DRAFT COPY
For Discussion Purposes Only
ARTICLE 20. "TC" TOWN CENTER DISTRICT
REGULATIONS
Section 9-160.
Purpose
To permit a pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use urban environment
similar to the traditional
Section 9-161. Use
Regulations
In the Town Center District, land uses shall generally be
those associated with a retail, service, institutional,
professional activity. A complete list of permitted uses is located in the City
of
Section 9-162.
Development Regulations
In the Town Center District, the following development
regulations shall be applicable to all buildings:
A. Building Height:
Buildings shall not be more than thirty-five feet (35').
1.The height shall be measured from
the sidewalk or ground surface elevation along the side of the building
fronting onto a public right-of-way to the mid-point for sloped roofs.
2.Architectural
embellishments
3. Mechanical equipment, including mechanical/elevator
equipment enclosures, ventilation equipment, antennas, chimneys, exhaust stacks
and flues and other similar constructions may extend up to ten feet (10’) above
the actual building height, provided they are setback from all exterior walls a
distance of at least equal to the vertical dimension above the actual building
height and constructed as architecturally integral parts of the building
facade.
B. Front, Side and
Rear Yards: With the following exceptions, a twenty-five foot (25') front,
side and rear yard setback is required in the Town Center District:
1. Buildings along designated major thoroughfares as
indicated on the City of
Thoroughfare Plan
shall maintain a minimum fifty foot (50') setback from the street
right-of-way.
2. Where an alley abuts the rear property line, a ten
foot (10') rear yard setback is required.
3. No building shall be located closer than two hundred fiftv feet (250') from a residential zoning district.
4. No service drives, parking or other impervious surfaces
with the exceptions of sidewalks/trails shall be located in the setback area.
C. Maximum
D. Common Open Space:
Any common open space designated on the site plan shall be provided for public
use. No building or other structure shall be constructed on any common open
space without prior approval by the City Council.
E. Building Orientation:
F. Projections into a
Required Setback or Right-of-Way: The following projections shall be
permitted into a required setback or landscape area or into a public easement
or right-of-way, provided that (i) projections do not
extend over the vehicular traveled portion of a roadway, (ii) the property
owner has assumed liability related to such projection and (iii) the property
owner shall maintain such projection in a safe and non-injurious manner:
1. Canopies and/or awnings, with a vertical distance of at
least seven feet (7') above the sidewalk, may project from a building face and
may extend to or be located within twelve inches (12") of the back of
curb.
2. Outdoor seating areas on sidewalks and courtyards
maintained and operated by restaurants as outdoor cafes are permitted, provided
that pedestrian circulation and access to store entrances is unimpeded.
G. Off-Street Parking
and Loading: Specific off-street parking and loading requirements are
contained in Article 18 of the City of
1. All required off-street parking shall be located to the rear of all buildings.
2,
Both angled and parallel on-street parking shall be
permitted within the Town Center District. Both forty-five (45) degree and
sixty (60) degree angled parking shall be permitted.
H.
Buffering and Screening: The
following standards for buffering and screening shall apply for all buildings
in the Town Center District:
1.
Parking lot layout, landscaping, buffering and screening shall minimize direct
views of parked vehicles from streets and sidewalks. Parking lots exposed to
view from abutting single-family residential properties shall be surrounded by a
minimum of a three foot (3') high barrier in the form of berms,
shrubs, walls or a combination of these.
2.
Off-street loading areas shall be adequately screened from view of any adjacent
single- family residential use.
3.
Transformers, HVAC equipment (if located at ground level), lift stations,
utility meters and other machinery, as well as garbage collection points, shall
be located at the rear property line, drive or alley. If such uses are visible
from any adjacent rights-of-way of property, they shall be totally screened by
a fence or suitable plant or other visual barrier of an appropriate height or
as proposed or approved in the development site plan. Trash receptacles shall
have a metal door which shall remain closed at all times.
I.
Streets: All streets within the Town
Center District shall have a minimum right-of-way of seventy-five feet (75').
Section 9.163. Special District Requirements
In
the Town Center District, the following requirements shall be applied:
A.
Minimum Area: District shall require
a minimum of ten (10) contiguous acres.
B.
Site Plan Approval: The following
site plan elements shall be required for development of property:
1.
Prior to issuance of a building permit, twenty (20) copies of a site
plan, drawn to a scale of not less than one inch equals fifty feet, containing
at a minimum the following elements, shall be submitted to the City Secretary:
a.
The boundaries and dimensions of the proposed development, including total
area.
b.
The owners, zoning classification and description of adjacent properties.
c.
Contour lines with five foot (5') intervals.
d.
Location map showing site within the City of
f.
Existing and platted streets, public rights-of-way, easements and railroads
within and adjacent to the site.
g.
Existing and proposed utility lines showing sizes of water and sewer lines.
h.
Existing and proposed fire hydrants and fire lanes.
i. Location and dimension of all buildings and
building lines.
j.
Engineering for drainage.
k.
Areas designated for landscaping together with proposed irrigation and a tree management
plan.
l.
Parking area locations and specifications.
m.
Signage and lighting.
n.
Location of all exterior mechanical, electrical and communication equipment.
o.
Location of all refuse containers, loading docks and
screening.
p.
Signature lines for Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Committee, City
Engineer, and Mayor shall be provided to signify approval.
2.
For the purposes of assisting in-process planning, a properly designated
"preliminary" site plan shall be submitted for consideration. Approval
of a "preliminary" site plan will not imply approval of all elements
of a "final" site plan.
3.
The site plan may only be approved following a pubic hearing before the
Planning & Zoning Commission and the City Council.
4.
Any changes to an approved "final" site plan will require a public
hearing before the Planning & Zoning Commission and the City Council.
C.
Landscape Plan Approval: The
following landscape plan elements shall be required for development of property:
1.
Prior to issuance of a building permit, seven (7) copies of a landscape
plan, drawn to a scale of not less than one inch equals fifty feet, containing
at a minimum the following elements, shall be submitted to the City Secretary at
least ten (10) days before the scheduled Planning and Zoning Committee where
the landscape plan is to be considered:
a.
A minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) of the gross area shall be landscaped.
b.
The area between the property line and the paved street shall be included in
the landscape plan and shall be maintained by the abutting property owner.
c.
Heights of landscape materials shall be such that they do not create safety
hazards for vehicular traffic by blocking sight lines at ingress/egress points.
d.
The landscape specifications shall indicate the common names and scientific
names, sizes and quantities of all material to be utilized.
e.
Shade trees shall be provided along each side of all streets, public or
private, existing or proposed. Shade trees shall have a minimum caliper of
three inches (3") and a minimum height of twelve feet (12’) at the time of
planting and a maximum spacing of thirty feet (30') on center
.
D.
It shall be the property owner's responsibility to permanently maintain the
approved landscaping in a neat and orderly manner.
E.
Landscaping shall mean plant materials (other than turf grasses) and other
approved landscape materials arranged in an approved manner. All plant
materials shall be selected from any plant list or landscape ordinance adopted
by the City of
D.
Architectural Plan Approval: The
following architectural plan elements shall be required for development of
property:
1.
Prior to issuance of a building permit, seven (7) copies of a
architectural plan, drawn to a scale of not less than one inch equals fifty
feet, containing at a minimum the following elements, shall be submitted to the
City Secretary:
a.
A minimum of seventy-five percent (75%) of all building exteriors shall be
constructed of stone, brick and/or tile. Uses of other materials shall be on an
exception basis and must be submitted to the Planning & Zoning Commission
and City Council by way of an architectural rendering showing all four (4)
elevations of the proposed building. Upon approval, the rendering shall
become part of the zoning for that site. All buildings shall be designed and
constructed to architecturally compatible.
b.
All buildings shall be designed and constructed in an architecturally
compatible manner and shall generally relate in scale and design features to
the surrounding buildings, showing respect for the local context.
c.
All building fronts in excess of forty linear feet (40’) shall have a minimum
five foot (5') setback at no greater interval than forty linear feet (40').
d.
Buildings on corner lots shall be considered significant structures, since they
have at least two (2) front facades visibly exposed to the street. If deemed
appropriate by the Planning and Zoning Commission, such buildings may be
designed with additional height and architectural embellishments, such as
corner towers, to emphasize their location.
e.
Buildings shall avoid long, monotonous, uninterrupted walls or roof planes.
f.
All visibly exposed sides of a building shall have an articulated base course
and cornice.
g. On gabled roofs, a minimum pitch of
h.
All entrances to a building shall be defined and articulated by architectural
elements such as lintels, pediments, columns, porticos, overhangs, railings,
balustrades and others where appropriate.
E.
Miscellaneous:
1.
A peripheral open space of a minimum of two hundred feet (200') in width shall
be provided where the tract abuts any roadway listed as an arterial or highway.
2.
The street system shall be designed to create blocks that are generally
rectilinear in shape. To the greatest extent possible, blocks shall be designed
to have a maximum length of three hundred feet (300’). A minimum of two interconnections
with the existing public street system rated as an arterial or collector, shall be provided where possible.
3.
Commercial components of the Town Center District shall front on the interior
streets of the
4.
Sites for public and semi-public uses and community facilities shall be located
around the community green or within a main street commercial area and shall
occupy prominent buildings.
5.
A sidewalk network shall be provided throughout the development that connects
all development and open space. Sidewalks shall be a minimum of five feet (5’)
in width.
6.
The
7. All development in the Town Center District
shall be subject to the lighting ordinance, the fence ordinance, the fire ordinance
and other appropriate ordinances as applicable.