Senoia Georgia is a small, enclave community with a recognized, historic town center. Senoia's early neighborhoods form a significant national register historic district. These historic assets lend character and an identity to the city and, together with Newnan, Senoia is one of only a few Southside communities with a sense of place.

Senoia lies along two regional arterials, Highway 85 and Highway 16, which form an important gateway to the community and is located within reasonable commuting distance of the Atlanta airport and major employment centers in the region. Downtown Senoia is the location of a station on the planned commuter rail line. At the doorstep of burgeoning Peachtree City in Fayette County, Senoia is poised for substantial residential and commercial growth.

Senoia seeks a commercial development model that will prevent creation of the all too familiar "strip commercial corridors" characterizing many undesirable commercial corridors.

The Senoia City Council tasked the city administrator with developing the regulatory tools necessary to preserving the historic character of the community while accommodating projected growth. The city administrator consulted with the Senoia Planning Commission that serves as the historic preservation commission in framing the underlying concepts influencing this Highway 85 and Highway 16 commercial overlay.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § A, 12-3-2007)

The purpose of the overlay is to establish architectural design and site development standards for regulation of development and construction on Highway 85 and Highway 16 in the City of Senoia. Residential growth in Senoia is expected to propel commercial growth along these arterials. The city seeks standards that will ensure development of architecturally appealing and functional commercial settings. It is the express legislative intent of this overlay that strip or single lot, commercial development will undermine the objectives sought through adoption and implementation of this overlay.

These standards are intended to give direction to both owners and potential developers of property encompassed by the overlay. The further purpose is to ensure quality development and preserve and enhance Senoia's historic character and small town charm. The City of Senoia Comprehensive Plan projects an increase in population from an estimated 3,059 residents in 2006 to 7,800 in 2026. An expansion in commercial services will be needed to serve this market as well as the commuter market on Highway 85 and Highway 16. The overlay is intended to encourage development consistent with the City of Senoia Comprehensive Plan.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § B, 12-3-2007)

The standards and requirements of this Highway 85 and Highway 16 commercial overlay shall apply to all commercial properties within the geography depicted on the Official Zoning Map of the City of Senoia. These standards shall apply to all new construction and shall apply to the affected portions of any redevelopment site or refurbished building where such renovation exceeds 50 percent of the assessed value within the overlay.

Whenever the standards of the overlay impose a more restrictive standard than the provisions of any other ordinance, statute or covenant, the standards of the overlay shall govern.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § C, 12-3-2007)

The general boundary of the Highway 85 and Highway 16 commercial overlay shall be defined by those properties having frontage on Highway 85, between Seavy Street and the southern city limits, and/or on Highway 16, between Dead Oak Creek and the eastern city limits, to a depth of 1,000 feet. In no case shall these standards apply to that portion of Highway 85 properties also having frontage on an existing city street that comprises a depth of 300 feet on the lesser street frontage. The actual overlay zoning boundary shall be as approved by the mayor and city council and as subsequently designated on the official zoning map.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § D, 12-3-2007; Ord. No. 12-05, Arts. 1, 2, 10-1-2012)

Brick: A durable fired clay product having nominal dimensions of no less or greater than two and one quarter inches by three and one half inches by eight inches used as a permanent exterior finish material in building construction.

Canopy Tree: Any tree of greater or equal height and crown spread than surrounding trees; canopy trees typically reach a mature height of greater than 40 feet. Examples include beech, hickory, maple, oak, pecan, pine and sycamore.

Cornice: In classical architecture, the ornamental molding at the top of a wall, typically under the eaves, is divided into three parts: the architrave below, the frieze in the middle and the cornice above. Informally, the term cornice is used to describe all three of these moldings.

Facade: That portion of any exterior elevation on a building extending from grade to the top of a parapet wall, or eaves and comprising the entire width of the building elevation.

Foundation Plantings: Foundation plantings shall include all areas within five feet of building perimeter where planting of flowers, shrubs, grasses or other horticultural elements are planted in the ground to enhance the visual amenity of a development.

Greenspace: A natural area that does not comprise any portion of a required yard and is intended to afford an amenity to the public and contains no structures other than incidental pedestrian furnishings.

Interparcel access: A private, vehicular way adequate to convey vehicular traffic from the subject property to adjacent properties in an unimpeded manner.

Landscaped Area: Landscape area shall include all areas within the development site on any zoned lot that can be used for planting of flowers, shrubs, grasses, trees or other horticultural or architectural elements, all of which are designed to enhance the visual amenity of a development. This area shall include landscape buffers, parking lot islands, entrance plantings and parking lot perimeter plantings. This area shall not include any building, structure, hard paved surface used for vehicular access or parking, utility easements or tree save area where specimen trees are saved.

Loading area: Space logically and conveniently located for pickup and delivery service, scaled to the vehicles expected to be used and accessible to such vehicles at all times.

Lot of record: A parcel of land the subdivision of which has been legally recorded with the Office of the Clerk of Superior Court of Coweta County, except that any subdivision of land recorded after date of adoption of the land development ordinance shall have been approved by the City of Senoia according to procedures defined in the land development ordinance.

Mass Grading: The movement or redistribution of large quantities of earth over large areas involving more than one contiguous lot or more than one phase of a common plan of development occurring at one time for the purpose of balancing dirt and establishing padded lots.

Overlay: A zoning tool that is established by ordinance to prescribe regulations that supplement, and are to be applied in combination with, those of the original, underlying zoning.

Parapet: That portion of a wall that extends above the roofline.

Portico: A colonnade or covered entrance, especially in classical styles of architecture; usually, a covered entrance of the building that is supported by columns.

Primary facade: The building elevation that faces a street providing principal access to the lot and conveying traffic within and throughout the development. Such streets may be comprised of Highway 85, Highway 16 and the secondary access streets.

Secondary access road: A subordinate street intended to provide vehicle access to individual properties and designed to minimize the number of driveways directly accessing either Highway 16 or Highway 85.

Secondary facade: The building elevation that faces a street providing access to the lot from the primary access street.

Specimen Tree: Any tree, which has been determined to be of high value because of its type, size, age, or other criteria, and/or has been so designated according to administrative standards established by the city council and further defined in the tree preservation ordinance, section 30-101.

Recompense: For specimen trees; an equivalent or compensation for damage incurred or where specimen trees are removed and not replanted on-site.

Understory tree: Any tree or woody plant of lesser height and crown spread than surrounding trees. Understory species generally reach a mature height of less than 40 feet. Examples include cherry, crab apple, dogwood, magnolia, pear, redbud, holly, sassafras, and red cedar.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § E, 12-3-2007; Ord. No. 23-07, Art. IX, 12-4-2023; Ord. No. 2024-02, Art. IX, 2-5-2024)

All uses of property that are permitted on a lot according to the underlying and primary zoning district, except those uses expressly excluded in section 74-184 of this article, are permitted in the Highway 85 and Highway 16 commercial overlay.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § F, 12-3-2007)

The following uses shall be prohibited within the Highway 85 and Highway 16 commercial overlay:

(1)

Automobile and truck sales;

(2)

Automobile body repair shop;

(3)

Billiard hall;

(4)

Boat storage;

(5)

Boat sales, service and repair;

(6)

Builder supplies and storage;

(7)

Bus station;

(8)

Contractor equipment—Materials storage;

(9)

Equipment rental—Industrial;

(10)

Flea market;

(11)

Group personal care home;

(12)

Junk yard or salvage yard;

(13)

Machine shop, fabrication, welding sales, etc.;

(14)

Manufacturing facility;

(15)

Mini-warehouse;

(16)

Recycling center or collection station;

(17)

Heavy equipment repair;

(18)

Rooming or boarding house;

(19)

Truck terminal;

(20)

Wrecker services;

(21)

Pawn shops, including title pawn;

(22)

Check cashing outlets.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § G, 12-3-2007; Ord. No. 12-05, Arts. 3, 4, 10-1-2012)

(a)

Streetscape. A streetscape plan for all development in the overlay shall be subject to approval by mayor and city council. Front yard landscaping areas shall be as provided herein along the entire property frontage, except where driveways or other openings may be required. Landscaping shall utilize fences, berms, walls, sidewalks, trees and other such methods subject to approval by mayor and city council.

The streetscape plan shall accommodate an undisturbed, natural buffer along the frontage of Highway 85 as provided herein. All development on Highway 16 and any secondary road shall maintain a landscaped buffer having a minimum horizontal dimension of 25 feet along all property lines abutting these roadways.

(b)

Underground utilities. All on site utilities shall be located underground.

(c)

Site development. Mass grading or clearing of a site shall only be allowed where the development demonstrates compliance with the tree save requirements including a specimen tree inventory, specimen tree save plan, and specimen tree replacement/recompense plan as part of the development plan approval process. Where a site, typically within a larger common plan of development, has been previously mass graded and no trees are present at the time of development approval, the tree inventory and tree save plans shall be waived, however the tree replacement plan shall be required and shall be in accordance with subsection (f) of section 74-191.

(d)

Site inspection. All required silt fence and tree protection fencing shall be installed and inspected before land disturbance commences.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § H, 12-3-2007; Ord. No. 23-07, Art. IX, 12-4-2023; Ord. No. 2024-02, Art. IX, 2-5-2024)

(a)

Transportation infrastructure. A primary objective of the overlay as concerns Highway 85 is establishment of a "secondary road network." Such a network is intended to minimize disruption of traffic flow on Highway 85 and to provide opportunities for provision of abundant landscaping characterizing the overlay. Platting of properties being developed within the overlay shall afford construction and dedication of such a network either through provision of single loaded building sites to the rear of the secondary road or by platting of building sites along Highway 85. In either case, a 40-foot landscaped buffer or, at the developer's option, a 30-foot buffer with berming having a minimum height of four feet, shall be maintained adjacent to the Highway 85 right-of-way, encroached upon only by public streets and sidewalks.

(1)

It is encouraged that each site plan submitted for any development within the overlay provide for present or future dedication of right-of-way as previous platting may accommodate for construction of public roads. Such roads shall provide access to property interior to the development. Approval of any site plan for development along the proposed secondary access road shall be conditioned upon agreement of the developer of the property to fully fund the cost of construction of such proposed public road along that development's frontage. The site plan shall consider the alignment of such secondary road on adjacent parcels and shall cooperate with the city in design and layout of an efficient and economical secondary road network.

(2)

Upon a finding by the city engineer that a development poses inordinate traffic impacts, the applicant shall prepare a professional traffic study according to the standard traffic methodology. In addition to the general standards of the methodology, the traffic study shall include weekend traffic generation and impact analysis. The traffic study shall also evaluate all intersections nearest to the site, or any area designated by the city engineer.

(b)

Interparcel access. Interparcel vehicle access between all contiguous office and commercial lots is encouraged.

(c)

Access. All building lots along Highway 85 shall be accessed from a city road; direct access from Highway 85 shall be as determined by GDOT. No building lot shall have direct access from Highway 85 or Highway 16 unless specifically approved by the city.

(1)

No new driveway shall be permitted to provide ingress or egress to property on Highway 85 following adoption of this overlay, except for the purpose of serving existing lots of record. Access to Highway 16 shall be controlled by limiting the number of curb cuts, which shall not exceed two for the first 200 feet of frontage, with 24 feet being the maximum curb cut width. The number of such cuts may be increased by one for each additional 150 feet of road frontage on Highway 16.

(d)

Street width. Where secondary roads are approved, the combined pavement and curb and gutter width of undivided streets within the overlay shall not exceed 24 feet.

(e)

Parking. Unless a parking courtyard design can be achieved, off-street parking shall be uniformly distributed across the building site. In the case of freestanding buildings or shopping centers that do not have a street along the front and rear of the property, the area between the front of the building and the right-of-way shall be limited to a maximum of 25 percent of the required parking and limited to a maximum of one double row of parking. A maximum of 50 percent of off-street parking shall be located to the sides of the building, with the remaining parking located to the rear of the building.

(1)

Development tracts having no public right-of-way to the rear of the site and accommodating truck loading areas to the rear of the principal building shall be exempt from these requirements; however, parking located between the front of the building and the right-of-way shall be limited to a maximum of 50 percent of the required parking.

(2)

No parking or service areas shall be permitted within 50 feet of the property line of an adjoining residential zoning lot. Parking and service areas shall be separated from adjoining residential zoning lots using a suitable landscaped screen across the entire width of this 50-foot buffer, which may be provided in combination with a fence or wall. Installation of such fence or wall shall not be a substitute for plant materials distributed appropriately across the entire buffer. Such screening shall achieve a reasonable visual separation between the properties, subject to approval by the city administrator.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § I, 12-3-2007)

A minimum of one parking space for every 300 square feet of commercial floor area available to the public shall be provided on all developments within the overlay and for every one golf cart space provided on site, one car parking space can be subtracted from the development's parking requirements, up to 15 percent of the total parking requirement. Any parking area re-construction involving an area equal to or greater than 50 percent of the paved surface shall trigger compliance with this article. Resurfacing shall not be deemed re-construction.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, 12-3-2007; Ord. No. 23-07, Art. IX, 12-4-2023; Ord. No. 2024-02, Art. IX, 2-5-2024)

(a)

Architecture and building materials. Buildings shall be designed to depict the appearance of 19th and 20th century architectural styles found in downtown Senoia. These styles consist primarily of brick facades having parapets and flat roofs.

Architectural design of all office and commercial structures shall comply with the following standards:

(1)

Building facades shall consist of architectural treatments of brick, stone, concrete stucco in combination with glass and metal as support and trim components, only. Metal sided or portable buildings, vinyl siding and aluminum siding shall be prohibited. Synthetic stucco cementitious siding or natural wood shall also be prohibited as a primary exterior finish material, provided that accent features not exceeding ten percent of the building facade may consist of synthetic stucco, cementitious materials or natural wood.

(2)

Buildings shall have flat roofs with a parapet wall; mansard roof styles shall be prohibited.

(3)

Architectural design of all commercial buildings shall comply with the following additional standards:

a.

Facades of multiple tenant buildings shall be varied in depth, parapet height or building materials to produce an appearance of multiple tenant occupancy. Two and three story is encouraged, and a minimum facade height of 24 feet shall be achieved.

b.

A distinctive architectural entry feature shall be provided for individual tenant entrances for commercial spaces exceeding 10,000 square feet of leasable area.

c.

All exterior walls visible from roadways or parking areas shall incorporate changes in building material and color or varying facade such as trellises, false windows or recessed panels reminiscent of window, door or colonnade openings, or storefront along every 150 linear feet of such wall.

d.

Roof parapets shall be articulated to provide visual relief. Parapets shall include articulations or architectural features at a minimum rate of every 100 linear feet. The minimum height of articulations or such features shall be one foot, and may be provided as height offset or facade projections such as porticoes or towers.

e.

Building design shall include minimum one-foot deep cornices, extending along the entire front of buildings and the sides of buildings a minimum of ten feet.

f.

Building design shall include a minimum one-foot high contrasting base, extending along the entire front of buildings and the sides of buildings a minimum of ten feet. Building facade materials shall be combined only horizontally, with the heavier, more substantial materials placed below the lighter.

g.

Windows. Blank, windowless walls are prohibited along primary and secondary facades. Street level storefronts shall consist of display windows comprising a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 80 percent of the primary and secondary facades. All other building stories shall have windows that equal a minimum of 30 percent and maximum of 60 percent of the total facade, with each story being calculated independently. Mirrored glass with a reflection index of greater than 20 percent is prohibited.

h.

Roof-mounted equipment. Roof-mounted equipment shall be screened from view or isolated so as not to be visible from any public right-of-way or residential zoning district within 150 feet as viewed from five feet above ground level. Roof screens and parapet walls shall be coordinated with the building to present a unified appearance.

(b)

Accessory structures. Accessory structures shall be constructed with the same materials as the principal structure and shall match the predominant facade colors and rooflines. Banding and roofing materials of accessory structures, which shall include, but not be limited to gasoline sales canopies, shall also match the materials and colors of the predominant facade.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § J, 12-3-2007; Ord. No. 12-05, Arts. 5, 6, 10-1-2012)

Building setback. A minimum front and side yard setback shall correspond to the size of the buffer requirement in all commercial development.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § K, 12-3-2007)

All new utility lines shall be located underground. All mechanical, HVAC and like systems shall be screened on all sides by an opaque wall. Such screening shall be identical to the exterior finish materials of the principal building.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, 12-3-2007)

(a)

All developments shall to the extent practical provide entryway berming for the purpose of shielding parking areas, loading docks, dumpsters, and similar areas from view by employing the following methods, in order of preference:

• Preservation of natural land forms, trees and other landscape elements.

• Landscaped berms with asymmetrical groupings of plant materials, including trees and shrubs which are long lived, and indigenous to Senoia and this part of Georgia and 50 percent of which shall be evergreen species.

• Landscaped berms with linear, open form fences.

(b)

Buildings shall incorporate live plant materials as foundation plantings on all sides visible from a public right-of-way or from adjacent commercial or residential development including private streets and parking lots. Breaks in foundation planting shall be allowed for walkways to building entrances and exits, ground mounted mechanical systems and utility boxes, and where allowed for drive-thru access. Planters shall be allowed as mitigation where foundation plantings are not feasible. Where ground mounted mechanical systems and utility boxes are adjacent to the foundation, appropriate low walls and plantings shall be provided to screen the view of these systems from the public right-of-way and from adjacent commercial or residential development including private streets and parking lots.

(c)

Site furnishings and amenities shall include at a minimum benches, tables, pedestrian lighting, trash receptacles and bicycle racks and shall be required for all developments within the corridor and shall complement the building design and style and be consistent with furnishings and structures in Historic Downtown Senoia.

(d)

A landscape buffer having a minimum horizontal dimension of 20 feet and an average horizontal dimension of 25 feet shall be provided along all property lines abutting roadways. A landscape buffer having a minimum horizontal dimension of 15 feet shall be provided along all other property lines, except that a 50-foot landscaped buffer shall be established along all abutting residential properties.

(e)

A minimum of eight percent of the parking lot shall be landscaped. Landscaped areas shall be protected by raised curbs or fixed wheel stops and shall have a minimum area of 120 square feet and minimum dimension of six feet. No parking space shall be located more than 100 feet from a canopy tree.

(f)

One canopy tree shall be planted for every 500 square feet of landscaped area and shrubs shall be planted at a ratio of six shrubs for every one canopy tree. Where canopy trees are not appropriate due to existing canopy coverage, on or adjacent to the site, understory trees and native flowering trees may be substituted for canopy trees. Canopy trees shall include both medium and large tree species and shall be spaced 30 to 40 feet on center. All proposed trees shall be from the City of Senoia approved tree species list, latest edition.

(g)

The developer shall inventory all specimen trees onsite and make every effort to retain/save healthy specimen trees by strategically designing undisturbed open spaces, boundary buffers, and site amenity areas to protect specimen trees. A tree protection plan (TPP) with protective barriers shall be required and submitted with other permit drawings as part of the land disturbance permit approval process. For retained/saved specimen trees, a minimum tree save area for tree protection shall be delineated on the construction plans and this area shall be removed from the required landscape area calculations when determining the required number of canopy trees. This minimum tree protection area shall be defined by a radius equal to one foot per one inch of diameter and shall be protected in the field from clearing, grading or compaction by tree protection measures as defined in the tree preservation ordinance. Where specimen trees are not able to be saved, replanting or recompense shall be required as an inch for inch (d.b.h.) replacement, at a minimum, with equivalent two-to-three-inch trees. Replacement trees may count toward the canopy tree requirements listed in (f) of this section. Where replacement trees are not able to be replanted on-site, due to site conditions or overcrowding, a contribution to the tree fund for recompense shall be required. This contribution shall be calculated using the method defined in tree preservation ordinance.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, 12-3-2007; Ord. No. 23-07, Art. IX, 12-4-2023; Ord. No. 2024-02, Art. IX, 2-5-2024)

Detention ponds or retention areas shall be designed to blend with adjacent landscaped areas to the greatest possible extent. Such stormwater facilities may be located within a buffer; however, when located adjacent to the perimeter of the building site, fenced ponds shall not be located in a front yard or within 50 feet of a property boundary.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, 12-3-2007)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 21-09, § 1, adopted June 1, 2021, repealed § 74-193, which pertained to signs and derived from Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, adopted Dec. 3, 2007. The information from this previous section regarding signs can now be found in § 52-10 of this Code.

(a)

Loading docks and loading areas shall be located or screened so as to be concealed from view from neighboring streets and properties. No loading dock shall be located between the primary or secondary facade of any building and a public street.

(b)

All loading docks shall be screened from view of any street or residentially zoned lot by a continuous planting of evergreen shrubs. Shrubs shall be moderately growing, be a minimum height of six feet at time of planting, and reach a height of eight feet within two years of planting.

(c)

Commercial properties that adjoin a residential zoning lot to the rear shall enclose loading areas using a masonry wall constructed of materials and exterior finishes identical to the side elevations and having a minimum height of six feet and a maximum height of ten feet.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, 12-3-2007)

(a)

No unenclosed, outside storage shall be permitted. Such enclosure as will permit unroofed, outside storage shall be comprised of walls having a minimum height of six feet, but in no case less than the height of equipment, materials, merchandise or other goods to be stored or exceeding ten feet in height. These walls shall be identical in exterior finish materials to the walls of the primary or secondary facade of the principal structure. Fencing, with or without typical fence screening materials, shall not be considered as a screening wall. Chain link fencing is prohibited.

(b)

Outdoor display of merchandise shall be permitted provided such display is located adjacent to the principal structure and conforms to the setbacks for the zoning district.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, 12-3-2007)

(a)

All developments shall provide sidewalks having a minimum width of six feet along all frontages of the lot that abut a public street.

(b)

Continuous on-site sidewalks having a minimum width of five feet shall be provided from the public sidewalk to the principal customer entrance of all buildings on the site. Such sidewalks shall provide weather protection features such as awnings or arcades along the building facade within 30 feet of all customer entrances. Sidewalks shall connect focal points of pedestrian activity such as, but not limited to, street crossings, building and store entrances.

(c)

Sidewalks having a minimum width of six feet shall be provided along the full length of the building facade featuring a customer entrance, and along any facade abutting public parking areas.

(d)

All buildings shall provide direct pedestrian access from on-site parking areas as well as the public sidewalk.

(e)

Sidewalk, curb and paving designs, patterns and materials shall be compatible and consistent with those found in the historic town center area. Enhanced design features may be permitted with city approval. Acceptable materials include (may be mixed with one another): brick, concrete and smooth face stone, random rectangular shape with regular joints. Prohibited materials include: stamped concrete, and rough cut (uneven cleft) field stone with irregular joints.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, 12-3-2007; Ord. No. 2024-02, Art. IX, 2-5-2024)

(a)

Streetlights shall be provided along all public rights-of-way utilizing decorative light poles and fixtures consistent with the design adopted by the City of Senoia for the overlay. The light source shall be high-pressure sodium. Streetlights shall be staggered, 150 feet on-center, along both sides of the roadway. This standard shall not apply to Highway 85 or Highway 16.

(b)

Lighting in parking areas shall provide area lighting sufficient to achieve a minimum illumination of 2.4 foot-candles of light as measured at grade level and recommended in the IESNA Lighting Handbook.

(c)

All building entrances, walks and vehicular access shall be lit.

The following lighting guidelines shall apply:

• Walk and access lighting: 120-Volt Halogen 20 to 50 Watts.

• Architectural and landscape lighting: 120-Volt Halogen 50 to 100 Watts.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, 12-3-2007)

Dumpsters shall be screened from view on all four sides. Screening shall consist of three solid walls of brick, stone or stucco construction, a minimum of six feet in height, and the fourth wall shall be comprised of opaque metal or wooden gates. The gate opening shall have a minimum width of 12 feet. All dumpsters shall be equipped with lids. The pad of the gated dumpster enclosure shall be concrete pad and all dumpster approaches shall also be concrete and have a minimum length of ten feet. Dumpster shall be located a minimum of 50 feet from any residential zoning district or use, and the Highway 85 or Highway 16 right-of-way, but may otherwise be located within any required building setback.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, 12-3-2007)

All developments shall reserve a minimum of 20 percent of the gross lot area as greenspace. Greenspace shall be strategically located for the beneficial use of customers and employees. No more than 50 percent of required greenspace shall be located within a 100-year floodplain, wetlands or utility easement.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § L, 12-3-2007)

(a)

Application procedures. All applicants for new development, occupational tax permit, and/or construction permits that expand the use or building footprint shall apply for plan approval through the city administrator. Application forms available from the city must be submitted, together with a scaled site plan depicting the proposed improvements.

Applications shall be filed with the city administrator 30 days prior to the meeting of the planning commission at which the development is to be considered as reflected on the calendar provided with all application forms. No construction or site work of any kind shall be permitted prior to approval of plans and specifications by planning commission.

(b)

Pre-application conference. Prior to filing an application for rezoning, development permits or building permits of property within the overlay, the applicant shall confer with city administrator for the purpose of reviewing the proposal and to obtain information about development standards and ordinances affecting property within the overlay.

(c)

Site plan requirement. Any application for rezoning in the Highway 85 and Highway 16 commercial overlay shall be accompanied by a site plan as provided below. A narrative containing the following information shall also be provided:

• A description of the character of the development, including a summary of floor area by use, number and types of commercial spaces, total lot area and square footage allocation for parking, landscaping and greenspace.

• A development and construction schedule indicating major milestones in the proposed development.

• Projects to be developed in phases shall provide a general statement of the proposed development schedule by phase.

• Any agreements, provisions and covenants that govern the use, maintenance and protection of the development and any common or greenspace areas.

•  A professional traffic study may be required for projects expected to generate more than 500 vehicle trips per day.

A "design book" that will depict and guide architectural style, scale and materials to be used in the development shall also be produced by the applicant. The front, rear and side elevations and perspective drawings of all structures to be built must be included in the design book.

(d)

Application requirements. Applications for development under this article shall be accompanied by a scaled site plan of not greater than one inch equals 50 feet depicting:

(1)

Lot size and dimensions;

(2)

Proposed project, including use, building footprint, height, materials and front, rear and side building elevations;

(3)

Pedestrian circulation;

(4)

Vehicular access and parking facilities; loading facilities;

(5)

Buffers, greenspace and landscaping;

(6)

Site lighting;

(7)

Furnishings;

(8)

Proposed signs;

(9)

Dumpsters; and

(10)

Adjoining uses and zoning.

Information concerning the latter shall indicate the architectural relationship of the proposed project or improvement to the surrounding context and shall be in the form of sketches or photographs.

(e)

Review procedures. The city administrator and planning commission shall review all applications regulated under this article. Such review shall ensure proposal consistency with the purposes of this article and conformance to the standards contained herein. Site plan review by the city administrator and planning commission shall precede any action by mayor and council. The findings and recommendations of the city administrator and planning commission shall be provided to mayor and council, which may incorporate such findings and recommendations in their consideration of the proposal. Planning commission shall be empowered to issue non-binding approvals or denials of site development, construction or alteration matters. All applications require final action by the mayor and council.

Applications proposing construction or site work that, in the opinion of planning commission, do not comply with the standards of this article shall be presented to the mayor and council as nonconforming and planning commission shall recommend denial to the mayor and council.

Applications that may be approved by mayor and council shall be forwarded to the city administrator and the necessary permits issued. Should the applicant be unable or unwilling to comply with the recommended changes suggested to reach compliance with this article, no permits shall be issued. All recommended changes shall comply with the standards set out herein.

The findings of planning commission shall comprise only non-binding recommendations to mayor and council, and the governing body shall be empowered to approve or deny the application based on those recommendations and application of this article.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § M, 12-3-2007)

(See official zoning map).

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 9, § N, 12-3-2007)