Jackson Township Butler County
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
PART 4
R Residential and CR Conservation Recreation Districts
§ 27-401 R Residential District.
[Amended 6-19-2025 by Ord. No. 25-02]
A.
Purpose. The R Residential District is intended to provide for the housing accommodation of current and expected residents in a manner that protects established dwellings and neighborhoods and in a scale, form, and intensity commensurate with road classification or corridor, availability of utilities, and environmental limitations of varied corridors, locations, and sites within the district. The district also aims to reasonably accommodate agricultural uses and forms of commercial activity consistent with the neighboring forms of residential uses in the district.
B.
Yard and bulk requirements.
(1)
Minimum lot size: two acres.
(2)
Minimum lot width: 200 feet.
(3)
Minimum front yard: 40 feet.
(4)
Minimum rear yard: 40 feet; accessory: 10 feet.
(5)
Minimum side yard: 20 feet; accessory: 10 feet.
(6)
Maximum lot coverage: 50%.
(7)
Maximum gross residential density: two thirds of a unit per acre; or as determined by the minimum lot size set forth in accordance with Subsection B(8) or (10), where applicable.
(8)
Traditional lots. "Traditional lots" shall be defined as lots existing or created within or immediately adjoining lots in a subdivision recorded prior to the effective date of this chapter, where the majority of lots are 1/3 of an acre or less in area and said lots in the recorded plan comprise at least eight lots or one block, whichever is less. Lots created after the effective date of this chapter shall bear access to public water and public sewer or a community sewer system. Traditional lots shall meet the dimensional standards specified in § 27-1205, Neighborhood Planned Residential Development, as relating to single family detached structures, in lieu of those otherwise required by this section, with respect to required yards, lot size, and lot coverage.
(9)
Density and dimensional standards shall be as modified by the mutually exclusive provisions of Part 12, PRD Forms.
(10)
Flag lots: Flag lots are authorized subject to the following standards:
(a)
One flag lot is permitted per existing or proposed block;
(b)
The strip accessing the portion of the lot the width of which is less than the minimum lot width at the building line shall not extend more than 500 feet from the right-of-way from which it is accessed. The frontage shall be located such that access to the adjoining street meets the minimum sight distance standards as required by Township and/or the Commonwealth.
(c)
The net area of the lot, excluding the access strip, shall meet the minimum lot size requirements of the R District.
(d)
The flag lot shall be subject to the standards as may otherwise be imposed by Chapter 22, Subdivision and Land Development.
C.
Authorized principal uses.
(1)
Uses as authorized in Part 27 of this chapter and subject to the provisions of said Part 27.
D.
Authorized accessory uses.
(1)
No-impact home-based businesses in accordance with § 27-1608 of this chapter.
(2)
Other accessory uses customarily incidental to a permitted principal use, subject to and authorized in Part 15 of this chapter.
(3)
Parking areas in accordance with Part 17 of this chapter.
(4)
Signs in accordance with Part 18 of this chapter.
(5)
Communications antennas in accordance with the provisions of § 27-1603.
(6)
Windmills in accordance with § 27-1611.
E.
Lot averaging.
(1)
Purpose. The authorization for lot averaging within the R District is instituted to promote preservation of environmentally sensitive areas, namely steep slopes, while promoting flexibility and ingenuity in the development of small residential subdivisions within the Township in manner that maintains the overall density authorized in the R District.
(2)
The site associated with and subject to the standards of lot averaging shall consist of the entirety of the lot or parent tract initially subdivided in accordance with this section in a manner that future subdivisions or revisions to the lot averaging subdivision remain in compliance with this section as applied to said lot or tract.
(3)
No more than 12 lots, which do not otherwise meet the standards of Subsection B, Yard and bulk requirements, shall be created on a site.
(4)
Each individual lot shall meet the minimum requirements set forth in the table below provided that the average lot width and lot area of all lots created by the subdivision meets or exceeds those cited in the table below.
(5)
The developer shall record covenants, in a form acceptable to the Township Solicitor and in favor of the Township, that restrict future subdivision of parcels, where such subdivision would place a lot or lots that were approved in the subdivision in violation of the standards set forth in the table below.
Standard | Lot Width | Lot Area |
|---|---|---|
Minimum | 75 feet on a local road, 100 feet on a collector road | 20,000 square feet |
Average of all lots | 200 feet | 2 acres |
F.
Performance standards. Authorized uses and yard and bulk requirements specified in this Part 4 shall be further subject to the standards of § 27-1513, Performance standards, of this chapter.
§ 27-402 CR Conservation Recreation District.
A.
Purpose. The Conservation Recreation District is intended to provide for conservation of environmentally sensitive areas, including lands primarily consisting of floodplains and floodways, wetland areas, and steep slopes while reserving adjoining and nearby lands for passive and active recreation purposes.
B.
Yard and bulk requirements.
(1)
Minimum lot size: two acres or two acres of lot site plus environmentally sensitive area within the lot, whichever is greater.
(2)
Minimum lot width: 200 feet.
(3)
Minimum front yard: 40 feet.
(4)
Minimum rear yard: 40 feet; accessory: 10 feet.
(5)
Minimum side yard: 20 feet; accessory: 10 feet.
(6)
Maximum lot coverage: 35%.
(7)
Modified gross density: 0.5 dwelling units per acre as applied to lots existing within a record plan or plat recorded at the Butler County Recorder of Deeds on or before May 1, 2024.
C.
Authorized principal uses.
(1)
Uses as authorized in Part 27 of this chapter and subject to the provisions of said Part 27.
D.
Authorized accessory uses.
(1)
No-impact home-based businesses in accordance with § 27-1608 of this chapter.
(2)
Other accessory uses customarily incidental to a permitted principal use, subject to and authorized in Part 15 of this chapter.
(3)
Parking areas in accordance with Part 17 of this chapter.
(4)
Signs in accordance with Part 18 of this chapter.
(5)
Communications antennas in accordance with the provisions of § 27-1603.
(6)
Windmills in accordance with § 27-1611.
E.
Lot averaging.
(1)
Purpose. The authorization for lot averaging within the CR District is instituted to promote preservation of environmentally sensitive areas, namely steep slopes, while promoting flexibility and ingenuity in the development of small residential subdivisions within the Township in manner that maintains the overall density authorized in the R District.
(2)
Lot Averaging shall be permitted on sites consisting of lots approved and recorded prior to the effective date of this ordinance.
(3)
No more than eight lots, which do not otherwise meet the standards of Subsection B, Yard and bulk requirements, shall be created on a site.
(4)
Each individual lot shall meet the minimum requirements set forth in the table below provided that the average lot width and lot area of all lots created by the subdivision meets or exceeds those cited in the table below.
(5)
The developer shall record covenants, in a form acceptable to the Township Solicitor and in favor of the Township, that restrict future subdivision of parcels, where such subdivision would place a lot or lots that were approved in the subdivision in violation of the standards set forth in the table below.
Standard | Lot Width | Lot Area |
|---|---|---|
Minimum | 75 feet on a local road, 100 feet on a collector road | 20,000 square feet |
Average of all lots | 150 feet | 1.5 acres |
F.
Performance standards.
(1)
Authorized uses and yard and bulk requirements specified in this Part 4 shall be further subject to the standards of § 27-1513, Performance standards, of this chapter.
G.
Cluster subdivision.
(1)
Purpose. The authorization for the cluster option within the CR District is instituted to promote preservation of environmentally sensitive areas, namely steep slopes, while promoting flexibility and ingenuity in the development of small residential subdivisions within the Township in manner that maintains the overall density authorized in the CR District.
(2)
Dimensional requirements.
(a)
Minimum site area: 20 acres.
(b)
Minimum lot size: 7,200 square feet.
(c)
Minimum lot width: 55 feet.
(d)
Maximum lot coverage: 40%.
(e)
Maximum impervious surface coverage: 60%.
(f)
Minimum front yard: 20 feet.
(g)
Minimum rear yard: 25 feet.
(h)
Minimum side yard: 15 feet total, neither yard less than five feet. Zero feet where the side lot line is formed by the party wall of a duplex structure.
(i)
Modified gross density: 0.5 dwellings units per acre.
(j)
No more than 15% of any lot (excluding the residual tract) shall lie within an environmentally sensitive area.
(3)
Residual Tract: 60% of the tract shall be reserved as one tract meeting the following standards and complying with the yard and bulk requirements of the RC District:
(a)
Ownership.
[1]
Dedicated for public use to a public body which agrees to accept, operate and maintain the dedicated land and facilities for their originally intended use, but no public body is obligated by this chapter to accept such dedication; or
[2]
Deeded to or placed in a conservation easement in favor of an organization representing the property owners of the development, which organization shall covenant to operate and maintain the land and facilities for their originally intended use. Such organization shall not be dissolved nor dispose of the tract, by sale or otherwise, unless the maintenance of the tract is otherwise guaranteed to the Township's satisfaction; or
[3]
Deeded to a conservation organization agreeing to operate and maintain the dedicated land and facilities for their originally intended use. Such organization shall not be dissolved nor dispose of the common open space, by sale or otherwise, unless the maintenance of the tract is otherwise guaranteed to the Township's satisfaction.
[4]
Deeded to or placed in a conservation easement in favor of the Township and/or the property owners of the development, which shall limit the use of the property to one single-family detached dwelling and/or agricultural operations meeting the standards this chapter.
(b)
No more than 35% of any wetlands or steep slopes shall be disturbed by the development of the site. The balance of wetlands or steep slopes shall be preserved by a conservation easement in favor of the Township.
