§ 155.080 DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS.
   The following standards correspond to the footnote letters in § 155.067 Table of Regulations for Development Standards.
   (A)   If either public water or sewer is available: 15,000 square feet.
   (B)   Side yard provided but not required. Where any side yard is provided, though not required, the same shall be not less than three and one-half feet.
      (1)   Corner lots. Relative to a corner lot, a side yard setback consisting of one-half of the distance of the required front yard setback up to a maximum of 20 feet shall be maintained between the prospective building and the side street. This requirement shall not be applied so as to reduce the building width of a residentially zoned corner lot of record at the time of passage of this chapter to less than 30 feet, nor to prohibit the erection of any accessory building where this requirement cannot reasonably be complied with as determined by the Board of Adjustment.
      (2)   Miscellaneous exceptions. Steps, fire escapes, stairways, balconies and chimneys only project into a minimum yard not more than four feet as measured from the adjoining exterior wall, and an unenclosed porch may project into the required front or rear yard not more than ten feet.
      (3)   Features. Sills, cornices, buttresses, ornamental features and similar items may project into a required yard not more than 30 inches.
      (4)   Carports. Carports open on three sides may encroach on a side yard to a distance of not less than five feet from a side lot line, except on the street side yard of a corner lot where the setback shall be one-half of the distance of the required front yard setback up to a maximum of 20 feet. Storage areas may be constructed across the rear of a carport open on three sides that encroaches on a side yard, provided the storage area shall not contain more than 72 square feet nor constitute more than 18% of the area contained in the carport, whichever is less.
      (5)   Accessory buildings. Detached garages and accessory buildings to residential uses may be constructed in the rear yard provided they are located no closer than five feet, zero inches to any adjoining lot line, except on the street side yard of a corner lot where the setback shall be one-half of the distance of the required front yard setback up to a maximum of 20 feet.
      (6)   Front yard setbacks for prior lots of record. If a vacant lot is adjacent to a lot where an existing dwelling is located which is constructed less than the required minimum front yard setback, the required minimum front yard setback for the vacant lot shall not be less than the existing front yard setback for the adjacent dwelling. In cases where existing dwellings are located on both sides of the vacant lot, and each is constructed less than the required minimum front yard setback, the required minimum front yard setback for the vacant lot shall not be less than the average of the two existing dwellings.
   (C)   Minimum required additional side yard for each additional dwelling unit in excess of two in the principal structure.
   (D)   Church spires, flagpoles, antennas, (not to include satellite dish) chimneys and similar accessories to buildings are exempt.
   (E)   This front yard shall be developed for sidewalks, grass and plants and the necessary driveways. Off-street parking shall not be permitted in this area.
   (F)   No side yards are required except on lots that are adjacent to residential zoned lots. These lots shall have a minimum of side yard of ten feet. In cases where a side yard, not required, is provided, it shall be at least five feet in width.
   (G)   Abutting residential zones to commercial or industrial uses must maintain a visual buffer. The buffer shall be a compact evergreen hedge or other type of evergreen foliage, or shall be a combined fence and shrubbery screen, the former facing the residential use. It must be a minimum of six feet in height. Where a vegetative buffer is provided, the buffer shall be a minimum width of three feet. All buffers should be six inches off of the property line.
      (1)   Fences and walls. Fences not exceeding a height of four feet shall be exempt from the yard and building setback line requirements of this chapter. Fences not exceeding a height of six feet to be erected only in side or rear yards shall be exempt from the yard and building setback line requirements of this chapter, provided that no fence exceeding a height of four feet will be constructed within 15 feet to any street. In all cases, the corner visibility provisions of this chapter shall be observed.
      (2)   Open fence. Only conforming industrial and business land uses (with the exception of an O & I Zone) may have a solid or open fence or wall erected to a maximum height of ten feet, except as required by this chapter. An open fence or wall is one that has openings through which clear vision is possible from one side to the other on a horizontal plane, and the openings occupy 50% or more of the area of as an open fence or open wall shall maintain a setback at entrances and exits of the site to provide an adequate sight distance easement as determined by the establishment of an isosceles triangle having legs of 35 feet in length on each corner side of the entrance or exit, and the same sight distance easement shall be applied to the corner of nonresidential lots which are characterized by a street intersection.
   (H)   Off-street parking for all zones shall be provided according to the provisions set forth in §§ 155.110 through 155.113. Parking not required in B-1 District.
   (I)   Commercial development on residential streets. Development on city-maintained streets or streets historically used for residential traffic shall be constructed to NCDOT commercial driveway and street standards once a property is developed for office and institutional, commercial, or industrial uses at the expense of the developer. The affected area shall be at the discretion of the Planning Director or the Technical Review Committee (TRC).
(2009 Code, § 155.090) (Ord. passed 10-27-1992; Ord. 2021-Z-19, passed 6-22-2021; Ord. 2023-O-93, passed 9-26-2023)