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The following criteria shall be used by the Site Plan Review Committee in reviewing applications for Site Plan Review Committee and shall serve as minimum requirements for approval of the application. The application shall be approved unless the Site Plan Review Committee determines that the applicant has failed to meet minimum acceptable standards. In all instances, the burden of proof shall be on the applicant who must produce evidence sufficient to warrant a finding that all applicable criteria have been met.

A. Utilization of the Site.

1. Utilization of the Site. The plan for the development must reflect the natural capabilities of the site to support development. Environmentally sensitive areas must be maintained and preserved.

2. Natural drainage areas must also be preserved to the maximum extent. However, when requested, the applicant may choose to transfer density or intensity of the proposed use from these wash areas into areas more developable. The development must include appropriate measures for protecting these resources, including, but not limited to, modification of the proposed design of the site, timing of construction, and limiting the extent of excavation.

3. Building Placement. The site design should avoid creating a building surrounded by a parking lot. Buildings should be placed close to the street, consistent with existing, adjacent setbacks. Parking should be to the side or preferably in the back.

4. Building Entrances. The main entrance to the building should be oriented to the street unless the parking layout or the grouping of the buildings justifies another approach, and should be clearly identified as such through building and site design, landscaping, and/or signage.

5. Building Orientation. New buildings within an existing built environment should be compatible with the neighborhood such that they reflect the overall bulk, square footage, dimensions, placement of the building on the lot, and rhythm of buildings and spaces along the street edge and minimize the visual impact on the neighborhood.

6. Building Scale. When large new buildings or structures are proposed in existing built environments where their scale (size) and other features may be significantly different from that which already exists in the immediate neighborhood, care must be taken to design the new building or structure so that it is compatible with its neighbors.

7. View Protection. When a proposed development is located within the viewshed of an identified view from a public street or facility, the development must be designated to minimize the encroachment of all buildings, structures, landscaping, and other site features on the identified view.

8. Ridgeline Protection. When a proposed development is located on a hillside that is visible from a public street, road, water body, or facility, the development must be designed so that buildings, structures, and other improvements do not extend above the existing ridgeline or alter the ridge profile significantly when viewed from the public streets, roads, water bodies, or facilities. This provision may be waived for communication towers, spotting towers, and similar facilities that must be located above the ridgeline for operational reasons.

9. Hillside Development. When proposed development is located on a hillside that is visible from a public street, water body, or facility, the development must be designated so that it fits harmoniously into the visual environment when viewed by the public from public areas.

10. In predominantly natural environments, site clearing must be minimized and vegetation must be retained or provided to minimize the visual intrusion of the development. In developed environments, the appearances of the new development, when viewed by the public from public areas, must be compatible with the existing visual character in terms of scale, massing, and height to the maximum extent reasonable.

B. Parking Layout and Design and Site Access. Off-street parking must conform to the standards set forth in Chapter 4, General Provisions, Sections 4-120, Off-Street Parking and Loading, and 4-121, Traffic and Pedestrian Access.

C. Stormwater Management. Adequate provisions must be made for the collection and disposal of all stormwater that runs off proposed streets, parking areas, roofs, and other surfaces through a stormwater drainage system and maintenance plan, which must not have adverse impacts on abutting or downstream properties.

1. To the extent possible, the plan must retain stormwater on the site using the natural features of the site.

2. The flow from the site after development must not exceed the predevelopment rate.

3. The applicant must demonstrate that on- and off-site downstream channel or system capacity is sufficient to carry the flow without adverse effects, including but not limited to flooding and erosion of downstream or adjoining properties, or the developer will be responsible for whatever improvements are needed to provide the required increase in capacity and/or mitigation.

4. All natural drainage ways must be preserved at their natural gradients and must not be filled or converted to a closed system unless approved as part of the SPR.

5. The design of the stormwater drainage system must provide for the disposal of stormwater without damage to streets, adjacent properties, downstream properties, soils, and vegetation.

6. The design of the storm drainage systems must be fully cognizant of upstream runoff that must pass over or through the site to be developed and provide for this movement.

7. The biological and chemical properties of the receiving waters must not be degraded by the stormwater runoff from the development site. The use of oil and grease traps in manholes, the use of on-site vegetated waterways, and vegetated buffer strips along waterways and drainage swales may be required, especially where the development stormwater discharges into a gravel aquifer area or other water supply source.

D. Erosion Control.

1. All building, site, and roadway designs and layouts must harmonize with existing topography and conserve desirable natural surroundings to the fullest extent possible, such that filling, excavation and earth moving activity must be kept to a minimum. Parking lots on sloped sites must be terraced to avoid undue cut and fill, and/or the need for retaining walls. Natural vegetation must be preserved and protected wherever possible.

2. Soil erosion and sedimentation of watercourses and water bodies must be minimized by the development of a sedimentation and erosion control plan that is submitted as part of the SPR package.

E. Water Supply Provisions.

1. The development must be provided with a system of water supply that provides each use with an adequate supply of water.

2. If the project is to be served by a private water supply, the applicant must secure and submit a written statement from the supplier that the proposed water supply system conforms with its design and construction standards, will not result in an undue burden on the source or distribution system, and will be installed in a manner adequate to provide needed domestic and fire protection flows.

F. Sewage Disposal Provisions.

1. The development must be provided with a method of disposing of sewage that is in compliance with the State Plumbing and Health Codes.

2. All sanitary sewage from new or expanded uses must be discharged into a public sewage collection and treatment system when such facilities are currently available or can reasonably be made available at the lot line and have adequate capacity to handle the projected waste generation.

a. It is mandatory that when a public sewer becomes available within 300 feet of any property served by a private sewage disposal system, a direct connection shall be made to the public sewer in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 11 of the Town Code.

Connections are mandatory when any one (1) of the conditions stipulated in Chapter 11 of the Town Code applies after the date specified for that condition.

This requirement may be waived if the use is already served by a properly functioning subsurface disposal system that is properly sized for the projected flows; provided, that connection to the public system must occur if and when the subsurface system needs to be replaced.

b. If the public system cannot serve or be extended to serve a new or expanded use, the sewage must be disposed of by an on-site sewage disposal system meeting the requirements of the Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules.

c. When two (2) or more lots or buildings in different ownership share the use of a common subsurface disposal system, the system must be owned and maintained in common by an owners’ association. Covenants in the deeds for each lot must require mandatory membership in the association and provide for adequate funding of the association to assure proper maintenance of the system.

d. Industrial or commercial wastewater may be discharged to public sewers in such quantities and/or of such quality as to be compatible with sewage treatment operations. Such wastes may require pretreatment at the industrial or commercial site in order to render them amenable to public treatment processes. Pretreatment includes, but is not limited to, screening, grinding, sedimentation, pH adjustment, surface skimming, chemical oxidation and reduction and dilution.

G. Utilities. The development must be provided with electrical, telephone, and telecommunication service adequate to meet the anticipated use of the project. New utility lines and facilities must be screened from view to the extent feasible. If the service in the street or on adjoining lots is underground, the new service must be placed underground.

H. Natural Features. The site shall be landscaped in compliance with the requirements of Chapter 9, Landscape Design Standards.

I. Groundwater Protection. The proposed site development and use must not adversely impact either the quality or quantity of groundwater available to abutting properties or to public water supply systems.

Applicants whose projects involve on-site water supply or sewage disposal systems with a capacity of two thousand (2,000) gallons per day or greater must demonstrate that the groundwater at the property line will comply, following development, with the standards for safe drinking water as established by the State of Arizona.

J. Water Quality Protection. All aspects of the project must be designed so that:

1. No person shall locate, store, discharge, or permit the discharge of any treated, untreated, or inadequately treated liquid, gaseous, or solid materials of such nature, quantity, obnoxiousness, toxicity, or temperature that may run off, seep, percolate, or wash into surface or groundwater so as to contaminate, pollute, or harm such waters or cause nuisances, such as objectionable shore deposits, floating or submerged debris, oil or scum, color, odor, taste, or unsightliness or be harmful to human, animal, plant, or aquatic life.

2. All storage facilities for fuel, chemicals, chemical or industrial wastes, and biodegradable raw materials must meet the standards of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

3. If the project is located within the direct watershed of a “body of water most at risk from development” or a “sensitive or threatened region or watershed” as identified by the Arizona Department Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and is of such magnitude as to require a stormwater permit from the ADEQ, the project must comply with the standards of the ADEQ with respect to the export of total suspended solids and/or phosphorous.

4. If the project does not require a stormwater permit from the ADEQ, it must be designed to minimize the export of phosphorous from the site to the extent reasonable with the proposed use and the characteristics of the site.

K. Solid Waste Management. The proposed development must provide for adequate disposal of solid wastes. All solid waste must be disposed of at a licensed disposal facility having adequate capacity to accept the project’s wastes.

L. Historic and Archaeological Resources. If any portion of the site has been identified as containing historic or archaeological resources, the development must include appropriate measures for protecting these resources, including, but not limited to, modification of the proposed design of the site, timing of construction, and limiting the extent of excavation.

M. Flood Plain Management. If any portion of the site is located within a special flood hazard area as identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, all use and development of that portion of the site must be consistent with the Town’s flood plain management provisions.

N. Exterior Lighting. All new construction for which site plan review is required shall also be required to submit a comprehensive lighting plan for review. The lighting plan shall be developed in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 8.

O. Buffering. The development must provide for the buffering of adjacent uses where there is a transition from one type of use to another use and for screening of mechanical equipment and service and storage areas. All setbacks, enclosures, walls and plantings shall comply with Chapters 9, Landscape Design Standards, and 4, General Provisions, Section 4-080, Fence Height.

P. Landscaping. Landscaping must be provided as part of site design. The landscape plan for the entire site must conform to Chapter 9.

Q. Business Signs. All new construction for which SPR is required shall also be required to submit a comprehensive sign plan for review. The sign plan shall be developed in accordance with the requirements the Town of Clarkdale Sign Code and is subject to review and approval by the Design Review Board. (Revised by Resolution #1621 on 2/25/20; Revised by Ordinance #403 on 2/25/20; effective 3/26/20; Revised by Resolution #1432 on 7/10/13; effective 8/10/13; Revised by Ordinance #351 on 7/10/13; effective 8/10/13; prior code § 11-13)