(a) Intent.
(1) It is the intent of the City, in the creation of the R-6 Special Family Residence District, to provide for areas of medium residential density to be developed with townhouses, three-family dwellings and four-family dwellings, where such areas may be considered both desirable and feasible.
(2) The physical development criteria required herein are based upon those conditions deemed reasonable and necessary to:
A. Allow a maximum flexibility in development while maintaining an appropriate land use intensity;
B. Provide adequate and suitably located off-street parking areas;
C. Encourage more creative site design and efficient use of the land through varied lot sizes, building setbacks and yard areas;
D. Encourage the preservation and conservation of the natural geological features, topographic amenities and corresponding drainage patterns, and the native vegetation, thus reducing grading, drainage and related site preparation and construction work, while retaining the natural beauty of the site;
E. Permit the clustering of the dwellings around cul-de-sacs, and loop streets, common livable open spaces, recreation areas, and plazas, necessitating fewer and shorter streets and utility lines, resulting in lower per unit costs than is generally derived through conventional developments;
F. Provide and maintain readily accessible outdoor recreation areas and both private and common livable open spaces for the use and enjoyment of the residents;
G. Separate vehicular and pedestrian circulation systems; and
H. Otherwise create desirable housing conditions within such medium density multifamily developments.
(b) Permitted Uses.
(1) In an R-6 District, no building structure or land shall be located, erected or structurally altered, unless otherwise provided herein, except for one or more of the following uses:
A. Townhouse dwellings.
B. Three-family dwellings.
C. Four-family dwellings.
D. Single-family dwellings according to Chapter 1278.
E. Schools and other public uses.
F. Churches.
(2) Within the R-6 District, the following uses shall be classed as conditionally permitted uses, and may be permitted by the Planning Commission upon the issuance of a conditional zoning certificate, subject to the conditions established by the Commission for such uses:
A. Private swimming pools operated for the benefit of the residents of the development.
B. Private parks and recreation fields, picnic grounds, playground and tot lots, recreational and community center buildings and grounds, golf courses, country clubs, tennis courts and similar public and private recreational uses all of a noncommercial nature.
C. Conditional commercial as specified when 100 acres or more are under development.
1. Banks (branch offices).
2. Barber and beauty shops.
3. Branch libraries.
4. Cleaners and laundries (collection and distribution only).
5. Delicatessens.
6. Dairy products stores (no bottling or drive-in only).
7. Drug stores.
8. Florists.
9. Doctor and dentist offices.
(Ord. 74-58. Passed 6-17-74.)
D. Wireless telecommunications towers and related wireless telecommunications facilities.
(Ord. 99-46. Passed 10-24-99.)
(c) Prohibited Uses.
(1) Uses or processes which would affect an extensive area or be contrary to the public health and welfare in the City are prohibited in this and all other zoning districts. Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to, bituminous concrete manufacturing facilities, commonly known as "asphalt plants".
(Ord. 98-87. Passed 3-1-99.)
(2) No building or structure, except a principle residence, shall be built or erected on any vacant lot within the district.
(Ord. 2009-51. Passed 7-27-09.)
(3) A storage unit facility used or intended for storage of personal property other than property of the current lawful residents or owners of the principal residences thereon.
(Ord. 2022-5. Passed 11-21-22.)
(d) Maximum Density. The gross residential density for developments within the R-6 District shall not exceed six dwelling units per gross acre of land, excluding any street rights of way.
(e) Minimum Lot Area. The minimum lot area for the entire development, exclusive of any street rights of way, shall be not less than twenty-five acres, or 100 acres if conditional commercial is planned. Commercial development shall not exceed five percent. No commercial development shall begin until fifty percent of the proposed residential units are completed and occupied.
All lands within the development shall be contiguous in that the site shall not be divided into segments by any limited access highway, any railroad right of way or any tract of land, other than local streets or rights of way for pipelines or electric transmission lines, not owned by the developer. The site must be planned and developed as one integral unit.
(f) Building Height. No building or structure within the R-6 District shall hereafter be erected or structurally altered to a height exceeding two and one-half stories or thirty-five feet.
(g) Minimum Frontage. The lot frontage of the site to be developed shall be not less than 200 feet along an existing street right of way.
(h) Minimum Front Yard Depth. The depth of the front yard for each principal residential building shall be not less than thirty feet from the street right-of-way line.
(i) Minimum Side Yard Widths. The width of each side yard for each principal residential building shall be not less than fifteen feet.
(j) Minimum Rear Yard Depth. The depth of the rear yard for each principal residential building shall be not less than thirty-five feet.
(k) Screening of Nonresidential Districts. When a lot in an R-6 District abuts a nonresidential district, landscaping and/or privacy fencing, a minimum of six feet in height, shall be provided within the side or rear yard abutting such district to visually screen the nonresidential ground use from the residential property.
(l) Off-Street Parking.
(1) Minimum number of spaces.
A. One and one-half parking spaces shall be provided for each efficiency suite.
B. One and three-quarters parking spaces shall be provided for each one bedroom unit.
C. Two parking spaces shall be provided for each two or more bedroom unit.
(2) Location of parking spaces.
A. The parking spaces required shall be provided on the same lot served. No parking garage, either attached to or detached from a principal building, shall be located in any required front yard, within twenty-five feet of the street right-of-way line.
B. No less than twenty feet of horizontal open space on the ground shall be provided between any principal building and the curb line of any surface parking area or access drive.
C. The curb line of any surface parking area or access drive shall be at least five feet from any exterior lot line.
D. Surface parking areas shall be arranged so as to prevent through traffic to other parking areas.
E. Except at entrance and exit drives, surface parking areas shall be physically separated from public view and from any public or private street by a minimum ten foot wide planting strip. A structure or landscape planting shall be provided of sufficient height and density to screen off-street parking lots from public view and from adjoining residential districts. Such screening treatment shall conform to the requirements of all applicable City ordinances and to such reasonable conditions as may be required by the Planning Commission. In no case shall parking areas be designed to require or encourage cars to back into a public or private street in order to leave the lot.
(3) Design standards.
A. No one area for off-street parking of motor vehicles, except for enclosed garages, shall exceed twenty cars in capacity. Separate parking areas on a parcel shall be physically separated from one another by minimum ten foot wide planting strips.
B. All dead-end parking lots shall be designed to provide sufficient backup areas for the end stall of the parking area.
C. Parking areas shall be designed so that each motor vehicle may proceed to and from the parking space provided without requiring the moving of another motor vehicle.
D. The width of entrance and exit drives shall be a minimum of twelve feet for one-way use only; a minimum of twenty feet for two-way use; and a maximum of twenty-four feet at the street line.
E. The provisions of Chapter 1276 shall also be in force and effect in the R-6 District.
(m) Court Dimensions.
(1) Outer courts. The width of any outer court formed by building walls on three sides shall be not less than forty feet. The depth of an outer court shall be no greater than one and one-half times the width.
(2) Inner courts.
A. The least dimension of an inner court formed by building walls on all four sides shall be not less than forty feet.
B. An open end unobstructed passageway shall be provided at the grade level of each inner court. Such passageway shall have a cross section area and sufficient headroom to permit the passage of fire fighting equipment and shall be continuous from the inner court to a yard or an unobstructed open area between buildings.
(n) Screening of Trash Collection Areas. Trash and/or garbage collection areas for all multifamily residential buildings shall be enclosed on at least three sides by a decorative solid wall or solid fence at least four feet in height or such greater height as needed to completely enclose the containers from top to bottom, if such area is not within an enclosed building or structure. Such solid wall or solid fence shall be situated so as to screen the view of the collection area from adjacent streets and properties.
(o) Minimum Livable Open Space Required.
(1) A minimum of fifty percent of the gross land area shall be livable open space for the use and enjoyment of the residents. Livable open space shall include both private outdoor areas and common outdoor areas.
(2) "Livable open space" is the minimum required non-vehicular open space left unobstructed to the sky. The livable open space may include the yard areas that are landscaped as lawn areas, private patios and minimum open space areas for recreation. No parking spaces, loading areas or access drives can be included as part of the livable open space to be provided on the lot.
(3) A portion of the livable open space shall be developed for active or passive recreation, suitable in area and type for the dwelling units to be constructed, subject to the approval of the Planning Commission. Passive recreation facilities might include common outdoor sitting areas in the form of sundecks or garden areas. Active recreation areas might include swimming pools, tennis courts, basketball courts, shuffle board courts, ice skating rinks, tot lots and playgrounds and similar facilities appropriate for the specific project.
(4) For purposes of compliance with livable open space requirements, permanent bodies of water, as indicated on most recently published U.S. geological survey maps or as indicated by more recent aerial photography and field observations, shall be credited as one-half acre of open space for each one acre of water surface area. This shall also apply to manmade lakes and streams.
(5) A minimum of sixty percent of the total number of dwelling units in the development shall directly abut the common livable open space, and all other dwelling units shall have public access via a pedestrian circulation system of paths or walkways and be in close proximity to the common livable open space. The pedestrian circulation system and its related walkways shall be insulated as completely and as reasonably as possible from the vehicular street system in order to provide separation of pedestrian and vehicular movement. This shall include, when deemed to be necessary by the Planning Commission, pedestrian underpasses or overpasses in the vicinity of schools, playgrounds and other neighborhood uses which generate a considerable amount of pedestrian traffic. The common livable open space shall be available for the use of all occupants of the total project as defined on the approved site development plan; and, shall be available for use not later than at such time as sixty percent of the total dwelling units indicated on the approved site development plan are completed and ready for occupancy.
(6) No open area may be accepted as common livable open space in an R-6 District unless it meets the following standards:
A. The location, shape, size and character of the area must be suitable for the anticipated open space needs of the residents of the development.
B. The area must be used as an amenity or for recreational purposes. The uses authorized for the common open space must be appropriate to the scale and character of the development, considering its size, intensity of development, expected population, topography and other site features and the number and type of dwellings to be provided.
C. The open space must be suitably improved for its intended use, but areas containing natural features worthy of preservation may be left unimproved. Any recreational buildings and structures or similar recreational improvements which are permitted must be appropriate to the uses which are authorized to the common open space and must conserve and enhance the amenities of the area having regard to its topography and other natural features.
D. The development schedule included as part of the development plan must coordinate the improvement of the common open space, the construction of recreational buildings and structures, and the construction of residential dwellings in the development.
E. If the final site development plan provides for recreational buildings, structures and improvements in the common open space of a value in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), the developer must provide a bond or other adequate assurance that the recreational buildings, structures and improvements will be completed. The Planning Commission shall release the bond or other assurance when the recreational buildings, structures or improvements have been completed according to the final site development plan. (Ord. 2012-40. Passed 7-23-12.)
(7) All common livable land shown on the final site development plan must contain legally enforceable reservations and restrictions which will insure the preservation of such land for recreational and similar open space for the enjoyment and benefit of the owners and residents.
(8) All land shown on the final site development plan as common livable open space must be conveyed under one of the following options:
A. It may be conveyed to the City, with the Planning Commission's recommendation and approval of the Recreation Board, who will agree to maintain the common open space and any recreational buildings, structures or improvements which have been placed on it. When this option of conveyance is elected, the common open space should constitute an integral part of the existing public parks and open space system or be designated as potential open space on the City's future land use plan as adopted and amended.
B. It may be conveyed to trustees of an incorporated homeowners' association. The common open space must be conveyed to the trustees subject to covenants to be approved by the Commission which restrict the common open space to the uses specified on the final site development plan, and which provide for the maintenance of the common open space in a manner which assures its continuing use for its intended purpose.
(p) Streets. All streets shall conform to the City Subdivision Regulations and shall be dedicated to public use.
(q) Accessibility and Circulation. Adequate provision shall be made for vehicular and pedestrian circulation to and within the development. The development should be designed so that each dwelling is located on a local street planned in such a way that through traffic is minimized. Access to and from the development should be via major streets with connections located at such places as to minimize the disruption of traffic flow on these streets. At no time shall traffic be directed through existing residential neighborhoods on other than major streets. Provision shall be made for the continuation of major streets through the development. All developments shall have two points of access from the existing or planned future street system. (Ord. 74-58. Passed 6-17-74.)
(r) Drainage, Surfacing and Maintenance Standards. The area of the lot not landscaped and so maintained, including driveways, shall be graded, hard-surfaced, and drained to the satisfaction of the City Engineer to the extent necessary to prevent dust, erosion or excessive water flow across streets or adjoining properties.
(Ord. 2011-83. Passed 11-21-11.)
(s) Utilities. All developments shall provide for underground installation of electric and telephone utilities where possible. Adequate public water and sewer facilities shall be available or shall be provided as part of the development. Utilities and maintenance of facilities shall be in accordance with requirements and regulations of the appropriate municipal authority having jurisdiction thereof.
(t) Erosion and Sedimentation Control. Effective erosion and sedimentation controls shall be planned and applied according to the following principles:
(1) The smallest practical area of land shall be exposed at any one time during development.
(2) When land is exposed during development, the exposure shall be kept to the shortest practical period of time.
(3) Temporary vegetation and/or mulching shall be used to protect critical areas exposed during development.
(4) Sediment basins, debris basins, desilting basins or silt traps shall be installed and maintained to remove sediment from run-off waters from land undergoing development.
(5) Provisions that meet the approval of the City Engineer shall be made to effectively accommodate the increased run-off caused by changed soil and surface conditions during and after development.
(6) The permanent final vegetation and structures shall be installed as soon as practical in the development.
(7) The development plan shall be fitted to the topography and soils so as to create the least erosion potential.
(8) Wherever feasible and desirable, natural vegetation should be retained and protected.
(u) Permitted Signs. The provisions of Chapter 1274 shall be in full force and effect in the R-6 District.
(w) Certificate of Occupancy. The provisions set forth in Chapter 1262 shall apply in the R-6 District.
(Ord. 74-58. Passed 6-17-74.)