Proposed Green Zone
shall comply with the following project design requirements:
A. Location. A Green Zone
may be proposed, and will only be approved, if it is located within the Green Zone boundaries as established on the Official Zoning Map of the
. The Green Zone boundaries may be expanded through rezoning of
contiguous to land that is currently zoned Green Zone.
B.
review. Proposals in the Green Zone are subject to the
review procedures in § 29.04 of the Zoning Ordinance. The standards herein supersede the
standards in Article 25.00 for the purpose of Green Zone
.
C. Residential
. Green Zone
shall comply with the following residential
:
1. One-family attached. See § 8.03(B) of the Zoning Ordinance (formula works out to approximately 12 two-
homes per acre).
2. One-family detached. Minimum
area is 40,000 sq. ft.
3. Two-family units. Minimum
area is 20,000 sq. ft.
4. An increase in
may be permitted by the
, upon recommendation from the
, upon finding that the increase is justified because certain characteristics of the proposed
would result in a substantial benefit to the users and the community as a whole. Among the characteristics that the
and
may consider in making this determination are the following:
a. The proposed Green Zone
exhibits extraordinary design excellence, examples of which include, but are not limited to innovative energy efficient design; provision of more
than required; added improvements to assure vehicular and pedestrian safety; and added
or other site features to assure long-term aesthetically pleasing appearance.
b. The proposed arrangement of uses and residential
within the
enhances the compatibility of the proposed
existing or planned land use on adjacent land.
c. The
would contain environmentally-conscious public facilities to enhance the long term viability of the project and reduce its impact on
.
d. The
would address a societal need, such as provide affordable or
.
D. Parking.
in the Green Zone shall comply with the requirements in Article 4.00 of the Zoning Ordinance, except as follows:
1. Alternatives to conventional storm water drainage ponds shall be incorporated into the parking lot design. Such alternatives may include, but are not limited to, use of pervious pavement, bio-swales, and rain gardens.
2. Collective use of off-street parking, whereby two or more uses having different hours of operation share the same parking so as to reduce the total number of required spaces, is required where feasible.
3. The size of any single
shall not exceed three acres.
4. On-street parking is permitted on interior
in the Green Zone, subject to Ingham County Road Commission approval (if the
are public). All
shall meet Ingham County Road Commission standards.
E.
.
in the Green Zone shall comply with the requirements in Article 5.00 of the Zoning Ordinance, except as follows:
1. Native plants. A minimum of 50% of new
shall consist of plant material that is native to Michigan, so as to minimize the need for irrigation and chemical applications. Appropriate native species shall be based on a list kept on file at the Township Hall, which may be updated from time to time.
2. Treatment of existing plant material. The existing natural landscape shall be left intact, except where conversion into a more manicured landscape treatment is required as part of an integral landscape design plan. Existing trees in good condition and with straight trunks, that are at least two and one-half inches DBH (diameter at breast height, or trunk caliper measured four and one-half feet from the ground), may be counted on a tree-for-tree basis toward any
requirements in the Green Zone. However, undesirable trees listed in § 5.04, subsection C.9, are not eligible for the tree-for-tree allowance.
3.
adjacent to Grand River Road. The landscape within the viewshed along Grand River Road shall consist of native and other plants in an informal setting so as to give the appearance of a naturally-occurring landscape. However, a more formal landscape is acceptable at the Grand River Road entrance to a
and along the
or
leading to the
.
4. Screening.
shall be used to screen nonresidential uses and loading areas from residentially-zoned or used land. Such screening shall comply with the requirements in § 5.02, subsection B. In the Green Zone, substitution of wall or
in lieu of
is not permitted.
5. Parking lot . Off-street parking areas containing greater than ten spaces shall comply with the requirements for parking lot
in § 5.02, subsection F, except as follows:
a. Deciduous shade trees on the interior of or surrounding a parking lot shall be distributed so that no
is more than 50 feet from the base of a tree.
b. Parking lot
shall incorporate bio-retention swales or rain gardens to facilitate cleansing and infiltration of storm water.
6. Parks and plazas. The overall goal of the Green Zone is to enhance the quality of life for residents and users of the district and community. One way to help accomplish this is by providing outdoor gathering spaces. Accordingly, provision of parks and/or plazas in conjunction with new
is encouraged.
7. Streetscape. A streetscape plan and cross-section shall be presented for frontage
in conjunction with new
. The plan shall show locations of deciduous trees, lighting, benches, and other streetscape elements. The plan shall be coordinated with adjoining streetscape designs so as to achieve continuity.
F. Storm water management. Storm water controls shall be subject to review by the Ingham County Drain Commissioner’s
. Where feasible, storm water design shall conform to the following design standards:
1. Existing drainage patterns. Existing drainage patterns on the site shall be maintained.
2. Drainage ponds. Retention and detention ponds, if required, shall resemble natural ponds, with gradual slopes and
to enhance local wildlife.
G.
.
shall conform to the requirements in Article 7.00, except as follows:
1. The maximum wall and freestanding
area for nonresidential businesses in the Green Zone is 72 square feet (rather than 48 square feet specified in § 7.08, subsections D and E).
2. In the interest of saving energy,
lighting shall be shut off no later than midnight each night.
H. Green
criteria.
1. Nonresidential . All new nonresidential and mixed use construction in the Green Zone shall meet the criteria for green
certification through the U. S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification system. A completed certification checklist shall be provided to the
with the site plan review submission.
2. Residential . Compliance with green
certification (LEED-H or LEED-ND) is encouraged for all residential-only
.
I. Non-motorized transportation.
1. Grand River path. New
with frontage on Grand River Road shall provide a ten-foot wide paved path in the
, approximately one foot from the
line, unless conditions dictate another
. The path shall be subject to
and Michigan Department of Transportation standards.
2. Red Cedar River path. New
with frontage on the Red Cedar River shall provide an eight-foot wide path and recorded path
along the river, in accordance with
plans and standards.
3. Sidewalks. Concrete sidewalks with a minimum width of six feet shall be provided on all interior
within nonresidential
. Sidewalks shall provide a direct pedestrian connection from the
to the front entrance of the
.
J. Public transportation review. All new
shall be designed to accommodate public transportation, by providing, where appropriate, park-and-ride lots, bus stops and shelters, and other accommodations for public transportation. The site plan for any new
shall be submitted to the Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) for comment prior to site plan review.
(Ord. passed 7-9-2013)