(a) In all districts, with reference to every building or part thereof hereafter erected, having a gross floor area of 10,000 square feet or more, which is to be occupied by uses requiring the receipt or distribution by vehicles of materials or merchandise, there shall be provided and maintained on the same premises with the building at least one off-street loading space which is accessible from an alley or easement of access or, when there is no such alley or easement of access, from a street, plus one additional such loading space for each 20,000 square feet or major fraction thereof of gross floor area so used in excess of 20, 000 square feet. Such space may occupy all or any part of a required rear yard or, upon authorization of the Board of Zoning Appeals, any part of any other yard or court space.
(b) In all districts except "B-2" Districts, off-street accessory parking areas, in the open or in a garage, shall be provided with reference to the uses set forth in sub-section (c) hereof and to the extent indicated therewith, in addition to the required loading and unloading spaces. Such areas, in the case of "R" Districts and for dwellings in other districts, shall be on the premises intended to be served. In the case of other districts and with reference to uses other than dwellings, such areas shall be on the premises intended to be served or on adjoining or nearby property within 100 feet of any part of such premises and in the same or a less restricted district,
(c) The number of parking spaces required is as follows:
Use | Parking Spaces Required |
Use | Parking Spaces Required |
Automobile or machinery sales and service garages | One for each 1,000 square feet of floor area plus one for each full-time employee. |
Banks, business and professional offices | One for each 200 square feet of floor area. |
Bowling alleys | Three for each alley. |
Churches and schools | One for each four seats in the principal auditorium. |
Convenience stores, drug, grocery, hardware and similar stores | One for each 300 square feet of floor space devoted to sales, plus one for each full-time employee. |
Dance halls and assembly halls without fixed seats | One for each fifty square feet of floor area used for assembly or dancing. |
Dwellings | One for each dwelling unit. |
Drive-in eating establishments | Not less than one-third of the total ground area shall be devoted exclusively to parking and accessways. |
Food pickup establishments | Minimum of one plus one for each 100 square feet of floor area. |
Funeral homes and mortuaries | Six per chapel room or parlor or one per fifty square feet of rooms used for services, whichever is greater. |
Hospitals, nursing homes and similar care centers | One for each five beds plus one for each two doctors and employees. |
Hotels, clubs and lodging houses | One for each two bedrooms. |
Manufacturing plants, research or testing laboratories and bottling plants | One for each three employees on maximum working shift. |
Medical or dental clinics | One for each 200 square feet of floor area, plus one for each full-time employee and one for each doctor. |
Motels or motor hotels | One for each unit plus one for each two employees on maximum shift. |
Motor fuel (gasline filling) stations | One for each employee on duty, plus two for each service bay. |
Service establishments: | |
Barber shops | Two for each chair plus one for each two employees on maximum shift. |
Beauty shops | One for each dryer, plus one for each two employees on maximum shift. |
Coin-operated laundries and/or dry cleaning establishments | One for each 500 square feet of floor area, plus one for each full-time employee. |
Restaurants | One for each three seats, plus one for each two employees on maximum shift. |
Shoppers goods, appliance, household equipment, furniture and similar stores | One for each 500 square feet of floor area, plus one for each full-time employee. |
Taverns or bars | One for each two seats, plus one for each two employees on maximum shift. |
Theaters | One for each four seats. |
Wholesale establishments | One for each four employees on maximum working shift. |
If any use is not specifically mentioned , herein, the provisions for a similar use which is mentioned, shall govern.
(d) Units of measurement are as follows:
(1) Each parking space shall be not less than eight and one-half feet wide and twenty feet long, and not less than 170 square feet in area, exclusive of access drives or aisles, and in no case shall any portion of the public right of way be used for required off-street parking.
(2) Each loading space shall be not less than ten feet wide and forty feet long and shall have a clearance of fourteen feet in height, exclusive of access and turning areas.
(3) In cases of office, merchandising or service uses, "floor area" means the gross floor area used or intended to be used by tenants or for service to customers, patrons, clients or patients, including areas occupied by fixtures and equipment used for the display or sale of merchandise. It shall not include areas used principally for nonpublic purposes, such as storage, incidental repairs, processing or packaging of merchandise, for show windows, for offices incidental to management or maintenance of stores or buildings, for toilet or restrooms, for utilities or for dressing, fitting or alteration rooms.
(4) Hospital basinets shall not be counted as beds in hospitals.
(5) In all stadiums, sports arenas, churches and other places of public assembly in which patrons or spectators occupy benches, pews or other similar seating facilities, each twenty inches of such seating facilities shall be counted as one seat for the purpose of determining requirements for off-street parking facilities under this section.
(e) Off-street accessory parking areas shall be of a usable shape and shall be improved, in accordance with requirements of the community, with a durable and dustless surface, and shall be so graded and drained as to dispose of all surface water accumulation within the area. Lighting in such parking areas shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from adjoining premises in any "R" District.
(f) The Board of Zoning Appeals, on appeal, may authorize a modification, reduction or waiver of the foregoing requirements if it finds that in the particular case the peculiar nature of the use or other exceptional situation or condition would justify such modification, reduction or waiver.
(g) No building, structure or premises shall be erected or altered, which is intended or designed to be used as a public garage, automobile repair shop or motor fuel station, having an entrance or exit for vehicles in the same block-front and within 200 feet of a school, public playground, church, hospital, public library or institution for dependents or children. No such entrance or exit shall be located within the same block-front and within twenty feet of an "R" District, nor shall any part of such public garage, automobile repair shop or motor fuel station be located within 100 feet of any building or grounds of any of the aforesaid public or institutional uses.
Motor fuel stations shall be subject to such further regulations as may be established by ordinance with respect to the number of pumps, hours of operation, fencing or screening, lighting, pavement, curbs and in other respects.
(h) In the case of a project consisting of a group of two or more buildings to be constructed on a plot of ground not subdivided into customary streets and lots, and which will not be subdivided, or where the existing or contemplated street and lot layouts make it impossible to apply the requirements of this Zoning Code to tiie individual building units in such project, the application of such requirements to such project shall be done by the Board of Zoning Appeals in a manner that will ensure substantially the same character of occupancy, maximum intensity of use and minimum standard of open spaces as required by this Zoning Code in the district in which the proposed project is located.
In no case shall the Board authorize a use of a building height which is prohibited in the district in which the project is to be located or a smaller lot area per family than the minimum required in such district, nor shall the Board authorize a building coverage exceeding that which would be obtained if the same area were to be developed by the customary subdivision thereof into streets and lots in conformity with the Official Plan provided for in Sections 1220.05 and 1220.06 and by the type of buildings customary in the district and in compliance with the requirements of this Zoning Code.
(i) A residential development project consisting of any number of buildings the contemplated arrangement of which makes it impossible to apply the restrictions of this Zoning Code to the individual buildings, may be authorized by the Board in districts where such projects are permitted by this Zoning Code. In so doing, the Board first shall refer the plans for such project to the Planning Commission for study, public hearing and report to the Board upon finding that the plan of such project meets the following conditions, namely that:
(1) The tract of land, on which the project is to be erected, comprises at least five acres, unless it comprises an entire block.
(2) The buildings are to be used only for residential purposes and the customary accessory uses, such as private garages, storage spaces and recreational and community activities.
(3) The average lot area per family or dwelling unit on the site, exclusive of the area occupied by streets, will not be less than eighty percent of the lot area per family required in the district in which the project is to be located.
(4) There is to be provided within the tract, or immediately adjacent thereto, parking spaces in private garages or off-street parking areas as specified herein for off-street parking.
(5) There are to be provided, as a part of the project, adequate recreation areas to serve the needs of the anticipated population to be housed therein.
(6) The proposed project will constituted a residential environment of sustained desirability and stability; it will be in harmony with the character of the surrounding neighborhood and ensure substantially the same type of occupancy as obtained or may be expected to be obtained in such neighborhood; it will result in intensity of land utilization no higher than, and standards of open spaces at least as high as, that permitted or required by this Zoning Code in the district in which the project is to be located.
(7) The project will be consistent with the intent and purpose of this Zoning Code to promote the health, safety and general welfare of the public.
(j) Except as may be provided in a trailer ordinance, the parking of a trailer, other than a temporary office incidental to construction on or development of the premises on which it is located in any district, for a period of forty-eight hours or longer is prohibited, except for small utility trailers and except that one trailer may be stored in an enclosed garage or other accessory building, provided that no living quarters are maintained and that no business is conducted in connection therewith while such trailer is so parked or stored.
In any district, except as may be provided in a trailer ordinance, the wheels of a trailer shall not be removed except for repairs, nor shall such trailer be otherwise permanently fixed to the ground by any person in a manner that will prevent ready removal of such trailer therefrom.
(k) No vehicular entrance to or exit from a motel or motor hotel, in any district, shall be within 200 feet along streets from a school, public playground, church, hospital, library or institution for dependents or children, except where such property is within another block or on another street, which such premises do not abut. All sanitary regulations and such other regulations as may be required by law or ordinance shall be observed and complied with in addition to the following:
(1) No lot to be used as a motel or motor hotel shall be less than 15,000 square feet in area or contain less than 1,00 square feet per sleeping unit. All buildings and structures on the lot shall occupy, in the aggregate, not more than twenty-five percent of the area of the lot.
(2) All areas used for automobile access and parking shall comply with subsection (e) hereof.
(3) All areas of the lot which are not used for access, parking, circulation, buildings and services shall be completely and permanently landscaped and the entire site shall be maintained in good condition.
(l) No enlargement or extension to a motel or motor hotel shall be permitted unless the existing one is made to conform substantially with all the requirements for new construction for such establishment.
(Ord. 340. Passed 12-19-66.)
(m) (1) Definitions. The following definitions shall be used in the interpretation of this subsection:
A. AFFIDAVIT - an oath in writing, sworn to and attested by an individual who has the authority to administer such an oath.
B. APPLICANT - any person making application for a Special Use Permit under the terms of this chapter.
C. DEPENDENT MOBILE HOME - a mobile home which does not have a toilet, and a bath or shower facility.
D. DOUBLE-WIDE MOBILE HOMES AND MANUFACTURED HOMES - structures designed for permanent habitation as single-family dwelling and so constructed as to permit its transport in more than one section on wheels temporarily or permanently attached to its frame from the place of its construction or manufacture to the location at which it is intended to be a permanent habitation and then attaches the two sections together on the site of the dwelling.
E. IMMOBILIZED MOBILE HOME - a mobile home resting on a permanent foundation with wheels, towing tongue, and hitch permanently removed, and connected to local water, sewer, and electrical systems.
F. INDEPENDENT MOBILE HOME - a mobile home which has a self-contained toilet, and a bath or shower facility.
G. MOBILE HOME - a structure designed for a permanent habitation as a single-family dwelling, and so constructed as to permit its transport on wheels temporarily or permanently attached to its frame, from the place of its construction or manufacture to the location at which it is intended to be a permanent habitation.
H. OFF-STREET PARKING - an area on the owner’s lot, tract, or parcel of land where automobiles and/or other vehicles may be parked without blocking traffic on any adjacent roadway, street, or alley.
I. OWNER - the person to whom the Special Use Permit is issued.
J. PERMANENT HABITATION - a consecutive period of three months or more.
K. PERSON - any individual, group of individuals, association, trust, or partnership.
L. REVOCATION - to declare invalid a permit issued to the applicant by the City of Christopher.
M. SITE - the lot, tract, or parcel of land upon which the mobile home is located as a dwelling place.
N. SPACE - shall be synonymous with “site”.
O. SPECIAL USE PERMIT - a certificate issued by the City of Christopher to allow a person to set up and use as a dwelling place a mobile home, double-wide mobile or manufactured home as defined in this chapter.
P. SUSPENSION - to temporarily declare invalid a permit issued to the applicant by the City of Christopher.
Q. TIEDOWN OR ANCHORING - a method of securing a mobile home to its foundation in accordance with the specifications of the Illinois Mobile Home Tiedown Act of 1990 (Revised) and the Mobile Home Owners Tiedown Guide prepared by the Illinois Department of Public Health, as amended.
(2) General Requirements.
A. LOCATION: All mobile homes and double-wide mobile homes and manufactured homes located within an area not to exceed one and a half miles beyond the Christopher City limits shall conform to the specifications of this subsection.
B. PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS: No mobile home shall be located in the City which is less than fifty feet in length and twelve feet in width, not including towing tongue, expanded section, add-ons, porches, stairways, attached storage buildings, and the like. The mobile home shall have no less than 600 square feet of usable interior living space.
Double-wide mobile homes and manufactured homes shall be no less than fifty feet in length and twenty-four feet in width, not including towing tongue, expanded section, add-ons, porches, stairways, attached storage buildings, and the like. The double-wide mobile homes or manufactured homes shall have no less than 1,200 square feet of usable interior living space.
C. FOUNDATIONS: Mobile homes, double-wide mobile homes and manufactured homes to be located in the City shall rest on and be securely attached to a foundation or system of piers or pilings, or a concrete slab, according to specifications established and provided by the Illinois Department of Health.
D. SKIRTING: All mobile homes, double-wide mobile homes and manufactured homes to be located in the City shall be fitted with suitable skirting or other covering around the base or foundation of the unit to visually hide the foundations, piers, or crawl space beneath the mobile home, double-wide mobile home or manufactured home. All such skirting or covering shall be of fire-resistant materials, and provide an access door or inspection hatch. Such skirting shall be in place within thirty days of the placement of the mobile home upon the site.
E. USED, REBUILT, OR OTHER THAN NEW: No mobile home shall be located in the City that is more than ten years old. The applicant shall produce documentary, photographic, or other evidence attesting to the age and condition of any other-than-new mobile home to be located in the City.
F. CITY INSPECTION: All mobile homes, whether new, used, rebuilt, or modified in any way, shall upon installation and set-up be inspected by the City Building Inspector and the Fire Chief to confirm their compliance with this chapter, and Section 1420.04 of these Codified City Ordinances.
G. INDEPENDENT MOBILE HOMES PROHIBITED: No independent mobile home shall be located in the City to be used as a dwelling place. “Independent Mobile Home” is defined as one that has a self-contained toilet and/or bath and shower facilities.
H. SITE: All mobile homes to be located in the City shall be on a well-drained site so that drainage will not constitute a hazard or nuisance to persons, property, or the water supply in the vicinity of the site.
I. LOT SIZE: The minimum lot size for any mobile home located in the City shall be not less than 5,000 square feet, except that the lot may be not less than fifty feet in width and not less than 100 feet in depth. No mobile home shall be located within fifteen feet of any lot boundary line. Distance shall be measured from the overall width and length of the mobile home as defined in this chapter.
J. OFF-STREET PARKING: Each mobile home owner shall provide for an off-street parking area of not less than 400 square feet.
K. TIEDOWN AND ANCHORING: All mobile homes located in the City shall meet the tiedown and anchoring requirements as specified in the Illinois Mobile Home Tiedown Act of 1990 (revised), as amended.
L. WATER: All mobile homes to be located in the City shall be connected to the City water supply and fitted with suitable water meter connection as provided in Chapter 1040 of these Codified Ordinances.
M. SEWER: All mobile homes to be located in the City shall be connected to the City sewer system as provided for in Chapter 1043 of these Codified Ordinances.
N. ELECTRICITY: All mobile homes to be located in the City shall be connected to the City electrical system as specified in the current City contract with its provider of electrical service or other electric company providing service to the area.
O. FUEL STORAGE: All mobile home fuel storage tanks or cylinders shall be permanently and securely fastened, and shall not be located inside or beneath the mobile home, nor less than fifteen feet from the mobile home entrance/exit. Such fuel storage shall be permitted in tanks or other approved containers mounted on an incombustible frame or rack at the rear of the mobile home. Fuel containers shall not exceed 300 gallon capacity unless approved in advance by the City Council.
P. NATURAL GAS OR BUTANE SYSTEM: All natural gas or butane systems shall be installed according to specifications in the current City contract with its provider of such services. All gas piping installed below ground shall have a minimum earth covering of eighteen inches. No gas mains or lines shall be located underground under any mobile home.
Q. SYSTEM SHUT-OFF VALVE: A readily accessible and identified shut-off valve, controlling the flow of fuel to the central fuel piping system, shall be installed near the point of connection to the main fuel system.
R. MOBILE HOME FUEL SHUT-OFF VALVE: Each mobile home shall have an approved shut-off valve installed upstream of the mobile home fuel outlet and located on the outlet riser at a height of not less than four inches above grade. Whenever the mobile home lot outlet is not in use, the outlet shall be equipped with an approved cap or plug to prevent the accidental discharge of fuel.
S. FUEL OIL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM: Fuel oil piping installed below ground shall have a minimum earth covering of eighteen inches and all fuel lines shall be provided with a stopcock at the outlet of the fuel container, and another stopcock just before the fuel line enters the mobile home. No fuel oil lines shall be located or installed under any mobile home.
T. REPLACEMENT MOBILE HOMES: Any mobile home to be located in the City as a replacement for an existing mobile home, shall conform to all specifications and requirements of this chapter, including the procedure for application for a new Special Use Permit.
U. MOBILE HOMES: The City Council may issue a Special Use Permit, subsequent to the receipt of a Special Use Zoning Permit, to locate a mobile home outside a mobile home park. All mobile homes located outside a mobile home park shall comply with the requirements of this chapter.
V. MOBILE HOMES IMPROPERLY PLACED: Any mobile home improperly placed in the City shall be subject to penalties and fines as may be determined by the City Council, and shall be removed at the owner’s expense. Any legal fees incurred by the City, or other costs incurred as the result of an improperly placed mobile home, shall be the responsibility of the owner.
W. MOBILE HOMES AS BUSINESS STRUCTURES: No mobile home shall be permitted to be used as a permanent office or place of business, or any commercial enterprise.
X. MOBILE HOMES - REAL ESTATE TAX: All mobile homes located in the City and not in a mobile home or trailer park, with wheels removed, and placed on a permanent foundation, shall be classified as real estate and taxed as such.
Y. SPECIAL USE PERMIT: A Special Use Permit may be issued by the City of Christopher permitting a mobile home as defined in this chapter to be located on any site as defined in this chapter, provided it is connected to a City water, sewer, and electrical system as specified in this chapter. An applicant for a Special Use Permit shall file an application for such permit with the City Zoning Administrator, and then shall serve written notice either in person or by registered mail, with return receipt requested, on the owner or owners as recorded in the Office of the County Recorder of Deeds, of all property within 300 feet in each direction of the property for which the permit is requested. Such distance of 300 feet is to be measured from established lot or property lines.
The notice herein required shall contain the address of the location for which the Special Use Permit is requested, a brief statement of the nature of the requested special use, the name and address of the legal and beneficial owner of the property for which the special use is requested, a statement that the applicant has filed an application for a Special Use Permit, and the date upon which the application was filed. If, after a bona fide effort to determine such address by the applicant for the special use, the owner of the property upon which the notice is served cannot be found at his or her last known address, the notice requirements of this subsection shall be deemed satisfied.
In addition to serving the notice herein required, within thirty days of filing the application for Special Use Permit, the applicant shall furnish to the Zoning Administrator a complete list containing the names and last known addresses of the owners of the property required to be served, the method of service, and the name and address of the person so served.
The applicant shall also furnish a written statement certifying that he or she has complied with the requirements of this subsection. The Zoning Administrator shall consider no application for a Special Use Permit unless the applicant furnishes the list and certificate herein required. The Zoning Administrator shall then schedule a hearing before the City Planning and Economic Development Commission.
The Zoning Administrator, not more than thirty days, nor less than fifteen days before the hearing at which the application for the Special Use Permit is to be considered, shall send written notice to the persons appearing on the list furnished by the applicant, which notice shall contain the time and place of the hearing, the address, the location for which the special use is requested, and a brief statement of the nature of the special use requested. In addition, the Zoning Administrator shall cause notice to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the City, not more than thirty days nor less than fifteen days prior to such a hearing.
A public hearing shall then be held by the City Planning and Economic Development Commission and any party may appear in person, by agent or attorney. After the hearing, the Zoning Administrator shall recommend whether or not the Commission should recommend approval of the issuance of the Special Use Permit as requested. The Commission shall then act upon the recommendation of the Zoning Administrator, but shall not be bound by the recommendation. The vote of the Commission shall be reported to the City Council at its next regularly scheduled meeting. The Council shall vote upon the recommendations and the vote of the Council shall be final with regard to the issuance of a Special Use Permit.
A fee of sixty dollars ($60.00) shall accompany the application to cover the cost of publication, postage, and legal fees involved in the issuance of said Special Use Permit. The applicant, upon being issued a Special Use Permit, shall, within a period not to exceed six months from the date of issuance, place a mobile home upon the site or the permit shall expire. A Special Use Permit as described in this chapter may be transferred to another person only upon the written approval of the Council, prior to transfer.
Z. Before a mobile home can be moved upon any property temporarily for repair, the property owner must apply to the Council for a permit to repair said mobile home. The permit must be approved by City Council and shall be valid for a period of thirty days next after approval by the City Council.
AA. Not less than thirty days and not more than sixty days after a mobile home as described in this chapter has been placed upon a lot in the City of Christopher, the City Building Inspector and the City Fire Chief shall conduct a proper inspection to verify that all requirements of this chapter have been complied with, and shall make a report to the City Council.
BB. MOBILE HOME CONVERTED TO STORAGE UNITS: Any person or company desiring to place a mobile home converted to storage units on residential or commercial lots in the City of Christopher shall first obtain a Special Use Permit pursuant to the procedure set forth in division (m)(2)Y. above. The mobile home converted to storage units must be placed on a lot with at least 50 feet by 100 feet in dimensions and must comply with all set back rules of the ordinances of the City of Christopher. The storage units must be placed on a concrete pad at least the size of the units. The units must be permanently affixed to the concrete pad. The Building Inspector shall inspect the mobile home prior to conversion of the mobile home to a storage unit and prior to the hearing on the Special Use Permit to determine its suitability for conversion and report his or her findings to the City Council and the Building Inspector shall consider the size and condition of the mobile home and the conversion plans of the person or company seeking the Special Use Permit in making his or her report of the project to the Council. The Building Inspector shall also consider the character of the area where the storage units are to be placed and report his or her recommendation to the Planning Commission and the City Council.
(Ord. 633. Passed 12-13-93; Ord. 652. Passed 11-14-94; Ord. 870. Passed 6-9-09; Ord. 981. Passed 2-12-18.)