The purpose of the Highway Commercial District designation is to provide economic development opportunities while protecting the Village's small-town, rural character. The HC zoning designation provides an opportunity for personal service uses, general or specialized retail shopping, entertainment, or professional services while reflecting the traditional scale, proportions, rhythms and environment that define the character of the Village. The standards, requirements and design guidelines associated with the HC District are intended to allow commercial uses that are both automobile and pedestrian friendly while protecting against the negative aspects of strip commercial development. See also Article
III, Special Development Standards. A significant municipal investment in public improvements has historically supported the downtown commercial environment, while a thriving downtown environment contributes significantly to a community's sense of identity. Special consideration should be given to downtown businesses and their ability to survive when considering conditional uses in the HC District.
A. Permitted uses.
(1) Parks, greenways and open spaces.
(2) Residential above ground-level commercial.
B. Conditional uses. A conditional use permit is required for any new commercial development and any change of use where the new use is commercial in nature. Allowable businesses are those listed as permitted uses or conditional uses in §
300-9, Village Center Commercial, unless specifically prohibited below. The design review necessary to award a conditional use permit will ensure compliance with the intent of the district requirements. A conditional use permit will not be awarded unless a commercial development proposal can demonstrate that it does not adversely impact the value of nearby properties or the character of the Village.
C. Prohibited uses.
(1) Parking lot without the primary structure/use that it serves.
(2) A tavern or eating establishment featuring partially or fully nude dancing/stripping.
(3) Amusement parks and parking.
(4) Other uses similar to those prohibited or which would adversely impact the value of nearby properties or the character of the Village.
D. Residential buffer requirements. All parking, service and rear access functions associated with a commercial use within the HC District must install landscaping and/or fencing that buffers the view from any adjacent residentially occupied property.
E. Parking locations. The location of off-street parking lots is strongly encouraged to occur to the rear or side of the HC structures, accessible from side streets if possible. When access to parking can only be achieved from the main street, entries should not exceed 20 feet in width. The sharing of accessways by multiple businesses is encouraged. Entrances on the same side of the street must be separated from one another by at least 100 feet.
F. Landscaped edge.
(1) In situations where new buildings are allowed a setback greater than 60 feet or a parking lot is designed to occur between the main street and the structure or existing development is set back beyond 60 feet, trees and additional landscaping located on the boundary of the property must be incorporated to reduce the visual impact of parking areas and to reinforce the street edge.
(2) Such landscaped strips must be at least 15 feet wide with deciduous shade trees planted at twenty-five- to thirty-foot intervals to reinforce the street edge.
G. Height, area, and setback.
| | Yard Setbacks (feet) | |
|---|
| Lots | Front | Rear | Side | |
|---|
Highway Commercial (HC) | Width (feet) | Area | Min. | Max. | Min. | Max. | Min. | Max. | Height (feet) |
|---|
| 200 maximum | No limit | 40 | 60 | 20 | na | 20 | na | 20 minimum |
| | | | | 30 minimum if adjacent to residential | 30 minimum if adjacent to residential | 35 maximum |
H. Building types. Long, flat facades are prohibited. Buildings facades facing the main roadway shall incorporate recesses or offsets to ensure that no single, uninterrupted length of facade over 50 feet is allowed to occur.
I. Performance standards for HC development. Any proposed development within the HC District must clearly demonstrate that new highway commercial development will not provide strip commercial characteristics as described below:
(1) Attention to franchise design over community design.
(2) Numerous large and freestanding signs.
(3) Visual clutter of signage and stored products competing for motorists' attention.
(4) Large expanses of unscreened surface parking.
(5) Little or no landscaping of public or private property.
(6) Occasional plantings of puny trees and shrubs which form a weak edge along the street.
(7) Few or no pedestrian improvements such as a sidewalk.
(8) Numerous poorly delineated and closely spaced driveway access points equal danger and disrupted traffic flow.
(9) Maximum buildout often with low, one-story buildings.
(10) Scattered, dispersed buildings at far edge of asphalt parking lot.
(11) No coordination between developments.