(a) The area of a dwelling unit in a U-1 District shall be the sum of the floor areas above the basement level, including those rooms having a minimum ceiling height of seven (7) feet six (6) inches and closets having a minimum ceiling height of seven (7) feet and having natural light and ventilation as required by the Building and Housing Code. Rooms above the first floor may be included in the total floor area if they are directly connected by a permanent stairs and a hall, and spaces under pitched roofs having a minimum knee wall height of four (4) feet may be included in the total area if two-thirds (2/3) of the room area has a minimum ceiling height of seven (7) feet six (6) inches. In the case of a split-level dwelling, the floor area of the lowest level shall be included in the first floor area if sixty percent (60%) of the room height is above grade. Floor area shall be measured from the exterior faces of the exterior walls. The minimum total floor area of a one-family dwelling shall be 2,200 square feet, and the minimum first floor area will be 1,400 square feet. Such floor areas shall not include the basement or garage. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 1164.03(b), if any dwelling which is nonconforming as to its minimum floor area is damaged or destroyed to an extent of more than seventy-five percent (75%) of its replacement cost, as determined by the Building Inspector, it may be reconstructed at the same size that it existed prior to its destruction.
(b) The total building ground coverage of all structures on a U-1 property shall not exceed fifteen percent (15%). “Building ground coverage” means the horizontal area of ground covered by a building as measured by the vertical projections of the outermost wall surfaces of the building and generally expressed as square feet or a percentage of total lot area.
(Ord. 2006-46. Passed 12-13-06.)