ORDINANCE
NO.________
An ordinance amending the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) for Columbus,
Georgia so as to establish an overlay district for Manchester Expressway.
THE COUNCIL OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA HEREBY ORDAINS:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 2 of the Unified Development Ordinance is hereby amended by adding a
new Section 2.5.22 to read as follows:
Section 2.5.22 Manchester Expressway Overlay District Ordinance
A. Purpose and Intent.
The purposes of this section are to:
1. Provide greater control over the vegetative characteristics of development
along Manchester Expressway, where higher development standards can effectively
enhance the City?s image as a desirable place to live.
2. Promote preservation of landscaping material in open space areas, which add
a valuable visual effect to the corridor by providing shade, cooling the air
through evaporation, restoring oxygen to the atmosphere, reducing glare and
noise levels, and providing opportunities for ecological habitats.
3. Promote coordinated development designs to minimize signage and the
placement of cell towers, unified landscaping, and a higher standard of site
design.
4. Provide greater control over the aesthetic and functional characteristics
of development along major thoroughfares and roadways that serve as major
entrances to the community, where higher development standards can effectively
enhance the City?s image as a desirable place to live, work and shop.
B. Definitions.
Corridor: All lands that are undeveloped and/or any developed lands that are
redeveloped after the date of adoption of this ordinance which are located
within 1,000 feet of the right-of-way of Manchester Expressway (from J.R. Allen
Parkway to the Harris County Line) with a 1,000-foot depth at each
intersection, or as shown on the official zoning, land use, or corridor maps.
Focus areas: An area of land within the Corridor, at the intersection of the
Corridor and any other intersecting public road which has an interchange for
access to Manchester Expressway. Unless more specifically shown on the corridor
overlay map, a focus area shall be generally limited to a square parcel of land
extending 1,000 feet from the intersection to which it pertains, in both
directions along the road rights-of-way. The focus area includes approximately
twenty-three (23) acres at each quadrant and can be larger or smaller by mutual
agreement of the City and other interested parties. In areas that overlap with
the Highway 80 Overlay District, the standards of said Highway 80 Overlay
District shall take precedence over this ordinance.
C. Applicability.
1. This Ordinance shall apply to all properties lying wholly or partially
within the Manchester Expressway Corridor from Manchester Expressway and J.R.
Allen Parkway intersection to the Harris County line as shown on the official
zoning map and the overlay district map, which is hereby adopted and made a
part of this Ordinance. Single-family residential homes are excluded from this
ordinance. No clearing or other disturbance of vegetation or land shall occur,
and no building, structure or use shall be established, except in compliance
with the provisions of this Ordinance and the Unified Development Ordinance.
2. These standards shall apply to all redevelopment activities. Redevelopment
is defined as one or more of
the following:
(A) Demolition of an existing building and rebuilding on the site.
(B) Expansion of the gross square footage of building?s or a site?s physical
development by
50% or greater, from the date of the Ordinance inception.
D. Development Standards.
A corridor buffer of at least 40 feet shall be provided within the required
development setback, abutting the right-of-way of the Corridor. Where existing
trees and significant vegetation exist within the roadway buffer, they shall be
retained as determined appropriate and directed by the City Arborist. Where
such existing trees and significant vegetation are sparse, they may require re-
planting. Vegetation within a roadway buffer that is required to remain within
a roadway buffer may be pruned and/or removed only if necessary to ensure
proper sight visibility, remove safety hazards or dying or diseased
vegetation, or for other good cause as approved by the city.
E. Design Requirements/Access.
1. Transportation/Infrastructure. The following requirements shall only be
required within the Focus Areas.
(A) Interparcel Access. All land parcels, excluding single-family
residential, fronting the Corridor right-of-way shall have interparcel
connectivity via either a frontage road or a travel way that is delineated from
parking areas such that short trips between developments can be made without
use of the major road within the corridor. Within a focus area, development
shall interconnect with the road or travel way network of any adjacent
development or site within the focus area unless the Director of Engineering
determines such connection would constitute an undue hardship.
(B) Medians. Private roads and entrances to developments connecting
with the public access road in a Focus Area shall include center medians. Such
roadway designs will be based upon projected traffic volume and the number of
parking spaces. Medians are desired because they improve traffic safety and can
be planted to enhance the overall appearance of the Focus Area, as well as
provide refuge for pedestrians.
(C) Sidewalks. Sidewalks shall be required, located, and constructed as
established under Chapter 7, Article 10, Subsections 7.10.2 and 7.10.3 of the
Unified Development Ordinance and shall be adjacent to all non-limited access
public rights-of-way.
(D) Pedestrian Access. Pedestrian access should be provided to individual
developments from any sidewalk, unless topography prohibits construction of
facilities meeting Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Where
medians are required, pedestrian access shall be provided across the median as
approved by the Director of Engineering.
2. Retail Developments. The following requirement shall only be required
within the Focus Areas.
For retail developments totaling 200,000 square feet or more of gross leasable
area; or uses that construction or by expansion of existing uses, such
developments shall also comply with the Retail Developments of Community
Significance section of this Unified Development Ordinance.
3. Utility Location. The following requirements shall only be required within
the Focus Areas.
All new utility lines serving a development constructed after the effective
date of this ordinance shall be located underground.
4. Landscaping Requirements. The following requirements shall only be required
within the Focus Areas.
(A) General. All developments shall be landscaped, screened, and buffered in
accordance with Articles 5 and 6 of Chapter 4 of the Unified Development
Ordinance except twenty (20) Tree Density Unit (TDU) per acre for all
non-residential development shall be required. If the TDU requirement cannot be
met, an administrative variance or tree replacement fund may be granted by the
City Arborist according to Chapter 4, Articles 5 and 6 of the Unified
Development Ordinance.
(B) A minimum fifteen-foot wide landscaped strip adjacent to all road
rights-of-way in non- residential developments shall be provided. Parking,
merchandise displays, and off-street loading are prohibited in the landscaped
strip.
(C) A minimum ten-foot wide landscaped strip shall be provided
between primary developments and adjacent out parcels in accordance with
Section 4.5.8 of the Unified Development Ordinance.
(D) A minimum of one (1) large-maturing tree per forty (40) linear feet of
frontage shall be planted in the fifteen-foot wide landscaped strip as required
above. Clustering of trees may be permitted if approved by the City Arborist.
5. Parking/Yard, Height and Setback. The following requirements shall only be
required within the Focus Areas.
(A) Location of Parking Areas. Buildings should be located at the corner of
sites closest to the road intersection, so that the parking areas are screened
by the building from view of any public road, and so that the travel path from
public sidewalks is shortened. Parking must be located in a way that is not
visually dominant. Parking between buildings and an arterial road is
discouraged, but if necessary, requirements of section 2.5.22.E.5. (C)
(Screening of Parking Areas) must be met. If parking is located in the side or
rear yards, any screening may be clustered and need not cover 100% of frontage.
(B) Up to 25% of the required parking spaces for any development may be
reduced in total area, width, or depth for designated small vehicle parking.
Each small vehicle parking space shall not be less than eight feet in width and
seventeen (17) feet in depth.
(C) All nonresidential developments shall meet the at least one of the
following requirements:
(1)
Gross Square Feet Maximum % of Parking Spaces
Allowed in Front of Buildings
< 7,500 20%
7,501 to 25,000 30%
25,001 to 50,000 40%
50,000 > 50%
(2) When parking areas are provided in a front yard (in between a public road
right-of- way and a principal building), a minimum 18-inch evergreen hedge
shall be installed to obscure visibility of the parking lot from the primary
public road intersecting the Corridor. This evergreen hedge must reach a
minimum height of 2.5 feet within 2 years of planting. Screening may be located
in the planting yard if it does not impede other uses or purposes of the yard.
(3) When parking areas are provided in a front yard (in between a public road
right-of- way and a principle building), a combination of landscaped earthen
berm and evergreen hedge with a minimum height of 18 inches shall be used. The
total height of landscaped earthen berm and hedge combination shall reach a
minimum height of
2.5 feet at planting. Screening shall be located in the planting yard if it
does not impede other uses or purposes of the yard.
6. Signage. The following requirements shall be required for all areas in the
Overlay.
(A) Directional Signs. Billboards and bench signs shall not be permitted in
the corridor. To help advertise and direct the motoring public to businesses
and activities in Focus Areas that do not directly access the arterial road, or
are screened from view, development applicants may provide and seek approval by
the City for off-premise joint-use ?logo? directional signs. These may be
located at the entrance to the focus area, and shall be no more than sixty-four
(64) square feet in size and a height of eight (8) feet. Subject to the City?s
approval, directional logo signs may be placed at corners of intersections or
along appropriate portions of the corridor, immediately outside public
rights-of-way, to guide customers and patrons from the arterial road and along
public frontage roads to their destinations.
(B) Monument Signs. Freestanding signs shall be monument style. Base and
sign structure shall be constructed of materials such as brick, stone, stucco,
wood or metal consistent with the architecture and exterior treatment of the
building. Signs for single businesses shall not exceed thirty-six (36) square
feet in size and a height of six (6) feet. Joint identification signs for
multiple businesses at one location may have a monument sign not to exceed
sixty-four (64) square feet in size and a height of eight (8) feet. Marketing,
spectacular, inflatable/flying, bench, roof, and mobile/portable signs and
street banners, as defined in Sections 4.4.5 of the Unified Development
Ordinance are not allowed. Canopy and awning sign(s) shall be limited to
fifteen square feet per road frontage, and if lighted, the lettering shall be
individually formed and lighted.
F. Building Placement, Height and Intensity. The following requirements shall
only be required within the Focus Areas.
1. Placement Generally. Buildings should be arranged so that they help frame
and define the fronting arterial road or driveways (i.e., the arterial road in
the corridor, an intersecting arterial road, or internal streets or driveways
of the development), thus giving deliberate form to streets and sidewalk areas.
2. Building Height. Commercial buildings located within or adjacent to a
residential zoning district shall not exceed the height to those structures
allowed by the zoning in the residential area if the commercial structure is
located within 100 feet of the property line of the residential zoned area.
3. Building Mass, Intensity and Density. Mass of buildings and building
intensity (floor area ratios) should be highest when located closest to the
arterial road intersection, transitioning to progressively lower intensities
moving outwards to the outer edge of the focus area. Buildings at the outer
edge of the focus area should be comparable in mass and intensity with the
surrounding neighborhood or existing land uses adjacent and beyond the focus
area.
G. Communication Towers. The following requirement shall be required for all
areas in the Overlay.
Communication towers shall only be allowed under the provisions for a Concealed
Support Structure as defined under the Unified Development Ordinance.
H. Fences and Walls. The following requirement shall only be required within
the Focus Areas.
Where provided and where visible from the right of way of a public road, fences
and walls shall be composed of iron, stone, masonry, or concrete. Landscaping
should be used to minimize or soften the appearance from the public
right-of-way. Chain link fencing shall not be permitted except in side or rear
yards of residential developments and shall be screened with vegetation to a
height of six (6) feet.
I. Drive-Through Facilities. The following requirement shall only be required
within the Focus Areas.
Drive-through facilities shall be located to the rear or side of the building
and shall not abut an amenity zone or face the Corridor arterial roadway.
J. Gas Station Pump Islands. The following requirement shall only be required
within the Focus Areas.
Gas station pump islands must be mostly obscured from view from the Highway,
either through location or by plantings or other methods. Pump islands shall
only house gas pumps, windshield- cleaning materials, and trash receptacles.
Canopies for gas pumps shall have architectural style and detail such as gabled
or hip roofs with a three to twelve roof pitch or higher. All support columns
shall be brick, brick veneer, or stone construction. Buildings located at
establishments selling gasoline shall comply with section 2.5.22.M
(Architecture). Canopies shall only display logo identification signs. No other
advertising is allowed.
K. Outside Display and Storage and Service Areas. The following requirements
shall be required for all
areas in the Overlay.
1. Exterior storage structures or uses, including the parking or storage of
service vehicles, trailers, equipment, containers, crates, pallets,
merchandise, materials, fork lifts, trash, recyclables, and all other items
shall be permitted only where clearly depicted and labeled on the approved site
plan. Such outdoor storage uses and areas shall be appropriately screened as
required by this ordinance. The following standards are intended to reduce the
impacts of outdoor storage, loading and operations areas on adjacent land uses,
and to protect the outdoor area of the subject property.
(A) Areas for truck parking and loading shall be screened by a combination
of structures and evergreen landscaping to minimize visibility from adjacent
streets and residential district lines.
(B) Outdoor storage, loading, and operations shall be attractively
screened from adjacent parcels and streets.
(C) Outdoor storage, trash collection and/or compaction, loading or other
such uses shall be located in the rear of the lot. If, because of lot
configuration, the Director of Inspections and Code determines that such
placement is not feasible, then the side yard may be used, but in no case shall
such area(s) be open or face the corridor within a minimum of 100 feet from the
right-of-way along Manchester Expressway.
(D) Seasonal merchandise such as Christmas trees, Halloween pumpkins,
bedding plants, etc. may be displayed in any outdoor area up to four times per
calendar year for a cumulative total not to exceed eight weeks per year.
(E) Areas for the storage and sale of all other merchandise shall not be
located in parking lots, and shall be permanently defined and confined to areas
shown on the initial plans submitted for approval to the City.
(F) No products containing toxic chemicals, such as fertilizers,
insecticides, herbicides, cement, etc., shall be stored in any uncovered
outside location where they might enter the stormwater drainage system in the
event of any spillage, breakage, or tearing of the container.
L. Stormwater Detention Facilities. The following requirement shall only be
required within the Focus
Areas.
Open storm drainage and detention areas visible from the corridor shall not be
fenced, but shall be landscaped and incorporated into the design of the
development as an attractive amenity. Wet-bottom basins are encouraged.
M. Architecture.
The following requirements shall apply to all properties lying within the
Manchester Expressway Overlay except for single-family developments.
1. Architectural design shall comply with the following performance guidelines:
(A) Building facades visible from roadways or public parking areas shall be
of architectural treatments of glass and/or brick, stone or stucco. Tilt-up or
pre-cast concrete or alternate material may be used subject to review and
approval of the Planning Director.
(B) Metal-sided or portable buildings shall be prohibited.
(C) Roofing materials for pitched or mansard roofs shall be of colors
compatible with the building and subject to approval and limited to the
following materials:
1) Metal standing seam.
2) Tile, slate or stone.
3) Wood shake.
4) Shingles with a slate, tile or metal appearance.
5) Architectural shingles (asphalt composition shingles).
6) Other materials subject to approval.
(D) All rooftop mechanical equipment shall be screened by parapets, upper
stories, or other areas of exterior walls or roofs so as to not be visible from
public streets adjacent to or within 1,000 feet of the subject property, or at
least equal to the height of the equipment to be screened, whichever is less.
Fences or similar rooftop screening devices may not be used to meet this
requirement.
2. Any accessories provided, such as railings, benches, trash receptacles
and/or bicycle racks, shall complement the building design and style.
3. Architectural design of all buildings shall comply with the following
additional performance guidelines:
(A) To lend the appearance of multi-tenant occupancy, facades of multi-tenant
buildings shall be varied in depth or parapet height.
(B) Distinct architectural entry identification for individual tenants'
entrances shall be provided for suites exceeding 10,000 square feet of leasable
area.
(C) All out parcel buildings within a proposed development shall be of
architectural character comparable to the primary structure as determined by
the Planning Department.
(D) Walls visible from roadways or public parking areas shall incorporate
changes in building material/color or varying edifice detail such as trellises,
false windows or recessed panels reminiscent of window, door or colonnade
openings, landscaping or storefront every 150 linear feet.
(E) Roof parapets shall be articulated to provide visual diversity. Parapets
shall include articulations or architectural features at least every 150 linear
feet. The minimum height of articulations or features shall be three feet, and
may be provided in height offset or facade projections such as porticoes or
towers.
(F) Articulation of building design shall continue on all facades visible to
the general public.
(G) Building elevation plans shall be subject to review and approval of the
Planning Director,or his/her designee, prior to
issuance of a Building Permit, to verify compliance with this ordinance.
Designs, which are inconsistent with these performance guidelines, may be
denied.
N. Land Use and Plan Review.
The Planning Director shall evaluate all proposed development activities in the
Manchester Expressway Corridor. No development permit, land use permit, or
building permit shall be issued unless the proposed development, land
use, building, or structure is in compliance with this ordinance.
SECTION 2.
All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with this ordinance are
hereby repealed.
______________________________
Introduced at a regular meeting of the Council of Columbus, Georgia held on the
22nd day of April, 2014, introduced a second time at a regular meeting of said
Council held on the ______ day of _______________, 2014, and adopted at said
meeting by the affirmative vote of ________ members of said Council.
Councilor Allen voting____________.
Councilor Baker voting____________.
Councilor Barnes voting___________.
Councilor Davis voting____________.
Councilor Henderson voting________.
Councilor Huff voting_____________.
Councilor McDaniel voting_________.
Councilor Pugh voting_____________.
Councilor Thomas voting___________.
Councilor Woodson voting__________.
_____________________________________
________________________________________
TINY B. WASHINGTON TERESA PIKE
TOMLINSON
CLERK MAYOR
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