Chester Heights City Zoning Code
ARTICLE X
RA Residence Apartment Districts
§ 185-54 Applicability.
In RA Residence Apartment Districts, the following regulations shall apply.
§ 185-55 Use regulations.
Uses permitted in the R 3/4 District.
§ 185-56 Area and height regulations.
A.
Regulations applying to single-family dwellings. Every lot hereafter used for a single-family dwelling and any structure accessory thereto shall meet the height, building line, acreage and setback requirements provided in Article VII hereof for single-family dwellings.
B.
Regulations applying to apartment houses. The following area and height regulations shall apply to every building or group of buildings hereafter erected or used as apartment houses.
(1)
Lot area. Every lot on which an apartment house or combination of apartment houses is hereinafter erected or used shall have an area of not less than five acres.
(2)
Lot width. Every such lot shall not be less than 400 feet in width at the building line.
(3)
Density.
(a)
The number of apartments permitted on a lot shall be determined according to the following:
Bedrooms per Apartment | Lot Area Provided per Apartment (square feet) | |
|---|---|---|
1 | 4,500 | |
2 | 4,500 | |
3 | 6,000 | |
4 | 7,500 |
(b)
In no event shall the building or buildings occupy more than 30% of the lot area.
(4)
Yards. There shall be front, side and rear yards not less than 50 feet in depth between any building and any public or private street and any property line. If said street is designated as an arterial or collector street, then the front yard depth shall be not less than 75 feet.
(5)
Building height. No building or structure shall exceed three stories or 35 feet in height, except that no accessory structure shall exceed 20 feet in height.
(6)
Building size. The greatest dimension in length or depth of any apartment building shall not exceed 120 feet.
(7)
Minimum room sizes. Rooms in apartments shall have the following minimum areas, exclusive of closet space. Any floor space exceeding 40 square feet, enclosed by partitions or walls having cased openings or doors of any type, shall be deemed to be a room. A basement shall not contain habitable rooms except for janitor's living quarters, which shall be counted as a dwelling unit.
Type of Room | Floor Area (square feet) | |
|---|---|---|
First bedroom | 160 | |
All other bedrooms | 120 | |
Living room | 240 | |
Dining room | 160 | |
Dinette | 120 | |
Kitchen | 80 | |
Bath | 40 |
(8)
Minimum habitable floor area. Each apartment unit shall have not less than 600 square feet of gross habitable floor area, not including stairs and corridors.
§ 185-57 Special regulations.
A.
Subdivision compliance. In addition to the requirements of this chapter, the plan for proposed development shall comply with the standards of Chapter 162, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of the Village of Chester Heights.
B.
Landscape architecture.
(1)
A landscape plan prepared by a landscape architect shall be required. The plan shall include the following information.
(a)
Approximate finished grades and drainage patterns of topography after project construction.
(b)
Description of existing vegetation conditions on the tract and measures to be taken to protect such vegetation during and following construction.
(c)
Proposed locations and listing of plant materials, by species and size, to be planted at the project.
(d)
Proposed locations and descriptions of other landscape materials to be used at the project.
(2)
The landscape plan shall reflect the following considerations:
(a)
The definitions of spaces within the proposed development, e.g., by creating enclosures, open areas and landmarks. Particular attention shall be given to creating privacy for individual units by the creative use of plants and structural materials harmonious with the overall architectural theme of the proposed development.
(b)
The provision of visual screening.
[1]
Within and between parking areas.
[2]
Between buildings.
[3]
Between buildings and streets.
(c)
The provision of landscaped visual buffer zones along tract boundary lines of such width, density and variation of plantings as necessary to ensure privacy of adjoining properties. The minimum width of such buffer zones shall be 15 feet.
(d)
The provision of landscaping to help improve human comfort and to serve as a means of energy conservation. Measures to be considered shall include the use of plant materials to reduce the chilling effects of strong prevailing winter winds and to provide shade during hot summer months.
(e)
The provision of plant materials and natural environments to provide food and cover for upland birds and other wildlife species compatible with residential communities. The provision of suitable gardening areas to be used by residents of the proposed development.
(f)
The use of plant species which add diversity and richness to the proposed development, in terms of colors and textures, as well, as those species which are hardy, relatively disease and insect-resistant, locally available, and primarily indigenous to the natural environments of the region.
C.
Solid waste storage and collection.
(1)
A plan for the storage and collection of trash, garbage and rubbish must be submitted as part of the application for apartment use approval, indicating methods and proposed locations for the storage and collection of all solid wastes.
(2)
Outdoor refuse collection centers must be accessible to the street system and must be screened by landscaping, wall or fence from public view and adjoining properties.
D.
Emergency facilities and services. Plans for streets, parking areas and building placement and construction shall be reviewed by the Marshal of the local fire department. The following provisions shall be met:
(1)
Fire hydrants, as required by the local fire department and all applicable provisions of the Borough's subdivision regulations.
(2)
Smoke detector devices, approved by the local fire department, which shall include a minimum of one per unit and one per corridor. An internal alarm system with trip stations within 15 feet of every apartment door and sufficient alarm bells to be heard inside every apartment unit when any station is tripped.
(3)
Fire lanes shall be subject to the approval of the Borough Fire Marshal. No apartment shall be located more than 150 feet from a duly improved and accessible fire lane, as defined herein, nor more than 600 feet from a private or public street.
(4)
Fire lanes shall have a minimum unobstructed right-of-way width of 40 feet; and there shall be constructed within this right-of-way an all-weather and well drained, surfaced cartway with a minimum width of 20 feet. The extension of fire lanes shall begin from one or more private or public streets.
(5)
Dead-end fire lanes shall be terminated with an unobstructed vehicular turnaround or cul-de-sac with a minimum right-of-way radius of 60 feet and shall have a minimum surfaced radius of 50 feet. Dead-end fire lanes shall have a maximum length of 400 feet.
(6)
The location of fire lanes shall conform to plans for the extension of streets, sanitary sewers, water mains, storm sewers and other drainage facilities and public utilities as contained in this chapter and other ordinances of the Borough of Chester Heights and shall provide adequate access to buildings by firemen and other emergency services.
(7)
A systematic building numbering system shall be designed and implemented, with all numbers to be displayed in a manner adequate for convenient recognition by fire, police and ambulance personnel.
E.
Off-street parking, loading and special requirement relating to street frontage. The parking regulations under §§ 185-103, 185-104 and 185-105 of Article XVII or this chapter shall apply.
(1)
An off-street parking space serving an apartment may be provided as an individual garage, as a carport, or be in a parking compound adjacent to or near the apartment, but it may not be closer than 20 feet to an apartment wall, except when located within the apartment house. The minimum required parking spaces shall not be met by permitting on-street parking on any street whether public or private.
(2)
Parking lots shall be designed so that not more than 10 parking spaces are placed in a continuous row without intervening planting areas of at least 100 square feet.
(3)
Each such parking space shall provide a minimum of 190 square feet (9 1/2 feet by 20 feet) of off-street paved parking surface exclusive of the space needed for access and maneuvering.
