2010-71 AMENDING ZONING ORDINANCE - MULTI-TENANT SIGNS AND BUFFER YARDS

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Excerpts from Plan Commission Minutes of September 2, 2010: Cal. No. 10-26 Petition of GREG C. CROWE, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, for amendments to the City of Decatur Zoning Ordinance (Ord. #3512, as amended). Ms. Suzy Stickle was sworn in by Mrs. Janet Poland. Ms. Stickle presented the recommendation of staff: The current City of Decatur Zoning Ordinance was adopted in May of 2002. Since the time of adoption, Staff has discovered certain necessary changes, discrepancies and omissions as the new ordinance has been implemented, specifically in SECTION II. DEFINITIONS, SECTION XXV. SIGNAGE and SECTION XXVIII. LANDSCAPING AND EXTERIOR LIGHTING. It is Staff's hope that these changes will make the Zoning Ordinance more comprehensive and applicable to the changing built urban environment all the while keeping the charge of making Decatur a beautiful place to live, work and play. The intent of adding a definition for multi-tenant signs is to allow an entire development to utilize a multi-tenant sign for identification purposes. Currently a multi-tenant sign can be used to identify multiple businesses on the same parcel of land and not for an entire commercial development or industrial park. With the change in definition, there is a change in the signage section that will allow for one (1) multi-tenant sign per development. Currently, the Zoning Ordinance does not require buffer yards to be placed along property lines that are located adjacent to residential uses in the City limits nor adjacent to neighboring jurisdictions. The proposed amendment will require a buffer yard when a development is located adjacent to property that is a residential use in the City limits or neighboring jurisdiction. This change will help to protect those residential uses in neighboring jurisdictions that are not currently protected by the City of Decatur Zoning Ordinance as well as residential uses within the City limits. Staff recommends the following amendments: Amend SECTION II. (Definitions) by adding: "SIGN, MULTI-TENANT: A sign which identifies a development of three or more businesses located in the same commercial or industrial center/park. The businesses may be located on the same parcel or a group of neighboring parcels." Amend SECTION XXV.17.3. (Signage-Signs in Business and Industrial Districts) by adding: "b. Multi-Tenant Sign Advertising Three or More Businesses: One (1) per development." And relettering accordingly. Amend SECTION XXVIII.E.3.a. (Landscaping and Exterior Lighting-Determination of Requirements) by adding: "...or any residential use in the city limits or neighboring jurisdiction" This subsection will now read: