Morgan County Planning Commission. Petition for: Text Amendment

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1 Staff Report Morgan County Planning Commission Petition for: Text Amendment Applicant: Applicant s Agent: Zoning Ordinance: Morgan County Planning & Development City of Bostwick Zoning Ordinance Article III Definition of Terms Article VII Use Requirements by Zoning District Article VIII Area, Yard and Height Requirements Article IX Special Provisions Summary Morgan County Planning & Development is requesting text amendments to the Bostwick Zoning Ordinance to address immediate issues related to recent development pressure in Bostwick. Morgan County Planning & Development will be submitting changes to the Bostwick Zoning Ordinance throughout the rest of The changes propose to: 1. Remove Planned Development district. 2. Remove Wetlands from Dimensional Requirements chart. 3. Remove mobile and manufactured homes from the R1 zoning district. 4. Update the dimensional requirement chart. 5. Update the mobile and manufactured homes regulations 6. Update the definition for Detached Single Family Dwelling. Current and Proposed Language Article III Definition of Terms The definition for Dwelling, Single Family Detached is modified to remove language addressing mobile and manufactured homes to avoid conflict with updated specific regulations for mobile and manufactured homes. The changes also update the list of state codes which must be followed. Dwelling, Single Family Detached: A structure including site-built and modular homes than contain one dwelling unit designed for residential use that is surrounded by open space on the same lot, which meets or exceeds the following standards: 1. Minimum width in excess of sixteen (16) feet. 2. Minimum square footage required by the zone where located. 3. The roof shall have a minimum roof pitch greater than 5:12 (measured as the ratio of the roof s rise to its horizontal run) and shall have a surface of wood shakes, asphalt composition, wood shingles, Morgan County Planning & Development 150 E. Washington Street, Suite 200 Madison, Georgia

2 concrete, fiberglass, or metal tiles, slate or built up gravel materials. The roof overhang must be at least one foot when measured from the vertical side. 4. The exterior siding materials shall consist of wood, masonry, concrete, stucco, masonite or vinyl lap. 5. Be attached to a permanent foundation, provided that for manufactured homes load bearing masonry curtain walls shall not be required (although masonry curtain walls are required for aesthetic purposes), and non-load bearing curtain walls for manufactured homes shall not have contact with the purpose of structural support, although non-load bearing curtain walls may be attached to the manufactures home for aesthetic purposes and not for structural support. See Georgia Rules and Regulations Section , as may hereinafter be amended. 6. Be constructed according to standards established either by the State Minimum Standard Codes as amended from time to time or the Standard Building Code if locally adopted. or the International Code Conference if locally adopted for site-built homes, or the National Manufacturing Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act for manufactured homes, or the State of Georgia Industrialized Buildings Act for modular homes. Each of these codes shall be applicable to the specific structure for which it applies. Article VII Use Requirements by Zoning District The changes remove the Planned Development Zoning District (PD). The Bostwick Comprehensive Plan identifies Bostwick as unsuitable for large commercial development or subdivision development. The word Zoning is removed from Wetlands Zoning District (WET). Wetlands are depicted on the map independent of zoning district and are considered a protected area regardless of zoning district. Wetlands should be identified in an Article for environmental protection regulations, which will be added to the zoning ordinance later in the year. The language for Wetlands currently in the ordinance is sufficient in the meantime, as it addresses the need to protect wetlands and lists allowed/prohibited uses. PD and WET are removed from the use chart. All uses listed for PD are also allowed in other zoning districts. The use Manufactured Home, Qualifying as Dwelling, Single Family Detached is changed to Individual Mobile or Manufactured Home, Multi-Section to clarify that single wide mobile or manufactured homes are not permitted. The language under specific regulations for mobile and manufactured homes addresses the requirement to meet the dwelling definition. Mobile and Manufactured Homes is removed from the R1 Zoning District. The R1 district encroaches into the historic downtown and there have been several inquiries recently to move mobile homes on properties within the National Register Historic District. Mobile and manufactured homes (multi-section) will remain a permitted use in the AG district, which covers most of the land area in Bostwick. Article VIII Area, Yard and Height Dimensional Requirements The Article name will be changed to Dimensional Requirements. The Dimensional Requirements chart is updated and several items added or modified. The current chart identifies the minimum acreage in the R2 district as 6/10 acre for one unit or two units. The Health Department requires 6/10 acre per septic tank, so the updated chart identifies the minimum acreage for two units as 1.2 acres. Manufactured homes are removed from the R1 zoning district to match changes in the use chart. The minimum lot Morgan County Planning & Development 150 E. Washington Street, Suite 200 Madison, Georgia

3 width is changed to 150 feet for all zoning districts except the 6/10 acre single unit R2 district, at the request of Bostwick officials related to municipal water pipe installation. Setbacks are added for commercial and industrial properties (see Staff Comments regarding commercial zoning). Minimum heated square footage is added for residential dwellings. Article IX Special Provisions Chapter 9.1 is replaced with language copied from the Morgan County Zoning Ordinance. The only major change from the County s language is that Bostwick specifies a 5/12 roof pitch, which is a custom roof on a mobile or manufactured home. Staff Comments As mentioned at the beginning of the Staff Report, numerous changes are proposed for Bostwick s Zoning Ordinance. Many of the changes are to address the stated goals in the Comprehensive Plan. Other changes are because Bostwick s ordinance has not been updated in 18 years. Upcoming changes will modify zoning districts, specifically commercial zoning areas. The ordinance currently treats the historic downtown commercial area and potential new commercial the same. While a setback is needed for new commercial construction, setbacks are not appropriate in the historic downtown. Staff proposes to add a new zoning district named Historic Commercial to address downtown buildings and differentiate them from newer or future commercial development. Also previously mentioned, an Article will be added to address environmental concerns, as floodplain and watersheds are not included in the current zoning ordinance. Staff s intention is to start modifying the Bostwick Zinging Ordinance Article by Article. Morgan County Planning & Development 150 E. Washington Street, Suite 200 Madison, Georgia

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