The primary purpose of this district is the protection of agricultural operations in portions of the town appropriate for such uses and in general to prohibit those uses which would be incompatible with agriculture. At the same time the district would provide for rural low-density residence and certain public and semi-public uses in a spacious environment. While land use in the district is generally rural, it is nevertheless located near urban development and where urban services can be extended at the appropriate time. Therefore permanent preservation of agriculture is not intended and certain more intensive agricultural uses would be permitted only by conditional use permit.

(Code 1972, § 30-14; Code 1992, § 30-14)

In the A Agricultural District, structures to be erected, or land to be used, shall be for one or more of the following uses:

(1)

Single-family dwellings, including a family and one unrelated individual per unit.

(2)

Agriculture and forestry.

(3)

Pens for animals or poultry or those intensive agricultural operations commonly known as confinement operations where large numbers of animals or fowl are confined to a relatively small space, such as veal or poultry pens or houses, feedlots and dairying operations, with a conditional use permit. An enclosure for less than 100 fowl and enclosed pasture or range with an area in excess of 100 square feet for each small animal or 4,000 square feet for each larger animal, such as horses, ponies, cattle or sheep, shall not require a conditional use permit.

(4)

Public buildings to consist of fire, police and rescue squad stations, schools and recreational facilities. Private buildings to consist of schools and recreational facilities, with a conditional use permit.

(5)

Parks and playgrounds.

(6)

Churches and other places of worship.

(7)

Sawmills, temporary, with a conditional use permit.

(8)

Planing mills, temporary, with a conditional use permit.

(9)

Airports and heliports, with a conditional use permit.

(10)

Preserves and conservation areas.

(11)

Clubs and lodges, with a conditional use permit.

(12)

Cemeteries, with conditional use permit.

(13)

Minor home occupations. Major home occupations with a conditional use permit.

(14)

Facilities and structures necessary for rendering utility service, including poles, wires, transformers, transmission lines, telephone booths and the like for normal electrical power distribution or communication service; communications antennas; amateur radio towers; meters and pipelines or conduits for electrical, gas, sewer or water service; pumping and regulatory stations; substations. Public utility generating, booster or relay stations; major transmission lines and towers; communications monopoles; railroad yards and terminals; and treatment facilities are permitted with a conditional use permit.

(15)

Off-street parking and loading.

(16)

Signs in accordance with the sign ordinance in article XXIV, signs.

(17)

Accessory buildings and uses, including temporary wayside stands for seasonal sales of products raised or made on the premises; provided, that garages or other accessory structures, such as carports, porches and stoops attached to the main building, shall be considered part of the main building; provided further, that no accessory building shall be closer than three feet to any property line or located within any easement or right-of-way.

(18)

Industrialized building units for agricultural, institutional, security or construction purposes, with a conditional use permit. A conditional use permit shall not be required for construction trailers on active construction sites.

(19)

Fraternity and sorority houses, with a conditional use permit.

(20)

Campground, overnight, with a conditional use permit. Except for campground record keeping, commercial or other business activities shall be limited to the campground and its occupants and conducted only when authorized by conditional use permit which shall specify the parameters of the commercial activities.

(21)

Adult day care center as an accessory use, but not accessory structure, to an existing and permitted institutional use with a conditional use permit.

(22)

Family day homes serving one through five children.

(23)

Child day care centers as an accessory use, but not accessory structure, to an existing and permitted institutional use with a conditional use permit.

(24)

Kennels, with a conditional use permit.

(25)

Rehabilitation centers, with a conditional use permit.

(26)

Portable storage containers, in accordance with section 42-662.

(27)

Assisted living facilities and group homes of eight or fewer individuals as exempted by Code of Virginia, § 15.2-2291.

(28)

Loudspeaker/sound amplification/outdoor sound system to be used in excess of the town's noise ordinance, with a conditional use permit.

(Code 1972, § 30-15; Code 1992, § 30-15; Ord. of 6-20-1989; Ord. of 10-24-1989; Ord. of 10-16-1990; Ord. of 12-17-1991(1); Ord. of 12-17-1996, Art. II; Ord. of 6-2-1998; Ord. of 12-7-1999; Ord. No. 2000-2, 4-18-2000; Ord. No. 2001-1, 4-17-2001; Ord. No. 2001-2, 5-15-2001; Ord. No. 2004-4, 9-7-2004; Ord. No. 2007-1, 4-3-2007; Ord. No. 2008-6, 12-2-2008; Ord. No. 2012-6, § 30-15, 6-19-2012; Ord. No. 2012-10, § 30-15, 11-20-2012; Ord. No. 2017-7, 9-12-2017; Ord. No. 2018-4, 4-24-2018)

The minimum lot area for each permitted use except public utilities shall be one-half acre.

(Code 1972, § 30-16; Code 1992, § 30-16; Ord. of 6-20-1989)

Structures shall be located 35 feet or more from any street right-of-way which is 50 feet or greater in width, or, in the event that buildings are already constructed on the same side of the street in the same block, no new structure shall be closer to the street right-of-way line than a distance equal to the average of the distance to the street right-of-way of all existing structures in the same block on the same side of the street. This shall be known as the setback line. See article XVII for special setback regulations pertaining to the widening of highways and streets. See section 42-15 for special regulations pertaining to structural projections into the minimum required setback. Parking lots shall have a minimum setback of 15 feet from any street right-of-way. The keeping of swine or goats shall require a minimum setback of 100 feet from all zoning district boundary lines other than the A Agricultural, I-1 Limited Industrial or I-2 General Industrial Districts.

(Code 1972, § 30-17; Code 1992, § 30-17; Ord. No. 2002-2, 3-5-2002; Ord. No. 2020-4, 1-12-2021)

(a)

The minimum lot width at the setback line and the street line shall be 150 feet.

(b)

All structures in this district shall be located on the lot with the front of the structure facing the front lot line.

(Code 1972, § 30-18; Code 1992, § 30-18; Ord. No. 2012-6, § 30-18, 6-19-2012)

(a)

The minimum side yard for each main structure shall be a minimum of 25 feet or side lot line easement width, whichever is greater.

(b)

Each main structure shall have a rear yard of 50 feet or more.

(c)

Accessory structures shall have a side and rear yard of three feet or more.

(d)

Handicap ramps shall be allowed to encroach in all yards if the following criteria are met:

(1)

The encroachment by the ramp must be the minimum necessary to accomplish safe access;

(2)

The ramp must meet the current edition of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and the Town of Christiansburg Code; and

(3)

The minimum size of a building entry landing associated with the ramp shall meet Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code requirements. The maximum building entry landing size shall be six feet by six feet.

(e)

Structural projections into minimum required yards shall be permitted in accordance with section 42-15.

(Code 1972, § 30-19; Code 1992, § 30-19; Ord. of 6-20-1989; Ord. No. 2007-1, 4-3-2007; Ord. No. 2012-6, § 30-19, 6-19-2012; Ord. No. 2015-1, 4-28-2015; Ord. No. 2020-4, 1-12-2021)

Buildings may be erected up to 35 feet in height from street grade or lot grade at setback line, whichever is greater; except, that:

(1)

A public or semi-public building, such as a school or church, may be erected to a height of 60 feet from grade; provided, that required front, side and rear yards shall be increased one foot for each foot in height over 35 feet.

(2)

Church spires, belfries, cupolas, monuments, water towers, chimneys, flues and flagpoles shall be exempt from this section.

(3)

Parapet walls may be up to four feet above the height of the building on which the walls rest.

(4)

No accessory building which is within 20 feet of any property line shall be more than one story high.

(Code 1972, § 30-20; Code 1992, § 30-20)

The following special provisions shall apply to corner lots:

(1)

Of the two sides of a corner lot, the front shall be deemed to be the shorter of the two sides fronting on streets.

(2)

The side yard on the side facing the side street shall be 35 feet or more for both main and accessory buildings, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.

(Code 1972, § 30-21; Code 1992, § 30-21; Ord. No. 2020-4, 1-12-2021)