This district is designed to accommodate a mixture of commercial
activities (particularly those that are pedestrian-oriented), institutional/public
uses and residential housing types that will complement existing village
development and result in the most efficient and attractive use of
the County's Court House Area Business District.
The following uses shall be permitted subject to all other requirements
of this chapter as a matter of right in the Village Mixed Use (VMU)
District:
D.
Art galleries and studios.
E.
Bakeries.
F.
Barber and beauty shops.
G.
Bed-and-breakfast establishments and inns.
H.
Churches and other places of worship.
J.
Coffee shops.
L.
Day-care centers.
M.
Dance studios.
N.
Drainage, erosion and flood-control facilities.
O.
Drug and variety stores.
P.
Dry cleaners and laundries.
S.
Financial institutions without drive-through windows.
T.
Flexible residential/business use with professional offices.
U.
Florist shops.
V.
Funeral homes.
W.
Hardware stores.
X.
Home appliance sales and service.
Z.
Medical and other professional offices.
AA.
Libraries.
CC.
Office buildings and business and governmental offices, including
schools, post offices and fire, rescue squad and police stations.
DD.
Public park.
EE.
Public parking lot.
FF.
Radio and television broadcast studios excluding transmission towers.
GG.
Recycling location (dropoff) with a total capacity of 10 cubic yards
or less.
HH.
Residential apartments above ground floor commercial uses.
II.
Restaurants, dine-in or carry-out, which have no drive-through service.
Service or consumption outside a fully enclosed structure is allowed.
JJ.
Retail food stores.
KK.
Retail stores and shops.
NN.
Social, fraternal clubs and lodges.
OO.
Signs, subject to Article 13.
PP.
Theaters, indoor.
SS.
Utility use, minor.
[Amended 2-23-2021]
TT.
Veterinary hospital without kennels.
UU.
Wayside stand, roadside stand, wayside market.
The following uses shall be permitted in the Village Mixed Use
District (VMU), subject to all the other requirements of this chapter,
only upon obtaining a conditional use permit from the Board of Supervisors.
C.
Assisted living facility.
D.
Auto sales and repair.
F.
Convalescent, nursing or rest homes.
G.
Farmer's market.
H.
Financial institutions, with drive-through windows.
I.
Flexible residential/business use with a business use other than professional offices, subject to § 175-24.4.
K.
Hotels and motels.
L.
Local shopping centers.
M.
(Reserved)[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection L, which listed museums as a conditional use, was repealed 4-23-2019. See now § 175-24.2BB.
N.
Recreation and amusement enterprise.
O.
Recycling location (dropoff) with a total capacity in excess of 10
cubic yards.
P.
Self-storage facilities and offices.
Q.
Sewage treatment systems (private) where the subject lot or parcel
shall be located outside the area identified by the Floodplain Management
Ordinance of Mathews County[3] as being subject to inundation by waters of the one-hundred-year
flood event.
S.
Utility
use, major.
[Added 2-23-2021]
A.
General standards.
|
Standard
|
Requirement
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Residential Density:
| |||
|
All single-family attached and multifamily dwelling units as
part of a mixed-use development
|
6 dwelling units per acre (additional dwelling units per acre
may be permitted with an approved CUP)
| ||
|
Minimum lot area
|
None
| ||
|
Minimum lot width
|
None
| ||
|
Maximum lot coverage (See Note 1)
|
80% (lot coverage may exceed 80% up to 100% with an approved
CUP)
| ||
|
Maximum setback from external right-of-way (See Note 2)
|
30 feet
| ||
|
Minimum setback from right-of-way for commercial/mixed-use buildings
|
0 feet, or the average of adjacent buildings not to exceed 30
feet.
| ||
|
Minimum setback from right-of-way for residential buildings
|
20 feet
| ||
|
Minimum rear yard:
| |||
|
Single-family attached dwellings (duplexes, triplexes, quadruplexes
and townhouses)
|
20 feet (may include alley)
| ||
|
Multifamily buildings (apartments)
|
20 feet (may include alley)
| ||
|
Commercial/mixed-use buildings
|
0 feet, 10 feet when abutting a residential district (may include
alley)
| ||
|
Minimum side yard:
| |||
|
Single-family attached dwellings
|
10 feet (end unit)
| ||
|
Multifamily buildings (apartments)
|
10 feet (end unit)
| ||
|
Commercial/mixed-use buildings
|
0 feet, 10 feet when abutting a residential district (may include
alley)
| ||
|
Maximum height: (See Note 3)
| |||
|
Commercial and mixed-use
|
50 feet
| ||
|
All attached and multifamily residential
|
50 feet
| ||
|
Accessory structures
|
25 feet (may exceed 25 feet up to 50 feet with an approved CUP)
| ||
|
NOTES:
| |
|---|---|
|
Note 1: Maximum lot coverage requirement of 80% shall not apply
to lots of record of 10,000 square feet or less existing at the time
of adoption of the VMU District ordinance.
| |
|
Note 2: Maximum setback requirements shall not apply to commercial
or mixed-use buildings existing at the time of adoption of the VMU
District.
| |
|
Note 3: Architectural features such as chimneys, towers, belfries,
cupolas, monuments, mechanical equipment, vents, spires, flag poles
and/or similar architectural or structural features may exceed the
height limits. Parapet walls may be up to four feet above the height
of the building on which the walls rest.
|
B.
Accessory structures. Accessory structures are permitted within the
Village Mixed Use (VMU) District, provided such structures meet the
following requirements:
(1)
Accessory structures shall meet the minimum setback requirements
stipulated for principal buildings in this section. The minimum side
and rear yard for accessory structures shall be five feet, except
that when abutting a residential use or district the side and rear
yard setbacks shall be 10 feet.
(2)
Accessory structures shall not be constructed in front of the
principal buildings on a site.
(3)
Accessory structures shall not block or limit ingress to or
egress from the site itself or any buildings on the site and such
structures must comply with applicable building code, fire safety,
ADA, and crime prevention standards.
(4)
Temporary outdoor seating arrangements may be located within
the front setback and utilize a portion of the required sidewalk,
provided that five feet of unimpeded way remains at all times.
C.
Design requirements. The following design requirements shall apply
in the Village Mixed Use (VMU) District.
(1)
Public utilities. All new development in the Village Mixed Use
(VMU) District shall be connected to and utilize public sewer and/or
public water, where available, within the Mathews County Courthouse
Sanitary District. Where new utility lines/cables are required for
internal service to a new development/redevelopment project, such
lines/cables shall be placed underground.
(2)
Internal circulation.
(a)
The use of rear alleys is encouraged. When accessed by a rear
alleyway, lots are not required to front on a public or private street,
provided such lots have direct access to a pedestrian way that provides
no less than five feet of clear and unimpeded area and the distance
between opposing buildings is at least 30 feet. Parking lot aisle
and driveway widths shall be a minimum of 12 feet for one-way travel
and 22 feet for two-way travel.
(3)
Main streets. Within each new development, the developer must
designate an existing or planned roadway within or adjacent to the
parcel as a main street, which would be subjected to the following
conditions:
(a)
On main streets, at least 15% of the total first floor area
of new mixed-use buildings fronting the street on any parcel shall
be devoted to nonresidential uses. Any existing use may continue and
may be expanded.
(b)
A primary pedestrian way providing no less than five feet of
clear and unimpeded area shall be provided across the front of structures
(on both sides of the street) that face the main street.
(c)
The first floor of buildings along main streets shall maintain
40% or more of their facade fronting the main street.
(d)
In infill situations, the main street(s) of adjacent parcels
shall be continued across the infill parcel unless it is demonstrated
to the satisfaction of the Zoning Administrator that it is unreasonable
to do so and would not contribute to maintaining community continuity.
(4)
Pedestrian facilities.
(a)
A primary pedestrian way providing no less than five feet of
clear and unimpeded area shall be provided across the front of structures
(on both sides of the street) that face the main street. A pedestrian
way (sidewalk) of no less than five feet of clear and unimpeded area
shall be provided across the front of all other streets (both sides
of the street), inclusive of residential, public and commercial uses.
(b)
All pedestrian ways shall be illuminated by outdoor lighting
that is shielded or recessed and does not create intense glare or
hinder night vision. Lighting shall not exceed 18 feet in height unless
mounted on a building.
(c)
All pedestrian ways along a given street must adjoin one another
or connect.
(d)
Street trees shall be provided along each sidewalk and road
frontage with a goal of achieving tree canopy coverage of the sidewalk
of between 30% and 70% at maturity. Street trees planted to meet this
requirement shall be native species. Existing invasive species of
trees shall be removed. Existing exotic species of trees shall also
be removed unless an urban forester from the Virginia Department of
Forestry shall determine that the exotic species poses no risk to
native species and is suitable as a street tree.
(5)
Open space requirements. Open space, consisting of active or
passive recreational/gathering space, shall be provided in accordance
with the following:
(a)
A minimum of 200 square feet of open space shall be provided
for each single-family attached or multifamily dwelling unit;
(b)
A minimum of 100 square feet of open space shall be provided
for each 500 gross square feet of nonresidential space.
(c)
Minimum open space requirements may be satisfied by including
common open spaces designed and improved as a plaza, square, green
or landscaped courtyard within 100 feet of commercial buildings, mixed-use
buildings, single-family attached dwelling units or multifamily dwelling
units.
(6)
Building sizes and standards. The following building sizes and
standards are applicable to new buildings and additions exceeding
50% of the original building's floor area.
(a)
Commercial and residential buildings shall not exceed 7,500
square feet gross floor area for an individual use or 15,000 square
feet gross floor area for a mixed-use or multi-tenant building. Buildings
exceeding this size may be allowed with a conditional use permit.
Schools, public buildings and places of worship may exceed these sizes.
(b)
Building facades shall incorporate recesses, projections, porches/arcades,
and/or windows along at least 20% of the length of the facade if located
on designated main streets, the first floor of all buildings located
on a main street must have 40% or more of their facade fronting the
main street. Varying roof lines, projections/recesses, and other elements
of architectural interest are encouraged to create an attractive streetscape.
(c)
Primary entrances to commercial and mixed-use buildings shall
be clearly defined and recessed or framed by a sheltering element
such as an awning, arcade or portico in order to provide shelter from
the summer sun and inclement weather. Multiple building entrances
are encouraged.
(d)
The use of architectural styles common in pre-1940 Tidewater
Virginia and/or contemporary architectural design evocative of these
periods is encouraged, contributing to Mathews County's unique sense-of-place.
Unique architectural designs should avoid stylistically "modern" or
"post-modern" architectural elements such as curtain-wall glass. Corporate
trademark design should be avoided. Concrete masonry units, precast
concrete panels, concrete block, vertical ribbed metal/sheet metal
exteriors or highly reflective materials shall not be used as primary
exterior finishes.
(7)
Preservation of historic structures and sites.
(a)
The preservation of historic structures and sites, including
the adaptive reuse of historic structures, is encouraged. The setback
and arrangement requirements of the mixed-use district that apply
to new construction shall not apply to historic structures in their
historic setting.
(b)
Historic structures, to the extent that such structures are
nonconforming by reason of size, shape arrangement or location may
be expanded or enlarged as a part of the adaptive reuse of such structures
provided that the expansion or enlargement substantially preserves
the historic shapes, facades, context and setting of the historic
structure when viewed from public streets.
D.
Process for approval of development within the Village Mixed Use
(VMU) District.
(1)
A preliminary site plan or preliminary subdivision plat shall
be submitted for all development in the Village Mixed Use (VMU) District.
Such preliminary site plan or preliminary subdivision plat shall comply
with all relevant requirements established by the zoning, subdivision
and other development ordinances in the County Code. Architectural
plans containing building views from existing and proposed streets
rendered in color shall be part of the submission.
(2)
In addition to showing the parcel or parcels proposed for development,
the preliminary site plan or preliminary subdivision plat shall also
show all existing development and utility infrastructure within 250
feet of the proposal for the purpose of documenting interconnections
and designs of streets, driveways, pedestrian facilities, parking,
and uses.
(3)
In reviewing individual site or subdivision plans within the
VMU district, the Zoning Administrator and Planning Commission shall
consider the purposes and intent of the mixed-use district and the
underlying designation contained in the comprehensive plan and shall
make specific findings in support of the action taken. The flexibility
inherent in this designation shall constitute a broad grant to the
Zoning Administrator and Planning Commission to consider and approve
reasonable modifications that are consistent with the overall spirit
and intent of the district and the underlying comprehensive plan.
Any action taken by the Zoning Administrator and/or Planning Commission
shall be based on the following guidelines:
(a)
The mixed-use district is intended to involve a mixture of land
uses on a smaller, pedestrian scale. Residential uses that exceed
60% of the gross area of a parcel as part of a mixed-use development
or redevelopment project shall require approval of a conditional use
permit.
(b)
The scale, design and attention to detail of structures within
the mixed-use district are critical to carrying out the vision of
the comprehensive plan.
(c)
Structures are intended to be located close to the street with
all parking located either on-street or to the side or rear of principal
structures.
(d)
Sidewalks and sitting areas are intended to be located between
streets and buildings.
(e)
The mixed-use district is intended to have provisions for public
plazas, parks, and other gathering places.
(f)
The mixed-use district provisions are not intended to create
or cause development to have adverse impacts on the health, safety,
or general welfare of the general public.
(4)
All development and/or redevelopment in the district requires
approval of a site plan and/or plan of development in accordance with
Articles 17 and 22 of this chapter, as applicable.
(5)
Plats and plans, upon approval, may be executed in any reasonable
phased approach that provides for a rational extension of public infrastructure
to serve the phases.
Sign regulations shall conform to Article 13 of this chapter.
Off-street parking and loading shall conform to Article 12 of
this chapter.
