§ 3.35.3. Statement of purpose and intent.

The purpose and intent of the board of commissioners in establishing the Northlake Overlay District is as follows:

A.

To encourage development and redevelopment of properties within the district so as to achieve a mixed-use community.

B.

To provide for the development of sidewalks and walkways in order to promote safe and convenient pedestrian access and to reduce dependence on automobile travel;

C.

To promote a physically attractive, environmentally safe and economically sound mixed-use community;

D.

To permit and to encourage mixed-use developments containing both commercial and residential uses to create a pedestrian oriented community in which people can live, work and play; and

E.

To improve the visual appearance and increase property values within the Northlake Overlay District. To implement the policies and objectives of the DeKalb County 2025 Comprehensive Plan and the policies and objectives of the design guidelines for the Northlake Overlay District;

F.

To enhance the long-term economic viability of this portion of DeKalb County by encouraging new commercial and residential developments that increase the tax base and provide jobs to the citizens of DeKalb County;

G.

To establish and maintain a balanced relationship between industrial, commercial, and residential development to ensure a stable and healthy tax base in DeKalb County;

H.

To provide a balanced distribution of regional and community focused commercial and mixed-use office centers;

I.

To support higher-density housing, office and mixed-use centers which have appropriate access and infrastructure as approved by the planning director, or designee;

J.

To encourage mixed-use developments that meet the goals and objectives of the Atlanta Regional Commission's smart growth and livable centers initiatives;

K.

To allow flexibility in existing underlying development standards in order to encourage the design of innovative development projects that set high standards for landscaping, green space, urban design, and public amenities;

L.

To encourage an efficient land use and development plan by forming a live-work-play environment that offers employees and residents the opportunity to fulfill their daily activities with minimal use of single-occupant automobiles;

M.

To allow and encourage development densities and land use intensities that are capable of making productive use of alternative transportation modes such as bus transit, rail transit, ridesharing, bicycling and walking;

N.

To encourage the formation of a well-designed, pedestrian-friendly activity center with high-density commercial and residential development that increases vitality and choices in living environments for the citizens of DeKalb County;

O.

To protect established single-family residential areas surrounding the Northlake Overlay District from encroachment of commercial, retail, office, and industrial uses by providing for increased density of development within the boundaries of the Northlake Overlay District;

P.

To protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of DeKalb County; and

Q.

To promote uniform and visually aesthetic architectural features which serve to unify the distinctive visual quality of the Northlake Overlay District.

( Ord. No. 15-06 , 8-25-2015)