(A) This chapter is adopted for the following purposes:
(1) Promoting the public health, safety, comfort, morals, convenience and general welfare;
(2) Securing adequate natural light, pure air, and safety from fire and other dangers;
(3) Conserving the taxable value of land and buildings;
(4) Providing for the orderly and functional arrangement of land and buildings;
(5) Establishing standards for the orderly development or redevelopment of neighborhoods, communities and regions, or parts thereof;
(6) Securing, for the public, adequate locations for housing, employment, shopping, education, and recreation;
(7) Facilitating the adequate provision of transportation, water, sewer, schools, parks and other public requirements;
(8) Lessening or avoiding the hazards to persons and damage to property resulting from the accumulation or runoff of storm or flood waters;
(9) Lessening or avoiding congestion in the public streets and highways;
(10) Preserving and enhancing aesthetic values throughout the city.
(B) To these ends, this chapter is intended to establish and accomplish certain standards and objectives to assure the orderly growth in the developed and undeveloped areas of Mattoon, including residential, business, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and complementary developments by providing that:
(1) Existing residential areas designated for expansion of residential development be suitably located in relationship to business, commercial and industrial areas, and be protected against intrusion which will interfere with decent living conditions;
(2) Existing business and commercial areas be protected against the encroachment of inconsistent uses (i.e., that commercial areas be used for the proper development of the necessary businesses and commercial establishments), and that adequate space be provided for off-street parking of vehicles of customers using the business and commercial areas;
(3) Existing industrial areas be given adequate protection; additional land be designated and regulated for future manufacturing development so that present industry may expand, and that a wide range of sites for new industry be provided, having access to transportation facilities and other features, enabling industry in the city to compete successfully with industry elsewhere in the world and without undue costs to the community;
(4) Careful consideration be given to the use of prime farmland for urban type residential and business development, taking into account all factors that may lead to unnecessary use of such land when satisfactory alternatives are readily available. For the purpose of this chapter, the definition of “prime farmland” shall be used as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Which is land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops and is available for these uses. As The U.S. Department of Agriculture revises and updates its definition of prime farmland, their most current and up-to-date definition shall also apply to this chapter.
(5) Land, woodland, rivers, streams and underground deposits of mineral resources be given adequate protection so that these natural resources will be preserved for future use;
(6) Where possible, the uses of land and buildings should be related to the existing and planned land uses in agreement with the needs and plans of the community;
(7) The uses of land and structures within the community be so related as to provide effectiveness and economy in government.
(Ord. 2015-5377, passed 5-5-2015)