(A) Purpose. This district is intended to promote and facilitate the development and redevelopment of hospitals within the city. This district provides for the continued growth and development of a hospital use and, associated accessory uses and additions necessitated by advances in medical technology and patient treatment as well as expansion to accommodate the healthcare needs of the region's population. It is the intent of this district to:
(1) Encourage the use of innovative approaches to development that utilize sustainable development practices, and incorporate environmental performance standards;
(2) Encourage a mixture of functionally related uses in close proximity of each other to promote pedestrian activity and reduce vehicle miles traveled;
(3) Encourage the construction of new buildings of a compatible architectural scale to its surroundings;
(4) Facilitate the development, redevelopment and use of properties in the city in close proximity to mass transit;
(5) Encourage the goals and objectives within the city's Green Plan.
(6) Provide for development consistent with the underlying land use.
(B) Active hospital district developments. A list of active HD developments and guidelines shall be maintained in the Planning and Economic Development Department.
(C) Uses.
(1) Permitted uses shall include:
(a) Hospital;
(b) Medical lab;
(c) Medical office;
(d) Nursing home/hospice;
(e) Assisted living facility;
(f) Such other hospital related uses as may be set forth in the HD guidelines governing use of the subject property.
(2) Accessory uses:
(a) Pharmacy;
(b) Ambulatory/outpatient surgery;
(c) Professional offices;
(d) Restaurant/cafes/cafeteria;
(e) Auditorium/assembly hall/ conference center;
(f) Retail commercial;
(g) Plant operations;
(h) Helipad/heliport;
(i) Parking garage;
(j) Rehabilitation/fitness center;
(k) Educational;
(l) Child care/adult day care;
(m) Temporary parking areas and temporary parking structures;
(n) Telecommunication tower/antennas;
(o) Temporary outdoor storage;
(p) Hotel/motel;
(q) Uses incidental and customarily associated with hospital uses.
(D) Standards.
(1) Design guidelines shall be required establishing development standards for the proposed development, including illustrations of proposed architectural, design, streetscape and landscape concepts, thematic design elements such as architectural materials, building colors and landscape plans, and any proposed variation from the design standards or guidelines contained in this section. The HD design guidelines may describe broadly based design or architectural themes and concepts, sufficient to convey an idea and general pattern of development.
(a) Floor area ratio calculations and ground coverage shall be provided to determine scope, density and impact of the project.
(b) The minimum project size shall be five acres.
(c) Parking garages, loading docks, and service areas shall be directly accessible from major roadways and appropriately screened to promote a pedestrian scale and safety.
(d) Internal roadways shall be "pedestrian friendly" and shall be easily accessible to the disabled and injured; including, but not limited to, the use of pavers, wide sidewalks. Major parking areas shall be located to encourage walking and discourage internal vehicle trips among the various buildings and uses.
(e) Traffic circulation shall be designed to avoid through-traffic in residential areas.
(f) The use of public transportation shall be promoted; bus and/or shuttle bus stops on campus shall be provided.
(g) Protect and minimize any undesirable effects upon contiguous and nearby residential property.
(h) Provide sufficient off-street parking and loading facilities, so that the use of streets in the vicinity for this purpose will not be unavoidable.
(i) Provide sufficient setbacks and yard spaces adjacent to public streets and to residentially zoned property, with adequate landscaping in those yard and setback areas, in order to protect the appearance and character of the neighborhood.
(j) Provide sufficient walls, fences, enclosures, or hedges to prevent or minimize effects of noise, glare, odors, smoke, and soot, upon surrounding residential property.
(k) Reserved parking shall be considered upon review and approval of the Planning and Zoning Board.
(2) Site plan requirements.
(a) Setbacks within the project shall be determined at the time of project review.
(b) Inventory of existing facilities and services.
(c) Projected expansion plans for new construction and/or substantial rehabilitation of existing facilities indicating the type, size and location of each facility.
(d) A master sign plan shall conform to the requirements set forth in §§ 155.600 et seq. Signage shall be at a scale and aesthetic design appropriate to the size and type of project.
(e) A maintenance plan for all common areas including but not limited to, parking, sidewalks, public areas, building facades, landscaped areas and programming shall be required as part of the approval of the project.
(f) An aesthetically pleasing architectural theme, including but not limited to scale, colors, textures, materials and the use of landscaping.
(g) Outdoor uses and public places shall be designed to connect various buildings and promote pedestrian activity.
(h) Landscape design shall compliment and be consistent with the project's architectural theme.
(3) Parking structures. Parking structures are also subject to the following additional requirements:
(a) Parking structure height should be less than the principal structure.
(b) Parking structure shall be designed to have a decorative appearance consistent with the overall architectural composition of the development, by providing unified design elements with the main buildings through the use of similar materials and color, vertical and horizontal elements, and architectural style. Such architectural composition shall incorporate any number of the following: detail and embellishments; louvres or screening; color and material banding; use of decorative metal grates; cornices; planters; or vines.
(c) Architectural features shall be incorporated into the facade to mitigate the mass and bulk of the building.
(d) Decorative architectural elements on the ground floor level shall be designed to accommodate the pedestrian scale.
(e) Parking levels above the ground floor shall maintain the same vertical and horizontal articulation or rhythm and incremental appearance established on the ground floor.
(f) Ramps shall be visually screened from streets and oriented towards the interior of the lot where possible within the development. Ramp profiles shall be hidden on the exterior elevations.
(g) Roof top parking shall be visually screened with articulated parapet walls and/or other architectural treatments or landscaping.
(h) Exterior lighting fixtures shall provide cut-off shielding in order to eliminate glare and spillage onto adjacent properties and roadways.
(i) The openings of the garage shall be designed in a manner that obscures parked vehicles when possible.
(j) Parking structures abutting any residential property shall utilize noise abating materials.
(k) Compact parking spaces may be provided at a maximum of 20% of the total required parking spaces. All compact parking spaces shall be clearly marked with the word "compact" either on the wheel stop or curb, or on the pavement at the opening of the space. Compact parking spaces shall be reasonably dispersed throughout the parking area.
(4) Temporary surface parking lots, provided that the primary purpose of temporary surface parking lots is to serve employees of the hospital facilities and accessory uses through approval by the Planning and Zoning Board.
(5) Evaluation criteria. The Planning and Zoning Board and the City Commission shall consider, at a minimum, the following goals and objectives when evaluating the proposed Hospital District. The proposed HD guidelines shall:
(a) Conform to the purpose and intent of the Hospital District.
(b) Provide a land use, or combination of land uses that are arranged and designed in such a manner as to be well integrated with other land uses, the immediate surrounding area, the planned thoroughfare system, and other public facilities such as water and sewer systems, parks, schools, transit routes and utilities.
(c) Adequately, reasonably and conveniently integrate into existing and planned streets, transit systems, and public services, utilities and public facilities.
(d) Provide sustainable design elements in comparison with traditional development reviewed under other base zoning district regulations.
(e) Be compatible with, and not detrimental to, adjacent properties or the surrounding neighborhood(s).
(Ord. 2021-02, adopted 3-17-21; sought to be reconsidered, Commission passed 4-21-2021)