A. District Character. The Downtown Core (DTC) district is the cultural and commercial heart of Zebulon. It contains the oldest commercial structures of three to four stories organized in uniform fashion on grid streets. The need for segregation of uses is limited except as necessary to avoid negative impacts from noxious or heavy industrial uses. Development is configured for an urban context. Buildings are built to the street with ground-floor nonresidential uses that energize pedestrian activity. There are civic gathering spaces and cultural attractions. The DTC district encourages mixed-use development and redevelopment of existing and underutilized lands with a greater emphasis placed on urban form and compatibility then on use type. The purpose of the DTC district is to preserve and protect the established development character while encouraging redevelopment and infill that is consistent with the established character of the district.
B. Example of Lot Pattern.
C. Dimensional Standards.
Maximum Residential Density (units/acre) | 16 |
Minimum Lot Area (square feet) | None |
Minimum Lot Width (linear feet) | None |
Maximum Lot Coverage (% of lot area) | 100 |
Minimum Lot Frontage Occupied by Building Wall and/or Public Gathering Area (% of lot frontage) | 90 |
Minimum Street Setback (feet) | Must be within 150% of the average of lots on either side |
Maximum Street Setback (feet) | 30 |
Minimum Setback for Off-Street Parking (feet) | 20 |
Minimum Side Setback (feet) | None; 3 if provided |
Minimum Rear Setback (feet) | None |
Minimum Building Height (feet) | 15 |
Maximum Building Height (feet/stories) | 60/5 |
Minimum Spacing Between Principal Buildings on the Same Lot (feet) | In accordance with applicable Fire Code |
Minimum Required Open Space Set-Aside (% of lot area) | None |
D. Development Examples.
E. District-Specific Standards.
1. Boundary Modifications. Applications seeking to reduce or remove lots from the DTC boundary or amend a DTC lot designation shall be prohibited unless initiated by the Board of Commissioners.
2. Off-Street Parking and Loading.
a. No minimum off-street vehicular parking is required, but if provided, it shall comply with the standards in Section 5.8.5, Parking Lot Configuration, except that landscaping shall not be required.
b. If off-street parking spaces or loading spaces are provided, they shall be at least 20 feet from a lot line and shall be either behind a building wall, screening wall meeting the standards of Level 4 (see Table 5.10.5, Screening Methods) or better, or be within a parking structure.
3. Landscaping. Except for the provision of street trees in accordance with Section 5.6.13, Street Trees, landscaping is not required.
4. Screening. All service areas, equipment, and similar site features shall be screened in accordance with Section 5.10, Screening.
5. Signage. Signage types shall be limited to wall signs, window signs, projecting signs, ground signs, and suspended signs in accordance with Section 5.11, Signage.
6. Exterior Lighting. Exterior lighting shall be provided in a manner necessary to illuminate building entrances and outdoor access to sidewalks and public gathering areas.
7. Fences and Walls.
a. Fences shall not be located between the primary entrance of a building and the front lot line.
b. Fencing and privacy walls may be used to screen parking and service features to the sides or rear of a building.
8. Streets. New development and redevelopment shall protect and extend mid- block and rear loaded alleys, to the maximum extent practicable.
9. Sidewalks. Sidewalks meeting the configuration characteristics on adjacent lots shall be provided between all building walls and an abutting street right- of-way.
10. Block Lengths. The established pattern of streets and blocks shall be continued and shall not be interrupted or blocked by new buildings.
11. Public Utilities. Public water, public sewer, and street drainage infrastructure shall be required as a part of new development and redevelopment.
12. Design Standards. All new development and redevelopment shall be configured in accordance with the following:
a. Building paint colors shall be reviewed by the Planning Director and shall be in keeping with the context and character of surrounding buildings and visually distinct from immediately adjacent structures.
b. The first floor of building facades adjacent to sidewalks shall be occupied by fenestration for at least 50% of the ground floor facade from grade to a height of 12 feet.
c. Primary building entrances shall face streets and sidewalks, not parking lots.
d. Building facades along sidewalks shall include weather protection for pedestrians.
e. Primary entrances shall be flanked by public gathering spaces, outdoor dining areas, public art, or other feature that encourages pedestrian to congregate.
f. Infill and new development shall meet the Mixed-Use Design Standards in Section 5.3.2 unless regulated above.
(Ord. 2020-36, passed 12-2-2019; Ord. 2021-55, passed 3-1-2021; Ord. 2022-13, passed 10-4-2021)