(A) Purpose.
(1) The GT or Gateway District regulations are designed and intended to promote commercial development along major thoroughfares which are characterized by high quality permanent construction, strong economic viability and a pleasing aesthetic appearance. The intent of these regulations is to improve the appearance of the entry points to the city in order to create a memorable and positive first impression on visitors to the city. The development of high quality commercial construction in the gateway areas of the city will establish the character and quality of the entire community. This section is based upon the 2001/2002 Comprehensive Plan Update.
(2) Any building or structure within the gateway district shall be designed to promote the use and enjoyment of adjacent properties and be architecturally harmonious with the adjacent properties.
(B) Permitted uses. The following uses are permitted, as regulated herein, without special application requirements or conditions attached. Highly similar uses not listed may be allowed upon the determination of the City Council.
(1) Business and professional offices, including corporate headquarters;
(2) Financial institutions (without drive-throughs);
(3) General retail sales;
(4) Hotels and motels;
(5) Restaurants and other eating and drinking establishments; and
(6) Personal and business services, including, but not limited to, catering offices (without food served on-site), chiropractic offices, employment agencies, health and wellness services, interior decorating services, medical care, printing, real estate offices and dry cleaning/tailors.
(C) Conditional uses. The following uses are conditionally permitted in the GT Gateway District. Every use, unless expressly exempt, must follow the review procedures for and qualify for a conditional use permit:
(1) Automobile service stations, including gas stations, gas stations with auto repair and car washes;
(2) Drive-through facilities, including, but not limited to, financial institutions, convenience food; drug stores; coffee shops;
(3) Boat and motorcycle sales and service (new and used), limited to showrooms only, with no outdoor sales display areas and no wrecking or dismantling;
(4) Bowling alleys and billiard parlors;
(5) Catalog and mail order services;
(6) Entertainment facilities, including, but not limited to, game and amusement arcades, bowling, community convention centers/meeting halls, cultural facilities, clubs and lodges, and theaters, but not including sexually-oriented businesses;
(7) Convenience stores;
(8) Mortuaries/funeral homes;
(9) Tire sales and automotive supply stores;
(10) Parking structures or garages in conjunction with a principal use; and
(11) Other commercial uses determined by the City Council to be of the same general character as the conditional uses above, and found not to be detrimental to existing uses and to the general public health, safety and welfare.
(D) Municipal services required. Their inclusion in division (C) above notwithstanding, the following uses shall not be approved on any lot if municipal sanitary sewer service and municipal water service are not available to the lot:
(1) Any use which uses more than 300 gallons of water per day;
(2) Any use which requires pretreatment to improve the quality of its wastewater prior to disposal in accordance with state or municipal regulations;
(3) Automobile service stations and car washes;
(4) Clubs and lodges;
(5) Convenience stores;
(6) Hotels and motels;
(7) Meeting halls;
(8) Restaurants and other eating and drinking establishments; and
(9) Theaters.
(E) Minimum lot area. The minimum lot area in the GT Gateway District is 10,000 square feet.
(F) Minimum street frontage. The minimum street frontage in the GT Gateway District is 150 feet.
(G) Yards and setbacks. The yard and setback requirements for the GT Gateway District are measured from the public right-of-way to any structural improvement on the lot.
(1) Front yard setback. There shall be provided a minimum 30-foot front yard setback from all rights-of-way.
(2) Side yard setback. There shall be provided a ten-foot side yard setback to an impervious parking or storage or other ground level surface and a six-foot setback to any portion of a building. On corner lots, the side yard setback along the secondary street frontage shall be 20 feet.
(3) Rear yard setback. There shall be provided a ten-foot rear yard setback to an impervious parking or storage or other ground level surface and six feet to any portion of a building.
(4) Transitional yard. A transitional yard shall be provided anywhere a GT Gateway District abuts a residential district. The site plan shall provide a buffer between the two districts and shall conform to the following requirements:
(a) The dimensions of the required transitional yard on the property located in the GT District shall be equal to the dimensions of the required yard on the residentially zoned property which is located in closest proximity;
(b) The transitional yard shall extend the entire length of the abutting residential district boundary;
(c) The transitional yard shall not be required to be more than 20 feet in depth; and
(d) The transitional yard shall be landscaped.
(5) Parking placement; display. Only one row of parking is allowed between the primary street (Highway 7) and the building(s). Display areas may be in these yards with site plan approval.
(H) Maximum ground coverage. The sum total of ground area that may be covered by all structures located on any lot in the GT Gateway District shall not exceed 75% of the lot area.
(I) Building design and construction. Standards to promote high-quality building materials, traditional facade features and appropriate design features are imperative for this district. All buildings and structures in the GT Gateway District shall meet the following building design and construction standards.
(1) Exterior wall finish. All exterior wall finishes on any building or structure shall be of the following materials, or a combination of the following materials:
(a) Face brick;
(b) Natural stone;
(c) Pre-cast concrete panels or units, the surfaces of which have been integrally treated with an applied decorative material or texture (no raked or ribbed textures);
(d) Stucco;
(e) Wood, consisting of horizontal lap siding with an exposure no greater than five inches or wood shakes; surfaces must be painted;
(f) Decorative block; or
(g) Any similar material which meets the purposes for which these regulations are designed and intended, as described in division (A) above, and approved by the Planning Commission and City Council. A request for this approval shall include:
1. A written description of the manner in which the proposed material promotes the purposes described in division (A) above;
2. A physical sample of all the proposed materials together with their technical specifications;
3. A color photograph of similar applications of the proposed material;
4. A sketch of the proposed construction showing the location of the proposed material; and
5. A written description explaining why approved materials described in divisions (I)(1)(a) through (I)(1)(e) above are not being considered.
(2) Additions and accessory buildings. All subsequent additions to a principal building and all accessory buildings and structures shall be constructed of the same materials as the principal building and shall be of the same architectural design and general appearance as the principal building.
(3) Design features. For the purpose of carrying out the design and construction standards of the Gateway District, construction should accomplish the following:
(a) Avoid conformity of roof forms and store modules;
(b) Treat all sides of a building with facie which is consistent. If the applicant is proposing different facie on sides of building, he or she must gain approval through the conditional use permit process;
(c) Create architectural focal features;
(d) Define the edges of the gateway corridors with buildings and landscaping; and
(e) Link all developments with sidewalks and landscaped boulevards.
(J) Maximum building height. The maximum height of any construction element shall be established under the conditional use permit.
(K) Outdoor storage prohibited. No owner or occupier of land in the gateway district shall store or permit the storage of any personal property, including, without limitation, commercial products, equipment (excluding delivery vehicles), junk material or any other item, unless that personal property is enclosed within a building or concealed within an opaque fence which has been approved by the city as a condition of a conditional use permit. All storage fences shall meet the construction requirements of division (L)(10) below.
(L) Landscaping.
(1) General landscaping and maintenance requirements.
(a) All undeveloped lots and parcels shall be mowed and kept free of accumulation of garbage, trash, refuse, debris and other unsightly or nuisance creating materials until developed. Except for accessory uses expressly permitted to be located in required yards, all yards and open spaces between and about structures and off-street parking lots and loading areas shall be landscaped and kept free from accumulations of garbage, trash, refuse, debris and other unsightly or nuisance creating materials. All landscaping shall be continually maintained by the owner or other person responsible for maintenance of the premises, and all planting areas shall be kept free of weeds and debris. All lots shall be maintained in accordance with §§ 92.035
through 92.043
of this code.
(b) All planting material shall be of good quality, of species normally grown in the state and capable of withstanding the extremes of individual site microclimates. All specifications for measurement, quality and installation of trees and shrubs shall be in accordance with the American Standards for Nursery Stock, published by the American Association of Nurserymen.
(c) Landscaping and screening required by this section shall be interrupted only by required access drives and sidewalks. All landscaping and screening required by this section shall be so designed and maintained as to preserve unobstructed vision of the street and sidewalk at points of access and so as not to interfere with, or be damaged by, work within any public or utility easement unless the Planning Department determines that no other location is reasonably feasible.
(d) The standards included in this division (L) are intended to promote common landscaping features and materials throughout the GT Gateway District.
(2) Applicability. A landscaping plan, and the implementation and maintenance of that plan, shall be required for all uses within this district. Diversion from the standards set forth must be approved at the time of conditional use permit and must be reviewed for recommendations by the City Forester.
(3) Landscape plans. Wherever the submission and approval of a landscape plan is required by this section, the landscape plan and its maintenance shall be a condition of receiving a certificate of occupancy. No certificate of occupancy shall be issued prior to city approval of a landscape plan. Failure to implement the approved landscape plan within six months of the issuance of a certificate of occupancy shall be cause for revocation of the certificate of occupancy, and other enforcement procedures of this zoning chapter.
(a) Content of landscape plan. All landscape plans submitted for approval shall contain or have attached thereto the following information:
1. The location and dimensions of all existing and proposed structures, parking lots and drives, roadways and rights-of-way, sidewalks, bicycle paths, ground signs, refuse disposal areas, bicycle parking areas, fences, freestanding electrical equipment, tot lots and other recreational facilities, and other freestanding structural features as determined necessary by the Planning Department;
2. The location, quantity, size and name, both botanical and common names, of all proposed planting materials;
3. The location of existing buildings, structures and plant materials on adjacent property within 100 feet of the site;
4. Existing and proposed grading of the site, including proposed berming, indicating contours, at two-foot intervals;
5. Specification of the type and boundaries of all proposed ground cover;
6. Elevations of all fences proposed for location on the site. The information must also include the design aspects of the fencing;
7. Irrigation plan (if installing); and
8. Elevations, cross-sections and other details as determined necessary by the Planning Department.
(b) Design criteria. Landscaping plans described above shall be prepared based on the following design criteria. The evaluation and approval of landscape plans shall also be based on these design criteria.
1. Scale and nature of landscaping material. The scale and nature of landscaping materials should be appropriate to the size of the structures. Large scaled buildings, for example, should generally be complemented by larger scaled plants. Landscaping of larger areas, such as required yards, should be accomplished by both horizontal landscaping elements, such as planting beds, and vertical landscaping elements, such as trees, berms and fences.
2. Selection of plant material. Plant material should be selected for its form, texture, color and concern for its ultimate growth. The use of Silver Maples, Box Elders, Russian Olives, Tree of Heaven, Mulberry, Poplars and other weak wooded species should be avoided.
3. Evergreens. Evergreens should be incorporated into the landscape treatment of a site, particularly in those areas screening parking lots from dedicated public rights-of-way or property zoned for residential use. All evergreens shall have a minimum height of six feet.
4. Shade trees. All shade trees shall have a minimum trunk size of two inches in diameter upon installation, as measured six inches above the established ground level.
5. Softening of walls and fences. Plant material should be placed intermittently against long expanses of building walls, fences and other barriers to create a softening effect.
6. Planting bed. Planting beds should be mulched with bark chips, rock mulch, feather rocks or similar materials.
7. Detention/retention basins and ponds. Detention/retention basins and ponds shall be landscaped. This landscaping should include shade and ornamental trees, evergreens, shrubbery, hedges and other planting materials.
8. Watering plant material. A means of watering plant material should be provided. Installation of an underground irrigation system is recommended.
9. Energy conservation.
a. Deciduous trees should be placed on the south and west sides of buildings and parking lots to provide shade from the summer sun.
b. Evergreens and other similar plant materials should be concentrated on the north side of buildings to dissipate the effect of winter winds.
10. Preservation of existing plant material. Existing plant material should, wherever practical as determined by the Planning Department, be incorporated into the landscape treatment of a site.
11. Berming. Earthen berms and existing topography should be, whenever determined practical by the Planning Department, incorporated into the landscape treatment of a site, particularly when combined with plant material to facilitate screening from adjacent residential uses. Berms should be designed to allow for maintenance, mowing and adequate drainage. The elevation and horizontal ground location of the berm should be varied in order to mimic a natural topographical feature.
12. Fencing and walls. Fencing and walls shall conform to the restrictions of this section. When fencing is used to screen uses, the outside base of the fence and wall shall be landscaped. The fences or walls shall incorporate piers built of the same brick, concrete or stone used in the building facade.
(4) Transitional yards. Except as expressly provided elsewhere in this section, every transitional yard shall extend along the entire length of the lot line and shall be designed and maintained to function as a buffer area. Every required transitional yard shall consist of a combination of ground cover, shade trees, evergreen trees and shrubs and appropriate screening devices such as decorative walls, fences or berms. Areas not planted with shrubs, trees or other appropriate screening devices shall be maintained with living ground cover.
(5) Perimeter landscaping; off-street parking lots. Parking lots fronting on principal streets in the GT District shall have a 15-foot setback and a two feet, six inches high landscape buffer. Acceptable materials include:
(a) Overstory or ornamental trees spaced at a maximum of 25 feet apart with a hedge, railing or wall in between. Walls and railing piers shall be built out of brick or stone to match the principal building; and
(b) A berm landscaped with shrubs, ornamental, evergreen and/or overstory trees.
(6) Interior landscaping; off-street parking lots. Every off-street parking lot in the GT district providing 25 spaces or more shall provide interior landscaping. Interior landscaping shall consist of planting islands with a minimum area of 60 square feet and a minimum width of six feet, measured from the back of curb to back of curb. Parking lot interiors shall have 150 square feet of landscape islands per 25 parking spaces. Area devoted to perimeter landscaping shall not be considered as any part of interior landscaping. Where more than one planting island is provided, the islands shall be appropriately spaced throughout the parking lot. As part of site plan review, interior landscaping may be required for off-street parking lots containing less than 25 spaces.
(7) Off-street loading areas. Every off-street loading area visible from any lot zoned for residential use shall be screened on all sides visible from that lot or street by an opaque fence, wall or densely planted evergreen hedge of not less than six feet in height, except as necessary for access.
(8) Refuse containers. All refuse and recyclable material containers, except those containers used by a single-family dwelling in connection with the municipal refuse collection service or those containers used on a temporary basis for a construction or disposal activity, shall be fully enclosed by a gated opaque fence or wall of a sufficient height to completely screen the containers from view by all adjoining properties and all streets. The fence or wall shall have an exterior finish that is similar to the material found on the exterior walls of the main building on the property or other approved material as determined by the Planning Department. No refuse or recyclable material containers shall be located between any front or corner side yard.
(9) Rooftop mechanical equipment. Except for roof-mounted antennas, all mechanical equipment located on the roof of any building constructed after the effective date of this chapter and exceeding six feet in height shall be completely screened to the full height of the equipment by a parapet wall or other screening structure constructed of the same or similar materials as the principal building facade.
(10) Fences. No fence or wall shall be erected, enlarged, expanded, altered, relocated, maintained or repaired in any yard unless it shall first meet the requirements of this section.
(a) Construction.
1. Prohibited material. No fence or wall shall be constructed of any electrically charged element or barbed wire, when incorporated with a permitted fence or wall. Opaque (100%), plastic colored and coated chain link fencing will be considered with a conditional use permit and will be evaluated on its location and extent of usage.
2. Approved material. All fences shall be constructed of stone, brick, ornamental steel and/or finished wood. The finished side of the fence, or that side of the fence without exposed supports or posts, shall face the neighboring properties or streets.
3. Maintenance. Every fence or wall shall be maintained in a good and safe condition at all times. Every damaged or missing element of any fence or wall shall be repaired or replaced immediately.
(b) Height.
1. Side and rear yards. No fence or wall located in a side or rear yard shall be of a height exceeding ten feet, measured from its top edge to the ground at any point. Fencing exceeding six feet requires building permit plan review.
2. Front yards. No fence or wall located in a front yard shall be of a height exceeding four feet, measured from its top edge to the ground at any point.
(c) Setbacks.
1. A fence may be located adjacent to, but may not be located on a property line.
2. No fence, wall, hedge or other screening device shall be permitted to encroach on any public right-of-way.
(M) Lighting. Lighting shall not be directed upon the public right-of-way and nearby or adjacent properties. The illumination must be indirect or diffused. Exterior lighting standards shall be compatible with the style of the existing street lights and the surrounding area (TH7 and 22).
(N) Signage. This division is intended to provide standards for signage within the GT Gateway District. The promotion of these standards in the gateway district will serve as a positive example for the rest of the community to strive toward.
(1) Permitted signs; standards. The following signs are permitted in the GT District:
(a) Wall or ground signs identifying the name or type of business;
(b) Parking signs;
(c) The total area of all signs shall not exceed three square feet per front foot of building. Lots on intersecting streets or facing two parallel streets shall be permitted 150% of the total allowable sign area, with no more than 100% on any one street;
(d) Maximum height of a ground sign shall not exceed 27 feet;
(e) Wall signs shall not project in excess of 12 inches or above the roof line;
(f) Roof signs, excluding advertising signs, not exceeding 15 feet in height;
(g) Projecting signs, provided that there shall be not more than one of this type of sign, which shall project not more than six feet from the face of the building and shall have a minimum underside clearance of at least 14 feet;
(h) No more than four signs shall be permitted, not more than two being ground signs;
(i) Ground signs shall be set back a minimum of five feet from lot lines; and
(j) Monument signs, subject to the following requirements:
1. Single or double occupancy business signs shall not exceed 10% of the total front building facade; except that, both front and side facades may be counted on a corner lot. Sign area may not exceed 100 square feet with a maximum height of 20 feet. Monument signs may not exceed ten feet in height;
2. Monument signs for multi-tenant businesses may not exceed 150 square feet, with a maximum height of 30 feet;
3. Monument signs may not exceed more than 20 feet;
4. One monument sign per single and double occupancy building is allowed;
5. One monument sign per street frontage is allowed for multi-tenant buildings; and
6. Special landscaping features that integrate with monument signs are required.
(2) Prohibited signs. This division (N)(2) prohibits signs which have been identified as unattractive and unnecessary. The following signs are prohibited in the GT District:
(a) Off-premises signs;
(b) Portable signs; and
(c) Billboards.
(2004 Code, § 154.071) (Ord. 01-304, passed 3-26-2002; Ord. 09-0528, passed 4-14-2009) Penalty, see § 154.999