Davis City Zoning Code
ARTICLE 40
09 RESIDENTIAL HIGH DENSITY APARTMENT R-HD DISTRICT
§ 40.09.010 Purpose.
The purpose of a residential high density apartment (R-HD) district is to stabilize and protect the residential character of the district, and to promote, insofar as is compatible with the intensity of land use, a suitable environment for family life. This district is to be established in areas in close proximity to the central commercial area of the city or the university.
(Ord. 296 § 11.1)
§ 40.09.020 Permitted uses.
The principal permitted uses of land in an R-HD district are as follows:
(a)
Single-family dwellings and duplexes.
(b)
Dwellings, multiple.
(c)
Rooming and boarding houses.
(d)
Family and group day care homes as defined in Section 40.26.270.
(e)
Group care homes with six or fewer clients.
(f)
Cooperative housing, as defined in Section 40.01.010.
(g)
Supportive housing.
(h)
Transitional housing.
(Ord. 296 § 11.2; Ord. 862 § 5; Ord. 1198 § 1; Ord. 1737 §§ 8, 9, 1994; Ord. 1787 § 14; Ord. 2413 § 2, 2013; Ord. 2677, 11/4/2025)
§ 40.09.030 Accessory uses.
The following accessory uses are permitted in an R-HD district:
(a)
Home occupations subject to the provisions of Sections 40.01.010 and 40.26.150.
(b)
Swimming pools, private, subject to provisions of Section 40.26.350.
(c)
Signs, subject to the regulations of Section 40.26.020.
(d)
Other accessory uses and accessory buildings customarily appurtenant to a permitted use subject to provisions of Section 40.26.010.
(e)
Accessory dwelling units meeting the requirements of Section 40.26.450 (Ministerial accessory dwelling units).
(Ord. 296 § 11.3; Ord. 875 § 8; Ord. 2126 § 5, 2003; Ord. 2572 § 10, 2020)
§ 40.09.040 Conditional uses.
The following conditional uses may be permitted in an R-HD district:
(a)
Social halls, lodges, fraternal organizations and clubs, except those operated for a profit, subject to the provisions of Section 40.26.090.
(b)
Public and semipublic buildings and uses of a recreational, educational, cultural or public service type, including public utility, but not including corporation yards, storage or repair yards, warehouses and similar uses.
(c)
Hospitals, churches and other religious or eleemosynary institutions, subject to the provisions of Section 40.26.160.
(d)
Student oriented commercial uses may be permitted on the ground floor; provided, that the following conditions are found to exist:
(1)
Such uses conform to the intent of the master plan of the city;
(2)
Such uses are of the type that would primarily serve college students who would approach the area by bicycle or by walking;
(3)
There shall be vehicular access to the property from more than one public street or alley;
(4)
Access to an off-street loading area to serve the property shall exist from more than one public street or alley; provided, that the requirement of one such public street or alley required by this paragraph and paragraph (d)(3) of this section may be waived if the property fronts on a pedestrian or bicycle mall.
(e)
Nursery schools and day care centers, subject to the provisions of Section 40.26.270.
(f)
Group care homes with more than six clients, subject to the provisions of Section 40.26.135.
(g)
Living groups, subject to the provisions of Section 40.26.260.
(h)
Single room occupancy (SRO) units.
(Ord. 296 § 11.4; Ord. 391 § 1; Ord. 394 § 1; Ord. 506 § 1; Ord. 1198 § 6; Ord. 1737 § 10, 1994; Ord. 1786 § 2; Ord. 1787 § 15; Ord. 2113 § 1, 2003; Ord. 2413 § 4, 2013; Ord. 2572 § 10, 2020)
§ 40.09.050 Height regulations.
No building shall exceed one hundred feet in height, except as provided in Section 40.27.030.
(Ord. 296 § 11.5)
§ 40.09.060 Area, lot width, open space and yard requirements.
The following minimum requirements shall be observed, except where increased for conditional uses or as provided in Sections 40.27.040 to 40.27.070:
(a)
Lot area. Seventy-five hundred square feet.
(b)
Lot width. Seventy feet.
(c)
Usable open space. Each efficiency apartment, two hundred square feet. Each one-bedroom apartment, two hundred square feet. Each two-bedroom apartment, two hundred fifty square feet. Each additional bedroom, fifty square feet. Twenty-five percent of the lot area shall be devoted to open space in the case of rooming and boarding houses and dwellings occupied by living groups.
(d)
Floor area ratio. The floor area of the building shall not exceed two times the area of the lot.
(e)
Maximum lot coverage. Fifty percent.
(f)
Yard requirements. The following minimum yards shall be required:
(1)
Front Yard. Ten feet, except as modified by Section 40.27.050.
(2)
Side Yard, Interior. Five feet.
(3)
Side Yard, Street. Ten feet.
(4)
Rear Yard. Ten feet.
The required yards shall be increased by one foot for each three feet the building height exceeds twelve feet. |
(g)
Lot area per dwelling unit.
(1)
Efficiency apartment, five hundred square feet.
(2)
One bedroom apartment, seven hundred square feet.
(3)
Two bedroom apartment, eight hundred square feet.
(h)
For the purpose of setback determination, a converted attic space shall have the same setbacks as the story directly below it in all residential districts.
(i)
No exterior changes to the existing roofline of the structure shall be allowed except for the provision of egress windows or doors in compliance with California Building Code (CBC). Any dormers or similar structures provided to comply with the CBC required egress window, shall not exceed the minimum size necessary to obtain the required egress.
(j)
No attic conversion shall be allowed if one of the following occurs:
(1)
The maximum stories allowed in the district have been achieved.
(2)
The number of stories that can be built on a lot are restricted (usually restricted to one story building.)
(k)
If no restrictions apply and the maximum stories allowed in the district have not been achieved, a building permit only would be required for the attic conversion.
(Ord. 296 § 11.6; Ord. 312 § 2; Ord. 503 § 1; Ord. 862 § 6; Ord. 2572 § 10, 2020)
§ 40.09.070 Special conditions.
Site plan and architectural approval by the director or designee shall be required for all uses.
(Ord. 296 § 11.7; Ord. 316 § 6; Ord. 600 § 2; Ord. 1627 § 8; Ord. 2390 § 2, 2012; Ord. 2677, 11/4/2025)
