Any residential structure, including manufactured dwellings and mobile homes not located in mobile home parks, shall be erected or constructed only if in compliance with the following residential design standards. This section shall not apply to any applications for permits which were submitted prior tot he effective date of this section. The City Planning Division shall have the authority to determine if the following requirements are being complied with.
General requirements.
1. Area and bulk regulations. Any residential structure, including any mobile home dwelling unit, shall comply with the minimum floor area requirements specified for the zoning district where such structure is located. Mobile homes shall comply with all regulations normally required for site-built housing in the zoning district in which it is located, unless specifically indicated otherwise herein.
2. Foundation. Any residential structure, including a mobile home, shall be placed on a permanent foundation to form a complete enclosure under the exterior walls. The foundation shall be constructed in accordance with the adopted Building Code of the City. A mobile home shall be securely anchored to its foundation in order to prevent displacement during windstorms. The wheels, tongue and hitch assembly, and other towing appurtenances, shall be removed before attaching a mobile home to its permanent foundation.
3. Other regulations. Residential structures shall be constructed in compliance with applicable state, federal, or local laws or ordinances. Mobile homes shall comply with the most recent regulations specified by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Mobile Home Construction and Safety Standards (24 CFR 3280), as amended.
4. Use. Mobile homes and other structures shall be used only for the purposes permitted in the zoning district in which they are located.
5. Attachments. Any exterior attachments or extensions onto a dwelling unit, such as entry steps and storage buildings, shall comply with the adopted Building Code of the City.
6. Utility connections. All residential structures shall be connected to the public sewer and water systems.
7. Design quality for infill development. The design quality of new and substantially expanded or renovated existing residential structures in established neighborhoods can have a substantial impact on the character, quality, and stability of those neighborhoods. To ensure that all new and substantially renovated residential structures constitute an improvement to the area they shall be subject to a design quality review based on the following requirements. The following requirements are in addition to, not in place of, other applicable requirements in this section.
(a) Applicability. New homes and substantial expansions/renovations of existing homes that exceed the threshold for legal nonconformity for improvements and modernization set forth in Dearborn Zoning Ordinance section 3.05.C.2 are subject to design quality review per this section.
(b) Procedure. Review of these requirements will be carried out as part of the standard zoning compliance review required for permitting.
(1) Deed restrictions and condominium master deeds/by-laws.
a. The association having authority over the deed restrictions or master deed/by-laws for a given area may file an official copy of these instruments with the Director of the Property Maintenance and Development Services Department if it elects to receive notice of the submission of a permit application or a copy of proposed plans for construction of a new home or the substantial expansion or renovation of an existing home which lies within the boundaries of the association. If the association elects to receive either notice of the submission of a permit application or a copy of proposed plans, it shall provide to the Director and continue to update the name and email address of a designated person or persons to whom either notice of the submission of a permit application or a copy of the proposed plans shall be sent.
b. If an association complies with (a), then the Property Maintenance and Development Services Department shall not issue any permits until after 5 p.m. on the 15th business day after the notice or the proposed plans were emailed to the association's designee(s). The time shall be calculated from and include the first business day after the City sends an emailed copy of the plan.
c. An association which complies with (a) shall also receive notice to its designated person(s) of an appeal to the Zoning Board of Appeals pertaining to a property within the boundaries of the association.
(2) Specific design guidelines.
a. Front entry: peak height of the roof over the front entry shall be below the midpoint height of the main roof.
b. Columns.
i. Column height to diameter ratio:
(a) One story columns: column height shall be at least 8 and no more than 12 times column diameter.
(b) Two story columns: column height shall be at least 10 and no more than 14 times column diameter.
ii. Beams at the tops of columns shall be at least as tall and thick as the columns that support them.
c. Windows.
i. Window Shape: a maximum of three primary window shapes shall be used on a home. Egress windows and limited use of accent window shapes such as transoms or ovals/circles do not count against this requirement (maximum three accent window shapes per home).
ii. Window and door lintels and headers shall be designed to appear structural.
iii. Shutters shall be the correct size and positioned correctly to appear functional.
d. Roofs.
i. Roof shapes: no more than two roof shapes shall be permitted on the front elevation (gable, hip, gambrel, studio, A frame, etc.)
ii. Roof pitch: main roofs shall have a minimum pitch of 5:12, except where the specific architectural style dictates otherwise (i.e., French provincial, Italianate, etc.)
e. Dormers.
i. Dormers shall not make up more than 50% of the roof area of the front half of the home.
f. Exterior materials.
i. Primary exterior materials (making up more than 25% of the façade) shall consist of no more than three materials.
ii. Secondary exterior materials (making up less than 25% of the façade) shall be made up of no more than three materials.
iii. E.F.I.S. and stucco shall only be permitted as secondary exterior materials. Their use as primary exterior materials on homes is prohibited.
iv. Glare/reflection: the reflection from exterior surfaces shall be no greater than from white semi-gloss exterior enamel.
8. Attached garages. Attached garages shall only be permitted if they meet the following standards:
(a) Lot has a minimum width of forty five (45) feet.
(b) Exceptions:
(1) Corner lots with the garage entry off the side yard facing the side street.
(2) Where the proposed configuration is consistent with the dominant pattern of existing development in the immediate area (as in many existing condominium communities).
(3) Side loaded garages designed to blend into the front façade of the home in such a way as to not compromise the standards in the design quality section.
9. Driveways. Driveways are required and permitted on residential lots accessory to homes primarily for the purpose of providing access to off-street parking in a garage or the rear yard. Residential driveways shall meet the following requirements:
(a) Standard driveways (driveways providing direct access to parking in a garage or rear yard):
(1) Minimum driveway width: ten (10) feet (may be reduced to nine (9) feet on lots less than fifty (50) feet in width).
(2) Maximum driveway width in the front yard: twelve (12) feet for a driveway going to a single bay attached garage or to any size garage or parking pad in the rear yard, twenty (20) feet for a driveway going to an attached two bay garage with doors facing the street.
(b) Circular driveways (an extra driveway generally providing for a drop-off area near the front door to the home):
(1) Shall not exceed the front yard and total impervious surface limits in this section.
(2) Only permitted on lots with a front yard of a minimum width of seventy five (75) feet and minimum depth of thirty five (35) feet.
(3) Maximum drive width: twelve (12) feet.
(4) Shall only be permitted one additional curb cut, one entrance from the street must also be the main driveway to the garage.
a. Exception: In the case of a side yard loaded garage on a corner lot, the circular drive may have two curb cuts to the front yard. The curb cuts shall be a minimum of twenty five (25) feet from the right-of-way line of the side street.
(5) Minimum required side yard setback: three (3) feet.
(6) Circular drive design must permit a full size vehicle to travel its length without leaving driveway pavement.
10. Standards for Mobile Homes & Manufactured Dwellings. The dimensions and placement of mobile homes or manufactured dwellings located outside of a mobile home park shall be comparable to typical dimensions and placement of site-built housing in the vicinity. Therefore, a mobile home or manufactured dwelling shall be located on the lot so that the minimum width of the front elevation is no less than thirty-four (34) feet and the minimum dimension along any side or rear elevation is no less than sixteen (16) feet. If there are any extensions or additions off of the front of the mobile home or manufactured dwelling, the minimum width of any such secondary front elevation shall be sixteen (16) feet. Such dimensions shall be measured from the outer extremities and shall include additions to the main body of the mobile home or manufactured dwelling, such as living or recreation rooms, garages, carports, utility rooms, and the like, the front portions of which are within ten (10) feet of the front of the main body of the mobile home or manufactured dwelling.
11. Roof overhang. Residential structures shall be designed with either a roof overhang of not less than six (6) inches on all sides or with window sills and roof drainage systems to concentrate roof drainage at collection points along the sides of the dwelling.
12. Cantilevers. Cantilever areas shall be included as part of the calculation for lot coverage and shall comply with the lot coverage and setback requirements listed in Section 29.02 of the Dearborn Zoning Ordinance.
13. Exterior doors. Residential structures shall conform with Chapter 5, Article II, of the Dearborn City Code, entitled “Building Code,” regarding design standards for the number of exterior doors.
14. Lot combinations. The size of the originally platted lot or site condominium lot in an established development largely defines the consistent character and development pattern for a neighborhood. The combination of lots to create larger single home sites can have the effect of disrupting the character and orderly development of the area. As such lot combinations that meet any of the following criteria require approval by the Planning Commission. Approval of any lot combination meeting the criteria shall be contingent upon site plan review and approval by the Planning Commission. Any site plan modifications will require approval by the Planning Commission.
(a) Lot combinations where the resulting lot would exceed twice the size of the largest of the constituent lots as established in the plat or master deed.
(b) Lot combinations where the resulting lot would exceed twenty thousand (20,000) square feet.
(c) To approve such a lot combination the Planning Commission must find that the proposed combination of lots would result in the development of the land in such a manner as to be compatible with surrounding land uses and development and not contrary to the spirit and purpose of the subdivision plat, site condominium documents, city master plan and zoning ordinance.
(Ord. No. 93-553, § 2.05, 2-2-1993; Ord. No. 95-626, 3-7-1995; Ord. No. 01-859, 3-5-2002, amended 6-28-2004; Ord. No. 18-1626, 9-24-2019)