§ 900. Entranceways.

900.1.   Purpose and Intent.

It is the purpose and intent of this part:

A.

To convey to the traveling public a strong image that Manatee County is a high quality place to live, work and visit;

B.

To provide standards and criteria by which proposed development in these entranceway areas will be reviewed; and

C.

To protect and enhance existing native vegetative communities and promote the use of zonal landscaping and other low water landscaping materials and techniques.

900.2.   Administration.

The Department Director shall be responsible for the administration of this section and coordination with other agencies.

900.3.   Designated Entranceways.

In order to meet the intent of this Section, entranceways shall be defined as follows and as depicted on Maps 8-1 through 8-9.

A.

One-quarter (¼) mile on either side of Interstate 75 (I-75), throughout the County.

B.

One-quarter (¼) mile on either side of Interstate 275 (I-275), throughout the County.

C.

One (1) mile long intersecting arterials from the intersection with the interstate(s), on both sides of the street at a width of one-half (½) mile on either side of the street and shall be measured from the closest point of the right-of-way relating to the interchange.

D.

One-half (½) mile west of and one (1) mile east of U.S. Highway 301 at University Parkway for a distance of one-half (½) mile.

E.

One-quarter (¼) mile on either side of U.S. 41 for a distance of one (1) mile from the Manatee-Hillsborough county boundary on the north, and the Manatee-Sarasota county border on the south.

(Ord. No. 16-24 , § 3(Exh. A-8), 11-15-16)

900.4.   Land Uses Permitted within Entranceways.

Land uses within entranceways shall be limited to those uses permitted in the PDMU, PDPI, PDC, PDR, PDI, PDW, PDRP and PDO districts. No adult entertainment uses, as defined by this Code, shall be allowed in or adjacent to any entranceway.

900.5.   Criteria for Administrative Approval.

Development proposals within designated Entranceways which meet the following criteria may be approved administratively. Development proposals not meeting the criteria shall be subject to a rezone to planned development.

A.

No other section of the Land Development Code or the Comprehensive Plan require the development to obtain planned development or a special permit approval;

B.

The application meets all of the entranceway standards contained in this chapter; and

C.

The proposal meets the following criteria (residential projects are required to meet only items 3 through 5, 7, 8 and 9):

1.

Buildings adjacent to I-75 and/or I-275 shall be finished so that building fronts or front facades face said highway(s). The Department Director shall have the authority to approve an alternative which is aesthetically equal to, or superior to this requirement.

2.

Buildings adjacent to I-75 and/or I-275 shall be designed so as to position in their parking areas in a manner which generally avoids visibility from said highway(s). The Department Director shall have the authority to approve an alternative which is aesthetically equal to, or superior to this requirement.

3.

Any chain link fence utilized on the site shall be a dark color such as a black, dark brown or dark green.

4.

Seventy-five (75) percent of all trees exceeding twenty-four (24) inch DBH shall be preserved.

5.

All wetland impacts must meet a 2:1 mitigation requirement for herbaceous wetlands and a 4:1 mitigation ratio for forested wetlands.

6.

All dumpsters, compactors and other utility equipment shall be located in the rear of all buildings, and these units shall meet all minimum setback requirements. These units shall not be visible from any collector or arterial facility. Exceptions may be granted by the Department Director for corner lots where no reasonable alternative location is available. Screening must be constructed with building materials matching the principal building on site.

7.

Foundation landscaping shall be required in the amount of forty (40) square feet per one thousand (1,000) square feet of gross floor area, with at least sixty (60) percent of the required foundation landscaping located along foundations visible from entranceway roadways.

8.

At least seventy-five (75) percent of all new required trees, shrubs and groundcover shall consist of native species.

9.

Any other requirement deemed necessary by the Department Director to protect the health, safety, welfare and aesthetic quality of the entranceway. Any such requirement, applicable to the regulation of signs, shall not be based on sign content.

(Ord. No. 16-24 , § 3(Exh. A-8), 11-15-16)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 16-24 , § 3(Exh. A-8), adopted Nov. 15, 2016, changed the title of § 900.5 from PD Application Required to Criteria for Administrative Approval.

900.6.   Standards for Development.

A.

Landscaping and Buffers.  

1.

Landscaping. All required landscape areas and buffers shall retain existing native vegetation to the greatest extent possible. Existing trees and shrubs meeting the minimum standards set forth in Section 701 may be counted towards fulfilling the landscaping requirements. All required landscape buffers shall be shown on any site plan or plat as a landscape easement, and duly recorded as such after final site plan approval.

2.

Required Buffer. A minimum twenty (20) foot wide landscaped buffer strip shall be required along all arterial, collector, highway and interstate frontages adjacent to the project. Those projects which receive access from frontage roads adjacent to the arterial/collector road shall provide this buffer. However, site locations internal to the development and not adjacent to the arterial/collector shall not be required to provide this buffer.

3.

Buffer Landscaping. Landscaped buffers shall consist of at least one (1) decorative or canopy tree, meeting the requirements of Section 701, [to] be planted every twenty-five (25) feet on center. In addition, hedges, shrubs and berms shall be used to achieve sixty (60) percent opacity at a height of five (5) feet.

4.

Landscaping Easements. These landscape buffers shall be maintained per Section 701 of this Code.

B.

Access. Unless inconsistent with state law, no project shall gain direct access to any road designated as a minor arterial or higher, but such project shall make use of frontage roads, cross-access easements, or consolidated driveways to access through local roads or lower classified thoroughfare facilities.

1.

Frontage Road Requirements. Frontage roads shall require a minimum twenty-four (24) foot pavement width and fifty (50) to eighty-four (84) feet of right-of-way. The Department Director will determine the right-of-way requirements for each entranceway as developed.

2.

Cross Access Easements. All projects within an entranceway shall provide for internal cross access with adjacent projects. This shall be accomplished through the use of cross access easements, internal drive aisles and/or frontage roads.

C.

Signs. The standards of Chapter 6, Signs, shall apply to signs within designated entranceways.

1.

Types of Signs. On-site, temporary, exempt, and subdivision signs shall be allowed within entranceways. All other sign types are prohibited. Signs shall be governed by Chapter 6 and applicable development approvals, except as noted below.

2.

Number of Signs. One project identification freestanding sign is allowed per road frontage per premise, regardless of length. In the case of a shopping center with outparcel(s), each outparcel may be permitted a separate ground sign provided that the outparcel has a minimum of one hundred (100) feet of frontage on the roadway where the sign is located.

3.

Size of Signs. The maximum sign area and height of free-standing on-site signs shall be as follows:

	Length of Road Frontage
Type of Sign	<300 L.F.	300—600 L.F.	>600	Height
Ground Sign	60 sq. ft.	80 sq. ft.	100 sq. ft.	8 ft.
Pole Sign	45 sq. ft.	60 sq. ft.	75 sq. ft.	20 ft.

 

4.

Combination Signs. Any one combination sign within a project in an entranceway shall be limited to a maximum of five (5) separate sign/tenant items.

5.

Sign Approvals.

a.

Sign Plan. All entranceway projects shall provide a sign plan with submittal of a final plan/plat which includes the following:

i.

Total number of signs;

ii.

Size—individually and total square footage;

iii.

Design;

iv.

Height;

v.

Building materials;

vi.

Color, style; and

vii.

Elevations (pole, ground and wall mounted signs).

b.

Sign Permit. A separate sign permit issued by the Building Official is required before construction or placement of any sign. No sign permit shall be issued for a permanent freestanding sign in the entranceways unless such sign is specified in the development approval.

c.

All permanent freestanding signs in the entranceways shall also require the approval of the Department Director.

D.

Open Space. Properties developing within the entranceways shall provide an additional five (5) percent landscaped open space over the required minimum standards of the zoning district.

900.7.   Port Manatee.

Port Manatee shall not be required to meet the buffer requirements of Section 900.6 as the PDPM District has created other buffer requirements suitable for this facility.

900.8.   Urban Corridors.

Developments along designated urban corridors as defined in Chapter 2 are not required to meet the standards of this section if they meet the standards of Section 902, Urban Corridor Design Standards.

(Ord. No. 16-06 , § 3(Exh. A-6), 11-15-16)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 16-06 , § 3(Exh. A-6), adopted Nov. 15, 2016, renumbered the former § 900.8 as § 900.9 and enacted a new § 900.8 as set out herein.

900.9.   Waivers.

The Board may waive certain required improvements in order to facilitate the implementation of other entranceway criteria.

(Ord. No. 16-06 , § 3(Exh. A-6), 11-15-16)

Editor's note— See the editor's note to § 900.8.

Map 9-1: Entranceways to Manatee County

Map 9-2: I-71/US 301 Entranceways into Manatee County

Map 9-3: I-75/SR 64 Entranceway into Manatee County

Map 9-4: I-75/SR 70 Entranceways into Manatee County

Map 9-5: I-75/US 301/University Pkwy Entranceways into Manatee County

Map 9-6: I-275/US 41 Entranceways into Manatee County

Map 9-7: US 41/US 301 Entranceways in Manatee County

Map 9-8: I-75/US 41 Entranceways into Manatee County