The purpose of the IIR district is to foster redevelopment in and around historic downtown Senoia. The district is conceived as a walkable environment encompassing a wide range of housing types intended to attract a broad spectrum of residents. As the town center is a finite space, varied residential development that is denser than development characterizing surrounding neighborhoods is encouraged, including multifamily, condominium, townhouse and loft development. For similar reasons, commercial intensification is also encouraged. Pedestrian character is expected to dominate the town center and public parks linked by broad sidewalks and paths on private development are planned to encourage walking. Architectural character is seen as an essential complement to the mix of uses and pedestrian amenities in bolstering a town center already known as a commercial destination.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 7A, 12-3-2007)

Development characteristics include "build to" lines designed to create walkable streetscapes and defined pedestrian spaces/settings, vertical mixed use to fully integrate dwellings with office and retail uses characteristic of historic downtowns and small, dispersed parking to de-emphasize cars. Human scale development as to both residential and commercial building mass is planned to achieve a pleasant neighborhood setting.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 7A, 12-3-2007)

The focus of the IIR district is those areas and adjoining lots designated in the Senoia Comprehensive Plan for in-town redevelopment, including the Gin Site, Brantley Institute/Old Public Works Building, Burn Pit Area and Senoia Public Housing. These areas are designated on the future development map.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 7A, 12-3-2007)

All development proposed shall be subject to site plan review by the historic preservation commission and planning commission. Such plans shall define the form and density of the development. Mayor and council shall approve final site plans upon a finding that the plan conforms to the objectives of the comprehensive plan, the standards of the Historic Downtown Senoia District and the land development ordinance. For developments that are to be subdivided, such approval shall be considered as approval of the conceptual plat. Preliminary and final plats shall be completed according to the land development ordinance.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 7A, 12-3-2007)

Architectural styles and materials for commercial development shall conform to the downtown design guidebook adopted by the City of Senoia. Residential development shall be in accordance with the guidelines adopted by the historic preservation commission.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 7A, 12-3-2007)

The underlying zoning shall control the use of property, except that vertical mixed use, that is, residential and commercial in a common building, shall be permitted.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 7A, 12-3-2007)

Minimum buffer widths when adjoining residential uses at the periphery of the district, 15-foot buffer would be an absolute minimum. For locations where general commercial and multifamily adjoins single-family detached, a 50 feet buffer shall be required.

All designs shall utilize pocket parks that comprise of no less than ten percent of the gross tract acreage. Further, no unit shall be more than 400 feet from a park. Where distances greater than 400 feet are proposed, it shall be considered if the review committees are convinced that the distance requirement sufficiently off-set by the expansiveness of the park and its abundance of improvement amenities. When single-family residential is proposed with ½ acre lot or greater, this standard shall not apply.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 7A, 12-3-2007)

The overall project density shall be determined by a site plan that is appropriate for the neighborhood in which the development is being proposed. In no case shall the density exceed six units per acre for single family detached development, 12 units per acre for townhouse development and a maximum of 24 units per acre for condominium and apartment development. No maximum shall be imposed on loft or vertical mixed use development as building height will control scale and density.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 7A, 12-3-2007)

Maximum floor area in a retail or office building shall be 20,000 square feet or the largest floor area in the downtown as of the date of adoption of this article. The maximum floor area of a grocery store shall not exceed 30,000 square feet. Incentives for vertical mixed use shall include building bulk bonuses such as a 50 percent increase in building floor area.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 7A, 12-3-2007)

Maximum height for single family dwellings shall be 35 feet as measured from the natural grade at the front corners of the dwelling to the ridgeline. Maximum height for all other buildings shall be 45 feet, except that no building having a height greater than 35 feet shall be established within 25 feet of a single family detached dwelling at the periphery of the Historic Downtown Senoia District. An increase in building height of one foot shall be permitted for every two feet above the 25-foot distance from such single family dwellings.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 7A, 12-3-2007)

The minimum greenspace ratio for mixed use developments shall be 15 percent. Developments that are solely commercial in character shall achieve a greenspace of 25 percent and residential development featuring only a single dwelling type shall achieve a greenspace ratio of 20 percent. Developments that feature a minimum of two dwelling types shall achieve a greenspace ratio of ten percent.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 7A, 12-3-2007)

On street parking is encouraged throughout the redevelopment. Developers are encouraged to create small, dispersed lots that are well landscaped and link to destinations through broad, well-lit sidewalks and ample landscaping and pedestrian amenities. Parking requirements are relaxed and shared parking as well as leased parking by owners of "satellite" lots on which parking may be the primary use is permitted. The parking ratio for retail uses shall be one space for each 300 square feet of floor area available to the public, one space for every 250 square feet of office floor area and one space for every five seats in a restaurant. Off-street parking requirements for other permitted uses are found in Table I. Off-site parking may be used to fulfill parking requirements subject to a written lease agreement, a location within 800 feet of the proposed use and linked by a lighted sidewalk.

(Ord. No. 07-05, Art. 7A, 12-3-2007)