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The following letter was sent to each alderman in Belvidere regarding St. James’ pending zoning request.
Click on the photocopy to enlarge:
The church will hold 850 and be 70 feet (5 stories) high.
St. James is requesting numerous set back, height, landscaping and general building variances. What are the requirements? What is St James requesting?
The yellow marked sections are not in compliance with the code. Red is what the St. James proposal provides.
The following is taken for the City Code on Zoning, available at: http://library3.municode.com/default-test/home.htm?infobase=12000&doc_action=whatsnew
D) Institutional district.
(1) Institutional (I) district.
A. Description and purpose. This district is intended to permit development that is institutional in nature (all government uses, all public and private schools, day care centers, religious institutions, institutional residential uses, parks, and similar uses). Density and intensity standards for this district are designed to ensure that the Institutional District shall serve as a designation that reflects and protects the community character of its surrounding area.
Rationale: This district is used to provide an appropriate mechanism for regulating institutional land uses to ensure that the development reflects and protects the community character of its surrounding area. This district is intended to be mapped either to provide clusters of institutional use (such as a campus) or to provide individual sites for institutional use (such as a neighborhood school or religious institution) within areas predominated by other zoning districts.
B. List of allowable principal land uses (per article 2).
1. Permitted by right.
Cultivation;
Selective cutting;
Passive outdoor public recreation;
Active outdoor public recreation;
Public services and utilities;
Indoor institutional.
2. Permitted as special use.
Clear cutting;
Day care center (3+ children);
Outdoor institutional;
Institutional residential.
C. List of allowable accessory uses (per article 2).
1. Permitted by right.
Company cafeteria;
On-site parking lot;
Drainage structure;
Filling;
Lawn care;
Home occupation;
Exterior communication devices.
2. Permitted as special use.
Wind energy systems.
D. List of allowable temporary uses (per article 2).
Outdoor assembly;
Contractor's project office;
Contractor's on-site equipment storage;
On-site real estate sales office;
Relocatable building.
E. Regulations applicable to all uses.
1. Landscaping regulations (see article 6).
2. Performance standards (see article 7).
3. Signage regulations (see article 10).
F. Regulations applicable to residential uses.
1. Residential density and intensity requirements:
A. Minimum zoning district area: 10,000 square feet.
B. Maximum gross density (MGD): 4.00 du/acre.
C. Minimum landscape surface ratio (LSR): 50 percent.
D. Maximum accessory structure size:
Detached garage: 288 square feet per dwelling unit.
Attached garage: 576 square feet per dwelling unit.
Accessory utility shed: 120 square feet.
2. Residential bulk requirements:
A. Minimum lot area: 10,000 square feet.
B. Minimum lot width: 80 feet.
C. Maximum gross density (MGD): Up to 50 du/acre per limits of the special use permit.
D. Minimum street frontage: 40 feet.
E. Minimum setbacks: Front or street side lot line to house: 30 feet.Front or street side lot line to attached garage: 30 feet.Side lot line to house or attached garage: ten feet.Total of both sides, lot lines to house/attached garage: 20 feet.Rear lot line to house or attached garage: 25 feet.Side lot line to accessory structure: Three feet from property line , five feet from alley.Rear lot line to accessory structure: Three feet from property line, five feet from alley.Required bufferyard: None on Church Street side See § 150.607 along zoning district boundary.Minimum paved surface setback: Three feet from side or rear; 10 feet from street; (driveways established prior to adoption date of this ordinance are exempted).
F. Minimum dwelling unit separation: 20 feet.
G. Maximum height of dwelling unit: 35 feet, greater with a special use permit. St. J--70
H. Maximum height of accessory structure: 20 feet.
I. Minimum number of off-street parking spaces required on the lot: See parking lot requirements per specific land use in § 150.204.
J. Minimum dwelling size: 1200 square feet, measuring no less than 24 feet by 40 feet.
G. Regulations applicable to nonresidential uses.
1. Nonresidential intensity requirements:
A. Maximum number of floors (F): Two or greater with special use approval granted per the requirements of § 150.904.
B. Minimum landscape surface ratio (LSR): 50 percent.
C. Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 0.20.
D. Minimum lot area (MLA): 10,000 square feet.
E. Maximum building size (MBS): na.
2. Nonresidential bulk requirements:
A. Minimum lot area: 10,000 sq. ft.
B. Minimum lot width: 80 feet; minimum street frontage: 40 feet.
C. Minimum setbacks:
Building to front or street side lot line: 30 feet. Zero on Church Street
Building to residential side lot line: Ten feet.
Building to residential rear lot line: 25 feet.
Building to nonresidential side lot line: Ten feet.
Building to nonresidential rear lot line: 25 feet.
Side lot line to accessory structure: Three feet from property line, five feet from alley.
Rear lot line to accessory structure: Three feet from property line, five feet from alley.
Required bufferyard: See § 150.607 along zoning district boundary.
Minimum paved surface setback: five feet from side or rear; five feet from street; (driveways established prior to adoption date of this ordinance are exempted).
D. Minimum building separation: 20 feet.
E. Maximum building height: 35 feet, greater with special use permit.
F. Minimum number of off-street parking spaces required on the lot: See parking lot requirements per specific land use in § 150.204.
(E) Planned development districts.
(1) Planned development (PD) district.
A. Description and purpose. This district is intended to provide more incentives for redevelopment in areas of the community, which are experiencing a lack of reinvestment or undeveloped areas of the community, which require flexible zoning treatment because of factors that are specific to the site. This district is designed to forward both aesthetic and economic objectives of the City by controlling the site design and the land use, appearance, density, or intensity of development within the district in a manner consistent with sound land use, urban design, and economic revitalization principles. The application of these standards will ensure long-term progress and broad participation toward these principles. Refer to § 150.907 for the procedures applicable to proposal review in this standard zoning district.
B. Development standards. Development standards are flexible within this zoning district. Refer to §§ 150.907(B) for the range of development standards potentially available in this zoning district.
(Ord. of 3-6-06; Ord. No. 848G, § 1, 9-5-06; Ord. No. 880G, § 1, 1-2-07; Ord. No. 923G, § 1, 10-1-07; Ord. No. 24H, § 1, 9-8-09; Ord. No. 76H, § 1, 10-4-10)
Sec150.607: 150.607. Landscaping requirements for bufferyards.
(A) Purpose. This section provides the landscaping and width requirements for bufferyards on lots developed after the effective date of this chapter. A bufferyard is a combination of distance and a visual buffer or barrier. It includes an area, together with the combination of plantings, berms, and fencing that is required to eliminate or reduce existing or potential nuisances. These nuisances can often occur between adjacent zoning districts. Such nuisances are dirt, litter, noise, glare of lights, signs, and incompatible land uses, buildings or parking areas.
Rationale: One of zoning's most important functions is the separation of land uses into districts that have similar character and contain compatible uses. The location of districts is supposed to provide protection, but in the city, this is not the case since zoning districts permitting uses as diverse as single-family residential and industrial uses were located next to one another long before the effective date of this chapter. Bufferyards will operate to minimize the negative impact of any future use on neighboring uses.
(B) Required locations for bufferyards. Bufferyards shall be located along (and within) the outer perimeter of a lot wherever two different zoning districts abut one another. Bufferyards shall not be required in front yards. Question: Is a buffer zone required between new St. James Church and the house on Church Street?
(C) Determination of required bufferyard.
(1) Identification of required level of opacity. Opacity is a quantitatively-derived measure which indicates the degree to which a particular bufferyard screens the adjoining property. The required level of opacity indicated by table 150.607(C)(2)A. is directly related to the degree to which the potential character of development differs between different zoning districts. The required level of opacity is determined by the value given in the cell of the table at which the column heading along the top row of the table (representing the subject property's zoning district) intersects with the row heading along the left hand side of the table (representing the adjacent property's zoning district). The value listed is the required level of opacity for the bufferyard on the subject property.
(2) Identification of detailed bufferyard requirements.
A. If a proposed use adjoins a parcel for which a bufferyard is required by the presence of a zoning district boundary, that use shall provide a bufferyard with the level of the opacity indicated in table 150.607(C)(2)A.
B. For each level of opacity, a wide variety of width, landscaping point, berm, and structure combinations are possible. The requirements listed in table 150.607(C)(2)B. pertain to the number of landscaping points, the minimum bufferyard width, and the type of berm or fencing required within every 100 feet of required bufferyard. A variety of landscaping point options are available and may be mixed within distinct portions of the same bufferyard.
GRAPHIC LINK:
Click hereTable 150.607(C)(2)A. Required Bufferyard Opacity Values
TABLE INSET:
