§ 14-208. "R-14", "R-15", "R-16" Residential Districts. 76

   (1)   Yards.

      (a)   Yards in "R-14" and "R-15". Subject to the yard requirements set forth in § 14-205, the front, side and rear yards in this district shall be defined as the open area created on the lot by the following requirements:

         (.1)   Any wall of a structure containing one or more legally required windows shall be located so that every point of said wall shall be a minimum horizontal distance from the lot line equal to 1/2 the height of said point above the average ground level at the base of the structure; provided, that where said wall faces upon a street, said distance may be measured from the centerline of said street rather than the lot line.

      (b)   Yards in "R-16".

         (.1)   Front Yards and Side Yards Facing Streets. Any front wall or side wall of a structure containing one or more legally required windows shall be located so that every point of said wall shall be a minimum horizontal distance from the centerline of the street equal to 1/2 the height of said point above the average ground level at the base of the structure;

         (.2)   Other Side Yards and Certain Open Courts. Any side wall which does not face a street, and any open court which is not between the wings of the same building, containing one or more legally required windows shall be located so that the first 5 stories of said wall shall be a minimum horizontal distance of 8 feet from the side lot line, and for each additional 5 stories or less of said wall, a minimum additional horizontal distance of 8 feet from the side lot line shall be added. Any building having a side wall (regardless of height) which does not contain legally required windows need not have a side yard, but if a side yard is provided, it shall have a minimum width of eight feet;

         (.3)   Rear Yards. Any rear wall of a structure containing one or more legally required windows shall be located so that the first 5 stories of said wall shall be a minimum horizontal distance of 15 feet from the rear lot line, and for each additional 5 stories or less of said wall, a minimum additional horizontal distance of 15 feet from the rear lot line shall be added; provided, that where said wall faces upon a street, said distance may be measured from the centerline of said street, rather than the lot line. Any building having a rear wall (regardless of height) which does not contain legally required windows need not have a rear yard, but if a rear yard is provided, it shall have a minimum depth of 15 feet.

   (2)   Courts. Courts, when used, shall have minimum widths as follows:

      (a)   The minimum width of open courts not between wings of the same building shall be the same as for side yards in "R-14", shall be not less than 5 feet in "R-15" and shall be not less than 8 feet in "R-16";

      (b)   The minimum width of courts between wings of the same structure shall be determined by the following requirements:

         (.1)   For buildings of 3 stories or less and not in excess of 35 feet high, the minimum width shall be not less than the length or depth of such court;

         (.2)   For buildings over 3 stories or over 35 feet in height, whichever is less, the minimum width shall be not less than the length or depth of such court plus  of that portion of the height of the building over 3 stories or 35 feet;

      (c)   The dimensions of an inner court shall be equal to the height of the higher wall between which each dimension of the inner court is being measured.

   (3)   Additional Floor Area in "R-14" and "R-15". In addition to the Basic Floor Area, any building in this district shall be permitted additional gross floor area in accordance with the following provisions, which shall be cumulative in their effect:

      (a)   Buildings Constructed Back from Streets Fifty Feet or More in Width. Where a building or any portion thereof is constructed back, at ground level (at least 10 feet in "R-15"), from the street line of any street of 50 feet or more in width, there shall be permitted 2 square feet (4 square feet in "R-15") of additional gross floor area for each square foot between the street line and the building (including areas of required yards); provided, that the foregoing shall not apply to any area which lies further from the street line than 50% of the depth of the lot;

      (b)   Buildings Constructed Back from Streets Less than Fifty Feet in Width. Where a building or any portion thereof is constructed back, at ground level (at least 10 feet in "R-15"), from the street line of any street of less than 50 feet in width, there shall be permitted 1 square foot (2 square feet in "R-15") of additional gross floor area for each square foot between the street line and the building (including areas of yards); provided, that the foregoing shall not apply to any area which lies further from the street line than 50% of the depth of the lot;

      (c)   Buildings Constructed Away from Rear Lot Line, Not a Street Line. Where a building or any portion thereof is constructed away, at ground level, from a rear lot line which is not a street line, there shall be permitted 0.7 square foot (1 square foot in "R-15") of additional gross floor area for each square foot between the rear lot line and the building (including areas of yards); provided, that the foregoing shall not apply to any area which lies further from the rear lot line than 50% of the depth of the lot;

      (d)   Buildings Constructed With Open Arcades. Where a building or any portion thereof is constructed so that at the ground level there is an open arcade of at least 10 feet in unobstructed width which abuts a sidewalk and is open to public use at all times, there shall be permitted 0.3 square foot of additional gross floor area for each square foot in said arcade; provided, that this sub-paragraph shall also apply to buildings cantilevered to produce an effect similar to an arcade at least 10 feet in unobstructed width;

      (e)   Open Areas Separated from a Street Line by an Open Arcade. Where a building or any portion thereof is constructed back, at ground level (at least 15 feet in "R-15"), to create a continuous open area which is separated from the street line only by an open arcade, there shall be permitted 2 square feet (4 square feet in "R-15") of additional gross floor area for each square foot of such open area where said street line is of a street which is 50 feet or more in width, or 1 square foot (2 square feet in "R-15") of additional gross floor area for each square foot of such open area where said street line is of a street which is less than 50 feet in width, subject to the following provisions:

         (.1)   The foregoing shall not apply to any area that lies further from the street line than 50% of the depth of the lot;

         (.2)   "Continuous open area" as used in this sub-paragraph, shall mean an open area which is unobstructed (except for passage through the open arcade) in a straight line from the building to the street line;

         (.3)   The additional gross floor area permitted for the area within said open arcade itself shall in all cases be governed by sub-paragraph (d) above;

      (f)   Other Open Areas Provided at Ground Level. Where a building or any portion thereof is constructed so as to provide open areas at ground level other than those described in sub-paragraphs (a) through (e) above, there shall be permitted 0.6 square feet of additional gross floor area for each square foot of such open area;

      (g)   Buildings Constructed Away from any Lot Line at First or Second Story Roof Level. Where a building or any portion thereof is constructed away from any lot line (whether or not said lot line is also a street line) above ground level but not beyond the second story roof level, there shall be permitted 0.5 square feet of additional gross floor area for each square foot between the lot line and the building; provided, that where a building or any portion thereof is constructed away from a lot line at successive distances at different levels, the computation of permitted additional gross floor area shall be made for each level, beginning at the ground level, and not including, in each case, areas between the building and the lot line which have already been used in computing permitted additional gross floor area at another level;

      (h)   Areas Used or Intended to be Used for Parking. Any area used or intended to be used for parking purposes shall not be included as permitting additional gross floor area under the provisions of sub-paragraphs (d) and (e) above.

 

Notes

76	Added, Bill No. 030483 (approved November 13, 2003); enrolled bill read "District".