(A) Each site plan shall conform to all applicable provisions of this chapter. The following criteria shall be used by the Planning Commission and/or Zoning Commission, as required, as a basis upon which site plans will be reviewed and approved.
(B) The village shall adhere to sound planning principles, yet may allow for design flexibility in the administration of the following standards.
(1) All elements shall be harmoniously and efficiently designed in relation to the topography, size, and type of land, and the character of the adjacent properties and the proposed use. The site shall be developed so as not to impede the reasonable and orderly development or improvement of surrounding properties for uses permitted on such property.
(2) The site plan shall comply with the district requirements for minimum floor space, height of building, lot size, open space, density, and all other requirements as set forth in the “schedule of regulations”, see § 157.009, unless otherwise provided in this chapter.
(3) The existing natural landscape shall be preserved in its natural state as much as possible, by minimizing tree and soil removal and by topographic modifications that result in maximum harmony with adjacent properties.
(4) The site plan shall provide reasonable visual and sound privacy. Fences, walls, barriers, and landscaping shall be used, as appropriate, for the protection and enhancement of property and the safety and privacy of occupants and users. Where landscaping is provided, there must be provision for maintaining all plantings through a regular program of fertilizing, irrigating, pinning, mowing, and replacing all dead and diseased materials.
(5) All buildings or groups of buildings shall be so arranged as to permit convenient and direct emergency vehicle access.
(6) There shall be a pedestrian circulation system that is separate from the vehicular circulation system. In order to ensure public safety, pedestrian underpasses or overpasses may be required in the vicinity of schools, playgrounds, local shopping facilities, and other uses that generate considerable amounts of pedestrian movement.
(7) (a) All streets shall be developed in accordance with the Village’s Subdivision Control Regulations and Standard Specifications for Street Construction. The arrangement of public or common ways for vehicular and pedestrian circulation shall respect the pattern of existing or planned streets or pedestrian or bicycle pathways in the vicinity of the site. Streets and drives that are part of an existing or planned street system serving adjacent developments shall have a width adequate to accommodate the anticipated volume of traffic and shall have a dedicated right-of-way equal to that specified in a village recognized source of reference.
(b) The applicant may be required to dedicate adequate land and improvements to the village in order to achieve access which is safe and convenient.
(8) Special attention shall be given to proper site drainage. Appropriate measures shall be taken to ensure that the removal of surface waters will not adversely affect adjacent lots or the capacity of the public or natural storm drainage system. Provisions shall be made for a feasible storm drainage system, the construction of storm-water facilities, and the prevention of erosion and dust. Surface water on all paved areas shall be collected at intervals so that it will not obstruct the flow of vehicles or pedestrian traffic and will not create nuisance ponding in paved areas. Where possible and practical, drainage design shall recognize existing natural drainage patterns.
(9) All off-street parking, loading and unloading areas, and outside storage areas, including areas for storage of trash, that face or are visible from adjacent residential districts, or public thoroughfares, shall be screened by walls or landscaping of effective height, if required by the standards of this chapter. Building entrances designed for vehicular access shall not access any building through the front yard of a development.
(10) Exterior lighting shall be so arranged and limited in intensity and height so that it is deflected away from adjacent lots and so that it does not impede vision of drivers along adjacent streets.
(11) Adequate sendees and utilities, including sanitary sewers, and improvements shall be available or provided, located, and constructed with sufficient capacity and durability to properly serve the development.
(12) Any use permitted in any zoning district must comply with all applicable requirements of state, local, and federal statutes, including health and pollution laws and regulations with respect to noise, smoke, and particulate matter, vibration, noxious and odorous matter, glare and heat, fire and explosive hazards, gases, electromagnetic radiation and drifting and airborne matter, toxic and hazardous materials, erosion control, floodplains, wetlands, and requirements of the State Fire Marshal. Site plan approval may be conditioned on the applicant receiving necessary state and federal permits before final site plan approval or an occupancy permit is granted.
(13) An objective of site plan review shall be to protect and to promote public health, safety, and general welfare by requiring the screening, buffering, and landscaping of sites and parking lots which will serve to reduce wind and air turbulence, heat and noise, and the glare of automobile lights; to preserve underground water reservoirs and return precipitation to the groundwater strata; to act as a natural drainage system and solve stormwater drainage problems; to prevent soil erosion; to provide shade; to conserve and stabilize property values; to relieve the stark character of parking lots; to conserve energy, provide visual and sound privacy and to otherwise facilitate the preservation and creation of a healthful, convenient, attractive, and harmonious community.
(14) It is an objective of site plan review to improve the quality of existing developments as they are expanded, contracted, redeveloped, or changed in keeping with sound site development standards of the village and with the Village Master Plan. Site plans should conform with the village design standards in § 157.198.
(15) A major objective shall be to retain, enhance, and protect the quality, value, and privacy of single-family land uses.
(16) All development phases shall be designed in logical sequence to ensure that each phase will independently function in a safe, convenient, and efficient manner without being dependent upon improvements of a subsequent development potential of lands.
(17) All sites shall be designed to comply with state and local barrier-free requirements and to reasonably accommodate the handicapped and elderly.
(18) (a) In the case of the expansion or redevelopment of sites with existing improvements, the Planning Commission and/or Zoning Commission, as required, shall evaluate existing conditions of the site that are not proposed to be brought up to current minimum standards of the ordinance.
(b) Upon its evaluation, the Planning Commission and/or Zoning Commission, as required, may require that existing conditions or improvements be brought up to current minimum standards for landscaping, circulation, parking, and other site development standards in §§ 157.025 through 157.057, “General Regulations”, to ensure the protection of public health, safety, and welfare.
(Ord. 259, passed 10-24-1995; Ord. passed 2-1-2012)