(A) Definition. A GROUP DEVELOPMENT is any development containing:
(1) Any single structure on a single lot which contains 17 or more dwelling units or 10 or more nonresidential uses; and/or,
(2) Any single structure that requires special use approval as per § 154.924 due to its size. Common examples of group developments include apartment buildings, apartment complexes, condominium complexes, strip centers, shopping centers, and office centers.
(B) Permitted by right. Not applicable.
(C) Special use regulations. Any land use that is permitted as a permitted by right land use or as a special use within the applicable zoning district(s) is permitted to locate within a group development. The detailed land use regulations of this division that pertain to individual land uses shall also apply to individual land uses within a group development, as will all other applicable provisions of this chapter. Therefore, land uses permitted by right in the zoning district shall be permitted by right within an approved group development (unless otherwise restricted by the conditions of approval imposed during the special use approval for the group development as a whole), and land uses permitted as a special use in the zoning district shall be permitted within the group development only with special use approval for the specific use. In all cases, the following special use conditions shall be applied to the group development as a whole, and to individual uses within the group development:
(1) All required off-street parking spaces and access drives shall be located entirely within the boundaries of the group development.
(2) The development shall contain a sufficient number of waste bins to accommodate all trash and waste generated by the land uses in a convenient manner.
(3) No group development shall take access to a local residential street.
(4) All development located within a group development shall be located so as to comply with the intent of this chapter regarding setbacks of structures and buildings from lot lines. As such, individual principal and accessory structures and buildings located within group developments shall be situated within building area envelopes that serve to demonstrate complete compliance with said intent. Building area envelopes shall be depicted on the site plan required for review of group developments. The use of this approach to designing group developments will also ensure the facilitation of subdividing group developments in the future, (if such action is so desired).
(5) The following standards shall apply to all single structures that require special use approval as per § 154.924 due to their size and to all multi-building group developments in which the combined total of all structures on a site, regardless of diverse ownership, use or tenancy, combine to exceed twice the maximum build size requiring special use approval. These conditions shall also be applied to the entire building and site in instances where building additions cause the total building size to exceed these amounts. Such conditions shall apply to both the building additions and to older portions of the building and the site that were constructed prior to the adoption of this section.
(a) Building exterior materials shall be of high quality on all sides of the structure including glass, brick, decorative concrete block, or stucco.
(b) Decorative architectural metal with concealed fasteners may be approved with special permission from the city.
(c) Building exterior design shall be unified in design and materials throughout the structure, and shall be complementary to other structures in the vicinity. However, the development shall employ varying building setbacks, height, roof, treatments, door and window openings, and other structural and decorative elements to reduce the apparent size and scale of the structure. A minimum of 20% of the combined facades of the structure shall employ actual facade protrusions or recesses. A minimum of 20% of the combined linear roof eave or parapet lines of the structure shall employ differences in height of eight feet or more. Roofs with particular slopes may be required by the city to complement existing buildings or otherwise establish a particular aesthetic objective.
(d) Mechanical equipment, refuse containers and any permitted outdoor storage shall be fully concealed from on-site and off-site ground level views with materials identical to those used on the building exterior.
(e) Standard corporate trademark building designs, materials, architectural elements, and colors all shall be acceptable, as determined by the city, only as subtly integrated into the more generic design of the building as a whole. Color schemes of all architectural elements shall be muted, neutral, non-reflective and non-use nor tenant specific.
(f) Public entryways shall be prominently indicated from the building's exterior design, and shall be emphasized by on-site traffic flow patterns. All sides of the building that directly face or abut a public street shall have public entrances.
(g) Loading areas shall be completely screened from surrounding roads, residential, office, and commercial properties. Said screening may be through internal loading areas, a screening wall which will match the building exterior in materials and design, fully opaque landscaping at time of planting, or combinations of the above. Gates and fencing may be used for security purposes, but not for screening, and shall be of high aesthetic quality.
(h) Vehicle access from public streets shall be designed to accommodate peak traffic volumes without disrupting traffic on public streets from inadequate throat length access, drive-width or design, or inadequate driveway location. The impact of traffic generated by the proposed development shall be demonstrated by a traffic impact analysis performed by the applicant's traffic engineer to not adversely impact off-site public roads, intersections, and interchanges during the traffic peak associated with a full parking lot. Where the project shall adversely impact off-site traffic, the city may deny the application, may require a size reduction in the proposed development, or may require off-site improvements.
(i) Parking lot design shall employ interior landscaped islands with a minimum of 400 square feet at all parking isle ends, and in addition shall provide a minimum of one landscaped island of a minimum of 400 square feet in each parking isle for every 20 cars in that aisle. Aisle-end islands shall count toward meeting this requirement. Landscaped medians shall be used to break large parking areas into distinct pods, with a maximum of 100 spaces in any one pod.
(j) A minimum of one 200 square foot cart return area shall be provided for every parking area pod. There shall be no exterior cart return nor cart storage areas located within twenty-five feet of the building in areas located between the building and a public street.
(k) The applicant shall demonstrate full compliance with city standards for stormwater, utilities, erosion control and public safety.
(l) On-site landscaping shall be provided per the landscaping requirements of § 154.601 through 154.605 except that building foundation landscaping and paved area landscaping shall be provided at 1.5 times the required amount of landscape materials (other than ground cover) for development in the zoning district.
(m) A conceptual plan for exterior signage shall provide for coordinated and complementary exterior sign locations, configurations, and colors throughout the group development. All freestanding signage within the development shall complement the on-building signage. Free standing sign materials and design shall complement building exterior, and may not exceed the maximum height requirements of §§ 154.801 through 154.815.
(n) The entire development shall provide for full and safe pedestrian and bicycle access within the development, and shall provide appropriate connections to the existing and planned pedestrian and bicycle facilities in the community and in surrounding neighborhoods, including sidewalk connections to all building entrances from all public streets. The development shall provide secure bicycle parking and pedestrian furniture in appropriate quantities and location. A central pedestrian gathering area shall be provided.
(o) Where such developments are proposed to provide a new location for a business already located within the community, a required condition of approval for the new development shall be a prohibition on conditions of sale, lease, or use of the previously occupied building or site which provide limits beyond the range of applicable local, state or federal regulations. If such limits are required, the applicant may seek city approval to demolish the previously occupied structure and prepare the site for some future development.
(p) The applicant shall provide adequate evidence that the proposed development and uses cannot be adequately sited within or on existing developed properties or buildings within the community.
(q) The Zoning Board of Appeals may waive any of the above standards by a three- fourths vote of members in attendance, but only if supplemental design elements or improvements are incorporated into the project that compensate for the waiver of the particular standard.
(D) Discrimination against condominium forms of ownership. It is not the intent of this section, nor any other provision of this chapter, to discriminate against condominium forms of ownership in any manner which conflicts with Illinois Statutes. As such, the provisions of this section are designed to ensure that condominium forms of ownership are subject to the same standards and procedures of review and development as other physically identical forms of development.
(Ord. O-05-04, passed 4-11-05)