North Royalton City Zoning Code

   A Senior Citizen District and regulations therefor are established in order to achieve, among others, the following purposes:

   (a)   To provide appropriate developments of dwelling facilities for persons of retirement age in locations convenient to North Royalton's social and welfare facilities, shops, public transportation and other needs of the senior citizen;

   (b)   To provide in such developments health, dining and recreational facilities for the comfort and convenience of the occupants;

   (c)   To regulate the bulk, height and spacing of buildings within the development in order to obtain proper light, air, privacy and open space for passive recreation and landscaped amenities;

   (d)   To protect adjacent residential properties by requiring adequate yards and screening; and

   (e)   To regulate the density of population within such District.

(Ord. 89-214. Passed 3-6-90; Ord. 99-168. Passed 1-18-00.)

   In a Senior Citizen District, as indicated on the Zoning Map which accompanies this Zoning Code and is made a part hereof, land and buildings shall be used, and buildings shall be designed, erected, altered or maintained, in whole or in part, only for the following purposes:

   (a)   Any use or accessory use permitted and regulated in the R1-A or R1-B District; and

   (b)   Residential units for independent seniors, age restricted to adults 55 years old or older, without assisted living services or any of the services mandated for Senior Citizen Centers as set forth in subsection (c) hereinbelow; and

   (c)   A senior citizen center, which means a development or institution providing dwelling facilities for three or more persons, principally of retirement age, who may or may not be dependent upon the services of others and who are not related to the owner or operator. Such senior citizen center must include rest, nursing or other health facilities, as set forth in Ohio R.C. Chapter 3721, and may include dining, recreational and other related facilities and services.

      (1)   Main uses, which shall be restricted primarily for occupants and/or employees, are as follows:

         A.   Dwelling facilities, such as apartments, row houses and other attached multifamily or detached dwellings;

         B.   Elderly Care health facilities primarily for the use of the occupants;

         C.   Dining facilities primarily for occupants and/or employees;

         D.   Recreational facilities primarily for occupants; and

         E.   Administrative offices.

      (2)   Accessory uses are as follows:

         A.   Service and maintenance buildings;

         B.   Off-street parking and garages as regulated in this chapter; and

         C.   Related facilities and services.

(Ord. 89-214. Passed 3-6-90; Ord. 99-168. Passed 1-18-00; Ord. 14-147. Passed 2-17-15.)

   (a)   A multifamily building may be designed, constructed, altered or maintained, provided the Senior Citizen District shall have a minimum lot frontage of 100 feet, a minimum lot width at the building line of 200 feet. In addition, the total lot area shall not be less than a total of 2,178 square feet of lot area for each dwelling unit.

   (b)   No building shall be erected, nor shall an existing building be altered, which exceeds five stories in height.

   (c)   The ground floor area of all main and accessory buildings shall not exceed fifty percent of the lot area.

(Ord. 89-214. Passed 3-6-90; Ord. 99-168. Passed 1-18-00.)

   A project for this age group should be designed specially for this purpose, incorporating necessary safety and convenience features. In general, the site amenities provided should be more attractive than for multifamily projects, since the elderly people spend nearly all their time on the site. The yards and passive recreation areas should be extensive in quantity and fully landscaped. There should be a composition of small, intimate, private yard and court areas for a variety of passive activities.

   Safety must be emphasized. Vehicular circulation drives shall be only at the perimeter of the project. Parking areas may penetrate into the perimeter of the site. The interior of the site shall be assigned completely to pedestrian use. Abrupt grades shall be avoided, and all changes in grades in the walk system shall be accomplished by ramps. There shall not be more than two exterior steps to any buildings used by the occupants, and all buildings of two or more stories measured from the main entrance shall be served by elevators.

(Ord. 89-214. Passed 3-6-90.Ord. 99-168. Passed 1-18-00.)

   Preliminary and final site development plans shall be required for all proposed developments in the Senior Citizen District. Plans shall be in accordance with Section 1270.30 

(Ord. 89-214. Passed 3-6-90.Ord. 99-168. Passed 1-18-00.)

   (a)   Yard regulations for all multifamily dwellings, including a senior citizen center, shall be in accordance with Section 1270.05 and 1270.06, excet as specified in this section.

   (b)   The minimum distance from any senior citizen building to detached garage buildings, driveways, walks and recreation areas, and from these accessory uses to lot lines, shall be determined as provided in Section 1270.12.

(Ord. 89-214. Passed 3-6-90 .Ord. 99-168. Passed 1-18-00.)

   Parking in the Senior Citizen District shall be in accordance with Chapter 1282.

(Ord. 89-214. Passed 3-6-90. Ord. 99-168. Passed 1-18-00.)

   The development of any lot shall be done in a manner so as to preserve the natural assets, such as brooks, valleys, trees and ravines, unless they are otherwise impossible to develop. Recreational facilities shall be considered part of the landscaping. The unpaved setback areas of the lot shall be landscaped in accordance with the approved paln and as required under Section 1288 buffering

(Ord. 89-214. Passed 3-6-90. Ord. 99-168. Passed 1-18-00.)

   Exterior lighting shall be provided for the safety and convenience of residents and their guests and employees, but shall not be of excessive brightness and shall be placed in such a way so as not to cause annoying glare or reflections on neighboring premises or public streets.

(Ord. 89-214. Passed 3-6-90 .Ord. 99-168. Passed 1-18-00.)

   (a)   Definitions. As used in this chapter:

      (1)   "Livable floor area" means that portion of a building, suite of rooms or apartment, used by the occupants as and for their kitchen, dining room, bedroom, recreation room or study, including clothes closets and other similar room uses, which is in contrast to such portion as is used for a utility or furnace room, garage, general storage space or similar use. Basement rooms or spaces are excluded from this definition unless the basement has one-half of its clear story height above the grade level of the lot and is used as the first floor of the building in which it is included.

      (2)   "Studio efficiency" means a dwelling unit in which the living-dining area and sleeping facilities are all located within one room.

   (b)   Minimum Required.

      (1)   A dwelling facility shall have a minimum floor area of not less than that established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for elderly care facilities.

      (2)   Elderly health care facilities shall be regulated pursuant to Department of Health regulations pertaining to residential care facilities, including but not limited to OAC 3701-17-64.

(Ord. 89-214. Passed 3-6-90; Ord. 99-168. Passed 1-18-00.)

   The Planning Commission may, in specific cases, vary or permit developmental variances to any of the provisions of this chapter, if it finds that such variance or exception will not violate the spirit or intent of this chapter and that a more harmonious and compatible development will result.

(Ord. 89-214. Passed 3-6-90; Ord. 99-168. Passed 1-18-00.)

   As used in this chapter, "person of retirement age" means an individual who is fifty-five years of age or older, unless such person falls within one of the following exceptions:

   (a)   A spouse under fifty-five years of age married to one over that age; and

   (b)   A handicapped or infirm adult over age eighteen whose disability requires the special amenities and services of a senior citizen complex.

(Ord. 89-214. Passed 3-6-90.Ord. 99-168. Passed 1-18-00..)