It is the intent of Council in establishing the Mixed Use Overlay District to promote the general health, safety and welfare of the citizenry by:
(a) Supplementing the existing Planning and Zoning Code to allow for the possibility of additional development within the boundaries of the Mixed Use Overlay District;
(b) Encouraging economic, residential and recreational development that is compatible with the existing and proposed character of the City;
(c) Encouraging, in select areas, a mixture of uses, including offices, limited retail, and higher density residential in a manner that reinforces and strengthens the present small-town, mixed-use environment;
(d) Utilizing the unique environment in select areas to achieve the economic development objectives by orienting higher density use according to the policies established in the Master Plan;
(e) Encouraging adjustments of lot sizes, setbacks, lot coverage and green space, parking and other development standards in order to achieve better site design, better relationships between different uses, and extended preservation of open spaces and natural topography;
(f) Preserving open spaces along various waterways within the City;
(g) Ensuring that natural topographic features in the Mixed Use Overlay District are protected and preserved during development;
(h) Ensuring that natural resources, including views of the waterways within the Mixed Use Overlay District, will be protected and preserved during development;
(i) Encouraging walking, bicycling and social interaction by providing safe and attractive amenities including benches, public sidewalks, walkways and bicycle paths that link residential and commercial areas to open spaces, natural area corridors, parks and other land uses within the Mixed Use Overlay District;
(j) Ensuring that historical features within the Mixed Use Overlay District are protected and preserved during development;
(k) Encouraging the use of sustainable green building and development practices developed by the U.S. Green Building Council for its LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Program in order to integrate the principles of smart growth into the Mixed Use Overlay District; and,
(l) Ensuring that development occurs in a unified and timely manner in accordance with an approved development plan.
(Ord. 2007-59. Passed 12-1-08.)