§ 26-82-030. General development standards.

(a)

The orientation of building sites shall be such as to maintain maximum natural topography and cover.

(b)

The design of buildings, fences and other structures shall be evaluated on the basis of harmony with site characteristics and nearby buildings, including historic structures, in regard to height, texture, color, roof characteristics and setback.

(c)

Streets shall be designed and located in such a manner as to maintain and preserve mutual topography, cover, significant landmarks and trees; to necessitate minimum cut and fill; and to preserve and enhance views and vistas on or off the subject parcel.

(d)

Horticultural groundcovers and other surfacing shall be used to prevent dust and erosion where natural vegetation and groundcover is disturbed or removed.

(e)

All refuse collection areas shall be enclosed on all sides unless, by nature of the building design, the trash areas are obscured from the adjacent properties and from vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Refuse enclosures shall be of six-foot (6′) height with adequate access for refuse vehicles.

(f)

Where nonresidential or high-density residential areas are adjacent to low-density residential areas (R1), the planning director may require six-foot (6′) screening in the form of a wall or landscape planting; except, that screen shall be reduced to three feet (3′) if within or abutting a required front setback. The height limit may be modified where, because of differences in ground elevation, the purposes of this section would be better met. The precise location and type of screening shall be determined by the planning director.

(g)

The color, size, height, lighting and landscaping of appurtenant signs and structures shall be elevated for compatibility with local architectural motif and the maintenance of view and vistas of natural landscapes, recognized historic landmarks, urban parks or landscaping.

(h)

A complete system of underground utilities shall be provided in accordance with public utility commission regulations.

(i)

All mechanical or air-conditioning apparatus shall be screened from view and baffled for sound.

(j)

Each unit of development, as well as the total development, shall create an environment of desirability and stability. Every structure, when completed and in place, shall have a finished appearance.

(k)

A minimum of eight percent (8%) of all parking lot areas where more than ten (10) parking spaces are provided shall be landscaped. The landscaping shall be uniformly distributed and provision shall be made for its perpetual maintenance.

(l)

The parking layout shall conform to the dimensions on the following diagram. Where two-way traffic is desired, aisle widths shall be a minimum of twenty feet (20′), except where item F of the diagram requires a greater width. The planning director may modify the layout provided the goals of this chapter are achieved. Such modifications may include, but are not limited to parking at other angles than indicated, a combination of parking angles or a herringbone pattern. (Diagram shown at end of this section).

(m)

Circulation within a parking area shall be such that:

(1)

A car entering the parking area need not enter a street to reach another side;

(2)

Except for parking areas accommodating three (3) or fewer vehicles, a car entering a street or highway can do so by traveling in a forward direction.

(n)

All lighting in parking areas shall be arranged to prevent director glare or illumination onto adjacent properties.

(o)

Off-street parking areas and driveways, exclusive of required landscaping, shall be surfaced with materials approved by the planning director. Paved parking areas shall be painted with lines showing parking spaces and with directional arrows, showing traffic movements.

(p)

Required residential covered off-street parking facilities shall be located on the premises they are intended to serve, and shall not extend into a required front yard or any other required yard abutting a street.

(q)

Off-street parking for other than residential uses shall be on the premises they are intended to serve or within three hundred feet (300′) thereof. Where parking is provided on sites other than that of the use, a parking easement stipulating to the permanent reservation of the use of the site for parking, shall be recorded with the county recorder and filed with the building inspector and planning director prior to the issuance of building or zoning permits.

(Ord. No. 5711 § 9 (Exh. J), 2007; Ord. No. 4643, 1993.)