These regulations shall be referred to as the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Muscatine, Iowa.

1. These regulations have been based upon the comprehensive plan for the City of Muscatine, which was adopted by the City of Muscatine. Said comprehensive plan included estimates of population growth; land use surveys; a land use plan; plans for major thoroughfares, other transportation facilities, community facilities, public services, and utilities; and a public works program.
2. Need for public services and facilities in both size and location depends upon the character and intensity of land use. Regulation of the use of land is thus fundamental to a coordinated optimum physical development of the community. The land use regulations are intended to be the foundation of the entire process of improvement of the physical environment.
3. The regulations are intended to preserve and protect existing property uses and values against adverse or unharmonious adjacent uses.
4. The land use regulations divide the area into a number of zoning districts:
   1. Because of frequent and costly flooding, some areas should be kept in their natural state and not developed and development in other areas required to include adequate floodproofing. These would be included in a Flood Plain District.
   2. The comprehensive plan indicated the need for various land uses such as commerce, residence, industry, transportation, and public uses. These urban uses should be directed into that land area where they may be most efficiently served by public services and facilities, such as sewers, water, schools, parks, public transportation, and the like. Remaining lands should be reserved agricultural and rural uses. Consequently, the regulations include an Agricultural District for agricultural and non-urban land uses.
   3. In the past, residential neighborhoods have deteriorated due to encroachment by isolated commercial and industrial uses. The great majority of our population live in single-family homes which they own. The regulations establish residential districts particularly designed to provide maximum protection for single-family homes.
   4. Other residential districts are established for two family homes, mobile homes, town houses, and for apartments. Density, yard, and parking regulations would insure good living conditions in these areas. Much of present day building is by large projects instead of lot by lot. A Large-Scale Residential District is provided where large-scale projects may be located with approval of the site plan. This introduces an important measure of flexibility into the regulations.
   5. Commercial districts recognize the different types of commercial areas that will be needed by the future growth of the community. There is a zoning district for the neighborhood commercial area, i.e., the grocery store, drugstore complex serving the adjacent residential neighborhoods and for the more widely used commercial areas along major streets and highways. There is a central commercial district for the downtown area and a special "planned district" for commercial development based on a site plan.
   6. For industry there are two districts: a "light" industrial district for manufacturing and related industrial activity, and a "general" industrial district which provides for additional uses with approval under the provision for conditional uses.
   7. A Special Development District has also been furnished to provide the opportunity for imaginative site development with a variety of uses in special areas of the City.
   8. The regulations emphasize the character as well as location and density of the land uses. Special inducements are offered for good design of apartment areas. Landscape planting is required in all front yards and for automobile filling stations, parking lots, and garages. Advertising is carefully controlled.
   9. The regulations are reasonable in relation to existing conditions. Yard dimensions are adjusted to peculiarities of existing lots. Lots that are now too small may be used provided current building setbacks can be maintained.
   10. All uses are required to provide their own off-street parking (with a few exceptions). Over a period of years, enforcement of this requirement will enable streets to be used primarily for traffic movement.
   11. Each of the regulations have been designed to work harmoniously with the others with the totality providing that minimum degree of land use control essential to the realization of the optimum urban environment.
5. Jurisdictional Area. These regulations apply to all lands within the corporate limits of the City of Muscatine.