(a) Purpose. This district is established to protect and preserve the most rural areas of the City in which agriculture, woodlands, wetlands, other sensitive environmental areas, and low-density residential development are the predominant land use patterns. Overall existing residential density is less than one dwelling unit per five acres, consisting primarily of single-family detached estate homes. There remain large amounts of open space and potential development areas. The regulations contained in this district will permit continued, low-density residential development, but will encourage new residential development that incorporates rural residential conservation designs and other open space preservation techniques, in order to preserve the existing rural character and limit development in sensitive environmental areas such as wetlands, floodplains, or aquifer recharge areas. Other permitted uses include agriculture, park and recreational uses, institutional uses, and public uses.
(b) Uses By-Right.
(1) Residential.
A. Family day care homes, small (one to six children).
B. Residential group homes for up to five handicapped or elderly people.
C. Single-family, detached.
(2) Agricultural.
A. General agricultural operations.
(3) Planned developments.
(4) Institutional/civic/public.
A. Public park or recreation areas, including multipurpose trails.
B. Public recreational facilities, indoor or outdoor.
C. Government public works and service facilities.
D. Public safety and emergency services.
E. Essential public utility and public services installations, including bus shelters and bus stops, but not including water towers, power generating stations, transfer stations, or outdoor storage.
(c) Conditional Uses. The following uses shall be conditionally permitted in District 2 subject to meeting all applicable requirements set forth in this section and Section 1206.02
, Conditional Uses.
(1) Residential.
A. Assisted living.
B Duplexes.
C. Model homes.
D. Open space conservation subdivisions.
E. Residential group homes for the handicapped or elderly (from six to eight people).
F. Single-family, attached.
(2) Commercial/retail.
A. Bed and breakfast inns.
B. Boarding kennels.
C. Commercial nurseries.
D. Golf courses, private.
E. Private-membership recreational facilities or clubs.
F. Recreational or sports training facilities, commercial.
G. Veterinary facilities or small animal clinics, including overnight indoor boarding.
(3) Institutional/civic/public.
A. Cemeteries.
B. Golf courses, public.
C. Places of religious worship, including churches and synagogues. Religious schools and day care centers may be permitted as accessory uses within the same structure as the principal conditional use.
D. Public non-commercial facility for composting.
E. Public safety and emergency services, including police or fire stations and emergency medical services, provided the size of the facility or service shall not exceed 10,000 square feet.
F. Schools, public or private preschool, elementary, secondary, or post-secondary.
(4) Accessory uses.
A. Oil and gas exploration and extraction of lots of at least twenty acres in size under single ownership.
B. Shared driveways for dwellings.
C. See Section 1206.03, Accessory Uses.
(d) Property Development/Design Standards. In addition to compliance with all applicable standards set forth in Chapter 1207
, Zoning Development and Site Plan Standards, development in District 2 shall comply with all of the following development/design standards (all standards are minimums unless otherwise noted):
(1) Maximum net density: one dwelling unit per two and one-half acres.
(2) Open space conservation subdivisions.
A. Open space conservation subdivisions encouraged.
1. All residential developments or subdivisions of five or more lots that satisfy the minimum five-acre parcel size threshold set forth in Section 1207.06(d) are encouraged to utilize the open space conservation subdivision provisions in order to preserve a substantial amount of land for open space use and, to the maximum extent feasible, to prevent development in environmentally sensitive areas including but not limited to woodlands, wetlands, and wellhead protection/aquifer recharge areas.
2. Open space conservation subdivisions in District 2 shall comply with all requirements, including minimum open space requirements, set forth in Section 1207.06, Open Space Conservation Subdivisions.
B. Open space:
1. Open space conservation developments. Open space conservation subdivisions shall comply with the open space requirements set forth in Section 1207.06, Open Space Conservation Subdivisions.
2. Non-open space conservation developments. In addition to compliance with the standards and requirements governing open space dedications set forth in Section 1207.05, non-open space conservation developments in District 2 shall set aside a minimum of fifty percent of the gross land area for private open space.
(3) Minimum lot size.
A. Residential uses:
1. Open space conservation developments: 10,000 square feet.
2. Non-open space conservation developments: two and one-half acres.
3. Commercial recreational or sports training facility: fifteen acres.
B. All other uses: two and one-half acres.
(4) Minimum lot width.
A. Two hundred feet, except that the minimum lot width may be reduced to a minimum of 100 feet if the development incorporates open space conservation lots pursuant to the standards set forth in this section and Section 1207.06.
B. Lots abutting railroad right-of-way: In order to enable an increase in the rear yard setback and allow room for a landscaped buffer between the dwelling and the railroad right-of-way when a lot abuts and backs onto a railroad right-of-way, the minimum lot width may be reduced by not more than ten percent provided the lot depth is at least 250 feet.
(5) Setbacks.
A. Open space conservation subdivisions: All residential open space conservation subdivisions shall comply with the setback and yard requirements set forth in Section 1207.06(e).
B. All other developments–case-by-case determination: Because of the pervasiveness of environmentally sensitive areas within District 2, building setbacks and yard requirements for development shall be determined on a case-by-case basis by the PC either during the subdivision approval process or during the site plan approval process. All determinations of setbacks and yard requirements shall use as a starting point the minimum setbacks set forth in divisions (d)(5)C. through E. of this section, which may be modified pursuant to the conditions and criteria set forth in Section 1207.01, Maximum Impervious Surface Coverage.
C. Minimum front yard setbacks:
1. Non-residential uses: 100 feet.
2. Residential uses: fifty feet provided that averaging shall be required for residential uses as follows: Except for new residential development on lots fronting arterial roads, the front setback shall not differ by more than ten percent from the average of the front yard setbacks existing on the two properties immediately adjoining the subject property, unless approved by the Architectural and Historic Board of Review. If one or more of the adjoining properties is vacant, the front yard setback shall be fifty feet.
3. All uses on lots fronting arterial roads: 100 feet, of which the front fifty feet shall comprise a bufferyard that shall be landscaped pursuant to Section 1207.04(k).
D. Minimum side yard setbacks:
1. Principal residential structure: twenty feet.
2. Principal non-residential structure: thirty feet.
3. Side-facing attached garage: twenty-five feet.
4. All other accessory structures: fifteen feet.
5. Corner lots: fifty feet for street side not designated as "front."
E. Minimum rear yard setbacks:
1. Principal structure: fifty feet.
2. Accessory garage: fifteen feet.
3. Other accessory structure: fifteen feet.
F. Arterial setbacks: See arterial setback and landscaping requirements in Section 1207.04(k), Landscaping/Buffering.
(6) Maximum structure height: thirty-five feet.
(7) Building siting and orientation. The following building siting and orientation requirements shall apply to all new development in District 2, except for new development with a front yard depth of 130 feet or more:
A. Principal residential structures.
1. The main entrance to the residence shall face the street.
2. The front wall of the principal structure shall be parallel to the street or perpendicular to a radius of the curve of the street extended through the approximate center of the main mass, if the street is curved.
B. Principal residential structures on corner lots.
1. In general, the structure shall face one of the streets or the corner.
2. One side of the structure shall be designated the "front" and shall be subject to the requirements set forth in division (d)(7)A. of this section.
C. Private garages.
1. Doors of attached garages shall not face the street.
2. Detached garages shall be located only in the rear yard.
3. New development of a principal single family detached dwelling shall provide space for the storage of at least two cars within an enclosed garage.
D. Non-residential development.
1. The main entrance to the principal structure shall face the street. The front wall of the principal structure shall be parallel to the street or perpendicular to a radius of the curve of the street extended through the approximate center of the main mass, if the street is curved.
2. The main body of the principal structure shall be closest to the street.
3. An accessory garage shall be sited so that its door is not visible from the primary direction of approach.
(8) Bufferyard requirements for lots abutting a historic landmark. New development on lots that abut a historic landmark shall establish a bufferyard equivalent to or greater than "Bufferyard C" as set forth in Section 1207.04
(g). The bufferyard shall be established on the boundary that abuts the historic landmark.
(9) Driveway curb cuts.
A. Lot widths of 150 feet or less: No more than one driveway curb cut per lot.
B. Lot widths of more than 150 feet: No more than two driveway curb cuts per lot.
C. See Section 1207.13(c)(5) regarding limits on curb cuts to arterial and collector roads.
(10) Location of parking. In addition to the off-street parking requirements set forth in Section 1207.12
, off-street parking shall be located to the side or rear of the principal building.
(12) Pedestrian/bicycle pathways and linkages.
A. Provision shall be made in the design of all developments for non-vehicular circulation systems, including but not limited to sidewalks, pathways, and bikeways. Funds-in-lieu of public sidewalks and other non-vehicular circulation systems may be provided as set forth in Section 1207.13(e).
B. Any amount of land set aside for trails in a development shall be credited toward either the public or private open space requirements set forth in this section and in Section 1207.05.
C. To the maximum extent feasible, provision shall be made in the design of developments for interconnections with existing or planned streets and pedestrian or bikeway systems on adjoining properties, unless the City determines that such interconnections would have adverse impacts on open spaces, wetlands, sensitive environmental areas, or other significant areas.
(Ord. 16-148, § 9. Passed 2-21-17; Ord. 18-93. Passed 10-15-19; Ord. 21-46. Passed 8-17-21.)