Grayson › Zoning Ordinance
Article 9 — Site Design and Lighting
§ 901
GENERAL APPLICATION
The following Site Design Standards shall apply to all zoning districts, except where indicated in Section 910 (Grayson HWY/SR 20 Design Standards).
§ 902
MINOR DEVIATIONS
The elements mandated in this Article are intended to be followed as outlined below. In the event the intent of this Ordinance can be achieved with minor deviations which do not substantially impact the goals or intent of the mandates of these Sections, the City of Grayson Planning Department has the authority to modify the specific provisions.
If substantial modifications or changes are necessary, any person, firm, group or organization may apply for relief from these requirements to the City of Grayson Council. Any application for an alternate architectural arrangement shall be accompanied with proposed elevations, building materials, and/or renderings necessary for the Council to make a determination whether the alternate proposal meets the intent of these requirements. The Council, as part of an approval, may include conditions, modifications or requirements necessary to mitigate any part of their decision. The City may establish filing requirements, fees and deadlines as needed.
§ 903
SIDEWALKS, LANDSCAPE AND SIDEWALK ZONES
A.Public sidewalks shall be located along both sides of all streets and shall have minimum widths as specified in the Street Type Dimensions Table. Sidewalks shall consist of two zones: a landscape zone and a sidewalk clear zone.
B.Landscape zone requirements.
1.Said zone shall be located immediately adjacent to the curb and shall be continuous.
2.This zone may be used for street trees, street lights, street furniture, pedestrian lights, landscaping, grass or additional pavement or other similar elements. (For all requirements for lighting, see Section 908).
3.Street furniture.
a.Sidewalks for all non-residential development shall be constructed with an additional three (3) foot by eight (8) foot pad within the landscape zone approximately every three hundred (300) linear feet to accommodate future pedestrian amenities such as benches, planters, trash receptacles and bicycle parking racks. All such required amenities shall be decorative, commercial-quality fixtures. Design and placement of any of these amenities shall be reviewed and approved by the Gwinnett or Georgia Department of Transportation.
b.Said decorative, commercial-quality benches and trash receptacles shall be required to be placed within the specified pad for all retail and office developments.
C.Sidewalk clear zone requirements.
1.Said zone shall be located immediately contiguous to the landscape zone and shall be continuous.
2.Said zone shall be hardscape, and shall be unobstructed for a minimum height of eight (8) feet.
3.Utilities shall be placed underground or to the rear of structures to allow for unobstructed use of sidewalks.
D.Street tree planting requirements:
1.Street trees are required and shall be planted in the ground a maximum of fifty (50) feet on center or grouped one hundred and twenty (120) feet on-center within the landscape zone and spaced equal distance between street lights.
2.All newly planted trees shall be a minimum of four (4) inches in caliper measured thirty-six (36) inches above ground, shall be a minimum of twelve (12) feet in height, shall have a minimum mature height of forty (40) feet, and shall be limbed up to a minimum height of eight (8) feet.
3.Trees shall be planted six (6) feet from back-of-curb subject to review and approval of the Georgia or Gwinnett Department of Transportation.
4.Trees shall have a minimum planting area of thirty-two (32) square feet. All plantings, planting replacement and planting removal shall be approved by the City Planner.
5.The area between required plantings shall either be planted with ground cover or shall be paved as approved by the City Planner.
6.Street tree species shall be consistent for an entire block length. Species shall be permitted to change on separate block faces but not on individual block faces. The following tree species shall be permitted:
a.Willow Oak
b.Overcup Oak
c.Nuttal Oak
d.Pin Oak
e.Shumard Oak
f.Lacebark Elm
g.Japanese Zelkova
7.All newly planted street trees shall be permitted to meet the tree density requirements of Article XV.
§ 904
STREET TYPE DIMENSIONS
A.The dimensions of all landscape zones, sidewalks, minimum building heights and front yards are governed by street designation and not by use or zoning district to ensure consistency of the streetscape experience
B.The following table shall apply for all landscape zone, sidewalk, minimum building height and front yard dimensions. For all lot area, maximum building height, side yard and rear yard requirements, refer to Article XI.
STREET TYPE Grayson/ Uptown Center All other DIMENSIONS TABLE Highway 20 Overlay District streets streets Landscape Zone See Sec. 910 Compatibility rule 3 ft min Sidewalk Clear Zone See Sec. 910 Compatibility rule 5 ft min Height of Building 18 ft min Compatibility rule 15 ft min Front Yard 72 ft min Compatibility rule 20 ft min
C.Compatibility rule.
1.For the purposes of these regulations as they apply to the Uptown Center Overlay District streets, “Compatibility rule” shall be defined as not exceeding both the greatest degree of measurement nor the lesser degree of measurement for the specific block face of the parcel when more than twenty five (25%) percent of the block contains existing structures. In this case, all landscape zones, sidewalks, building heights and front yards shall be no less than the lesser measurement on the block and no greater than the largest measurement on the block. In this way, these elements of any given parcel shall always be consistent with the established pattern of the existing block.
2.In such case that parcels in the Uptown Center Overlay District are located on blocks with less than twenty five (25%) of the block containing existing structures, said parcel shall meet the street type dimensional requirements of Grayson/Highway 20 Overlay District.
§ 905
FRONT YARD
A.Front yard general requirements.
1.The area between any building facade, parking garage, or parking lot and the required sidewalk, when no intervening building exists, shall be defined as the front yard.
2.The square footage contained within the front yard, which meets all the following front yard requirements, may be counted towards the open space requirements of Article XI.
3.All detention ponds or similar water detention facilities within front yards shall be located in underground systems and structures such as concrete vaults, sixty (60) inch pipe systems or similar facilities.
B.Non-residential front yards.
1.Shall be designed to permit and encourage pedestrians to walk on the surface of the front yard excluding fountains, pedestrian furniture, public art and similar elements.
2.Automobile parking in front yards shall be prohibited except where permitted by Section 1301.
C.Residential front yards.
1.When sidewalk level residential units are provided, front yards shall be landscaped with the exception of terraces, porches, stoops and walkways, which may occupy a maximum of two-thirds (2/3) of the front yard area;
2.Terraces, porches and stoops shall have a maximum finished floor height of twenty-four (24) inches above finished-grade, unless existing topographical considerations render this requirement unreasonable;
3.Automobile parking shall be permitted only on the permitted accessory driveway.
Said accessory driveway cover a maximum of thirty-five (35%) percent of the total lot area.
§ 906
RELATIONSHIP OF BUILDING TO STREET.
A.The primary pedestrian entrance for pedestrians to access all sidewalk level uses and business establishments with public or private street frontage and shall have the following characteristics:
1.Shall face and be visible from the public street when located adjacent to such street.
When located adjacent to a street that functions as an arterial street or a collector street, said entrance shall face and be visible from such street.
2.Shall be directly accessible and visible from the sidewalk adjacent to such street.
3.Shall remain unlocked during business hours for non-residential uses.
§ 907
SITE DESIGN
A.Blocks and Street Infrastructure.
1.Non-residential developments with more than six hundred (600) feet of frontage along a single street shall be divided by public or private streets into blocks having a maximum length of six hundred (600) feet, as measured from street curb to street curb.
2.Public or private streets used to divide properties into blocks shall meet all of the street and sidewalk designations of this Ordinance.
3.Inter-parcel vehicle access points shall be provided between all contiguous commercial and office tracts. The Mayor and City Council may waive this requirement only if it is demonstrated that an inter-parcel connection is not feasible due to traffic safety or topographic concerns.
B.Automobile uses.
1.Drive-through service windows and drive-in facilities shall not be located between a building and the street.
2.Gasoline fuel dispenser structures and associated vehicular services such as air pumps and car washes shall not be located between a building and the street.
C.Screening.
1.Dumpsters and loading areas.
a.Screening for all non-residential developments shall consist of three solid walls of brick construction, at least eight (8) feet in eight, with one hundred (100%) percent solid metal or wooden gates.
b.Dumpsters shall be placed in the rear yard and may be located five (5) feet from the property line if the adjoining property is zoned non-residential and five (5) feet from all applicable buffers if the adjoining property is zoned residential.
c.Loading dock entrances for non-residential uses shall be screened so that loading docks and related activity are not visible from the public right-of-way.
d.For loading and dumping activities located within one hundred and fifty (150) feet of a single-family residential property shall only be permitted to undertake said activities during normal business hours (7am-10pm).
e.All dumpsters, dumpster pads, and dumpster enclosures shall be kept clean, closed, and free of debris.
§ 908
SITE LIGHTING (served by underground electrical systems)
A.All exterior lighting, except on individual residential lots of record, whether on public or private property shall comply with these regulations.
1.All lighting installations shall comply with the Illumination Engineers Society
(IES)regulations and specifications.
2.All buildings, developments and projects of any kind, whether public or private, and all streetscape lighting, shall have a lighting plan submitted to the City for approval prior to any installation.
3.All luminaries, other than public-rights-of-way (ROW) luminaries shall be full cut-off type. Period luminaires (e.g. carriage lamps) mounted on buildings may be approved on a case-by-case basis by the City Planner.
4.Only the following outdoor lighting luminaries, as described in the following table, are approved for installation on public rights-of-way and parking lots.
Other outdoor lighting (e.g., bollards, path lighting, under canopy lighting, security lighting, sports field lighting, etc.) shall be approved on a case-by-case basis by the City Planner.
5.All existing developments are “grandfathered in” to their existing lighting type, and are not required to update to these current standards unless a complete redevelopment of the site is required.
LOCATION OF LIGHT POLE LIGHT MAXIMUM LIGHTING FIXTURE/COLOR TYPE/COLOR SOURCE POLE HEIGHT Pedestrian Hapco B103754 LED (light Lighting “Sol-Lux Radiance” Georgetown emitting Public ROW (King Luminaires) Series w/ diode) w/ a 16 ft Arterial/Major Black Trim receptacle at top maximum of Collector Streets Black 4000K Subdivision Hapco B103754 LED (light Street & “Sol-Lux Radiance” Georgetown emitting Pedestrian (King Luminaires) Series diode) w/ a 16 ft Lighting Black Black maximum of 4000K “Solitaire LED Hapco B106845 LED (light Parking Lot Pendant – K803” York Series emitting Lighting w/ Deep Dish Lens Lighting Pole diode) w/ a 24 ft (King Luminaires) Black maximum of Black 4000K
§ 909
UPTOWN CENTER OVERLAY DISTRICT DESIGN STANDARDS
A.Additional criteria. In addition to the requirements for all underlying zoning districts, the following additional criteria shall be applied to new and renovated structures within Uptown Center Overlay District:
1.Parking surface: “Grasscrete” or “Grasspave” or other approved porous paving or grass paving systems, shall be permitted to be used except where handicapped spaces shall necessitate otherwise. Said approved porous paving or grass paving system shall be permitted to be counted towards open space requirements subject to approval of the City.
2.Signs: Signs shall not be internally illuminated.
3.Street furniture: Decorative, commercial quality, bicycle racks, benches and trash receptacles shall be required for all retail and office developments, subject to the approval of the City prior to installation.
§ 910
GRAYSON/HIGHWAY 20 OVERLAY DISTRICT DESIGN STANDARDS
In addition to the requirements for all underlying zoning districts, certain additional design criteria shall be applied to all parcels that directly abut/adjoin Grayson Hwy/SR 20. The design standards will apply to the area from the edge of pavement or back of curb of SR 20 to the front foundation wall of all buildings. This area shall be divided into certain zones: Sidewalk Clear Zone, Bermed Landscaped Zone, Vehicular Access Zone and Pedestrian Zone. (Note: These designations and standards, as described in this Section, are applicable only to the Grayson Hwy/SR 20 corridor.) Figures 910.1 and 910.2 illustrate these zones. These zones are more particularly described as follows:
A.General Applicability As previously mentioned, these standards shall be applied to all parcels that abut/adjoin and/or have frontage on Grayson Hwy/SR 20. In addition, these standards shall be applied in manner prescribed below in the following situations:
1.Corner properties – when a parcel has frontage on Grayson Hwy/SR 20 and an intersecting public street, the design standards shall apply to the Grayson Hwy/SR 20 frontage only. At the point of intersection, the design standards shall transition to the standards applicable to the intersecting street.
2.Double frontage lots – when a parcel has frontage on Grayson Hwy/SR 20 and another public street, the design standards shall apply to the Grayson Hwy/SR 20 frontage only. The design standards applicable to the other street(s) shall apply.
B.Sidewalk Clear Zone Requirements
1.The Sidewalk Clear Zone shall be located between the edge of pavement/back of curb and shall extend to the right-of-way line (i.e., shoulder of the roadway). This zone shall be continuous along Grayson Hwy/SR 20.
2.Said zone shall be used for sidewalks and street lighting per Georgia DOT requirements.
3.Public sidewalks shall be located along both sides of Grayson Hwy/SR 20 and shall have a minimum width of five (5) feet.
4.Said sidewalk shall be placed within the sidewalk clear zone and shall be located within the right-of-way, two (2) feet from said line or per Georgia DOT requirements.
5.These sidewalks shall be hardscape and shall interconnect with sidewalks of intersecting streets. The sidewalks shall be unobstructed for a height of eight (8) feet.
C.Bermed Landscape Zone Requirements
1.Said zone shall be located immediately adjacent to the right-of-way line of Grayson Hwy/SR 20 and shall be continuous.
2.In addition to the earthen berm outlined in this Section, this zone may be used for street trees, pedestrian lights, shrubs and ground cover, grass and/or other similar elements. (For all requirements for lighting, see Section 908).
3.Pedestrian lights shall be two feet behind the right-of-way line within the Bermed Landscape Zone. Each land parcel fronting on Georgia Highway 20, shall install one (1) approved pedestrian light (see Section 908) every 120 feet (or portion thereof) of road frontage along S.R. 20. Such lighting shall be depicted on all plans and specifications submitted to the City for approval.
4.Said earthen berm shall be a minimum of fifteen (15) feet wide. The berm shall be three (3) feet in height, a minimum of three (3) feet wide across the top and shall have 2H:1V slopes on both sides of the berm.
5.Bermed Landscape Zone planting requirements:
a.Trees are required and shall be planted in the berm a maximum of fifty
(50)feet on center or grouped one hundred and twenty (120) feet on-center within the landscape zone and spaced equal distance between street lights.
b.All newly planted trees shall be a minimum of four (4) inches in caliper measured thirty-six (36) inches above ground, shall be a minimum of twelve (12) feet in height, shall have a minimum mature height of forty
(40)feet, and shall be limbed up to a minimum height of eight (8) feet.
c.Trees shall have a minimum planting area of thirty-two (32) square feet.
All plantings, planting replacement and planting removal shall be approved by the City Planner.
d.The area between required plantings shall either be grassed or planted with ground cover as approved by the City Planner.
e.Tree species shall be consistent for an entire block length. Species shall be permitted to change on separate block faces but not on individual block faces. The following tree species shall be permitted:
1.Willow Oak
2.Overcup Oak
3.Nuttal Oak
4.Pin Oak
5.Shumard Oak
6.Lacebark Elm
7.Japanese Zelkova
f.All newly planted street trees shall be permitted to meet the tree density requirements of Article XV.
D.Vehicular Access Zone
1.The Vehicular Access Zone shall be located immediately adjacent to the Bermed Landscaped Zone and shall be continuous.
2.Said zone shall be a minimum of forty-three (43) feet in width and a maximum of fifty-three (53’) in width and shall consist of a minimum twenty-four (24) foot wide, two-way, access drive and one row of nineteen (19) foot deep parking stalls.
The parking stalls shall be perpendicular to the access driveway (no angled parking allowed).
3.Said zone shall also be used for sidewalks to provide a minimum four (4) foot wide pedestrian access to buildings from the Sidewalk Clear Zone within the right-of-way of Grayson Hwy/SR. 20. This sidewalk shall be located adjacent to the curb cuts or driveway entrances and shall extend across the Vehicular Access Zone. Where the pedestrian path crosses the access drive, striping, stamped concrete or other decorative elements shall be used to warn motorists.
4.The Vehicular Access Zone may also include parking lot lighting as required by Section 908 of this Ordinance.
5.The access drive and parking stalls shall meet the design standards for construction, surfacing, drainage and materials of Section 1301 of this Ordinance.
The parking stalls contained within this zone may be counted towards the minimum number of space required for the uses on the property and may be used to satisfy the handicapped space requirements.
6.Said access drive shall provide access for the single row of parking stalls from driveways and/or curb cuts, shall also interconnect with any drives that access the rear or sides of the property and shall extend to the property boundaries providing interparcel access.
7.The location of the single row of parking stalls shall stagger between buildings along Grayson Hwy/SR. 20 (i.e., one row adjacent to the Pedestrian Zone and at the next building the row shall be adjacent to the Bermed Landscape Zone - see
Table or figure — shown as printedverify at source (p. 51) ↗
Figure 910.1 for an illustration) to slow down vehicular traffic and to promote
creative design.
8.Parking lot trees and other plantings as required by Article XV of this Ordinance may be located within this zone.
9.Underground detention, where permitted, shall be placed within the Vehicular Access Zone. Underground detention shall not be permitted within the Pedestrian Zone or the Bermed Landscaped Zone.
E.Pedestrian Zone
1.This zone is located immediately adjacent to the Vehicular Access Zone and shall be continuous.
2.Said zone shall be a minimum of fourteen (14) feet in width and shall consist of a minimum four (4) foot wide Landscape Zone, a six (6) foot wide Sidewalk Zone and a minimum four (4) foot wide Storefront Zone.
3.The pedestrian Landscape Zone shall be used for street furniture, pedestrian lighting, trees, landscaping, groundcover and grass.
a.Lighting shall be in accordance with Section 908 of this Ordinance.
b.Trees, landscaping and groundcover shall be selected and planted according to Article XV of this Ordinance. Tree grates are not required where all sidewalk width requirements are met, unless determined by the City Planner. Where tree grates are required or otherwise installed, they shall be a minimum of four-feet (4’) by four-feet (4’). Where tree grates are not required or otherwise installed, tree planting areas shall be planted with an evergreen ground cover.
c.Street furniture.
1.Within the pedestrian Landscape Zone, four (4) foot by eight (8)
foot concrete pads shall be installed to accommodate pedestrian amenities such as benches, newspaper vending boxes, planters, trash receptacles and bicycle parking racks.
2.One pad shall be provided for every 10 parking spaces required under Section 1302 of this Ordinance for buildings under 10,000 square feet in area. For buildings over 10,000 square feet, one pad will be required for the first 10 spaces and then one pad for every 25 spaces thereafter.
3.When multiple pads are required, they may be combined or strategically placed to allow unobstructed access to the building entrance and to encourage gathering points.
4.All such required amenities shall be decorative, commercial-quality fixtures. No Variance shall be considered regarding the bench or bicycle rack fixtures. Design of these elements shall be in accordance with the following table:
Street Furniture Element Make Model Benches Keystone Ridge Designs Lamplighter Bench with back (L24,L26 or L28) Black only Trash Receptacles As approved by City Planner Planters As approved by City Planner Bicycle Racks Barco Products Wave(GR6802 ground mount)
Wave (GR6803 surface mount)
Black only Tree Grates As approved by City Planner
5.Placement of any of these amenities shall be reviewed and approved by the City Planner.
4.The Sidewalk Zone shall be hardscape and shall be unobstructed for a height of eight (8) feet. The sidewalk shall run continuously along the frontage of the building and shall interconnect with sidewalks of other buildings on the property and adjacent properties.
a.The materials used for the sidewalk may be concrete, stamped concrete, interlocking concrete pavers or a combination thereof and shall be installed in accordance with the Development Regulations.
b.The sidewalk shall provide access to building entrances and shall connect with sidewalks in the Vehicular Access Zone.
5.The Storefront Zone shall extend from the edge of the six (6) foot sidewalks to the foundation wall of the building, but shall be no less than four (4) feet in width.
The Storefront Zone shall be continuous along the front wall of the building and may extend along the sides of the building if desired.
a.The Storefront Zone may contain a combination of hardscape and landscape elements. Hardscape elements shall be used at building entrances, service entrances and where it is necessary to access the six (6) foot sidewalk zone.
b.Awnings, porticos, arbors and other decorative elements may be used to cover this zone.
c.The Storefront Zone may be used for displays, plantings within containers, outdoor tables, sales racks or other uses, where permitted by this Ordinance or other City of Grayson Ordinances.