelling as listed above.

(3)

Off-street parking area for the use without charge to members and visitors to the church.

(c)

Accessory structures and uses for commercial and industrial uses.

(1)

Off-street parking or storage area for customer, client or employee-owned vehicles.

(2)

Completely enclosed building for the storage of supplies, stock or merchandise.

(3)

Light manufacturing and/or repair facility incidental to the principal use provided that odor, dust, smoke, noise, vibration, heat or glare produced as a result of such manufacturing or repair operation is not perceptible from any boundary line of the lot on which said principal and accessory uses are located and provided such operation is not otherwise specifically prohibited in the district in which the principal use is located.

(4)

Sheltered roofs, awnings or canopies incidental to retail and commercial use, where such use is permitted, provided that no part shall, in any case, be located any closer than the setback required for principle structures.

(d)

Setback and other requirements for accessory uses and structures. In any district, all accessory uses and structures, shall observe all setbacks, yards, and other requirements set forth for the district in which they are located except the side-yard setback (not adjoining a street) for an accessory structure that is no more than 300 square feet in size in a residential district is reduced to 7.5 feet.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 701; Ord. No. 2021-3-1-004, 3-1-21)

Any institutional, commercial, manufactured home park, or industrial uses, off-street loading areas, or off-street parking areas for five or more automobiles shall be separated from adjoining residential property by a continuous planted buffer strip or a solid brick, concrete block or stone wall or a uniformly painted board fence. Such buffer strip, if planted, shall be composed of healthy plants which possess growth characteristics of such a nature as to produce a dense, compact planting screen not less than six feet in height, or if wood, stone, block, or brick shall not be less than six feet high.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 702)

Ingress-egress openings in concrete, asphalt, rock, or other street curbing provisions, commonly referred to as "curb cuts," as well as other means of vehicular access to and from private property shall be regulated in the several zoning districts established by this chapter in accordance with the following requirements:

(1)

Size and spacing of curb cuts and other access points. In no case shall a curb cut or other access point be less than nine feet nor more than 40 feet in length. No two curb cuts or other access points shall be closer than 25 feet from each other except in residential zoning districts.

(2)

Location of curb cuts and other access points. At street intersections no curb cuts or other access points shall be located closer than 25 feet from the intersecting point of the two street rights-of-way or property lines involved (or such lines extended in case of a rounded corner), whichever is the least restrictive.

(3)

Permits for access onto state-owned highway rights-of-way. A permit must be obtained from the Georgia Department of Transportation before curb cuts or any other point of access shall be authorized onto state-owned highway rights-of-way from abutting property.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 703)

On lots having frontage on more than one street, but not located on a corner, the minimum front yard setback shall be provided for each street in accordance with the regulations for the land use district in which the lot is located.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 704)

The front yard requirements of this chapter shall not apply to any lot where the average front yard on already built-upon lots located within 100 feet on each side of such lot and within the zoning district and fronting on the same street as such lot, is less than the minimum required setback. In such cases, the setback on such a lot may be less than the required setback but not less than the average of the existing setbacks on the developed lots. However, in no case shall setback be less than ten feet.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 705)

The height limitations of this chapter shall not apply to church spires, belfries, cupolas and domes not intended for human occupancy, monuments, water towers, observation towers, transmission towers, silos, chimneys, smokestacks, conveyors, flag poles, masts and aerials except where the property is in the MILUN-1 District in which case an exception from the height limitations shall be considered by variance.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 706; Ord. No. 2020-11-2-002, 11-2-20)

Profit-making activities conducted in homes fall into two classes: home occupations and home business offices.

(a)

Home occupation. If a home occupation is permitted in a land use district, it must comply with the following requirements. It shall be allowed, with a special use permit, provided that it:

(1)

Is carried on by a member(s) of the family residing in the dwelling unit only. One employee who is not part of the family is permitted.

(2)

Is conducted entirely within the principal building or accessory structure.

(3)

Utilizes not more than 25 percent of the total floor area of the principal building or 100 percent of the accessory structure.

(4)

Produces no alteration or change in the character or the exterior of the principal building from that of a dwelling.

(5)

Involves no sale or offering for sale of any article not produced or assembled by members of the family or single employee, or any service not entirely performed by members of the family residing on the premises, or single employee.

(6)

Creates no disturbing or offensive noise, vibration, smoke, dust, odor, heat, glare, traffic hazard, unhealthy or unsightly condition.

(7)

Is not visibly evident from the outside of the dwelling except by one non-illuminated sign two square feet or smaller in size.

(b)

Home business office. If a home business office is permitted in a land use district, it must comply with the following requirements:

(1)

There shall be no sign or external indication of the business office.

(2)

No more than one vehicle used in the conduction of the business may be parked at the home location. Signage on this vehicle is limited to the area of the driver and passenger front doors of said vehicle.

(3)

No material, other than office supplies may be stored on-site.

(4)

The office may occupy no more than 25 percent of the floor area of the principal structure or accessory structure.

(5)

The office must be located in the principle structure.

(6)

Only residents of the dwelling may engage in work at the office.

(7)

Customers shall not visit the office.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 707)

(a)

All junk yards shall be completely screened from roads or developed areas with a solid fence or wall a minimum of eight feet, maintained in good condition as determined by the governing authority, and painted except for masonry construction, or with suitable plantings.

(b)

No operations shall be conducted which shall cause a general nuisance or endanger the public health.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 708)

(a)

Continuation of nonconformance. Any lawful use of buildings, structure, land, or parts thereof existing at the time of the adoption or amendment of this chapter, and made nonconforming by the provisions of this chapter or any amendments thereto, may be continued, subject to the provisions of this section.

(b)

Nonconforming lots of record. In any district, a single lot of record at the effective date of the adoption or amendment of this chapter may be built upon even though such lot fails to meet the minimum requirement for lot area or lot width which is applicable in the district, provided such lot is in a separate ownership from and not of continuous frontage with any other lot or lots in the same ownership. For the purposes of this chapter, a single lot of record is an individual parcel of land described on a deed or subdivision plan legally recorded with the Camden County Clerk of Courts. Such lot shall conform to all other requirements, not involving lot area or lot width, for the district in which it is located, unless a variance from such other requirement is obtained from the planning commission.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 709)

(a)

No building or structure or site improvements such as parking or driveways which is nonconforming with respect to the space and bulk requirements of this chapter may be expanded, enlarged or increased in height unless such expanded or enlarged or higher portion complies with the space and bulk requirement of this chapter.

(b)

Should any nonconforming building or structure be destroyed or damaged by any means beyond the control of the owner, it shall be rebuilt or restored within a period of one year or thereafter conform with the space and bulk requirements of this chapter unless a variance from such requirements is granted by the planning commission pursuant to section 110-145. If a nonconforming building is demolished or removed by or for its owner, it shall not be rebuilt or replaced except in conformity with the space and bulk requirements of this chapter unless a variance from such requirements is granted by the planning commission pursuant to section 110-145.

(c)

Should any manufactured home existing in an R-1 district be destroyed or damaged by any means beyond the control of the owner, it shall be replaced or restored within a period of one year or thereafter conform with the use, building and space requirements of section 110-62.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 710; Ord. of 1-31-05, § 1)

(a)

No nonconforming use of land shall be enlarged or increased nor extended to occupy a greater area of land than that occupied at the effective date of the adoption or amendment of this chapter.

(b)

No nonconforming use of land shall be moved in whole or in part to any portion of the lot which was not occupied by such use at the effective date of the adoption or amendment of this chapter.

(c)

If any nonconforming use of land ceases for any reason for a period of more than one year, any subsequent use of such land shall conform to the regulations specified by this chapter for the district in which such land is located.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 711)

(a)

No existing structure devoted to a nonconforming use shall be enlarged, extended or expanded except in changing the use of the structure to a conforming use.

(b)

Any nonconforming use may be extended throughout any parts of a building which were manifestly in existence and arranged or designed for such use at the time of the adoption or amendment of this chapter, but no such use shall be extended to occupy any land outside such building.

(c)

If a nonconforming use of a structure is superseded by a permitted use, the nonconforming use shall not thereafter be resumed.

(d)

If any nonconforming use of a structure ceases for any reason for a period of more than one year, any subsequent use of such structure shall conform to the regulations specified by this chapter for the district in which such structure is located.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 712)

In order to minimize accidents at road intersections, the following regulations shall apply in all districts:

(1)

Within the area formed by the rights-of-way lines of intersecting roads and a straight line connecting points on such rights-of-way lines, at a distance of 20 feet from their points of intersection there shall be a clear space with no obstruction to vision between the height of 30 inches and a height of ten feet above the average grade of road as measured at the centerline thereof.

(2)

Requirements of this section shall not be deemed to prohibit any necessary retaining wall.

(3)

Trees shall be permitted in the clear space provided that foliage is cut away within the prescribed height.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 713)

At the intersection of any private drive, or entrance, or exit with a public street: no fence, wall, hedge or other planting, or sign forming a material impediment to visibility over a height of 2½ feet shall be erected, planted, placed, or maintained.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 714)

Editor's note— Section 1 of an ordinance adopted Sept. 9, 2002, repealed § 110-105 which pertained to travel trailer parks and derived from an ordinance adopted Sept. 12, 1994, § 715.

No more than one travel trailer, camper or recreational vehicle may be stored on a residential lot. Such trailer, camper or vehicle may not be occupied, used or connected to water, sewer or electrical utilities in any residential district.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 716)

Shopping centers are defined as a group of three or more retail stores or shops under single ownership or management or owned individually as condominium unit. Shopping centers are special permit uses in C-2 Districts and shall comply with the requirements of special uses and the following additional standards. The applicant shall submit site plan containing all the relevant information in order for the planning commission and city council to determine that the proposed development meets the requirements of this chapter.

(1)

There shall be no more than two access points to any one public street. All entrance and exit points shall be located to afford maximum safety to traffic, provide for safe and convenient ingress and egress to and from the site and to minimize conflict with the flow of traffic.

(2)

Any exit driveway shall be so designed so as to provide the following minimum sight distance measured in each direction. The measurements shall be from the driver's seat of a vehicle standing on that portion of the exit driveway with the front of the vehicle a minimum of ten feet behind the curbline or edge of shoulder with the height of the eye 3.75 feet to the top of an object 4.5 feet above the pavement.

(3)

Where a site occupies a corner of two intersecting roads, no driveway entrance or exit shall be located within 50 feet of the point of tangency of the existing or proposed curb radius of that site.

(4)

No part of any driveway shall be located within a minimum of ten feet of a side property line. However, the planning commission/city council may permit a driveway serving two or more adjacent sites to be located on or within ten feet of a side property line between adjacent sites.

(5)

If the proposed shopping center is adjacent to another shopping or commercial property, the commission/council may require connection of parking areas so as to alleviate use of the public street for traffic movement between properties.

(6)

Driveways shall intersect the road at an angle of as near 90 degrees as site conditions will permit and in no case less than 60 degrees.

(7)

The dimensions of the driveways shall be designed to accommodate adequate the volume and character of vehicles anticipated to be attracted daily to the development. The following are the minimum widths:

One-way driveways: 15 feet.

Two-way driveways: 25 feet.

(8)

Any driveway shall be constructed with the surface approved by the commission/council. Such surface shall extend to the paved portion of the road and shall extend throughout the area defined by the required driveway dimensions.

(9)

Where a driveway serves right-turning traffic from a parking area providing 200 or more parking spaces and the road has an average daily traffic volume exceeding 7,500 vehicles, an acceleration lane and a deceleration lane for each connection is required. Each shall be 200 feet in length and ten feet wide. A minimum 35 foot curb return radius shall be used for each.

(10)

Parking shall be provided as required in article IV. Parking aisles which provide direct access to individual parking stalls shall be 25 feet wide. All parking shall be 90 degrees (perpendicular) from the aisles.

a.

Parking areas should be designed to focus on major walkways, which should be fenced or marked.

b.

Where pedestrians must cross service roads or access roads to reach parking areas, crosswalks should be clearly designed by pavement markings or signs and lighted. Crosswalk surfaces should be raised slightly to be distinguished from driveways, unless drainage problems would result.

(11)

Exterior lighting shall meet the following requirements:

a.

The style of the light and the light standard shall be consistent with the architectural style of the principal building.

b.

The maximum height of freestanding lights shall be no more than 25 feet.

c.

All lights shall be shielded to restrict the maximum apex angle of the cone of illumination to 150 degrees.

d.

Where lights along property lines will be visible to adjacent residents, the lights should be appropriately shielded.

e.

Spotlight-type fixtures attached to buildings are not permitted.

f.

The following intensity in foot-candles should be provided:

1.

Parking lots: an average of 1.5 foot-candles throughout;

2.

Intersections: Three foot-candles;

3.

Maximum at property lines: One foot-candle.

(12)

Buffer and landscaping shall be required as follows:

a.

Buffers are fences, landscaping, berm and mounds used to minimize any adverse impacts or nuisance on the site or from adjacent areas. Buffers are required where a shopping center abuts a residential use or district.

b.

Natural plants can be used as buffers, if the existing natural plants are sufficient to block the view of the new shopping center. New plantings can be used if they are of sufficient size and character to substantially block the view of the shopping center from the residential area.

c.

Landscaping is required for all shopping centers. For each 24 parking spaces there shall be required adjacent to the parking spaces, three canopy trees, two understory trees and six shrubs.

d.

Unless otherwise specifically indicated by the planning commission, all plant materials required shall meet the following minimum size standards:

Canopy tree: 2½ caliper.

Understory tree: Four feet in height.

Shrub: Two feet in height.

(Ord. of 9-12-94, § 717)

All towers and tall structures over 75 feet in height shall only be permitted by special use permit. Each application for special use permit shall be considered as if the land were in the MILUN-1 District with due notice to be given to the commanding officer of NSB Kings Bay.

(Ord. No. 2020-11-2-002, 11-2-20)

Intent. The intent of the accessory dwelling standards is to provide an opportunity for an accessory dwelling while ensuring that specific conditions are met to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the residents within the zoning jurisdiction. The following standards apply.

(a)

Areas regulations. Accessory dwellings shall follow the setback requirements for the district in which they are located. Accessory dwellings shall be counted as part of the maximum lot coverage except that the maximum lot coverage may be increased by five percent if a rain garden or other approved stormwater best management practice is installed and maintained to mitigate the additional stormwater runoff created by the accessory dwelling.

(b)

Types.

(1)

Permitted. An accessory dwelling shall include a guest house, mother-in-law suite, or any single dwelling unit.

(2)

Prohibited. A mobile homes, recreational vehicle, semi-tractor trailer, boat, motor vehicle, or trailer; in part, in whole, or of the like shall not be permitted as an accessory dwelling.

(c)

Relationship.

(1)

Use. An accessory dwelling shall be accessory to the primary structure (primary dwelling).

(2)

Timing. An accessory dwelling shall not be built on a lot prior to the construction of the primary structure (primary dwelling).

(d)

Quantity and Size.

(1)

Maximum number. No more than one accessory dwelling shall be permitted on a lot, each accessory dwelling shall consist of only one unit.

(2)

Size. An accessory dwelling shall be a minimum of 450 square feet but shall not exceed 1,200 square feet or the square footage of the primary structure (primary dwelling), whichever is less.

(e)

Design.

(1)

The roof shall be covered with asphalt composition shingles, 5-V metal roofing, tile materials or other suitable materials. Corrugated metal or plastic panels are prohibited.

(2)

The exterior wall materials may include clapboards, simulated clapboards such as conventional vinyl or metal siding, wood shingles, shakes, stucco, brick, brick veneer, concrete block, or similar materials, but shall not include smooth ribbed or corrugated metal or plastic panels. The accessory dwelling shall, where practical, match the architectural style of the primary structure (primary dwelling).

(3)

Attachment and location. The accessory dwelling may be attached to or detached from the primary structure (primary dwelling). If detached from the primary structure the accessory dwelling shall be located behind the primary structure so as to not be closer to the road than the primary structure.

(4)

Minimum components. The accessory dwelling shall contain a bathroom, kitchen, and sleeping facilities.

(5)

Driveway. An accessory dwelling shall utilize the driveway of the primary structure (primary dwelling).

(6)

Public utilities. An accessory dwelling shall be connected to public utilities in the following manner:

a.

Water. Each accessory dwelling shall be individually metered and pay the requisite minimum charges.

b.

Sewer. Each accessory dwelling shall be connected to the public sewer where available by an adequately sized service.

(7)

Private utilities. An accessory dwelling shall be connected to private utilities in the manner prescribed by the utility provider.

(Ord. No. 2021-8-16-001, 8-16-21)