Columbus, Georgia

Subject: (REZN-4-16-0793) Request to amend the text of the Unified Development Ordinance

(UDO) in regards to the River Road Overlay District.



UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE REVISIONS

(Explanation of Revisions)



1. Explanation of Revisions: Amend by adding a Section 2.5.23.



The River Road Overlay District is proposed as additional requirements for

development along River Road, from 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 750 feet of the right-of-way of River Road

(starting at intersection with J.R. Allen Parkway and River Road and running

north along River Road to the Harris County line) with a 750-foot depth at each

intersection, or as shown on the official zoning map of the Columbus

Consolidated Government.. The proposed ordinance is attached.

A total of seven hundred and eighty (780) property owners within 750 feet of

the subject properties were notified of the rezoning request. The Planning

Department has received approximately four (4) calls/emails in support of the

case. They agree with enhancement of aesthetic qualities of development within

the River Road corridor. One of the callers was in opposition. His concerns are

about the new design requirements for proposed commercial development within

the River Road corridor. Some other callers were inquiring about the purpose of

this overlay district and implications in this area.

The Planning Advisory Commission (PAC) considered this text amendment at their

meeting on May 18, 2019. The PAC recommended conditional approval. The

condition would stop the overlay district on the East side at Schley Creek.

The Planning Department recommends approval.

Sincerely,

Application

Proposed Text Amendment

Section 2.5.23 River Road Overlay District Ordinance



A. Purpose and Intent.

The purposes of this section are to:

1. Promote and enhance the aesthetic qualities of development within the

arterial road corridor of River Road through the implementation of land use

regulations, and within which amenity features are encouraged.

2. Provide management of the location and intensity of development within the

arterial road corridor and to concentrate development in focus areas.

3. Provide 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.

4. Promote the minimization of visual clutter along the City?s major roadways.

5. Provide a quality and sustainable living environment for the citizens of

Columbus.

6. Provide effective transitions between different uses, by planting trees,

shrubs, groundcover and other landscaping material in open space areas, which

enhance development of the urban environment by promoting shade, cooling the

air through evaporation, restoring oxygen to the atmosphere, reducing glare and

noise levels, and promoting an ecological habitat for animal and plant species.

7. 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.

Amenity: Pedestrian shelters, gazebos, decorative paving, alternative

transportation infrastructure, 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 after the date of adoption of this ordinance which are located

within 750 feet of the right-of-way of River Road (starting at intersection

with J.R. Allen Parkway and River Road and running north along River Road to

Schley Creek on the east side and the Harris County line on the west side) with

a 750-foot depth at each intersection, or as shown on the official zoning map

of the Columbus Consolidated Government.



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 750 feet from the intersection to which it

pertains, in both directions along the road rights-of-way. The focus area

includes approximately thirteen (13) 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 within the River Road

Corridor, 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 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. 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.



(A)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), shall be connected with on-site access to a frontage road or

interconnecting driveway, rather than directly to the arterial road.

(B) 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.

(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. 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 also comply with the Retail

Developments of Community Significance section of this Unified Development

Ordinance.



3. Utility Location. All new utility lines serving a development constructed

after the effective date of this ordinance shall be located underground.



4. Landscaping Requirements.



(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.

(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 2.5.19.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.



(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 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 principal 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.

(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.

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 ft 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. 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 Corridor,

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 2.5.20.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.



(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 ft from the right-of-way

along River Road.



(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.



J. Stormwater Detention Facilities.



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.



K. Architecture.



The following requirements shall apply to all properties lying within the

River Road Corridor except 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 the issuance of a Building

Permit, to verify compliance with this ordinance. Designs, which are

inconsistent with these performance guidelines, may be denied.



L. Land Use and Plan Review.



The Planning Director shall evaluate all proposed development activities in the

River Road 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.





Introduced at a regular meeting of the Council of Columbus, Georgia held on the

12th day of July, 2016; introduced a second time at a regular meeting of

said Council held on the day of , 2016 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 Garrett voting_________.

Councilor Henderson voting______.

Councilor Huff voting___________.

Councilor Pugh voting _________.

Councilor Thomas voting_________.

Councilor Woodson voting_______.





_______________________ _______________________________



Tiny B. Washington Teresa Pike Tomlinson

Clerk of Council Mayor

PLANNING ADVISORY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION

The PAC recommended conditional approval. The condition would stop the overlay

district on the East side at Schley Creek.

PLANNING DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION

The Planning Department recommends approval.

MAPS & PHOTOS

• Ordinance FINAL Draft River Road Overlay_to schley road.pdf