Ithaca City Zoning Code
ARTICLE 11
RO Restricted Office Commercial District
§ 11.01 Purpose.
The RO-1 Restricted Office District is intended for multiple-family residential uses and those restricted office and restricted business uses which will provide opportunities for local employment close to residential areas through the transition of existing residential units into offices. This district is located along both sides of East Center Street. Uses in the district are not intended to generate or attract large volumes of traffic.
§ 11.02 Permitted uses.
The following uses shall be permitted within the RO-1 Restricted Office District:
(a)
Dwellings containing four or fewer units.
(b)
Accessory buildings and uses customarily incidental to the above permitted principal uses, subject to the requirements of § 4.05.
(c)
Signs, as provided in Article 28.
(d)
Off-street parking in accordance with the requirements of Article 27.
(e)
Home occupations in accordance with § 22.01:21.
(f)
Temporary buildings and trailers for use incidental to construction work.
(g)
Public utility buildings, telephone exchange buildings, electric transformer stations and substations, municipal pumping stations, and gas regulator stations, but not including storage yards, radio and television towers, subject to site development requirements of §§ 22.01:36 and 22.01:37.
(h)
Adult foster care family group homes, foster family homes, and foster family group homes.
§ 11.03 Uses allowed by special permit.
The following uses may be permitted subject to applicable site design standards in Article 22 and subject further to the approval of the City Planning Commission in accordance with processing procedures in Articles 20 and 21.
(a)
Barbershops and beauty shops.
(b)
Business offices, professional and governmental offices, including executive, administrative, professional, accounting, real estate, clerical, stenographic and drafting.
(c)
The above uses shall not be construed to eliminate offices of recognized manufacturers' agents, provided that no display will be in an exterior show window, and the total area devoted to display shall not exceed 15% of the usable floor area of the establishment; there shall be no outdoor storage of goods or material, irrespective of whether or not they are for sale, and there shall be no warehousing or indoor storage of goods or material.
(d)
Medical or dental centers, clinics, not including veterinary hospitals.
(e)
Professional office of a medical doctor, osteopath, chiropractor, dentists.
(f)
Financial institutions, including banks, saving and loan offices, credit unions, and loan production offices. Drive-through banking facilities and separate freestanding ATM buildings are allowed.
(g)
Veterinary clinics and offices, excluding outside exercise yards and pens.
(h)
Adult foster care small group home, adult foster care large group home, group child care homes.
(i)
Funeral homes/mortuaries.
(j)
Religious institutions, including churches, convents, rectories and other facilities normally incidental thereto.
§ 11.04 Regulations.
The composite schedule of regulations for all districts is identified in Article 26.
11.04:1.
Minimum lot size:
(a)
Single-family and two-family dwelling: 7,000 square feet.
(b)
Three- and four-family dwelling:
(1)
Efficiency or one-bedroom unit: 3,000 square feet of land area per unit.
(2)
Two-bedroom unit: 4,200 square feet per unit.
(3)
Three-bedroom unit: 5,100 square feet per unit.
(4)
Four- plus bedroom unit: 5,700 square feet of land area per unit.
11.04:2.
Minimum lot size for a commercial building: 5,000 square feet.
11.04:3.
Minimum lot width: 80 feet for commercial, single-family and two-family buildings; 90 feet for multiple-family buildings; conversion of existing buildings into additional residential offices or commercial units is not permitted on lots less than 50 feet wide.
11.04:4.
Maximum height of structure: 35 feet.
11.04:5.
Minimum yard setbacks:
(a)
Front yard: 25 feet; 10 feet for commercial building.
(b)
Side yard: There shall be two side yards totaling at least 15 feet at the building line, and no side yard shall be less than six feet. On a corner lot where a side yard adjoins, a minimum side yard setback of 20 feet shall be maintained.
(c)
Rear yard: 25 feet.
11.04:6.
Minimum floor area:
(a)
Single-family and two-family dwelling: 1,000 square feet, provided that, for dwelling units of two or more stories, the minimum floor area of the first floor shall be 960 square feet.
(b)
Multiple-family (three- and four-unit) dwelling:
(1)
Efficiency unit: 380 square feet.
(2)
One-bedroom apartment: 400 square feet.
(3)
Two-bedroom apartment: 600 square feet.
(4)
Three-bedroom apartment: 720 square feet.
(5)
Four- plus bedroom apartment: 800 square feet, plus 80 square feet for each additional bedroom.
(c)
Commercial and office: no minimum floor area required.