§ 74-360. Institutional district and restrictions thereon.

(a)

Property within this zone shall be used for the following purposes only:

(1)

Religious and educational purposes such as churches, schools, and church related meetings;

(2)

Non-profit camps, including required facilities for housing and preparation and service of food for camp personnel and attendees;

(3)

Seminars and meetings;

(4)

Utility site;

(5)

Recreational facilities appropriate to uses permitted, including boating facilities, swimming areas, athletic fields and play areas;

(6)

Single-family homes that have a minimum of 2,000 square feet of heated space, exclusive of porches, balconies, garages, carports and unheated storage areas. See definition for "Building, height of," in section 74-2. Also see section 74-281;

(7)

Public beach access facilities under the control of the town and parking areas appurtenant thereto;

(8)

As secondary uses: Wireless support structures as provided in section 74-418 and wireless telecommunications facilities as provided in section 74-417.

(b)

Restrictions applicable to this district:

(1)

Buildings in combination shall not cover more than 25 percent of total land area and together with parking facilities shall not cover more than 65 percent of total land area. At least 35 percent of total land area shall be left and maintained in its natural state.

(2)

All site and building plans shall be prepared by an architect registered to practice in the state and a qualified landscape designer. Such plans must first be submitted to the community appearance commission for comments and suggestions and then approved by the building inspector.

(c)

Other restrictions.

(1)

Living units permitted in this section shall not exceed in total a number equal to the total number of contiguous acres of qualified land owned by the building permit applicant multiplied by eight.

(2)

For the purpose of this section, a dormitory shall be deemed equivalent in living units to its individual bed capacity divided by five. Dormitories shall be limited to not more than 25 beds.

(3)

Property north and south of N.C. Route 58 shall be considered separately in determining permissible density.

(4)

Single-family residential lots shall be at least 20,000 square feet in size. See definition for "Building, height of," in section 74-2.

(5)

No building or other structure of any kind shall exceed 50 feet in height, exclusive of elevator shafts, air conditioning and other necessary equipment, none of which shall exceed ten additional feet in height, nor include more than three floors of heated space. Notwithstanding the restriction of this section, structures other than buildings located on an approved utility site as allowed under this division shall not exceed 140 feet in height. See definition for "Building, height of," in section 74-2.

(6)

No building shall be located nearer than 50 feet to the right-of-way line of N.C. Route 58, nor nearer than 30 feet to the right-of-way line of any other street or public property, nor nearer than ten feet to any adjoining lot line, nor nearer than 30 feet to the rear lot line of the property upon which such building is located, nor nearer than 30 feet to any adjoining residential or commercial zone. Walkways constructed by the town or any government agency for public beach access are not subject to the side setback requirements.

(7)

Reserved.

(8)

Parking areas located within the property of any establishment described in this district shall be for the sole use of residents, employees and guests. Adequate parking facilities shall be provided to accommodate all residents, employees, and users of facilities within the district. Dining facilities are to be considered for parking area requirements to be the same as that for restaurants, one parking space for each 100 square feet of floor space.

(9)

No products, goods, or services shall be offered to the general public. However, nothing in this chapter shall restrict religious or educational organizations from offering their facilities to be used by other religious or educational organizations for purposes permitted by this chapter. Nor does this prohibit the sale of products or goods to camp residents and guests.

(d)

Signs. The only signs permitted in the institutional zone shall be wall signs, ground signs, and hanging signs subject to the following:

(1)

One sign per entrance from a public street, not to exceed 50 square feet in size.

(2)

Entities within the institutional district may erect such signs as necessary within the property without being subject to the provisions of this section, provided that those signs are not visible from adjacent property, the public right-of-way, or the public beach strand.

(3)

Any sign erected, other than those authorized under subsubsection (d)(1) above, which is visible from an adjacent property, the public right-of-way, or the public beach strand, shall not exceed three square feet in size.

(4)

Other signs may be located in the municipal services zoning district as allowable under Sections 74-221 and 74-222.

(Code 2001, § 21-7(k)(7); Ord. No. 1989-9, 3-14-1989; Ord. No. 1990-5, 9-11-1989; Ord. No. 1990-6, 9-11-1989; Ord. No. 1991-3, 2-12-1991; Ord. No. 1991-5, 2-12-1991; Ord. No. 1992-4, 12-8-1992; Ord. No. 1994-3, 4-10-1994; Ord. No. 2001-8, 7-10-2001; Ord. of 3-12-2002; Ord. No. 2016-02, Art. 2.E.5, 2-5-2016; Ord. No. 2016-07, Art. II.k., 6-8-2016)