§ 38-401. General area, height and building requirements.

(a)

Measuring setbacks and lot dimensions. All setback and lot dimensions shall be measured in accordance with the following figure:

(b)

Configuration of lots. Flag lots (i.e., lots with minimal, or panhandle type, frontage) shall not be permitted. Double frontage lots in residential zoning districts shall only be permitted if access is limited to one street frontage. Lots shall be classified based on the following figure:

(c)

Building setbacks. Where a building setback line has been established by recorded plat, and the setback line requires a setback greater or lesser in depth than is prescribed by this chapter for the district in which the building is located, the required setback shall be the most restrictive setback line established either by plat or this chapter.

(d)

Front, side and rear yards.

(1)

On all corner lots, the front yard setback shall be observed along the frontage of both intersecting streets, unless approved specifically otherwise on a subdivision plat or development plat. Where lots have double frontage, extending from one street to another, a required front yard shall be provided.

(2)

The front of the primary building or structure on a lot shall not face the side or rear yard.

(3)

Where the frontage on one side of a street, between two intersecting streets, is divided by two or more zoning districts, the front yard shall comply with the requirements of the most restrictive district for the entire frontage.

(4)

The front yard shall be measured from the property line to the front face of the building, to the nearest supporting member of a covered porch or terrace, or to any attached accessory building.

(5)

Every part of a required front, side or rear yard shall be open and unobstructed except for the ordinary projections of window sills, belt courses, cornices, canopies and other architectural features not to exceed 12 inches into the required front, side or rear yard.

(6)

Roof eaves, roof extensions or an unenclosed, uncovered porch (no posts or columns) may project into the required front, side or rear yard for a distance not to exceed 48 inches.

(7)

Subsurface structures, platforms, enclosures or slabs may not project into the front, side or rear yard to a height greater than 30 inches above the average grade of the yard.

(8)

Where a future right-of-way line has been established for future widening or opening of a street or thoroughfare, upon which a lot abuts, then the front, side, or rear yard shall be measured from the future right-of-way line.

(9)

Air conditioning compressors and similar equipment are permitted in the side or rear yard, only.

(e)

Sight visibility. Visual clearance shall be provided in all zoning districts so that no fence, wall, architectural screen, earth mounding or landscaping 30 inches or higher above the street centerline obstructs the vision of a motor vehicle driver approaching any street, alley, or driveway intersection as follows:

(1)

At a street intersection, clear vision must be maintained for a minimum of 25 feet across any lot measured from the corner of the property line in both directions (along both streets).

(2)

At a street intersection with an alley, clear vision must be maintained for a minimum of ten feet across any lot measured from the corner of the property line in both directions (along both streets).

(3)

Shrubs and hedges that are typically less than 30 inches in height at maturity, as measured from the centerline of the street, may be located in the visual clearance areas of all districts but shall be maintained at a height of less than 30 inches.

(f)

Height.

(1)

For the purposes of calculating the overall height of a structure, slope shall be calculated from the highest point of the building at natural grade to the lowest point of the building at natural grade, or at the natural grade of the adjacent roadway, along a line that is, as close as possible, perpendicular to existing contours.

(2)

The height shall be measured from the highest parapet or roof ridge to natural grade or finish grade at the lowest point adjacent to the building exterior, whichever yields the greatest height.

(3)

In districts where the height of buildings is restricted to two or more stories, cooling towers may extend for an additional height not to exceed 40 feet above the average grade line of the building. Water stand pipes and tanks, church steeples, domes and spires, ornamental cupolas, city or school district buildings, and institutional buildings may be erected to exceed the height limit, as specified in the particular zoning district, provided that one additional foot shall be added to the front, side, or rear yard setback for each one foot that such structures exceed the zoning district height limit.

(Ord. No. 120910-01, § 1(ch. 5, § 1), 12-9-2010)