Sugar Hill › Zoning Ordinance
Article 12 — Buffers and Screening
§ 1200
Buffer Between Dissimilar Districts and Construction Buffers.
A buffer shall be required for the following:
1.Where nonresidential districts are contiguous with residential districts, or where multi-family or mobile home districts are contiguous with single-family residential districts, the parcel of land shall have a buffer along any rear and side property lines abutting a residential district.
2.All residentially zoned property to be developed as single family residential subdivisions shall have a minimum twenty (20) foot enhanced landscape strip along any rear property lines abutting an existing single family residential zoned parcel.
§ 1201
Plan Requirements.
All buffers shall be designated on the appropriate permit application(s) and indicated on the required site plan or final subdivision plat.
§ 1202
Buffer and Screening Standards.
All buffer areas and screening shall be established in accordance with the following requirements:
1.Buffers and landscape strips shall be established and maintained along required property lot lines in accordance with the landscaping policies and standards of The Buffer, Landscape and Tree Ordinance of The City of Sugar Hill and any additional specifications that may be approved by the City Council. In the event the buffer includes a utility or pipeline easement, a minimum buffer of no less than 20 feet in width will be required outside the easement. In no case will the buffer be less than 20 feet except as may be permitted in Section 1204.
2.Buffers shall meet the minimum width requirements for dissimilar districts as shown in the "Minimum Buffer Requirements" table (Section 1205).
3.Screening shall be established within any buffer along the entire length of the side and rear lot lines. However, this screening requirement may be adjusted in order to observe the sight distance required in the Development Regulations or as a Condition of Zoning, Special Use, or Variance approval or as approved by the City Manager.
4.Screening may be required where a non-residential use abuts a public street across from a residential district. However, this screening requirement may be adjusted in order to observe the sight distance required in the Development Regulations or as a Condition of Zoning, Special Use, or Variance approval or as approved by the City Manager.
5.Structures, including driveways, parking facilities, or retaining walls shall be located a minimum of five (5) feet from any buffer.
§ 1203
Other Screening Requirements.
Screening and/or buffers shall be required for purposes of obscuring features such as dumpsters, rear entrances, utility and maintenance structures, and loading facilities.
§ 1204
Administrative Variances to Buffer and Screening Requirements.
A.Administrative Reductions in Required Distances.
The width of buffers as required in Section 1205 may be reduced by no more than 20 percent, as appropriate, by the City Manager, if and only if,
1.It is clearly demonstrated that existing topography and/or vegetation within the reduced area achieve the purpose and intent of this Article; or
2.It is clearly demonstrated that for topographic reasons, a fence, wall and/or other screening device required herein could not possibly screen activities conducted on ground level from view from the normal level of a first story window on any lot in a residential district abutting the use.
B.Administrative Allowance for Disturbance of Buffers.
The natural undisturbed buffers as required in Section 1205 may be disturbed, if approved as appropriate, by the City Manager, if and only if,
1.It is demonstrated the equivalent width of buffer shall be re-established through appropriate plantings and landscaping, and the adjoining residential property is not developed, or
2.The adjoining property owners grant written permission for such disturbance.
§ 1205
MINIMUM BUFFER REQUIREMENTS.
Section 1205 — Minimum Buffer Requirements (minimum buffer a new development must provide where it abuts the residential district named in the column; N/A = not applicable, no minimum buffer is printed for that district pair)
| District | AF / RS-200 | RS-175 | RS-150 | RS-100 | RS-72 | R-36 | MH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF, RS-200, RS-175, RS-150, RS-100 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| RS-72 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R-36 | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| MH | 75 ft. | 75 ft. | 75 ft. | 75 ft. | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| OI | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 35 ft. | 20 ft. | 50 ft. |
| LM | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 50 ft. |
| HM1 | 75 ft. | 75 ft. | 75 ft. | 75 ft. | 75 ft. | 75 ft. | 75 ft. |
| HM2 | 100 ft. | 100 ft. | 100 ft. | 100 ft. | 100 ft. | 100 ft. | 100 ft. |
| HSB | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 50 ft. | 35 ft. | 20 ft. | 50 ft. |
| BG | 75 ft. | 75 ft. | 75 ft. | 75 ft. | 50 ft. | 35 ft. | 75 ft. |
condition to granting a variance request.
ARTICLE 13.
SIGNS
Grid rebuilt from the published table · verbatim source (p. 147) ↗