A Conservation Overlay District is established in order to protect ecologically sensitive areas, floodplains, hillsides, and other natural areas that, if disturbed or improperly developed, could result in significant ecological harm to the developed property or neighboring property and to preserve natural wooded areas that contribute to the image and character of Willoughby.
These regulations are designed to achieve, among others, the following objectives:
(a) To protect public and private property owners from the potential damage to human life and safety, and property damage that could potentially be caused by flooding and increased hillside instability.
(b) To minimize expenditure of public money for costly flood control projects and hillside stabilization projects.
(c) To minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding and generally undertaken at the expense of the general public;
(d) To minimize damage to public facilities and utilities such as water and gas mains, electric, telephone and sewer lines, streets and bridges located in areas of special flood hazards;
(e) To preserve and protect the unique scenic resources, scenic river habitats and continuous wildlife corridors.
(f) To preserve and protect the valuable hydrologic systems, fragile hillsides and indigenous flora and fauna in these sensitive environments in Willoughby.
(g) To ensure that areas of natural wildlife habitats are disturbed as little as possible.
(h) To permit development in the Conservation Overlay District that conserves and promotes the public health, safety and general welfare by minimizing problems due to water runoff, soil erosion and flooding incurred in adjustment of the topography, vegetation and tree cover.
(i) To preserve and enhance the natural beauty of the areas in the Conservation Overlay District by encouraging the maximum retention of natural topographical features such as natural drainage swales, streams, slope ridge lines, rock outcroppings, vistas from and of hillside, trees and other natural plant formations and retain the sense of identity and image that the Conservation Overlay District now imparts to the City.
(j) To allow flexibility in the design of new residential developments, in terms of lot width, front setback, road width and sidewalk requirements, to aid in the preservation of sensitive natural areas.
(Ord. 1997-117. Passed 9-16-97.)