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]
(g)
Automobile parts and supply stores.
(k)
Bicycle, motor scooter, moped sales and service.
(m)
Bookstores, except adult bookstores.
(p)
Clock shops for sale or repair.
(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.
(x)
Dry cleaning retail outlets.
(gg)
Interior decorating establishments.
(ii)
Linens, bath, and curtain stores.
(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.
(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]
(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.
(zz)
Tattoo parlors and body piercing salons.
(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:
(b)
Business, professional, and medical offices and clinics.
(c)
Computer and data processing facilities.
(d)
Engineering and scientific research or development facilities.
(f)
Television stations, radio broadcasting stations, and recording
studios.
B. Residential 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.
(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:
(b)
Assisted living facilities.
(g)
Civic facilities, community centers, libraries, museums.
(i)
Country clubs, private clubs, service, nonprofit, and charitable
or philanthropic organizations, social clubs, and fraternal organizations.
(o)
Nursing homes and congregate care 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.
(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.
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.
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.