[Added 12-8-2014 by Ord. No. 288]
The purpose of the PEC - Planned Employment Center District
is to provide for logical locations where high-quality mixed use developments
can occur in harmony with surrounding land uses (including site layouts
and architecture that is aesthetically pleasing and consistent with
applicable guidelines) and in support of Sykesville's goals for
growing the employment base, providing housing for existing and future
residents, and offering retail services that complement the existing
businesses within the Town. The following objectives will help fulfill
this purpose:
A.
To encourage orderly, staged development of comprehensively designed
mixed-use centers.
B.
To create a mixture of office, retail, recreational, hotel, institutional,
light industrial and residential uses within a single structure or
within multiple structures where all related structures, parking,
and open spaces are designed to function as a cohesive and integrated
site, while protecting the residential character of surrounding neighborhoods.
C.
To provide for an enriched and enhanced natural environment by the
preservation of trees and the incorporation of stormwater management
techniques which maintain the hydrologic regime of the site.
D.
To assure compatibility of the proposed land uses with the internal
and surrounding uses by incorporating innovative standards of land
planning and site design.
E.
To encourage harmonious and coordinated development of sites, considering
the existing natural features, bicycle, pedestrian and vehicular circulation
and compatibility with surrounding uses.
F.
To encourage development that is of excellent design and architecture
with a mix of uses that will create a synergy of uses, efficiency
of design, and contribute to a reduction of vehicle miles traveled.
PEC - Planned Employment Centers are limited to properties that
are in excess of 20 acres and are within 1,320 feet from Maryland
Route 32. Any portion of a proposed development application must be
within 1,320 feet from Route 32; the entire development parcel does
not have to meet this requirement. The following regulations and applicable
regulations contained in other articles shall apply in the PEC - Planned
Employment Center District.
The principal permitted uses in this district shall be as follows:
A.
Nonresidential uses including:
(1)
Local retail business or service uses, including:
(a)
Alcoholic package good stores.
[Amended 7-11-2016 by Ord. No. 296]
(b)
Antique shops.
(c)
Arcades.
(d)
Art galleries.
(e)
Art and craft shops.
(f)
Artisans and craft work.
(g)
Automobile parts and supply stores.
(h)
Bakery or donut shops.
(i)
Banks.
(j)
Barbershops.
(k)
Bicycle, motor scooter, moped sales and service.
(l)
Billiard and pool halls.
(m)
Bookstores, except adult bookstores.
(n)
Candy stores.
(o)
Cigar stores.
(p)
Clock shops for sale or repair.
(q)
Clothing stores.
(r)
Computer, TV, phone, and electronic equipment sales and service.
(s)
Consignment shops, except pawn shops.
(t)
Construction or sales trailers, temporary, in an approved development
actively under construction.
(u)
Convenience stores, gift shops, and newsstands.
(v)
Delicatessens and snack bars.
(w)
Department stores.
(x)
Dry cleaning retail outlets.
(y)
Flooring stores.
(z)
Florist shops.
(aa)
Furniture stores.
(bb)
Grocery stores.
(cc)
Hair and nail salons.
(dd)
Hardware stores.
(ee)
Hobby shops.
(ff)
Ice cream shops.
(gg)
Interior decorating establishments.
(hh)
Jewelry stores.
(ii)
Linens, bath, and curtain stores.
(jj)
Locksmiths.
(kk)
Luggage or leather goods stores.
(ll)
Mailing and shipping services.
(mm)
Office supply stores and business service, establishments including
signage and copying.
(nn)
Opticians or optometrical establishments.
(oo)
Parks, private.
(pp)
Pharmacies.
(qq)
Photographic stores and studios.
(rr)
Picture framing establishments.
(tt)
Rental establishments (with no on-site/outside storage).
(uu)
Restaurants (without liquor licenses or with liquor licenses,
providing that the average monthly receipts from the sale of food
constitute at least 41% of the average monthly receipts from the combined
sale of food and alcoholic beverages as measured over a period of
one year immediately preceding the date of an application for license
issuance, renewal, upgrade, transfer or other modification).
[Amended 7-11-2016 by Ord. No. 296]
(vv)
Sporting goods stores.
(ww)
Stationery stores.
(xx)
Swimming pools (private) and recreational facilities. (private)
associated with a residential development, if located at least 50
feet from each lot line and dwelling unit.
(yy)
Tanning salons.
(zz)
Tattoo parlors and body piercing salons.
(aaa)
Telecommuting centers.
(bbb)
Toy shops.
(ccc)
Travel agencies.
(ddd)
Upholstering shops, including sail making shops
(eee)
Video sales and rental establishments, excluding
adult video sales and rental.
(fff)
Wallpaper and paint stores.
(2)
Office, research, institutional, and light industrial uses including:
C.
Any other retail business, service establishment, office, research,
institutional, light industrial, and residential use which is determined
by the Board to be the same general character as the above permitted
uses. (Note: This determination is a ministerial act and is made by
the Board meeting in public session, but does not require a public
hearing or notice thereof.)
The conditional uses requiring Board authorization in this district
shall include:
A.
Nonresidential uses including:
(1)
Local retail business or service uses, including:
(a)
Appliance sales and service facilities.
(b)
Automobile gasoline and service stations.
(c)
Carwashes accessory to automobile gasoline stations.
(d)
Public and commercial recreational facilities, including miniature
golf; driving ranges; tennis, racquet, and handball barns or courts;
artificial ski slopes; indoor soccer; bowling alleys; BMX bike, skateboard
or roller blade parks; go-carting; skating rinks, and swimming pools.
(e)
Communication towers, except that freestanding telecommunication
towers are prohibited.
(f)
Dog grooming and dog day-care facilities, without outside runs
or pens.
(g)
Entertainment complexes and theatres, including multi-screen
complexes but excluding adult movies/videos.
(h)
Health clubs, spas, and gymnasiums.
(i)
Home centers and building supply stores.
(j)
Meat, seafood, and poultry markets.
(k)
Nightclubs and comedy clubs.
(l)
Pet shops.
(m)
Produce markets.
(n)
Establishments licensed to keep for sale and to sell beer and
light wines at retail for consumption on the premises or elsewhere
(including pubs, taverns, microbreweries, and wine bars), and where
at least 50% of the business is comprised of selling alcohol.
[Added 7-11-2016 by Ord.
No. 296]
(2)
Office, research, institutional, and light industrial uses including:
(a)
Adult day care centers.
(b)
Assisted living facilities.
(c)
Auditoriums.
(d)
Banquet halls.
(e)
Catering establishments.
(f)
Child-care centers.
(g)
Civic facilities, community centers, libraries, museums.
(h)
Community meeting halls.
(i)
Country clubs, private clubs, service, nonprofit, and charitable
or philanthropic organizations, social clubs, and fraternal organizations.
(j)
Funeral establishments.
(k)
Golf courses.
(l)
Hospice facilities.
(m)
Hospitals.
(n)
Hotels and motels.
(o)
Nursing homes and congregate care facilities.
(p)
Religious facilities.
(q)
Schools, public charter, and schools, private: academic, arts,
business, technical, or trade, public or private colleges and universities.
(r)
Staging areas for county capital projects.
(s)
Veterinary clinics, if over-night stays are limited to those
necessary for medical treatment, without outside runs or pens.
B.
Any other retail business, service establishment, office, research,
institutional, and light industrial use which is determined by the
Board to be the same general character as the above conditional uses.
Any conditional use proposed must be reviewed by the Planning Commission
before submission to the Board. The Planning Commission will make
a recommendation to the Board. In deciding such matters, the Board
shall give consideration, among other things, to the following:
(1)
The number of people residing or working in the immediate area
concerned.
(2)
The orderly growth of Sykesville.
(3)
Traffic conditions and facilities.
(4)
The effect of such use upon the peaceful enjoyment of people
in their homes.
(5)
The conservation of property values.
(6)
The effect of odors, dust, gas, smoke, fumes, vibrations, glare
and noise upon the use of surrounding properties.
(7)
The most appropriate use of land and structure.
(8)
Decisions of the courts.
(9)
The purpose of these regulations as set forth herein.
(10)
Type and kind of structures in the vicinity where public gatherings
may be held, such as schools, churches, and the like.
The accessory uses allowed in this district shall be those uses
and structures customarily accessory and incidental to any permitted
principal use or authorized conditional use. Accessory uses shall
be screened from public view by walls, fencing, landscaping, or a
combination of the three.
A.
The following percentages of land uses shall be provided in a PEC-
Planned Employment Center development proposal:
|
Office/research/institutional/hotel/light industrial: 20% to
55%
| |
|
Retail/services: 10% to 20%
| |
|
Residential: 10% to 35%
| |
|
Open space: no less than 25%
|
B.
Building square footages shall be used to determine the land use
percentages within mixed-use buildings. For example, if a mixed-use
building is on a two-acre parcel within the development and 25% of
the building is devoted to nonresidential uses and 75% is devoted
to residential uses, then 25% of the parcel area (1/2 acre) shall
be considered nonresidential and 75% (one and 1/2 acre) shall be considered
residential.
(1)
For the purposes of this calculation, the percentage for each
land use shall be based on the total (or gross) development parcel
size.
(2)
Any land that was previously part of the original development
parcel that was subdivided and dedicated to the Town of Sykesville
can be included in the total development parcel size for determining
both percentage of land use and open space requirements (i.e., Warfield
Park Parcel, and internal public roads).
C.
Recreational space shall be provided within, or adjacent to, any
proposed residential development. Twenty percent of the required open
space shall be devoted to recreational space. Recreational space is
defined as good buildable land with no wetlands, floodplains, forest
conservation, slopes in excess of 5% grade (once graded), or any other
environmental or physical encumbrances. Physical improvements within
the required recreational space (such as a community center, play
equipment, etc.) can reduce the total required area below 20% at the
Commission's discretion.
A.
The maximum nonresidential floor area ratio shall be 0.15 based on
the total development parcel. Floor area ratio shall be measured in
square footage. The maximum residential density shall be two homes
per acre based on the total development parcel. Residential density
shall be measured in units per acre. For mixed-use buildings (i.e.,
residential over retail), the nonresidential shall be considered square
feet and deducted from the total permissible nonresidential square
feet and the residential shall be dwelling units and deducted from
the total permissible residential density.
B.
No density bonuses from any other section of the Sykesville Zoning
Code shall be permitted in the PEC - Planned Employment Center.
The maximum building height shall be six stories.
The bulk regulations for a PEC - Planned Employment Center shall
follow traditional neighborhood design principles where buildings
are close to streets and necessary services such as parking areas,
trash containers, alleys, loading areas, etc., are hidden, in as much
as possible, from public view. During the concept plan phase of the
development approval process, the applicant shall provide the Commission
with a list of building setback requirements from public streets,
other structures within the development, and the property boundaries.
Once approved by the Commission, these bulk requirements shall be
included in the pattern book and govern development of the PEC - Planned
Employment Center.
A.
As part of the preliminary plan phase of the development approval
process, the applicant shall provide the Commission with a pattern
book that will address site planning, architectural, landscape architectural,
and signage requirements for the proposed development. Once approved
by the Commission, the pattern book shall govern development of the
PEC - Planned Employment Center. If guidelines exist for the proposed
development, such as the "Warfield Commercial Center: Design Guidelines
and Standards for Signs and Energy Efficiency," then the applicant
will follow them, or propose changes to account for changes in the
land use, technology, or design approach. The pattern book shall be
prepared by a licensed professional landscape architect, architect,
or engineer.
B.
The pattern book shall include, at a minimum, the following sections:
(2)
Site planning principles.
(a)
Relationship of uses within the development.
(b)
Focal points of the development and how they have been maximized.
(c)
Vehicular and pedestrian connectivity within the development
and to the Town.
(d)
Proposed recreational areas within and adjacent to residential
areas. Including proposed improvements to recreational areas to serve
the intended residential population.
(e)
Building and parking setbacks.
(g)
Proposed service and loading spaces.
(4)
Landscape architectural design.
(5)
Signage plan.
(a)
A signage plan for the Planned Employment Center shall be included
in the pattern book. The signage plan shall outline:
(b)
Exterior signage in the Planned Employment Center shall be for
identification only and may not be treated as an advertising device.
Signage text is limited to company name and/or logo.
(c)
Sign locations shall be permitted as follows:
[1]
For each single-tenant building, one freestanding sign at a
point near the project entrance and one building-mounted sign.
[2]
For each multi-tenant building, one freestanding sign with only
the building name at a point near the project entrance and a building-mounted
tenant identification system for each tenant.
(d)
Sign types shall be permitted as follows:
[1]
Freestanding signs.
[a]
Maximum size shall not exceed 24 square feet on
a two-sided sign.
[b]
Maximum height shall not exceed six feet above
grade except for the sign identifying the Planned Employment Center.
[c]
The sign shall be constructed of durable materials
consistent with and/or complementary to the materials used in buildings
within the Planned Employment Center.
[d]
The sign shall be mounted on a sturdy base.
[e]
Illumination by unobtrusive ground lighting is
permissible.
[2]
Building-mounted signs.
[a]
Sign location on the building shall be compatible
with the architectural design of the building.
[b]
No signs may extend above the roof or parapet line
of the building.
[c]
Illumination may be internal through a translucent
letter face or opaque letters project slightly off the wall and back-lit
from a source concealed within the letter.
(e)
In multi-tenant buildings, the developer or owner is responsible
for submitting a tenant identification system for approval.
[1]
The system shall include a standardized design format to ensure
matching of size, materials, color, finish, and typeface.
[2]
The system shall be of a scale to identify individual tenants
from parking areas rather than to provide major tenant visibility
from surrounding roads.
[3]
Tenant signage shall be building-mounted. The placement shall
relate architecturally to door and window openings or other elements
of the building.
[4]
Each tenant shall be assigned a designated sign panel.
(f)
Sign color shall be limited to one color for the lettering and
one color for the background. The background color shall be darker
than the message and graphics. Where an additional color is desired
because it is part of the owner's or tenant's logo, the
Commission may modify this requirement.
(g)
Each lot is limited to one temporary sign, which may be double-sided
and shall be removed within one year.
B.
Any amendment of the plan must go through the same three-step process.
If, however, the Town's Zoning Administrator believes the amendment
is not substantive, then the concept and preliminary approval steps
can be combined into one preliminary plan approval.
C.
An applicant shall submit all concept, preliminary and final plans
to the Planning Commission for consideration. The purpose is to provide
the Commission with sufficient information to determine the practicality
and suitability of the proposed development. All plans shall be prepared
by a licensed architect, registered civil engineer, professional landscape
architect or other qualified land planner. All plans shall be to scale
and contain the appropriate information for the submission (i.e.,
concept plans are more general than preliminary or final plans).
D.
Hearing.
(1)
The Planning Commission shall hold a public hearing when considering
the preliminary plan (including the pattern book). The following notice
shall be given:
(a)
At least 15 days' notice of the time and place of such
hearing shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in
the Town.
(b)
Property upon which a Planned Employment Center development
is proposed shall be posted conspicuously by a notice at least 22
inches by 28 inches in size, at least 15 days before the date of the
hearing.
(c)
Notice of the hearing shall be sent by first-class mail to the
person making application to the Commission no less than 15 days prior
to the first scheduled hearing.
(d)
At least 15 days prior to the first scheduled hearing, notice
of the hearing shall be sent by first-class mail to those persons
identified by the applicant as persons owning property contiguous
to the property which is the subject of the proceeding. Notice shall
be sufficient if given to the person shown as the owner on the tax
rolls and sent to the address where tax bills are sent.
(2)
The Commission may approve or disapprove the Preliminary Plan
(including the Pattern Book) after a public hearing.
E.
Should the Planning Commission determine additional assistance to
review an application is required, the Town may hire licensed professionals
(such as a landscape architect, architect, and/or engineer) to assist
in the review of the application. The cost of any outside professionals
shall be paid for by the applicant. The Town shall make every effort
to minimize all costs associated with any outside professional assistance.
The regulations provided herein are not meant to supersede other
applicable Town, county, or state regulations such as historic district
and Maryland Historic Trust requirements, stormwater management, parking
regulation, forest conservation act requirements, and/or sediment
and erosion control provisions. These, and other regulations, shall
remain in full effect and govern the design.
