The following minimum yards shall be provided within the districts indicated below:

   Whenever a lot abuts upon a public alley, one-half of the alley width may be considered as a portion of the required yard. For the purpose of side yard regulations, a two-family dwelling or multiple dwelling shall be considered as one building occupying one lot.

(Ord. 1775. Passed 10-22-73.)

   (a)   On lots fronting on two nonintersecting streets, a front yard must be provided on both streets.

   (b)   On corner lots there must be a front yard on both streets. On corner lots that are lots of record, the buildable width cannot be reduced to less than twenty-eight feet, except that.there shall be a yard along the side street side of such a lot of at least five feet.

   (c)   Where a frontage is divided among districts with different front yard requirements, the deepest front yard required shall apply to the entire frontage.

   (d)   In the B and I Districts there may be more than one building on a lot, provided that the required yards are maintained around the group of buildings.

   (e)   There may be two or more related multifamily, hotel, motel or institutional buildings on a lot, provided that the required yards are maintained around the group of buildings, and that buildings that are parallel or that are within forty-five degrees of being parallel, are separated by a horizontal distance that is at least equal to the height of the highest building.

   (f)   Those parts of existing buildings that violate yard regulations may be repaired and remodeled, but not reconstructed or structurally altered.

   (g)   Required front yards shall be devoted entirely to landscaped area except for guest parking and the necessary paving of driveways and sidewalks to reach parking or loading areas in the side or rear yard.

   (h)   Where an official line has been established for the future widening or opening of a street or major thoroughfare upon which a lot abuts, then the depth of a front or side yard shall be measured from such official line to the nearest line of the building.

   (i)   The minimum width of side yards for schools, libraries, churches, community buildings and other public and semipublic buildings in Residential Districts shall be twenty-five feet, except where a side yard is adjacent to a Commercial or Industrial District, in which case the width of that yard shall be as required in the district in which the building is located.

   (j)   EDITOR'S NOTE: Subsection (j) was repealed by implication by Ordinance 19-92, passed September 4, 1992. See Chapter 1443 of the Building and Housing Code.

(Ord. 1775. Passed 10-22-73; Ord. 2449. Passed 8-10-87.)

   (a)   Where, on the effective date of this Zoning Code (Ordinance 1775, passed October 22, 1973), forty percent or more of a frontage was occupied by two or more buildings, then the front yard is established in the following manner:

      (1)   Where the building farthermost from the street provides a front yard not more than ten feet deeper than the building closest to the street, then the front yard for the frontage is and remains an average of the then existing front yards.

      (2)   Where the situation described in paragraph (a)(1) hereof does not exist, and a lot is within 100 feet of a building on each side, then the front yard is a line drawn from the closest front corners of these two adjacent buildings.

      (3)   Where the situations described in paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2) hereof do not exist, and the lot is within 100 feet of an existing building on one side only, then the front yard is the same as that of the existing adjacent building.

   (b)   Sills, belt courses, window air-conditioning units, chimneys, cornices and ornamental features may project into a required yard a distance not to exceed twentyfour inches.

   (c)   Filling station pumps and pump islands may occupy required yards, provided, however, that they are not less than fifteen feet from all lot lines.

   (d)   Signs, in accordance with Section 1252.14, may be permitted to exist as an exception to the yard requirements.

   (e)   Open fire escapes, fireproof outside stairways and balconies opening upon fire towers, and the ordinary projections of chimneys and flues into a rear yard for a distance of not more than three and one-half feet when placed so as not to obstruct light and ventilation, maybe permitted by the Building/ Zoning Inspector.

   (f)   Open, unenclosed porches (not glassed in) may not extend more than ten feet into a front yard.

   (g)   Terraces which do not extend above the level of the ground (first) floor may project into a required yard, provided these projections are distant at least two feet from the adjacent side lot line.

   (h)   No side yards are required where dwellings are erected above commercial structures, except such side yard as may be required for a commercial building on the side of a lot adjoining a Residential District.

   (i)   Accessory buildings may be located in a rear yard but may not occupy more than thirty percent of a rear yard.

   (j)   Any accessory building closer than ten feet to a main building shall be considered as part of the main building and shall be provided with the side and rear yards required for the main building.

   (k)   An accessory building more than ten feet from a main building may be erected within two feet of a side or rear lot line, but must be located at least sixty feet from the front street line.

   (l)   Where a garage is entered from an alley, it must be kept ten feet from the alley line.

   (m)   On corner lots, the minimum buildable width of twenty-eight feet for main buildings is reduced to twenty-two feet for accessory buildings.

(Ord. 1775. Passed 10-22-73.)