The following development standards are required for redevelopment projects in order to promote the intent of the TCO District and meet the goals and objectives of the city’s Comprehensive Plan. The base zoning district’s development standard apply until a time the lot is redeveloped.
(A) Lot planting standards. The following lot planting standards supersede the lot planting standards in § 165.308 (Non-Residential Lot Planting Standards).
(1) Lot planting quantity. The quantities listed below are in addition to landscape materials that may be required by other landscaping regulations in this section.
(a) Foundation plantings. Primary structures with facades that face a street shall plant one shrub for every 12 lineal feet of facade that faces the street. If the facade that faces the street is greater than 25 feet in height, instead of shrubs, the required plant material shall be ornamental trees at a ratio of one tree per every 20 lineal feet of facade. This provision applies to all facades that face a street.
(b) Yard plantings.
1. Lots 14,000 square feet or less shall plant two canopy trees. Each tree shall have a caliper measurement of at least two inches.
2. Lots over 14,000 square feet, but less than 28,000 square feet, shall plant three canopy trees. Each tree shall have a caliper measurement of at least two inches.
3. Lots 28,000 square feet or more shall plant four canopy trees, plus one canopy tree for every additional 15,000 square feet of lot size above 28,000 square feet. Each tree shall have a caliper measurement of at least two inches. Under no circumstances shall more than 12 trees be required for this provision.
(2) Lot planting placement.
(a) Foundation plantings. Foundation plantings shall be used to decoratively landscape the facade facing the street and be located within ten feet of that foundation. When ornamental trees are required as a replacement to shrubs, the ornamental trees shall be located within 18 feet of that foundation.
(b) Yard plantings. Yard plantings shall be planted in the front or side yard.
(B) Parking lot planting standards. The following parking lot planting standards supersede the parking lot planting standards in § 165.310 (Parking Lot Planting Standards).
(1) Parking lot planting quantity. The quantities listed below are in addition to landscape materials that may be required by other landscaping regulations in this section.
(a) Parking lot perimeter plantings. Parking lots with ten or more spaces shall have one deciduous tree per 35 feet of parking lot perimeter and one shrub per 16 feet of parking lot perimeter. Each tree shall have a caliper measurement of at least two inches and each shrub shall be a two gallon container.
(b) Parking lot perimeter planting exemption. Portions of parking lot perimeter that is immediately adjacent to a building on the same lot shall be exempt from the calculation for determining quantity.
(c) Parking lot interior plantings. Parking lots with 20 or more parking spaces shall have one landscape island for every 20 spaces. Each landscape island shall be at least 180 square feet in area or at least as large as the drip line area of the tree(s), which ever is greater. Each landscape island shall contain at least one tree per 180 square feet in area. Each tree shall have a caliper measurement of at least two inches. Parking lot landscape islands shall be maintained with grass, ground cover, plant materials and/or mulch; gravel shall not be permitted. If a parking lot only has one aisle then the required landscape islands shall be installed as landscape bumpouts.
(2) Parking lot planting placement.
(a) Parking lot perimeter plantings. Parking lot perimeter plantings shall be installed within ten feet of the parking lot edge. Clustering and inconsistent spacing of perimeter plantings is encouraged to imitate natural vegetation. Equal spacing of perimeter planting is discouraged. All sides of a parking lot shall have parking lot perimeter plantings installed in proportion to the lineal feet of parking lot perimeter per side.
(b) Parking lot interior plantings. Landscape islands shall be distributed equally throughout the parking lot.
(C) Sign standards.
(1) Sign quantity. One permanent wall or ground sign may be installed on a lot with a permitted commercial land use.
(2) Sign area. The sign area shall not exceed eight square feet.
(3) Ground sign design.
(a) Maximum height. The maximum sign height shall be six feet above ground level.
(b) Materials. A ground sign shall be made of professional grade sign fabrication materials that are designed to withstand exposure to weather, sun, wind and temperature change. Sign materials shall not include extruded plastic letters.
(c) Changeable copy. Ground signs shall not include electronic changeable copy or manual changeable copy.
(d) Aesthetic. Ground signs shall be designed to fit the character of a residential neighborhood.
(e) Framing and mounting. Ground signs shall be enframed, affixed to the ground.
(f) Location. A ground sign shall be located perpendicular to the street, in the front yard and be setback at least eight feet from any right-of-way, five feet from any public sidewalk, two feet from any on-site sidewalk and ten feet from side property lines. Ground signs shall not impede pedestrian circulation or safety.
(g) Illumination. A ground sign shall not be illuminated internally or externally.
(4) Wall sign design.
(a) Maximum height. Ten feet above ground level.
(b) Materials. Signs shall be made of professional grade sign fabrication materials that are designed to withstand exposure to weather, sun, wind and temperature change. Sign materials shall not include extruded plastic letters.
(c) Changeable copy. Wall signs shall not include electronic changeable copy or manual changeable copy.
(d) Aesthetic. Wall signs shall be designed to fit the character of a residential neighborhood.
(e) Location on facade. A wall sign shall be permanently attached to the first floor of the front facade of a primary structure, fully within ten feet of the front door, or entrance customers are expected to use.
(f) Installation restrictions. A wall sign shall not project from the facade by more than three inches or be hung from a porch ceiling.
(g) Illumination. A wall sign shall not be illuminated internally or externally.
(D) Architectural standards. In addition to the architectural standards in § 165.263(B), the following apply.
(1) New construction. Existing residential shall be redeveloped into unified commercial development.
(2) Complementary design. If more than one new building is being build on the same lot or lots used in combination, they all shall be significantly complementary of one another. However, the building(s) on the lot or lots used in combination may be unique to other commercial buildings along the corridor.
(3) Four-sided architecture. The architectural style, materials, color, design and theme on the front elevation shall be applied to all elevations of the structure.
(4) Variations in mass. Structures shall incorporate variations in height, mass, roof forms and changes in wall planes. Lineal/strip development (i.e., strip mall) shall not be permitted to exceed four storefronts or a front facade over 250 feet, whichever is more restrictive.
(5) Roof design. All new construction shall be designed to have pitched roofs greater or equal to six vertical units to 12 horizontal units (6:12 pitch). Buildings with 3,000 square feet or greater footprint shall be required to have roof designs with multiple roof planes to break the monotony of a simple gable roof.
(E) Access standards. If the city’s Comprehensive Plan, Thoroughfare Plan or a subarea plan calls for a frontage street running parallel or relatively parallel with a highway, primary arterial or secondary arterial; or calls for an access street, then the development shall dedicate the necessary right-of-way or half-right-of-way and construct its share of the frontage or access street as per the details of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, Thoroughfare Plan or subarea plan. If the frontage or access street is determined by the City Engineer as not ready to proceed, then an amount equal to the construction cost shall be contributed to the city and placed in escrow until a time when the road is ready to be constructed.
(F) Accessory structure standards. All accessory structures that are permitted in the base zoning district shall be permitted in the TCO District. The following additional standards apply.
(1) Four-sided architecture. The architectural style, materials, color and design on the front elevation shall be applied to all elevations of the accessory structure.
(2) Relationship to primary structure. All accessory structures shall be architecturally complementary in materials and colors to the primary structure.
(G) Entrance and drive standards. The following location standards for entrances and drives shall be met. However, if an alternative layout is proposed and accepted by the Zoning Administrator and the Technical Review Committee for a proposed development, then these standards may be waived by the Zoning Administrator for that particular project.
(1) Adjacent properties. Entrances and drives shall be located immediately across from existing entrances and drives. When the lot(s) immediately across the street are undeveloped, the new entrances and drives shall be designed as much as possible to allow the undeveloped lot to match entrances and drives with the proposed development.
(2) Adjoining properties. Entrances and drives shall be shared between adjoining properties with the use of cross-access easements to reduce the number of entrances and drives. No more than two properties may share a single entrance or drive.
(3) Assembled lots. When two or more lots have been assembled, each having their own curb cut onto the “transitional corridor”, the development shall be required to reduce the number of curb cuts by at least 50%. Also, any existing driveway that is greater than 24 feet shall be required to reduce the width of the curb cut per the discretion of the Technical Review Committee. Under no circumstances shall the Technical Review Committee require anything less than 11-foot lanes if wider lanes existed prior to redevelopment.
(H) Buffering. The following bufferyard standards supersede the standards in § 165.312 (Bufferyard Planting Standards).
(1) Applicability. The following bufferyard standards apply to and uses permitted in the TCO District when adjacent to any R1, R2, R3 or UR Zoning District.
(2) Location. Bufferyards shall be installed along all segments where the redevelopment project is contiguous with a lot with a single-family residential land use or is a single-family residential zoning district. An easement, alley or similar break between two lots shall not constitute a loss of adjacency. However, a street right-of-way shall constitute a break in contiguity.
(3) Depth. Bufferyards shall be six feet deep and shall not count toward required setbacks.
(4) Plant quantities. The following plant material shall be installed within the buffer yard:
(a) One evergreen tree per 20 feet of contiguous boundary with the conflicting zoning district shall be planted;
(b) One shrub per ten feet of contiguous boundary with the conflicting zoning district shall be planted; and
(c) One deciduous canopy tree per 75 feet of contiguous boundary.
(5) Solid wood fence. A six-foot tall, solid wood fence shall be installed six to eight feet from the property line.
(6) Placement. Clustering and inconsistent spacing of bufferyard plantings is encouraged to imitate natural vegetation. Equal spacing of perimeter planting is discouraged. Landscape materials shall be installed to provide the most benefit to the neighboring, less intense lot (i.e., screen the dumpster from views from a residential patio).
(I) Parking lot standards. All parking lots shall be linked to adjacent parking lots for internal circulation when possible. When no adjacent commercial or institutional land use exists, the parking lot shall be designed to connect in the future to those lots. The Technical Review Committee shall have the discretion to waive this requirement when strong evidence exists to suggest this regulation is unnecessary.
(J) Trash receptacles. All dumpsters shall be fully surrounded by brick masonry walls on three sides and a high quality gate. The wall and gate shall be at least 18 inches greater in height than the type of trash receptacle intended to be used. Failure to keep the gate closed when not being accessed shall be considered a violation of this chapter. Lastly, trash receptacles shall be located in an inconspicuous location at least 30 feet from any property line shared with a residential uses. The Technical Review Committee shall have discretion to determine the best location of trash receptacles, gate location and place limits on the hours a trash hauler can empty dumpsters when the subject lot is adjacent to residentially zoned lots.
(Ord. 10-2010, passed - -2010, § 3.22)