It shall be the purpose of the C-1 District to provide for the orderly development of a major business and commerce area of the City of Vidalia in accordance with the objectives, policies and proposals of the future land use plan of the city. The development of this district shall be directed as to the plans and redevelopment proposals heretofore shown in the future land use plan and studies which may subsequently follow. The logical and timely development of land for business purposes is herein a stated purpose of this district. The district proposes to permit a uniformity of design to ensure the orderly arrangement of buildings, land uses and parking areas, and all construction hereafter proposed for this area shall be related to this objective. The architectural and design arrangement of buildings are encouraged to conform to the general character and plans of the Central Business District.

A building may be erected, altered or used, and a lot may be used or occupied for any of the following purposes and no other.

(1)

Retail establishment for the sale of dry goods, variety and general merchandise, clothing, food, drugs, furnishing, or other household supplies, sale and repair of jewelry, watches, clocks, optical goods or musical, professional or scientific instruments.

(2)

Business or professional office, studio, bank, savings and loan association, financial institution, municipal use excluding dump.

(3)

Office buildings.

(4)

Restaurant, tearoom, retail bakery, confectionery or ice cream shop, or other places serving food or beverages.

(5)

Florist shop or family day care home.

(6)

Personal service shop, including tailor, barber, beauty salon, shoe repair, dressmaking or similar shop.

(7)

Indoor theater or other place of indoor amusement or recreation.

(8)

Newspaper publishing, job printing.

(9)

Hotel or motel.

(10)

Parking lot, not to include automobile junk yard or salvage yards.

(11)

Signs subject to the provisions of article XIX.

(12)

Accessory use on the same lot with and customarily incidental to any of the foregoing permitted uses.

(13)

Residential dwellings, but only on the second story and above, or in the basement level of a structure. At least fifty (50) percent of the ground floor of the building shall be leasable commercial space not used for parking or self-service storage. All residential units shall have a minimum of eight hundred (800) square feet, and shall contain their own full bathroom with a sink, toilet and tub or shower, and separate kitchen area with a sink, stove and refrigerator. Each unit must have at least one (1) off-street parking space. Each residential dwelling plan submitted is required to include a map detailing the location of the off-street parking space which may be in any of the city public parking areas and must be approved by the city.

(Ord. of 3-11-91, § 4; Ord. of 12-10-12 ; Ord. of 4-11-16 )

The maximum height of any building or other structure erected or used in this district shall be forty (40) feet except that the height of any such other building or structure may be increased to a maximum of sixty-five (65) feet when approved by the board of appeals. Said board of appeals shall make a finding that any excess height over forty (40) feet will not be detrimental to the light, air, privacy or architectural scheme of any other structure or use currently existing or anticipated.

A site plan must be submitted to the city building inspector and approved prior to issuance of a building permit. The site plan shall include the following:

(1)

Parking

(2)

Landscaping

(3)

On site loading/unloading

(4)

Ingress and egress from street

(5)

Storm water drainage

(6)

Lot coverage by building

(7)

Conformity with existing structures in zone

(8)

Commercial/industrial developments shall be permanently screened from adjoining residential districts by a wall, fence, evergreen hedge, and/or other suitable enclosure of minimum height of five (5) feet and maximum height of seven (7) feet, placed at least two (2) feet inside the commercial/industrial district property line. The area between such enclosures and the property line shall be landscaped to form a permanent screening area. This requirement may be waived or altered if equivalent screening is provided by existing parks, parkways, recreational areas or by topography or other natural conditions.

(9)

Building/site designs developed by an architect or engineer legally registered under the laws of this state regulating the practice of architecture or engineering who shall affix his official seal to said drawings, specifications and accompanying data as outlined in section 104.2.3, design professional, contained in the Southern Standard Building Code adopted by the Vidalia City Council.

(Ord. of 2-10-97(2))

Editor's note— An ordinance adopted Feb. 10, 1997(2), deleted § 1203 in its entirety. Formerly, § 1203 pertained to area and yard regulations and derived from the 1968 Code. Said ordinance added new provisions as herein set out.