Chapter 3 Special Districts Appendix 3B Downtown Overlay District Page4 of 4

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7. Permit Requirements and Appeal
   1. No permit or certificate of occupancy shall be issued by any City agency for any development activity within an overlay district unless an overlay district permit for such development activity has been obtained pursuant to this chapter.
   2. An application for development within an overlay district shall be submitted to the Department of Inspections, Permits and Licenses on a form prepared in collaboration with the Authority. The application shall include at least the following information, unless waived pursuant to Subsection (C) of this Section:
      1. A site plan, drawn to an appropriate scale, photographs or other presentation media showing the proposed development in the context of property lines, adjacent structures, streets, sidewalks, etc.
      2. Plans, elevations and other drawings, drawn to appropriate scale, as may be necessary to fully explain all proposed structures or alterations to structures.
      3. Details of urban design elements, off-street parking, landscaping, fencing or walls, signage, streetscape and other aspects as may be necessary to fully present the proposed development.
   3. Applicants may seek review of a development proposal prior to making formal application pursuant to Subsection (B) of this Section. The preliminary review shall be conducted by the Urban Design Administrator to determine if the minimal requirements for acceptance of the application have been met. The Urban Design Administrator may agree to waive certain of the requirements set out in Subsection (B) of this Section if he determines that such requirements are not necessary for review of the application pursuant to this chapter. An applicant whose proposal has been determined to require non-expedited approval, may seek a preliminary review of his development proposal by the Committee
   4. Within two working days of receipt of an application determined to be complete, the Urban Design Administrator, shall classify the development proposal as either exempt, or not exempt, requiring either expedited or non-expedited approval.
   5. A permit application classified as requiring expedited approval shall be reviewed by the Urban Design Administrator who shall, within three working days after classification, prepare a written decision supported by a finding of fact which shall approve the overlay district permit, approve the permit with conditions, or deny the permit. An applicant, within five days of receipt of the decision of the Urban Design Administrator on a proposal requiring expedited review, may request appeal of the application to the Committee. The application shall be reviewed as provided in paragraph (F) of this Section for applications classified as requiring non-expedited approval, except that the Committee shall consider the application at its next regularly scheduled meeting following the request, provided that such request is made not later than four working days prior to the meeting.
   6. A permit application classified as requiring a non-expedited approval shall be reviewed by the Committee within 14 days of classification. The permit application shall be reviewed by the Urban Design Administrator in accordance with the Guidelines and forwarded to the Committee with the Urban Design Administrator's written recommendation to either approve the permit, approve the permit with conditions, or to deny the permit.
   7. The applicant shall be sent, by first class mail, written notice of the date, time and location of the meeting of the Committee at which his application shall be considered. The notice shall be sent no later than ten days prior to the date of the meeting, unless such notice is waived by the applicant.
   8. At the meeting scheduled to consider the applicant's permit request, the Committee shall consider the written recommendation of the Urban Design Administrator and such other information as the applicant chooses to present for the Committee's consideration.
   9. The Committee shall, by majority vote of the members present, make a decision, supported by a written finding of fact, which shall approve the permit, approve the permit with conditions, deny the permit, or defer consideration of the application until the next meeting of the Committee. Consideration of an application shall not be deferred more than one time. If the Committee defers consideration of an application it shall state the reason for such deferral.
   10. The Executive Director shall review all decisions of the Urban Design Administrator and the Committee and may, within three working days, refer any application back to the Urban Design Administrator or the Committee, as appropriate, if he determines the decision is not adequately supported by the finding of fact. The Executive Director shall state in writing his objections to the decision. The Committee shall consider and render a final decision upon the remanded application at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
   11. The Urban Design Administrator, and the Committee shall, in their decision making capacities, each make written findings of fact based upon the information presented in each application which support written conclusions that the application demonstrates that the proposed development activity is in compliance with the Guidelines.
   12. If, after an applicant has obtained an overlay district permit, the development proposal is amended, he shall submit the amended development proposal to the Urban Design Administrator who shall make a determination that the amendment has no significant impact or that the development proposal as amended requires additional review. Review of an amended proposal shall follow the same procedure as provided herein for an original application. Upon a determination by the Urban Design Administrator that the amended proposal requires review, the previously issued overlay district permit shall be suspended pending the review of the amended development proposal.
   13. Any applicant who is denied a permit shall have a right of appeal to the Board of Zoning Adjustment. The appeal from the written denial of the permit shall be taken within 30 days of the date of such written denial.

Exhibit D

DEVELOPMENT REVIEW GUIDELINES URBAN DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND DISTRICT GUIDELINES

The nine (9) urban design principles defined below were developed from the recommendations of the Louisville Downtown Development Plan adopted by the Board of Aldermen in August 1990. These nine principles apply to each of the four (4) development review overlay districts identified within the downtown area. For each of the four overlay districts, there are district guidelines that relate to each of the nine principles.

Principle 1
building Location - How the building should relate to the sidewalk	Different downtown districts have taken on distinct identities over time that need to be respected. Buildings in some areas are set back from the sidewalk, creating an open feeling. Others give people a feeling of density and activity, with buildings built right up to the sidewalk.
Principle 2
Building Mass and Form - A building's exterior volume	Buildings should allow adequate light and air to get to the street level. Vistas and views from publicly owned areas are also important. Buildings shouldn't create canyons along sidewalks and streets.
Principle 3
Building-to-Building Character - How building facades should look along the street	A certain amount of architectural diversity is expected in any downtown. However, buildings should also be "good neighbors" by relating well to the common patterns of windows, entrances, cornice lines and column spacings around them and reinforcing the overall character of their immediate surroundings.
Principle 4
Building-to-Pedestrian Character - How building facades should relate to people on the street and sidewalk	People should have strong visual connections to buildings. That's because human-scaled details on buildings help create a vital, friendly place for pedestrians. A strong building-to-pedestrian relationship helps make downtown feel more inviting and active 24 hours a day.
Principle 5
Off-Street Parking	Parking garages and surface parking lots should have the same qualities and characteristics as any other downtown development. In other words, parking developments should relate strongly to nearby buildings and should be designed to promote comfort and safety for pedestrians on the street and the sidewalk.
Principle 6
Open Space	New open space should be located and designed to relate strongly to pedestrians and to buildings nearby. New or improved open space should make the downtown less barren and more active, livable and pleasant feeling.
Principle 7
Street and Sidewalk Character - Side walk and street paving, lighting, furniture, banners, fences, walls and landscaping	Downtown streets and sidewalks should be safe and attractive for both cars and pedestrians. Getting from one place to another should be a pleasant, comfortable and rewarding downtown experience.
Principle 8
	Signs should provide clear information without overwhelming the reader. Signs should complement other signs and blend with buildings and the rest of their surroundings.
Principle 9
Art and Amenities	Public art and other amenities are Part of our community's strong cultural heritage. They enrich and enliven people's experience of the downtown. Public art also creates a sense of pride, enhances property values and should be encouraged.