(A) Intent. The Cooleemee Zoning Overlay District is established as an overlay district whose geographic coverage shall encompass an area as described on the map established as of the effective date of this amendment and being bounded by the South Yadkin River and a line beginning two miles upstream from the town limits of Cooleemee; running parallel with the town limits two miles outside of the town limits, and terminating at a point two miles downstream of the Cooleemee town limits. The overlay district is intended to supplement, rather than replace, the underlying zoning in the area prescribed. The overlay district specifies design elements for commercial, industrial, and multi-family developments such as the location of parking areas, underground utilities, location of buildings, screening, outdoor lighting, sidewalks, and street access to developments. The overlay district requires additional review of land developments by the Cooleemee Town Board for any development proposals within the Cooleemee town limits. The overlay district requires review of land developments by the Project Review Committee prior to any review by the County Planning Board, the County Board of Adjustment, or the County Board of Commissioners for any development proposal on property lying outside the Cooleemee town limits.
(B) Review process. All development proposals within the Cooleemee town limits, except for the construction or placement of a single-family dwelling on an individually deeded lot, shall be submitted to and reviewed by the Project Review Committee and the Cooleemee Town Board in order to ensure compliance with the Cooleemee Zoning Overlay District. All development proposals outside the Cooleemee town limits but within the Overlay District, except for the construction or placement of a single-family dwelling on an individually deeded lot, shall be submitted to and reviewed by the Project Review Committee in order to ensure compliance with the Cooleemee Zoning Overlay District. Development proposals include single-family residential subdivision development, multi-family or residential group development, commercial development of any kind, industrial development, civic or government buildings, and recreational uses. If a development proposal requires rezoning the property, and the property lies within the Cooleemee town limits, the Cooleemee Town Board shall review and make a recommendation to the County Planning Board prior to the development being scheduled on the agenda of the County Planning Board.
(C) Permitted uses. All uses permitted within the underlying zoning district are permitted within the Cooleemee Zoning Overlay District with the following exceptions.
(1) All proposed new single-family residential subdivisions, or proposed expansions of single-family residential subdivisions, shall be required to rezone to either a Residential Special Use (R-20-S) District, a Residential-Suburban Special Use (R-12-S) District, or a Residential-Multiple Dwelling Special Use (R-8-S) District, which district shall specify the type, number, location, and standards of all dwellings planned or existing within the Special Use District.
(2) In granting the special use rezoning the Planning Board in making its recommendation and the Board of Commissioners in making its decision should consider the following:
(a) The adequacy of public utilities and infrastructure including water and sewer systems;
(b) Housing characteristics of the surrounding area including density, lot sizes, house types (manufactured or non-manufactured), and the like;
(c) The capacity of the local schools serving the development and the school’s ability to meet expected student population generated by development; and
(d) The characteristics of the road system serving the development (e.g., traffic conditions, number of driveway accesses from adjoining public streets, and the like).
(D) Design standards. Developments shall comply with all applicable provisions 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) Access.
(a) The following are defined as collector streets, as of the effective date of this section, and access to developments (whether residential, commercial, industrial, civic, governmental, recreational, or otherwise) shall be limited according to standards within this section: US Hwy 601, NC Hwy 801, Gladstone Road, Junction Road, Daniels Road, Michaels Road, and Pine Ridge Road. Collector streets are shown on the approved Overlay District Map.
(b) Access points to the development (such as curb cuts or driveways) shall be restricted. There shall be no more than one street or driveway access for each public street frontage of the entire development, except that, where a public street frontage exceeds 500 feet, there may be two streets or driveway accesses which must be separated by at least 300 feet as measured along the public street. If the public street frontage exceeds 1,000 feet, three such streets or driveway accesses may be allowed, which must be separated by at least 300 feet as measured along the public street. Three points shall be the maximum allowable. Negative access easements shall be required between allowable street or driveway accesses.
(c) Connecting streets or driveways shall be required between adjacent parking lots within a planned development, except for single-family parking spaces. Lots in single-family residential developments shall be served by streets or access driveways from within the development. No individual driveways shall be permitted for single-family residential access to collector streets as established by this section.
(d) No driveway shall be allowed within 300 feet of the centerline of an intersecting thoroughfare or collector street. No driveway shall be allowed within 200 feet of the centerline of any other intersecting street.
(e) No driveway, except single-family residential driveways, 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. Prior to final approval to begin construction, any planned mutual joint access agreement shall be submitted to and reviewed by the County Planning Director.
(f) Any parcel of record on the effective date of this section which has all vehicular access prohibited based on the provisions of this section shall be allowed one access point to the public street frontage. If a property has access to an adjoining private street, then such private street shall satisfy the provision of a single access point.
(2) Parking areas.
(a) All parking areas, except for single-family residential parking spaces, shall be located at either the rear or sides of the principal building(s).
(b) Parking areas, except for single-family residential parking spaces, shall be set back a minimum of 20 feet from the front property line or edge of right-of-way, whichever is greater.
(c) In the event that it is not practicable to adhere to the standards of this section, the Project Review Committee shall require that the interior parking area landscaping standards be increased by a factor of 2.0.
(3) Utility wiring. Wiring for utilities such as telephone, electrical, cable television, and the like or related functions shall be placed underground. This requirement shall apply only to the property being developed.
(4) Building orientation. 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. Building orientation shall not apply to single-family homes on individual lots.
(5) Screening.
(a) Facilities such as solid waste containers, electrical equipment, HVAC equipment, utility equipment of any kind, outside storage areas for commercial or industrial establishments, 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. Screening shall not apply to single-family homes on individual lots.
(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.
(6) 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.
(7) Sidewalks. Sidewalks are required only within the Cooleemee town limits. Four-foot sidewalks shall be required to connect proposed developments to existing town sidewalks, where town sidewalks exist, on at least one side of each public or private street within the development. Sidewalks shall be located within a public or private right-of-way, adequate for the purpose of maintenance and use of the sidewalk. The developer is responsible for maintenance of the sidewalk until such time as the Town of Cooleemee or other public agency accepts the sidewalk for maintenance. Developments may also be required to extend sidewalks where, in the opinion of the Cooleemee Town Board, a sidewalk extension will facilitate pedestrian access to a planned town sidewalk, public or private facility, or other planned development. All sidewalks shall meet applicable Americans with Disabilities Act standards, or North Carolina State Building Code standards, whichever applies.
(8) Definitions. The following definitions shall apply within the Cooleemee Zoning Overlay District and shall supersede any conflicting definitions found elsewhere in this section.
BUFFER. A horizontal distance from the property line which may be occupied by screening, perpendicular utility crossings, and landscape materials.
SCREEN. A wall, fence, berm, or planted strip composed of deciduous or evergreen trees, or a mixture of trees and dense shrubs planted to effectively obscure visibility from outside the screen to anywhere inside the screen.
STREET FRONTAGE. The distance for which a lot line is coincident with a street right-of- way, from one lot line intersecting the street right-of-way to the furthest distant lot line intersecting the same street right-of-way.
(1996 Code, § 155.149) (Ord. passed 8-6-2001; Ord. passed 1-18-2005)