The scale and activity level of churches is a function of size and the range of accessory uses associated with the institution; very high activity levels have the potential to be disruptive to residential and small scale mixed use areas. To diminish disruptive impacts by ensuring appropriate location and design standards, the development and expansion of religious institutions and accessory uses in the R-1, R-2 and B-1 Districts shall meet the following standards:
1. Churches shall meet the standards for civic building and lot type, Article E.
2. Development standards:
a. Exterior lighting shall be directed or screened so as to protect the privacy of the private living areas and associated open spaces of adjacent residential properties.
b. Accessory dwelling units for persons associated with or employed by the church may be provided at a ratio of one (1) unit for each three (3) acres of site; these limits do not apply to the placement of convents, rectories, parsonages or similar uses on the site.
3. Accessory uses such as church offices, religious bookstores serving the immediate congregation, parking lots, family life centers, multi-purpose facilities, outdoor recreational facilities, and day care centers on the same site or sites contiguous to the principal use shall be permitted wherever churches are permitted and shall meet the civic building and lot type, or another building and lot type permitted in the zoning district. Similar uses on non-contiguous sites or on a site separated from the principal use by a public street shall be considered principal uses in their own right and be regulated as such.
4. Church accessory uses which are not permitted as principal uses in a district shall adhere to the following restrictions:
a. No merchandise or merchandise display shall be visible from outside the building;
b. No business or identification sign pertaining to the accessory uses shall be visible from outside the building;
5. Except as noted in subsection 4. above, accessory uses not permitted as principal uses (including television stations, radio stations, printing presses, or sports complexes) are prohibited. This provision shall in no way restrict accessory use family life centers and multipurpose facilities, a part of whose function may include recreation and sports activities.
6. Application for a zoning permit shall include a comprehensive site plan which addresses the required standards and conditions for the main site and all abutting holdings. (Ord. of 12-7-04, No. 37-02)