The C-1 Central Commercial District is established to recognize the existing historic role andheritage of Franklin’s downtown area, and to promote its preservation, redevelopment and expansion. Further, this district provides concentrated retail, service, office, civic uses, places of worship, residences, and other compatible uses of land.
(A) Dimensional requirements.
Maximum setback (feet): front 0
side: 0
rear: 0
Minimum lot/parcel size (sq. ft.): no
restrictions
Minimum setbacks (feet): front: 0
Maximum building height (feet): 65
Maximum gross floor area (sq. ft.): 30,000
30,000 plus structures requires a SUP
(B) Permitted uses. The following uses are permitted by right in the C-1 Central Commercial Zoning District Classification provided they meet all requirements of this section and all other requirements established in this ordinance. A use followed by the notation (SR) is permitted subject to special requirements contained in §§ 152.120 - 152.123, below.
(1) All permitted uses listed in the R-1 Residential Zoning District Classification, subject to special requirements if noted.
(2) Adult day care centers registered with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
(3) Apartments three to nine units.
(4) Bed and breakfast facilities.
(5) Brewpubs.
(6) Cemeteries.
(7) Civic centers and cultural art facilities.
(8) Civic clubs and fraternal organizations.
(9) Dance and fitness facilities.
(10) Dry cleaning and laundry establishments.
(11) Funeral homes and crematoria.
(12) Home occupations.
(13) Hotels and motels.
(14) Laundries, coin-operated.
(15) Live/work or mixed use buildings in which any of the business uses described in this subsection occur on the first floor and residential uses occur behind or on upper floors.
(16) Mobile food vending (SR).
(17) Multi-family dwellings and apartments ten plus units (SUP).
(18) Music and art studios and galleries.
(19) Newspaper offices and printing establishments.
(20) Offices, professional, governmental and financial, including banks.
(21) Parking lots and garages.
(22) Parking lots and structures.
(23) Places of worship.
(24) Private clubs (SR).
(25) Public and semi-public uses such as libraries, museums and galleries.
(26) Public utility facilities.
(27) Recreational facilities, indoor.
(28) Repair services.
(29) Restaurants.
(30) Retail sales.
(31) Schools, business, technical and vocational.
(32) Service stations.
(33) Services, personal, business and repair.
(34) Tasting rooms.
(35) Theaters.
(36) Transit facilities.
(37) Wholesale sales.
(C) Prohibited uses. No non-residential development or redevelopment exceeding 30,000 square feet in gross floor area shall be permitted in the C-1 Central Commercial Zoning District Classification. Unless a special use permit has been approved by the Board of Adjustment.
(D) Streetscape design. The relationship between a building and areas for pedestrian or vehicular circulation shall be carefully planned in order to avoid negative impacts of one upon the other. All buildings and uses developed in this zoning district classification shall meet the following minimum standards; provided, however, buildings undergoing renovation and rehabilitation, in which the footprint of existing structures is not being increased or altered, may be exempted from regulations regarding street walls and urban open spaces if site conditions make compliance therewith impractical.
(1) Street walls.
(a) The first floors of all buildings, including structured parking, shall be designed to encourage and complement pedestrian-scale interest and activity. To the extent practicable, in consideration of the nature of the uses proposed, this is to be accomplished in part by the use of transparent windows and doors arranged so that the uses are visible from and/or accessible to the street on the first floor street frontage. In addition a combination of design elements shall be used on the building facade and/or in relationship to the building at street level to animate and enliven the streetscape. These design elements may include, but are not limited to, the following: ornamentation, molding, changes in material or color, architectural lighting, works of art, fountains and pools, street furniture, landscaping and garden areas, and display areas.
(b) Any design elements which extend into the public right-of-way on city or state maintained streets require an encroachment agreement with the Town of Franklin or the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), as appropriate. Where expanses of blank wall are necessary, they may not exceed 20 feet in length. A blank wall is a facade which does not add to the character of the streetscape and does not contain transparent windows or doors or sufficient ornamentation, decoration or articulation as listed in the above paragraph. The first floor and street level shall be designed with attention to adjacent public or private open spaces and existing streetscape improvements. The provision of multiple entrances from the public sidewalk or open spaces is encouraged.
(c) All new structures must not be built further than 20 feet from street right-of-way to help encourage pedestrian activity. All new structures must be at least two or more stories high to help to insure new structures blend with the historic look of the C-1 Downtown District.
(2) Structured parking facilities. In addition to the above requirements, in the event that any openings for ventilation, service, or emergency access are located at the first floor level in the building facade, then they shall be an integral part of the overall building design. These openings as well as pedestrian and vehicular entrances shall be designed to minimize visibility of parked cars. The remainder of the street level frontage shall be either commercial space or an architecturally articulated facade designed to minimize the visibility of parked cars. All levels of a structured parking facility shall be designed and screened in such a way as to minimize visibility of parked cars. In no instance will rails or cabling alone be sufficient to meet this screening requirement. The design requirements of this section apply to all building facades which are visible from any public right-of-way.
(3) Screening. All structures and facilities for trash, loading, outdoor equipment, and storage, including the storage of inventory, shall be screened so as not to be visible from the street and pedestrian circulation areas. Solid walls shall be faced with brick, stone or other decorative finish with the decorative side adjacent to the public right-of-way. Fences shall be opaque and either painted or stained with the decorative side adjacent to the public right-of-way. In no instance will a chain link or barbed wire fence be acceptable. Trees used to fulfill this requirement shall be located on private property in planters, a planting strip, berm or tree lawn, any of which shall be at least eight feet wide and at least two feet deep. The trees shall be of a small maturing evergreen variety and be at least ten feet tall at the time of planting. All shrubs shall be between 24 inches and 36 inches tall at time of planting. All plant material shall conform with the American Standard for Nursery Stock published by the American Association of Nurserymen. Trees employed to meet the screening requirement may not be counted toward the street tree planting or urban open space tree requirements. Any lot which becomes vacant through the removal of a structure for any reason shall be screened from all abutting public street rights-of-way in accordance with the provisions of this section or cleared of rubbish and debris and seeded with grass. However, if the lot is to be used for parking either as a transitional or permanent use, it shall meet all the minimum requirements for that use as established by this chapter. Maintenance of screening required under these provisions shall conform to the requirements of §§ 152.170 - 152.179, including the requirement to promptly replace dead vegetation with healthy, living plantings.
(4) Street trees. In addition to all other requirements of this section, at least one tree width three to three and one-half inches caliper, minimum, measured 6 inches above ground, shall be planted for each 25 feet for small maturing trees and for each 35 feet for large maturing trees of the entire building lot which abuts any public street right-of-way with a minimum of one tree required for any distance up to 35 feet. Trees shall not be planted closer than two feet, nor more than ten feet, from the back of thecurb. For the purposes of this section, all specifications for measurement and quality of trees shall be in accordance with the American Standard for Nursery Stock published by the American Association of Nurserymen. All trees planted to meet this requirement shall be well-matched specimen grade and shall be limbed up six feet. Trees used to fulfill this requirement may be located on public or private property. Maintenance of street trees required under these provisions shall conform to the requirements of §§ 152.170 - 152.179
, including the requirement to promptly replace dead vegetation with healthy, living plantings.
(5) Reflective surfaces. No development subject to these provisions may have exterior walls with a reflectivity value in excess of 36%, as measured under the applicable provisions of ASTM-C-1036. No reflective surfaces may be used on street level exterior facades.
(6) Urban open spaces. On parcels of ten acres or more, open spaces for public congregation and recreational opportunities are required for non-residential developments and shall be equipped or designed to allow pedestrian seating and to be easily observed from the street or pedestrian circulation areas. All urban open spaces shall comply with the minimum required design standards of this subchapter.
(a) Urban open space size. Buildings shall be provided with public open space behind the required setback and on private property on the basis of five square feet of urban open space per 100 square feet of gross floor area. A maximum of 30% of this required urban open space may be provided on an enclosed ground floor level provided the enclosed space meets all other requirements of these provisions.
(b) Accessibility to the street. Urban open space shall be designed so that it is accessible to and visible from the street.
(c) Trees. Within the open space area(s), one tree shall be planted for each 500 square feet. Trees shall have a minimum caliper of three to three and one-half inches measured six inches above ground at the time of planting.
(d) Amenities. The following amenities are permitted within an urban open space area: ornamental fountains, stairways, seating, waterfalls, sculptures, arbors, trellises, plant beds, drinking fountains, clock pedestals, public telephones, awnings, canopies, and similar structures.
(e) Maintenance. The building owner, lessee, management entity or authorized agent are jointly and severally responsible for the maintenance of the urban open space area including litter control and care and the replacement of trees and shrubs, as required herein.
(f) Utilities. All utilities service lines and connections shall be underground.
(g) Exceptions for single-family and two-family residences. Single-family and two-family residential dwellings shall not be required to comply with the streetscape design regulations contained herein.
(Ord. passed 10-1-07; Am. Ord. passed 10-20-08; Am. Ord. passed 6-2-14; Am. Ord. passed 10-5-15; Am. Ord. passed 2-1-16; Am. Ord. passed - - )