(a) Intent; Conditions.
(1) The senior care residence in a Senior Care area is designated to provide for the establishment of planned retirement, convalescent communities, complete with dwelling units, health care facilities and common facilities.
(2) It is intended that any retirement/convalescent community project comply with the specific guidelines set forth in the Charter, this chapter and other ordinances of the City. A Senior Care District can only be located in a residential district. Any applicant for this zoning must comply with all Charter and ordinance provisions of the City, including but not limited to mandatory referral and any amendments thereto.
(b) Permitted Uses. In Senior Care areas, no building or premises shall be erected except for the following purposes and as regulated in this Zoning Code:
(1) Retirement/convalescent communities, with the following facilities to be provided in any retirement/convalescent community:
A. Dwelling units for senior citizens of such facilities. For the purposes of this chapter, “senior citizen” means any person fifty- five years of age or older and “convalescent care” means a person who needs continued medical care.
B. A retirement community must provide a health facility and medical center with a minimum of one bed for every five dwelling units.
C. A “commons” building which will house the central dining room, a library, a reception area, general purpose and hobby areas, convenience shops and such shall be provided.
D. A retirement community shall be served by private roads and driveways.
(2) Accessory uses, as follows:
A. Rest, nursing or other health facilities for the use of resident senior citizens. This shall not exclude out-reach health programs.
B. Dining facilities for the use of senior citizens, their guests and employees of senior citizen facilities.
C. Recreational and leisure facilities for the use of senior citizens and their guests.
D. Administrative, service and maintenance facilities for the Senior Care area.
E. Off-street parking facilities subject to this chapter; and
F. Convenience facilities, such as beauty and barber shops, gift and sundry shops and banking facilities, for the use of resident senior citizens and their guests only. Persons other than residents or their guests may not be served at these facilities.
(3) Accessory buildings and uses customarily incident to any of the above permitted uses such as off-street parking garages, recreational areas, pools, fences and walls.
(c) Dwelling Area Requirements for Senior House/Convalescent Units.
(1) Apartments. Each one bedroom dwelling unit shall have a minimum living area of 450 square feet, exclusive of the area comprising any mechanical room and garage. For purposes of this chapter, “living unit” means a dwelling unit in which the living and sleeping areas are located in one or two rooms.
(2) Condominium housing.
A. Each one-bedroom dwelling unit shall have a minimum living area of 800 square feet, exclusive of the area comprising any mechanical room and garage.
B. Each two-bedroom dwelling unit shall have a minimum living area of 1,000 square feet, exclusive of the area comprising any mechanical room and garage.
(3) Common facilities. The minimum floor area of a common facility shall be eighty-three square feet per dwelling unit, distributed as follows:
A. For leisure space, including lounges, club rooms, auditoriums, chapels, arts/crafts/hobby areas, libraries, dining areas, health clubs, game rooms, greenhouses, and the like, not less than twenty- nine square feet per dwelling unit, based upon two seatings per meal, which includes not less than twelve and one-half square feet of seating space per dwelling unit in the dining area.
B. For service space, including administrative offices, convenience stores, gift shops, beauty and barber shops, postal facilities, banking facilities, kitchen facilities, public restrooms, central storage and receiving rooms, employee lounges, dining areas, maid and janitorial areas, employee locker rooms, maintenance areas, trash disposal rooms, mechanical rooms, storage areas, loading docks and the like, not less than thirty-seven and one-half square feet per dwelling unit; and
C. For traffic or circulation space, for convenient access to and from leisure and service areas, not less than sixteen and one-half square feet per dwelling unit.
(4) Health and medical facilities. The minimum floor area of a health facility or medical center shall conform to the requirements of the State Health Service Agency.
(d) Site Plan Review.
(1) No building or structure shall be erected or land used in any Senior Care area unless the site plan has been approved by the Planning Commission.
(2) After accepting such a plan for review, the developer shall start construction within one year of approval of the project.
(3) When recommending the approval of a site plan for a Senior Care area, the Planning Commission may recommend such additional conditions as are necessary to secure the following objectives:
A. All the development features including the principal and accessory buildings, open spaces, service roads, driveways and parking areas shall be located so as to encourage pedestrian and vehicular traffic safety; and
B. The design of such land use will not discourage the appropriate development or impair the value of existing or proposed development in the area surrounding the subject development.
(e) Safety and Convenience Requirements.
(1) Each senior citizen residence project built within the Senior Care area shall, as a minimum, include, but shall not be limited to, the requirements for Use Senior Care of Section 512 of the Ohio Basic Building Code, the February, 1985 issue.
(2) All construction needs shall be in accordance with federal ADA standards, State Board of Health and the State of Ohio and local Building Department codes.
(f) Yard, Area and Building Requirements. Except as herein provided, yard, area, and building requirements shall be regulated as set forth by the Planning Commission.
(1) In a Senior Care area, garages or other accessory buildings shall be located not less than fifty feet from a side or rear property line where such property line abuts a residential zoning district.
(2) The minimum distance between any two buildings within any Senior Care area shall be fifty feet.
(3) No building, other than a gate house at the main entrance, shall be located less than 100 feet from a public street or right of way.
(4) Buildings, including, in each case, their accessory buildings and structures, shall not exceed twenty-five percent (25%) of the area comprising the project.
(5) Landscaped, natural and recreational areas, exclusive of buildings, streets, driveways and parking areas, shall be not less than fifty percent (50%) of the area comprising the project.
(6) Maximum height shall be two stories or thirty-five feet maximum, other than architectural or aesthetic elements.
(g) Off-Street Parking.
(1) Except as herein provided, off-street parking shall be as determined by the Planning Commission and Council.
(2) No part of any required yard abutting a street and not more than fifty percent (50%) of any side or rear yard abutting a single family residential district shall be used for vehicular parking.
(3) Each senior citizen residence project built within a Senior Care area shall include the following off-street parking facilities:
A. For each two dwelling units, there shall be provided one covered parking space.
B. For each one dwelling unit, there shall be provided one open parking space.
C. For long term care/rest home, one-quarter space per unit.
D. For each seven dwelling units, there shall be provided one open parking space for the use of guests.
E. For each non-residential employee on duty during the maximum shift, there shall be one open parking space.
F. Open parking spaces shall be at least 180 square feet.
G. All off-street parking areas shall be lighted, drained, paved and visually screened.
(h) Walls and Landscaping. Walls and landscaping shall be in accordance with the City’s architectural plan and land design.
(i) Signs and Lighting.
(1) Signs shall be permitted only when in conformity with the provisions set forth in Chapter 1347.
(2) Exterior lighting shall be provided for the safety and convenience of senior and/or convalescent citizens and their guests and employees, but shall be placed in such a manner and be of such illumination as not to cause annoying glare or reflection inside residence units, or neighboring premises or on public streets.
(Ord. 1998-119. Passed 9-22-98.)