A. Purpose: Every lot shall meet the minimum required setbacks, except for permissible accessory structures in the rear yard and as further provided in this title. Setbacks apply on each lot or parcel where a building may be erected. Table 8-1 (subsection C of this section) summarizes the density and dimensional standards for lot development in the city. Density and dimensional standards apply under ideal conditions. Topography, hydrology or other conditions may necessitate reduced densities, greater setbacks, greater lot sizes or reduced lot coverage.
B. Measurements And Exceptions:
1. Density: Maximum density is measured as the number of dwelling units per net acre of land for residential development. Maximum residential density is measured by dividing the number of dwelling units on a lot or parcel by the parcel's net area (in acres). Net area is the gross area minus the area located within the 100-year floodplain.
2. Lot Area:
a. Measurement: Lot or parcel area is measured as the amount of contiguous land area contained within the property lines of a lot or parcel.
b. Exceptions: No zoning or building permit or development approval shall be issued for a lot that fails to meet minimum lot requirements, except in the following cases:
(1) Utilities using land or an unoccupied building covering less than one thousand (1,000) square feet of site area are exempt from minimum lot area standards (i.e., sewer lift station, telecommunications buildings).
(2) The minimum lot area standards of this title shall not prohibit the construction of a detached dwelling unit on a vacant lot that was legally platted or recorded before the effective date hereof; provided, that the dwelling unit is constructed in compliance with all other applicable dimensional standards and meets the minimum health and safety standards for water and wastewater facilities and private sewage disposal systems.
3. Lot Width: Lot width is measured between side lot lines along a line that is parallel to the front lot line or its chord. Minimum lot width is measured at all points between the front and rear setback for irregularly shaped lots along curves or cul-de- sac streets.
4. Street Frontage: Street frontage is measured between side lot lines along the front lot line.
5. Setbacks:
a. Measurement: Setbacks are measured between the furthermost projection of a structure and the nearest property line of the lot on which the structure is located. Setbacks must be unobstructed from the ground to the sky except as specified in this section. The setback of the building from front, side and rear lot lines shall be measured at right angles from the lot line to the nearest point of the adjacent building wall.
b. Bulk Plane: For any building on a lot or parcel abutting a single-family residence in an A, RE, R-1 or R-2 district, the building setbacks must be increased by at least one foot (1') for each foot of height in excess of thirty feet (30'). (Ord. 03-O-9, 3-18-2003)
c. Side Streets: Except in the C-3 district, on side streets, buildings must be set back at least twenty five feet (25') or the average setback, as described in subsection B5e of this section, whichever is less. Buildings on side streets in the R-3, R-3U, R-4 and R-4U districts must be set back at least fifteen feet (15') or the average setback, as described in subsection B5e of this section, whichever is less. (Ord. 08-O-28, 10-7-2008)
d. Exceptions And Permitted Encroachments:
(1) The following features may encroach into required setbacks:
(A) Landscaping;
(B) Bay windows, belt courses, and ornamental features and sills, not to exceed eighteen inches (18");
(C) Clothesline post in the rear yard;
(D) Driveways, curbs and sidewalks;
(E) Flagpoles;
(F) Open lattice enclosed fire escapes, fireproof outside stairways and balconies opening upon fire towers and the ordinary projections of chimneys and flues into the rear yard may be permitted for a distance of not to exceed five feet (5') when these are so placed as not to obstruct light and ventilation;
(G) Heating and cooling units in the side or rear yard, not to exceed thirty inches (30");
(H) Mailboxes;
(I) Gutters and awnings, not to exceed thirty inches (30");
(J) Septic systems, wells and underground utilities;
(K) Signs, as permitted in chapter 10 of this title;
(L) In the rear yard, uncovered, unenclosed terraces or porches, and platforms; pools, ponds and ornamental features which do not extend more than three feet (3') above the floor level of the ground story, provided these uses maintain a minimum distance of five feet (5') from the adjacent side and rear lot lines; (Ord. 03-O-9, 3-18-2003; amd. Ord. 2022-O-27, 6-7-2022)
(M) (Rep. by Ord. 07-O-16, 4-3-2007)
(N) Fences or walls, if otherwise allowed or required by city regulations; and
(O) Yard and service lighting fixtures, poles.
(2) Where dwelling units are erected above a commercial establishment, no side yard is required except when required for the commercial building.
e. Setback Averaging: Where one or more adjacent buildings are set back a distance less than the required front setback, the minimum front setback shall be the average of the existing building setbacks on the abutting lots sharing frontage along the same block face (see exhibit 8-1 at the end of this subsection B5e). However, setback averaging shall allow no building to encroach upon the sight triangle as established in subsection 10-8-2F of this chapter.
Exhibit 8-1
f. Uniform Setback Exceptions: Where a uniform setback line has been established or observed on one side of a street, no building or structure shall be erected or altered beyond such setback line. The established setback line shall be determined by the average setback of the adjacent buildings or structures on either side of the property. Buildings or structures located entirely on the back half of a lot shall not be considered in the average.
6. Height: All buildings or structures hereafter designed or erected and existing buildings that may be reconstructed, altered, moved or enlarged shall comply with the height regulations and exceptions of the district in which they may be located. Buildings shall not exceed the more restrictive of the number of stories or the height in feet. One-half (1/2) story is a floor with an average ceiling height of eight feet (8') or less and a floor area that does not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the ground floor area.
a. Measurement: As shown in exhibit 8-2 of this section, building height is measured as the vertical distance between the average finished grade at the base of the building and:
(1) The average height level between the eaves and ridgeline of a gable or hip roof;
(2) The highest point of a mansard or gambrel roof;
(3) The highest point of the coping or parapet of a flat roof; or
(4) Two-thirds (2/3) the height of an A type roof or any roof with a pitch of one to one (1:1) or steeper.
b. Exceptions: Public or quasi-public service buildings, hospitals, institutions or schools, where permitted, may be erected to a height not exceeding sixty feet (60'), and churches and temples may be erected to a height not exceeding seventy five feet (75') when the required front, side and rear yards are each increased by one foot (1') for each foot of additional building height above the height regulations for the district in which the building is located.
7. Buildings Per Lot: There may be two (2) or more related multi- family, commercial, industrial or institutional buildings on a lot; provided, that the required yards are maintained around the group of buildings.
8. Access Requirements:
a. Uses other than detached single-family and duplex residences that are located on a collector or major thoroughfare as designated in the comprehensive plan shall not have more than one 26-foot wide entrance for the parcel on which said use is located; except, that a parcel having more than two hundred feet (200') of frontage may have an additional twenty six foot (26') wide entrance. Driveways for detached single-family and duplex residences shall not be wider than twenty feet (20') and shall access the least intensive abutting street. No new residential lot that requires access to an arterial street shall be created.
b. Any new entrance to a public street shall require a driveway permit in accordance with city standards. (Ord. 03-O-9, 3-18-2003)
c. For all nonresidential uses in the C-2 and I districts, there shall be a clearly marked fire/emergency lane, not less than twelve feet (12') in width, located within twenty five feet (25') of the building and surrounding the perimeter of the building. (Ord. 10-O-5, 3-16-2010)
9. Location Of Multi-Family Buildings: Multi-family buildings shall be separated by a minimum of fifteen feet (15'). No multi- family building shall be located within fifty feet (50') of the front or rear building wall of another single-family dwelling unit that is located in the single-family residence district as measured perpendicular from that wall. (Ord. 08-O-28, 10-7-2008)
C. Table 8-1:
TABLE 8-1: DENSITY AND DIMENSIONAL STANDARDS
Districts | Minimum Lot Size (Square Feet) | Minimum Lot Width (Feet) | Minimum Setbacks | Maximum Building Coverage (Percent) | Maximum Height | |||
Front | Side | Rear | ||||||
Districts | Minimum Lot Size (Square Feet) | Minimum Lot Width (Feet) | Minimum Setbacks | Maximum Building Coverage (Percent) | Maximum Height | |||
Front | Side | Rear | ||||||
Residential: | ||||||||
A | 43,5601 | 100 | 50 | 10 | 35 | 25 | 35 feet or 21/2 stories | |
RE | 20,000 | 100 | 50 | 15 | 30 | 30 | 35 feet or 21/2 stories | |
R-1 | 9,600 | 75 | 25 | 6/152,3,8 | 25 | 35 | 35 feet or 21/2 stories | |
R-2 and R-2U | 7,200 | 60 | 25 | 6/152,3,8 | 25 | 40 | 35 feet or 21/2 stories | |
R-3 and R-3U | 7,2004 | 60 | 155 | 6/152,3,11 | 25 | 40 | 35 feet or 3 stories12 | |
Nonresidential: | ||||||||
C-1 | None | None | 25 | 56,8 | None7 | 35 | 25 feet or 2 stories | |
C-2 | None | None | 25 | 56,8 | None7 | 35 | 45 feet or 3 stories12 | |
C-3 | None | None | 2510 | 56,8,10 | None7 | None | 45 feet or 3 stories12 | |
I-1 | None | None | 25 | None6,8 | None9 | 35 | 35 feet or 2 stories | |
I-2 | None | None | 25 | None6,8 | None9 | 35 | None | |
Notes:
1. Minimum lot size shall be 10 acres unless part of a conservation subdivision. Minimum lot size in a subdivision shall be 1 acre when not served by public sewer.
2. Minimum distance from lot line is 6 feet, provided that the combined side setbacks on each lot must total at least 15 feet.
3. Side lot lines may be reduced pursuant to subsection 10-8-2E of this chapter.
4. An additional 1,800 square feet is required per dwelling unit in excess of 1.
5. At least 25 feet is required between any garage entrance and the abutting right of way.
6. 5 foot side yard required except on the side of a lot adjoining a residence district, in which case a side yard of not less than 10 feet shall be provided in any C district and of not less than 25 feet in any I district.
7. No rear yard required except on the rear of a lot adjoining a residence district, in which case a rear yard of not less than 15 feet shall be provided.
8. The minimum side yard adjoining a street shall be 25 feet, or the average setback.
9. No rear yard required except on the rear of a lot adjoining a residence district, in which case a rear yard of not less than 25 feet shall be provided.
10. No setbacks shall be required, unless notes 6, 7, and 8 are required, for the C-3 district area known as the "Courthouse Square". The "Courthouse Square" shall be defined as the area from the center of 5th Street to the center of 8th Street and from the center of Van Buren Avenue to the center of Madison Avenue.
11. The minimum side yard adjoining a street shall be 15 feet or the average setback.
12. The maximum height in the residential transition area shall be 35 feet or 21/2 stories.
(Ord. 14-O-41, 10-7-2014)