§ 25-491. Purpose.

The Westlake Village Center Overlay district recognizes that the area will serve as a focal point for cultural and commercial activity of the Smith Mountain Lake area of the county. The village center overlay district promotes a development pattern that brings a sense of community to the surrounding rural area with an emphasis on facilitating the creation of a convenient, attractive and harmonious community center that provides essential goods and services to rural residents and may also include higher density housing and office and light industrial employment centers. The purpose of the overlay district is to implement key provisions of the Westlake Design Guidelines in order to:

(1)

Create a sense of place.

(2)

Create a unified architectural character where new development is harmonious, well coordinated and compatible with the historic architecture of the area.

(3)

Create convenient, safe and comfortable pedestrian linkage between commercial and residential areas and between commercial sites.

(4)

Create a consistent approach to location, design and landscaping of parking areas for commercial use.

(5)

Create visual buffers between historic properties and commercial uses.

(6)

Create an approach to signs that reduces clutter.

(7)

Create lighting that does not pollute the night sky and does not impact adjacent uses, particularly historic sites.

(8)

Create new development that protects scenic views.

(Ord. of 7-16-02(2); Ord. of 11-19-04)

(Ord. of 7-16-02(2); Ord. of 11-19-04)