AN ORDINANCE
NO.
An ordinance amending the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) for Columbus,
Georgia so as to establish an overlay district for Highway 80.
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THE COUNCIL OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA HEREBY ORDAINS:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 2 of the Unified Development Ordinance is hereby amended by adding a
new Section 2.5.19 to read as follows:
Section 2.5.19 US Highway 80 Overlay District Ordinance
A. Purpose and Intent.
The purposes of this section are to:
Improve and enhance the aesthetic qualities of development within the arterial
road Corridor of US Highway 80 through the implementation of land use
regulations, and within which amenity features are encouraged.
Manage the location and intensity of development within the arterial road
corridor and to concentrate development in focus areas.
Ensure safe access by vehicles and pedestrians to destinations in the corridor
in a manner that does not conflict with access to individual developments or
the roadway?s primary purpose.
Encourage the minimization of visual clutter along the City?s major roadways.
Provide a quality and sustainable living environment for the citizens of
Columbus.
Create effective transitions between different uses, by planting trees, shrubs,
groundcover and other landscaping material in open space areas.
Add a valuable amenity to the urban environment by providing shade, cooling the
air through evaporation, restoring oxygen to the atmosphere, reducing glare and
noise levels, and providing an ecological habitat for song birds and other
animal and plant species.
Exercise 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.
Amenity: Pedestrian shelters, gazebos, decorative paving, pathways and
sidewalks, trees, landscaping, retention ponds when designed according to the
specifications of this Ordinance, signage when scaled to the pedestrian and
constructed of materials and sizes specified in this Ordinance and other
aesthetic features and characteristics approved by the City.
Corridor: All lands that are undeveloped and/or any developed lands that are
redeveloped on the date of adoption of this ordinance which are located wholly
or partially within 1,000 feet of the right-of-way of US Highway 80 (from Warm
Springs Road, east to the Talbot county line) with a 1000-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. 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 acres at each quadrant and can be larger or
smaller by mutual agreement of the City and other interested parties.
C. Applicability.
1. This Ordinance shall apply to all properties lying wholly or partially
within the US Highway 80 Corridor as shown on the official zoning map and the
overlay district map, which is hereby adopted and made a part of this
Ordinance. No clearing or other disturbance of 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.
These standards shall apply to all redevelopment activities. Redevelopment is
defined as one or more of the following:
Demolition of an existing building and rebuilding on the site.
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. Encouraged Uses.
Mixed uses such as commercial, civic spaces, institutional uses and residences
(including residential use in the same building with commercial), and office or
other uses, are especially encouraged within Focus Areas.
E. Design Requirements/Access.
1. Transportation/Infrastructure.
Vehicular Access to Site. Within the Corridor, the subdivision of lots along an
arterial road shall not be allowed if designed so that each lot has its own
individual access to the major road unless approved by the Director of
Engineering. Each pod of development, or if subdivided, each lot (including out
parcels), must be connected with on-site access to a frontage road or
interconnecting driveway, rather than directly to the arterial road.
Private Roadway/Driveways. All private access to US Highway 80 shall be
right-in/right-out and at intervals no closer than 300 feet as measured from
the center-of-access to center-of-access roadway/driveways. Two-way access may
be allowed at existing median breaks or at new median breaks at intervals of
1,320 feet only with the approval of the Georgia Department of Transportation
and the Director of Engineering for the Columbus Consolidated Government.
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.
Medians. Private roads and entrances to developments connecting with the
arterial road in the Corridor or serving development 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.
(E) Sidewalks. Sidewalks shall be required as established under Chapter 7,
Article 10 of the Unified Development Ordinance and shall be adjacent to all
non-limited access public rights-of-way.
(F) 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. For retail developments totaling 200,000 square feet
or more of gross leasable area; or uses that result in a building of 100,000
square feet or more of gross leasable area whether by new construction or by
expansion of existing uses, such developments shall comply with the Retail
Developments of Community Significance section of this Unified Development
Ordinance.
3. Utility Location. All new utility lines shall be located underground.
4. Landscaping Requirements.
General. All developments shall be landscaped, screened, and buffered in
accordance with Articles 5 and 6 of Chapter 4 of the Unified Development
Ordinance. In addition to these requirements, twenty (20) Tree Density Unit per
acre for all non-residential development shall be required.
A minimum fifteen-foot wide landscaped strip shall be provided adjacent to all
road rights-of-way in developments, with the exception of RE10, RE5, RE1, RT,
SFR1, SFR2, SFR3, and SFR4 developments. Parking, merchandise displays, and
off-street loading are prohibited in the landscaped strip.
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.
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.
Trash areas shall be located at a minimum of 100 feet from any public road
right-of-way.
5. Parking/Yard, Height and Setback.
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 2.5.19.E.5.(D) (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.
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
feet in depth.
All nonresidential developments shall meet the following requirements for
parking:
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%
Screening of Parking Areas. When parking areas are provided in a front yard (in
between a public road right-of-way and a principle building), a minimum two-and
one-half foot high evergreen hedge or a landscaped earthen berm shall be
installed to obscure visibility of the parking lot from the Corridor. Screening
may be located in the planting yard if it does not impede other uses or
purposes of the yard.
6. Signage.
Billboards. Billboards and bench signs shall not be permitted in the
corridor.
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 square feet
in size and a height of six feet. Joint identification signs for multiple
businesses at one location may have a monument sign not to exceed sixty-four
square feet in size and a height of eight 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.
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.
Building Height. Buildings located on property abutting a residential zoned
area must be comparable in height to those in the residential 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. Provisions For Specific Uses.
1. Communication Towers. Communication towers shall only be allowed under the
provisions for a Concealed Support Structure as defined under the Unified
Development Ordinance.
2. Fences and Walls. 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.
3. Drive-Through Facilities. 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.
H. Gas Station Pump Islands.
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 must have architectural style and detail such as gabled
or hip roofs with a three to twelve roof pitch or higher. All support columns
must be brick, brick veneer, or stone construction. Buildings located at
establishments selling gasoline must comply with section 2.5.19.K (Architecture
). Canopies shall only display logo identification signs. No other advertising
is allowed.
I. Outside Display and Storage and Service Areas.
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.
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.
Outdoor storage, loading, and operations shall be attractively screened from
adjacent parcels and streets.
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
located within fifteen feet of any public street, public sidewalk, or on-site
pedestrian way.
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.
Areas for the storage and sale of all other merchandise shall be permanently
defined and screened with walls or fences. Materials, colors, and design of
screening walls or fences shall conform to those used in the principal
structure. If such areas are to be covered, then the covering shall conform to
the colors on the building.
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.
J. Stormwater Detention Facilities.
Open storm drainage and detention areas visible from the corridor should be
landscaped and incorporated into the design of the development as an attractive
amenity. Wet-bottom basins are encouraged.
K. Architecture.
The following requirements shall not apply to single family residential
developments.
1. Architectural design shall comply with the following performance
guidelines:
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.
Metal-sided or portable buildings shall be prohibited.
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:
Metal standing seam.
Tile, slate or stone.
Wood shake.
Shingles with a slate, tile or metal appearance.
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:
To lend the appearance of multi-tenant occupancy, facades of multi-tenant
buildings shall be varied in depth or parapet height.
Distinct architectural entry identification for individual tenants' entrances
shall be provided for suites exceeding 10,000 square feet of leasable area.
All out parcel buildings within a proposed development shall be of a
architectural character comparable to the primary structure as determined by
the Planning Department.
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.
Roof parapets shall be articulated to provide visual diversity. Parapets shall
include articulations or architectural features at least every 100 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.
Articulation of building design shall continue on all facades visible to the
general public.
Building elevation plans shall be subject to review and approval of the
Planning Director, or his/her designee, prior to the issuance of a Building
Permit. Designs, which are inconsistent with these performance guidelines, may
be denied.
H. Land Use And Plan Review.
The Planning Director shall evaluate all proposed development activities in the
US Highway 80 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.
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Introduced at a regular meeting of the Council of Columbus, Georgia held on the
19th day of June, 2007 introduced a second time at a regular meeting of said
Council held on the ______ day of ________, 2007, and adopted at said meeting
by the affirmative vote of ________ members of said Council.
Councilor Allen voting____________.
Councilor Anthony voting__________.
Councilor Baker voting____________.
Councilor Barnes voting___________.
Councilor Davis voting____________.
Councilor Henderson voting________.
Councilor Hunter voting___________.
Councilor McDaniel voting_________.
Councilor Pugh voting_____________.
Councilor Woodson voting__________.
______________________________ ______________________________
TINY B. WASHINGTON JIM WETHERINGTON
CLERK MAYOR
Attachments
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