(A) Intent. The Quality Design Overlay District is established as an overlay district whose geographic coverage shall encompass primarily the rapidly growing northeastern section of the county. It is intended to supplement, rather than replace the underlying zoning in this area. It does not address elements such as use or intensity (which are controlled by the underlying zone), rather, it addresses design elements such as landscaping, signage, and access. Single-family residences are specifically exempted from the requirements of the QD District.
(B) Review process. All development proposals within the Quality Design Overlay District other than single-family residential developments shall be submitted to and reviewed by the Project Review Committee consistent with the provisions of §§ 155.170 - 155.172 and in order to ensure compliance with this section.
(C) Development plan. The applicant shall, at a minimum, submit plans containing data and information consistent with all other applicable provisions of this chapter. In addition, the applicant shall submit information as requested by the Project Review Committee to determine that the design standards listed in § 155.148(D) have been sufficiently addressed.
(D) Design standards. Developments shall comply with all applicable requirements of this chapter. In addition, the following design standards shall be followed. In the event of inconsistencies, the standards contained in this section shall govern.
(1) Signs.
(a) No off-premise signs shall be permitted except for unlighted signs advertising not- for-profit-organizations. Any such off-premise sign shall comply with the design standards set forth under division (D)(1)(b).
(b) Freestanding signs.
1. Number. One freestanding sign shall be permitted per each 200 linear feet of street frontage of the lot. Lots containing less than 200 linear feet of street frontage shall be permitted one such freestanding sign.
2. Area.
a. The area encompassed by freestanding signs shall not exceed .2 square foot per each linear foot of street frontage of the lot.
b. The maximum total area of all allowable freestanding signs shall be equal to no more than 40 square feet. This figure is also subject to the overall limitation of § 155.148(D)(1)(d) and may therefore be less than 40 feet in some cases.
3. Height. No freestanding sign shall exceed six feet in height.
(c) Building signs.
1. The maximum total area of all allowable building signs shall be equal to no more than 10% of the area of the wall of which such sign is a part or to which each sign is attached.
2. Each separate business establishment within a mall or shopping center may have one building sign not to exceed 100 square feet and subject to limitations of division (D)(1)(c)1. above.
(d) Total sign area and number of signs. The maximum aggregate area of all allowable signs on each lot, not in a mall or shopping center, including freestanding, building, or any other signs shall be equal to the lesser of either:
1. One hundred square feet.
2. Four percent of the ground floor area of the principal building; or
3. Two square feet per linear foot of street frontage.
(e) Signs shall be located such that there is at every street intersection a clear view between the heights of three feet and ten feet within the sight triangle described in § 155.172(H), and shall be located outside of the right-of-way of any public street.
(f) No animated sign, nor moving or flashing signs shall be permitted.
(g) No portable signs shall be permitted.
(h) No projecting or suspended signs shall be permitted.
(i) No inflatable signs or tethered balloons shall be permitted.
(j) No beacons shall be permitted.
(k) No roof signs other than integral roof signs shall be permitted. The area occupied by integral roof signs shall be limited to no more than 10% of the total area of the roof, and shall be subject to the total sign area limitations of division (D)(1)(d).
(l) Flags used as promotional devices of any type, including but not limited to the promotion of goods, services, business establishments, events, and the like shall be prohibited.
(m) Computations.
1. Computation of area of individual signs. The area of a sign face (which is also the sign area of a wall sign or other sign with only one face) shall be computed by means of the smallest square, circle, rectangle, or combination thereof that will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, representation, emblem, or other display, together with any material or color forming an integral part of the background of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the backdrop or structure against which it is placed, but not including any supporting framework, bracing, or decorative fence or wall when such fence or wall otherwise meets zoning chapter regulations and is clearly incidental to the display itself.
2. Computation of area of multi-faced signs. The sign area for a sign with more than one face shall be computed by adding together the area of all sign faces visible form any one point at the same time, and when such sign faces are part of the same sign structure and are not more than 42 inches apart, the sign area shall be computed by the measurement of one of the faces.
3. Computation of height. The height of a sign shall be computed as the distance from the base of the sign at normal grade to the top of the highest attached component of the sign. Normal grade shall be construed to be the lower of (i) existing grade prior to construction, or (ii) the newly established grade after construction, exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding, or excavating. In cases in which the normal grade cannot reasonably be determined, sign height shall be computed on the assumption that the elevation of the normal grade at the base of the sign is equal to the elevation of the nearest point of the crown of a public street or the grade of the land at the principal entrance to the principal structure on the lot, whichever is lower.
4. Computation of maximum total permitted sign area for a lot. The permitted sum of the area of all individual signs on a lot shall be computed by applying the formula contained in division (D)(1)(d) to the lot frontage, building frontage, or wall area, as appropriate. Lots fronting on two or more streets area allowed the permitted sign area for each street frontage. However, the total sign area that is oriented toward a particular street may not exceed the portion of the lot's total sign area allocation that is derived from the lot, building, or wall area frontage on that street.
(2) Landscaping. The landscaping and buffering requirements of § 155.172 shall apply to the Quality Design Overlay District except where the provisions of this section are more restrictive.
(3) Access.
(a) Access points to the development (such as curb cuts or driveways) shall be minimized. There shall be no more than one point of entrance and one point of exit for each road or street frontage on each lot, except that, where a road or street frontage exceeds 500 feet, there may be two points of entrance and two points of exit. If the frontage exceeds 1,000 feet, three such points may be allowed. Three points shall be the maximum allowable. A single access point which serves as both a point of entrance and a point of exit (two-way traffic) shall be considered as both a point of entrance and a point of exit.
(b) If a subdivision of land within the Quality Design District occurs subsequent to the effective date of these regulations which results in the creation of lots which possess less than 150 feet of street frontage, the preliminary and final subdivision plats for such subdivision shall be approved only if access points for each lot are clearly designated on the plat, and the total number of access points designated on the plat for the entire subdivision does not exceed one point of entrance and one point of exit per each 150 feet of street frontage.
1. Joint driveways and interior access roads shall be permitted.
2. It is the intent of these regulations to exempt from this requirement any subdivision lots clearly intended for single-family residential development.
(c) No driveway except residential access shall be allowed within 300 feet of the centerline of an intersecting thoroughfare or collector street. No driveway except residential access shall be allowed within 200 feet of the centerline of any other intersecting street.
(d) No driveway except residential access shall be allowed within 30 feet of the side property line of any property or development except where a mutual joint access agreement exists between adjoining owners.
(e) Any parcel of record on the effective date of this section which has prohibited all vehicular access based on the provisions herein shall be allowed one access point to its street frontage.
(4) Parking areas.
(a) Parking areas shall, where possible, be located at either the rear or sides of the principal building(s).
(b) Parking areas shall be set back a minimum of 20 feet from the front property line or edge of right-of-way, whichever is greater. The setback area shall be occupied by a 20-foot landscaping strip developed to the standards contained in § 155.172(D). If the setback area exceeds 20 feet, the landscaping strip shall be placed nearest the front of the lot.
(c) In addition to the landscaping requirements contained in § 155.172, parking areas shall be landscaped such that there is located, within the interior of the parking area, a landscaped area equivalent to the area of one parking space for each 20 parking spaces in the parking area. A parking area consisting of less than 20 spaces shall have at least one such landscaped area.
(d) Landscaped areas shall be surrounded by a concrete curb or other material, such as landscape timbers, in order to protect the landscaped area and to define its borders.
(e) Landscaped areas shall be composed of materials determined by the Project Review Committee to be appropriate in order to maintain the appearance of the area.
(5) Utility wiring. Wiring for utilities such as telephone, electrical, cable television, and the like or related functions shall be placed underground where practicable.
(6) Building orientation.
(a) Buildings shall, after complying with all other applicable regulations, be located as near the front property line as possible with parking areas located either to the rear or sides of the principal building.
(b) In the event that it is not practicable to adhere to the standards of § 155.148(D)(6)(a), the Project Review Committee shall require that the parking area landscaping standards outlined in § 155.148(D)(4) be increased by a factor of 2.0, that is, if § 155.148(D)(4) requires one planting area for each 20 parking spaces, the new requirement shall be two such areas for each 20 spaces.
(7) Screening.
(a) Facilities such as solid waste containers, electrical equipment, HVAC equipment and the like which are located on the lot but which are not contained within the principal building shall be screened from public view by an acceptable means such as vegetation, fencing, berming, and the like. No chain link fencing shall be permitted to fulfill this requirement.
(b) A developer may choose to substantially screen from public view a parking area by utilizing an earthen berm, masonry wall, or other suitable means of screening as determined by the Project Review Committee. In such cases, the regulations embodied in § 155.148(D)(6)(a) shall not apply, that is a building not located as near the front property line as possible shall be held to more restrictive landscaping standards.
(8) Exterior lighting.
(a) Exterior lighting on any lot shall be designed and directed so that the light is confined primarily to that lot.
(b) No search lights or other high-intensity lighting devices used primarily to illuminate the night sky shall be permitted.
(c) No external lighting device shall exceed a height of 30 feet. The computation of height shall be determined in the same manner as that for signs pursuant to division (D)(1)(m)3.
(9) Outdoor sports fields.
(a) Outdoor lighting fixtures shall be installed in a manner to protect the street and neighboring properties from direct glare or hazardous interference of any kind.
(b) The mounting height of outdoor sports field area lighting fixtures shall not exceed 100 feet from the lowest adjacent grade (this includes bases and other mounting structures).
(c) All outdoor sports field area lighting fixtures shall be equipped with a glare control package (louvers, shields, or similar devices).
(d) The fixtures must be aimed so that their beams are directed and fall within the primary playing or area.
(e) The hours of operation for the lighting system shall coincide with active use of the field or performance area and any necessary maintenance thereof.
(E) Definitions. The following definitions shall apply within the Quality Design Overlay District and shall supersede any conflicting definitions found elsewhere in this chapter.
BUFFER. A horizontal distance from the property line which may be occupied by screening, utilities, and landscape materials.
LIGHTING, EXTERIOR. Lighting such as that used in and around buildings, recreation areas, parking lots and signs.
MARQUEE. Any permanent roof-like structures projecting beyond a building or extending beyond the wall of the building, generally designed and constructed to provide protection from the weather.
SCREEN. A wall; fence; berm; or planted strip composed of deciduous or evergreen trees, or a mixture of trees and dense shrubs.
SIGN. Any device, fixture, placard, or structure that uses any color, form, graphic, illumination, symbol, or writing to advertise, announce the purpose of, or identify the purpose of a person or entity, or to communicate information of any kind to the public.
SIGN, ANIMATED. Any sign that uses movement or change of lighting to depict action or create a special effect or scene.
SIGN, BUILDING. Any sign attached to any part of a building, as contrasted to a freestanding sign. Examples include but are not limited to: wall, projecting, suspended, and roof (including integral roof) signs; marquees; canopies; banners; and building markers.
SIGN, CANOPY. Any sign that is a part of, or attached to, an awning, canopy, fabric or plastic, or structural protective cover over a door, entrance, window, or service area. A marquee is not a canopy.
SIGN, FREESTANDING. Any sign supported by structures or supports that are placed on, or anchored in, the ground and that are independent from any building or other structure. Examples include but are not limited to ground and pole signs.
SIGNS, GROUND. A freestanding sign, the entire bottom of which is generally in contact with, or in close proximity to, the ground.
SIGN, INTEGRAL ROOF. Any sign erected or constructed as an integral or essentially integral part of a normal roof structure of any design, such that no part of the sign extends vertically above the highest portion of the roof and such that no part of the sign is separated from the rest of the roof by a space of more than six inches.
SIGNS OFF-PREMISES. A sign which advertises or publicizes a product, service, or event not available or not occurring on the premises or lot upon which the sign is located.
SIGN, POLE. A freestanding sign that is supported by a pole(s) and otherwise separated from the ground by air.
SIGN, PORTABLE. Any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other permanent structures, or a sign designed to be transported including but not limited to, signs designed to be transported, including but not limited to signs designed to be transported by means of wheels; signs converted to A- or T-frames; menu and sandwich board signs; balloons used as signs; umbrellas used for advertising; and signs attached to or painted on vehicles parked and visible from the public right-of-way, unless the vehicle is used in the normal day-to-day operations of the business.
SIGN, PROJECTING. A sign affixed to a building or wall in such a manner that its leading edge extends more than six inches beyond the surface of such building or wall.
SIGN, ROOF. Any sign erected and constructed wholly on and over the roof of a building, supported by the roof structure, and extending vertically above the highest portion of the roof.
SIGN, SUSPENDED. A sign that is suspended from the underside of a horizontal plane surface and is supported by such surface.
SIGN, WALL. Any sign attached parallel to, but within a six inches of, a wall, painted on the wall surface of, or erected and confined within the limits of an outside wall of any building or structure, which is supported by such wall or building, and which displays only one sign surface.
STREET FRONTAGE. The distance for which a lot line adjoins a public street, from one lot line intersecting the street to the furthest distant lot line intersecting the same street.
(1996 Code, § 155.148) (Ord. passed 5-21-1984; Ord. passed 4-3-1995; Ord. passed 6-23-1997; Am. Ord. passed 2-2-2015)