The City of Weston strives to promote planned and orderly growth that is compatible with the City and its rural character, while stabilizing the established residential districts within the City. The City of Weston recognizes that the very nature of land development creates the potential for adverse impacts on the community. As such, the City seeks to ensure that development within the City and its Planning Area is evaluated for compliance with the City's regulations through a City Plan Review Process and review and approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission. The following is the City of Weston's establish Site Plan Review Procedures, also available in a printer friendly version.

The Site Plan Review Regulates the development of structures and sites in a manner, which considers the following concerns:

• The balancing of landowner's rights to use their land, with the corresponding rights of abutting and neighboring landowners to live without undue disturbance (e.g., noise, smoke, fumes, dust, odor, glare, stormwater runoff, etc.);
• The convenience and safety of vehicular and pedestrian movement within the site, and in relation to adjacent areas or roads;
• The adequacy of waste disposal methods and protection from pollution of surface or groundwater;
• The protection of historic and natural environmental features on the site under review and in adjacent areas; and
• The stability of the existing environment - particularly rural development and existing residential neighborhoods - by promoting compatible development.

Applicability
The City of Weston shall require that all applications for building permits for development of all non-residential, multi-family, and planned developments be subject to Site Plan Review in accordance with these regulations. Similarly, redevelopment of any use in these categories shall be subject to Site Plan Review if the redevelopment enlarges the size of the original structure by more than 50 percent in the case of a renovation or alteration. Developments shall be encouraged to implement the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan and Strategic Plan to foster compatibility among land uses in Weston. Site Plan Reviews shall be performed by City Staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Procedure
Following application submittal, a review shall be performed by the City and submitted to the Planning and Zoning Commission for consideration. The Planning and Zoning Commission shall perform their review at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission that meets the established deadlines and shall adjourn and reconvene as is determined necessary. Following adequate consideration, the Planning and Zoning Commission shall approve or disapprove the application. The applicant may appeal a site plan review determination to the Board of Aldermen for approval in the event that an applicant alleges that there is an error in any order, requirement, decision, or determination made by the Planning and Zoning Commission in the enforcement of Site Plan Review. The request for review by the Board of Aldermen shall be accompanied by a complete description of the error(s) alleged.

Authority
Building permits shall not be issued for any use of land or proposed construction where Site Plan review is applicable, unless Site Plan review approval has been granted.

Submission Requirements
The Site Plan shall include the following data, details, and supporting plans which area found relevant to the proposal. The number of pages submitted will depend on the proposal's size and complexity. The applicant shall make notations explaining the reasons for any omissions.

Site Plans shall be prepared by a registered professional architect, land planner, or landscape architect, or at the discretion of the City, the applicant, or his/her agent. The plan shall be presented at a readable scale. Items required for submission include:

• Name of the project, address, boundaries, date, north arrow and scale of the plan.
• Name and address of the owner of record, developer, and seal of the engineer, architect, or landscape architect.
• Name and address of all owners of record of abutting parcels.
• All existing lot lines, easements, and rights-of-way. Include area in acres or square feet, abutting land uses and structures.
• The location and use of all existing and proposed structures, including accessory structures, within the development. Include all dimensions of height and floor area and show all exterior elevations, including exterior materials, treatments, entrances and all anticipated future additions and alterations. For all outdoor storage and waste disposal containers, the location, type, and screening details must be shown. For proposals abutting development in or abutting the “C-1” Central Business District, indicate design details to make new construction compatible with existing structures.
• The location of all present and proposed public and private ways, parking areas, driveways, sidewalks, ramps, curbs and fences.
• The location, height, size, materials, and design of all proposed signage.
• The Planning and Zoning Commission may require location, height, and intensity of all external lighting fixtures. The direction of illumination and methods to eliminate glare onto adjoining properties may also be shown.
• A landscape plan showing all existing open space, trees, forest cover, water sources, and all proposed changes to these features. Water sources will include ponds, lakes, brooks, streams, wetlands, floodplains, and drainage retention areas. All proposed landscaping and screening shall be shown, including the size and type of plant material.
• The location of all present and proposed utility systems including:
  • sewerage system;
  • water supply system;
  • telephone, cable and electrical systems; and storm drainage system including existing and proposed drain lines, culverts, catch basins, headwalls, endwalls, hydrants, manholes, and drainage swells.
• Plans to prevent the pollution of surface or groundwater, erosion of soil both during and after construction, excessive run-off, significantly altering the water table, and flooding of other properties, as applicable.
• Existing and proposed topography shown at not more than two-foot contour intervals. All elevations shall refer to the United States Geodetic Survey (USGS) datum. If any portion of the parcel is within the 100-year floodplain, the area shall be shown, with base flood elevation; and the developer shall present plans for meeting Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirements.
• Zoning district boundaries adjacent to the site’s perimeter shall be drawn and identified on the plan.
• Traffic flow patterns within the site, entrances and exits, loading and unloading areas, curb cuts on the site and within 100 feet of the site.
• The Planning and Zoning Commission may require a detailed traffic study for mixed use and multi-tenant developments, or for developments in heavy traffic areas to include:
  • The projected number of motor vehicle trips to enter or leave the site, estimated for daily and peak hour traffic levels;
  • The projected traffic flow pattern including vehicular movements at all major intersections likely to be affected by the proposed use of the site; and
  • The impact of this traffic upon existing abutting public and private ways in relation to existing road capacity. Existing and proposed daily and peak hour traffic levels, as well as road capacity levels, shall also be given.
• For new construction or alterations to any existing structure, a table containing the following information must be included:
  • Proposed density;
  • Area of lot coverage and open space;
  • Area of structure to be used for a particular use, such as retail operation, office, storage, etc.;
  • Maximum number of employees;
  • Maximum seating capacity, where applicable; and
  • Number of parking spaces existing and required for the intended use.
  • Percentage of each material used on the exterior.

Standard of Review
The recommendations of the City Staff and approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission shall be based on the following standards:

• The extent to which the proposal conforms to the Zoning Regulations.
• The extent to which the development would be compatible with the surrounding area and minimize any adverse impact on neighboring rural development through appropriate buffers.
• The extent to which the proposal conforms to the provisions of the City’s Subdivision Regulations, Comprehensive Plan and Strategic Plan.
• The extent to which the proposal conforms to customary engineering standards used in the City.
• The extent to which the location of streets and driveways are located so as to enhance safety and minimize any adverse traffic impact on the surrounding area.
• The extent to which the development preserves or enhances the existing character of the City of Weston.

General Development Standards
For all non-residential and multifamily development, the Site Plan shall demonstrate the extent to which the structures, roads, driveways, open space, and other public and private improvements have been proposed to achieve the following objectives:

• All buildings, parking lots and other structures shall be located to integrate with the natural topography and to avoid deep cuts and fills, excessive foundation wall depth, unnecessary steps and steep access gradients.
• All exterior walls of a building or structure shall be faced with, but not limited to, such “natural” materials as brick veneer, stone, glazed tile, stucco, split-faced block, tilted-up concrete or other natural veneering/finish material. Any exemptions to these materials shall be approved by the Planning Commission and Board of Aldermen, with consideration to the aesthetic integrity of the building or structure and surrounding buildings or structures.
• Careful consideration of durable materials, proportions, and shapes, emphasizing the importance of roofs as integral and embracing elements of the overall design, is particularly important. Building roof tops shall have at least two of the following features:
  • Parapets concealing flat roofs and roof top equipment;
  • Overhanging eaves;
  • Sloped or pitched roofs; or
  • Three or more roof slope planes.
• Roof mounted equipment, including ventilators, and satellite dishes greater than 30” shall be screened from view (100% opacity) or isolated so as not to be visible from ground level of any adjacent public thoroughfare or residentially-zoned area, up to a maximum of three hundred thirty (330) feet away. The appearance of roof screens shall be coordinated with the building to maintain a unified appearance. It is not the intent, however, of this requirement to increase the height of the screening significantly above that of the equipment in order to screen it from view from higher ground.
• All electrical and mechanical equipment located adjacent to the building and visible from any adjacent public thoroughfare or a residentially-zoned area shall be screened from view (100% opacity), up to a maximum of three hundred thirty (330) feet away. Such screens and enclosures shall be treated as integral elements of the building’s appearance.
• The form and proportion of buildings shall be consistent or compatible with the scale, form and proportion of existing development in the immediate area.
• Pedestrian Access: Pedestrian access shall be an integral part of the overall design. The pedestrian access should provide not only safe and convenient access to and from off-street parking areas, but should also connect with abutting properties and developments so as to create access to the site from other portions of the city.
  • Sidewalks at least five (5) feet in width shall be provided along all sides of a lot that abut a dedicated public or private street. A continuous internal pedestrian sidewalk shall be provided from the perimeter public sidewalk to the principal customer entrance(s).
  • Sidewalks shall be provided along the full length of the building along any façade featuring a customer entrance and along any façade abutting a public parking area. Such sidewalks shall be located at least ten (10) feet away from the building façade to provide planting areas for landscaping along the foundation of the building.
• Architectural design should create visual interest through the use of different textures, complementary colors, shadow lines and contrasting shapes. The use of walls in a single color, with little detailing or completely blank, is strongly discouraged.
• Monotony of design in single or multiple building projects shall be avoided. Variation of detail, form, and siting shall be used to provide visual interest.
• The rhythm of structural mass to voids, such as windows and glass doors, of a front façade should relate to the rhythms established in adjacent buildings.
• Loading docks, trash enclosures, outdoor storage and similar facilities and functions shall be incorporated into the overall design of the building and the landscaping so that the visual and acoustic impacts of these functions are reduced to as great an extent as possible and are out of view from adjacent properties and public street.
• Building facades that are one hundred (100) feet or greater in length should incorporate recesses and projections along at least twenty percent (20%) of the length of the building façade. Windows, awnings, and arcades must total at least sixty percent (60%) of the façade length abutting any public street.
• Overly-long horizontal facades should be articulated with variations in the building plane and parapet height, materials and colors, entrance canopies, and landscaping. Parking lots along the façade can also relieve horizontally through the use of landscaped fingers and islands containing trees and shrubs.
• The use of unusual shapes, color and other characteristics that cause new building to call excessive attention to themselves and create disharmony shall not be allowed.