Amherst

For residential uses in the mixed use district, signs shall be regulated as in the residential and agricultural sign district. For all other uses, the following regulations shall apply: (1) Freestanding signs. a. Number of freestanding signs permitted: One. b. Maximum sign area: 20 square feet. c. Maximum height: Ten feet. d. Setback: Seven feet. e. Placement requirement: Freestanding signs in this district shall be placed within a grass or landscaped area of at least 200 square feet. (2) Building-mounted signs... a. Number of building-mounted signs allowed: Up to four on a single building, or one per business in a multi-tenant building. b. Maximum sign area: 60 square feet. c. Projecting configuration: 12 square feet. d. Maximum height: All areas of building-mounted signs shall be located below the ridge line of a gable roof building or at the top of the parapet of a flat-roofed building.

The following regulations shall apply in the residential and agricultural sign district: (1) Single-family, duplex and townhouse dwelling units. One building-mounted or freestanding sign, not exceeding two square feet in area for each dwelling unit, indicating only the street address of the property, shall be permitted. (2) Multifamily buildings. One or more building-mounted signs, not exceeding in the aggregate ten square feet per building, shall be permitted. (3) Subdivisions, apartment or condominium complexes and planned developments. Freestanding signs, with maximum total area of 24 square feet, shall be permitted. No more than two signs shall be permitted for each street frontage.

The following types of signs are prohibited in all sign districts: (1) Any sign that impedes sight distance for a VDOT owned right-of-way. (2) Any sign that obscures a sign display by a public authority... (4) Any sign that is attached to or mounted on a roof or projects above the plane of the building facade. (5) Portable freestanding signs larger than 24 square feet or displayed for more than 60 days per year. (6) Except for time and temperature, no sign shall display flashing or intermittent lights, moving signs, inflatables... (7) Off-premises signs, other than those specifically permitted.

All manufactured homes shall meet the plumbing requirements... and shall be completely enclosed with metal skirts...

Minimum area for each manufactured home park shall be ten acres... minimum lot area of each individual manufactured home lot shall be 3,600 square feet for single-wide units and 6,000 square feet for double-wide units.

small cell facilities are permitted by right in all zoning districts... telecommunication facilities that do not exceed, as installed, 50 feet in height, are permitted by right

All landscaping shall be installed by the first planting season following the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. Thereafter, landscaping shall be maintained in a healthy condition by the current owner or property owners' association and replaced when necessary.

A landscape plan shall be required as a precedent to final site plan or subdivision approval for the following: 1. All commercial and industrial development including expansions; 2. All entryways and common areas, including the areas along new streets, in residential subdivisions; 3. All other developments if deemed appropriate by the commission and the zoning administrator...

Any existing tree used to meet the requirements of this article must be at least three inch caliper, in healthy condition and be protected from construction activity; Removal of healthy trees over 18 inches in caliper shall be prohibited except in the building footprint area, construction activity area, rights-of-way or private drives, utility easements and septic areas; One tree per 15 feet of street frontage and one shrub per five feet of street frontage shall be planted in creative groupings...

Parking lots consisting of five spaces or more: 1. Interior landscaping shall include a minimum of one shade tree per ten parking spaces or portion thereof. Interior landscaping shall be located in reasonably dispersed planting islands or perimeter areas. Shrub plantings adjacent to a building shall not be counted as interior landscaping; 2. Additional plantings along public streets: When a parking lot is located such that the parked cars will be visible from a public street, then additional landscaping of low street shrubs shall be required between the street and the parking lot. Shrubs shall be in a single row planted five feet on center; 3. Screening of parking lots shall not be counted toward the interior landscaping requirement.

When required, screening shall consist of a planting strip, existing or new vegetation, wall, fence, earthen berm or combination thereof. Where only vegetative screening is provided, such screening strip shall not be less than 20 feet in depth. Vegetative screening shall consist of a double staggered row of evergreen trees planted 15 feet on center, or a double staggered row of evergreen shrubs planted ten feet on center. When a fence or wall is provided, it shall be a minimum of six feet in height and plantings shall be required along such fence or wall. Earthen berms shall be a minimum of three feet in heights;

The following minimum canopy requirements shall apply: a. Ten percent canopy of a site to be developed with commercial, office or industrial uses; b. Ten percent canopy of a residential site to be developed at a gross density of five dwelling units per acre or more; c. 15 percent canopy of a residential site to be developed at a gross density of less than five dwelling units per acre.

The submission of a preliminary subdivision plat for tentative approval is optional on the part of the landowner for plats involving 50 or fewer lots.

Within one year of conditional approval or full approval of the preliminary plat, subject to extension by the commission, the subdivider shall submit to the zoning administrator five copies of a final plat...

the zoning administrator shall act on any proposed plat within 60 days after it has been officially submitted for approval by either approving or disapproving the plat in writing...

The zoning administrator shall act on any proposed plat that it has previously disapproved within 45 days after the plat has been modified, corrected and resubmitted for approval.

Upon receipt of the approvals from all state agencies and other agencies, the zoning administrator shall act upon a plat within 35 days.

After the final plat has been approved by the zoning administrator, the subdivider shall record the plat in the office of the clerk of the circuit court of the county within 90 days of the date of approval.

The subdivider shall file a copy of the recorded plat with the zoning administrator within 30 days of recordation.

Before the final plat of a subdivision is approved, the subdivider shall file with the town a performance bond, escrow, letter of credit, or other performance guarantee in an amount sufficient to cover the cost of all public facilities to be constructed by the subdivider...