North Royalton City Zoning Code

   The purpose of Rural Residential Districts is to provide a regulatory mechanism through which development can occur with the least environmental and visual impact in accordance with the objectives of the City's adopted Master Plan. Development within Rural Residential Districts will be located in such a way as to preserve critical natural areas such as steep slopes, flood plains, streams/rivers, ponds, critical soils and wetland areas; to maintain open areas in order to preserve visual character; and to conserve a connected system of wildlife habitats. Such development, preserved critical natural areas and preserved open areas are considered integral parts of a whole, irrevocably joined through deed restriction or like device, in order to create a coordinated balance of development with preserved areas.

   (a)   Rural Residential Village Cluster (RR-V). Rural Residential Villages are compact areas of single-family housing surrounded by areas that remain undisturbed in order to preserve critical natural features and open areas. The development of homes and the preserved natural area around them are treated as a whole; one element cannot exist without the other. Rural Residential Villages will be structured around a common open space, the circulation system will support vehicular as well as pedestrian traffic and the Village will have discernible edges.

   (b)   Rural Residential Two Acre (RR-2). Rural Residential-2 allows for the development of single-family lots while still preserving an equal amount of natural area. This type of single-family development will provide an alternative to the R1-A lifestyle by ensuring the preservation of natural features within each lot as well as within the natural areas.

   (c)   Rural Residential Three Acre (RR-3). Rural Residential-3 allows for the development of large-lot single-family development.

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95; Ord. 10-166. Passed 12-21-10.)

   Buildings and land shall be used, and buildings shall be erected, altered, moved or maintained, in Rural Residential Districts, only in accordance with the following:

   (a)   Permitted Uses. Detached one-family dwellings.

   (b)   Conditional Uses (With Appropriate Permit and Minimum Acreage). Commercial equestrian uses (ten acres minimum); bed and breakfast inns; plant husbandry; private sport recreation, including golf courses and country clubs; government agencies, such as fire stations and police stations; and the same conditional uses enumerated for the R1-A District in Section 1270.02(a).

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95.)

   (a)   Parking and Garage Facilities. Private and storage garages and open off-street parking areas shall be permitted on each lot in the RR-V District, and within the building envelope in the RR-2 and RR-3 Districts, as provided for in Section 1273.10, if accessory to a dwelling or if the use is considered and approved as a conditional use in accordance with the standards and regulations set forth in Section 1262.07 of this Planning and Zoning Code.

   (b)   Home Professional Offices. An office may be permitted in Rural Residential Districts in the home of a person practicing any of the recognized professions, including, but not limited to, an accountant, architect, artist, engineer, lawyer, musician, physician, realtor, appraiser, photographer, planner or mental health counselor, provided that:

      (1)   No more than one assistant, other than members of the resident family, works therein.

      (2)   The residential character of the dwelling exterior shall not be changed.

      (3)   No equipment shall be used which will create objectionable disturbances beyond the premises.

      (4)   The number of automobiles attracted to the premises shall not exceed five automobile spaces (excluding enclosed garage spaces) per each 1,500 square feet of the main building.

   (c)   Home Occupations. Gainful home occupations may be permitted in Rural Residential Districts, including dressmaking, interior decorating, arts and crafts, or any other similar home occupations, but excluding uses permitted as commercial or industrial uses, and may be conducted in the dwelling used by such person as his or her residence, provided that:

      (1)   No more than one assistant, other than members of the household, is employed therein.

      (2)   No window display or signboard is used to advertise such occupation, except that the nameplate provided for in Section 1284.07(a) may designate such occupation thereon.

      (3)   The occupation must be conducted wholly within the dwelling.

      (4)   No merchandise is sold except that which is produced on the premises.

      (5)   No equipment is used which will create objectionable disturbances beyond the premises.

      (6)   The space used for sale and production does not occupy more than twenty-five percent of the dwelling unit area.

      (7)   The use does not change the residential character of the dwelling exterior.

      (8)   The use does not require the storage of any equipment, materials or vehicles outside the main building.

   (d)   Renting of Rooms. The renting from a resident family, of not more than one room to not more than one person, shall be permitted.

   (e)   Gardens and Pets. The raising for private use of fruits, vegetables or nursery stock, and the keeping of pets, is permitted in Rural Residential Districts, provided that:

      (1)   Household pets shall be construed to include dogs, cats, canaries, parakeets, fish and other regular domestic animals and birds. As used herein, household pets shall not be construed to include cows, bulls, swine, sheep, goats, rabbits, fowl, snakes, bees or pigeons and other domesticated animals, or tamed wild animals or birds.

      (2)   Upon the issuance of a permit by the Building Commissioner, not more than ten horses, mules or donkeys (not for commercial use) per parcel of land will be permitted in the Rural Residential District. No piles or accumulations of refuse and/or manure from any animals will be permitted within 250 feet of any street or highway or within 150 feet of any dwelling. Minimum lot size for one horse is two acres and one additional acre for each horse. The grazing of horses must be confined to an area that is fenced and meets the requirements outlined in Chapter 1467.

   (f)   Barns and/or Stables. Any accessory building used in conjunction with the keeping of horses must be a minimum of 250 feet from any street or highway or development boundary line and 150 feet from any dwelling.

   (g)   Pools. Pools must be located within the building envelope as provided for in Section 1273.10, when applicable, in the RR-2 and RR-3 Districts.

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95; Ord. 15-11. Passed 1-20-15.)

   See Table 1 and Table 2 (Schedules of Area, Yard and Height Regulations) following the text of this chapter. Overall density of the development shall be limited by the Rural Residential option selected. Actual minimum lot sizes and dimensions will be determined by the physical characteristics of the parcel to be developed. A site development evaluation (SDE) will be submitted by the developer for each parcel to be developed. The SDE will analyze the impact that the critical physical characteristics enumerated in Section 1273.01 will have on potential developments. Based on these impacts, a Rural Residential option can be selected. Rural Residential Villages will be permitted only on parcels where the RR-2 or RR-3 option is not feasible. If the SDE shows that full size lots are not possible, then lot sizes may be reduced to no less than the minimum (shown in Table 2) to allow the total number of permitted lots to occupy the developable portions of the parcel.

   (a)   Rural Residential Village (RR-V). There shall be a maximum overall density of one lot for each one acre of development area, with a minimum development parcel of fifteen acres.

   (b)   Rural Residential-2 (RR-2). There shall be a maximum overall density of one lot for each two acres of development area.

      (1)   Grouping shall be permitted upon the approval of the Planning Commission of the group design and the submission of an SDE identifying developable lands within the parcel. Grouping shall be defined as an adjustment of lot sizes within RR-2 or RR-3 subdivisions to maintain those respective overall densities. Undevelopable lands shall be included in the larger lots. (See Figure 1 following the text of this chapter.)

      (2)   All subdivision preliminary plats shall show building envelopes and deed restricted lands. Any change in the proposed building envelope placement shall be subject to the review and approval of the City Engineer and the Building Department.

      (3)   No increase in density shall be permitted when using the grouping option.

   (c)   Rural Residential-3 (RR-3). There shall be a maximum overall density of one lot for each three acres of development area.

      (1)   Grouping shall be permitted upon the approval of the Planning Commission of the group design and the submission of an SDE identifying developable lands within the parcel. Grouping shall be defined as an adjustment of lot sizes within RR-2 or RR-3 subdivisions to maintain those respective overall densities. Undevelopable lands shall be included in the larger lots. (See Figure 1 following the text of this chapter.)

      (2)   All subdivision preliminary plats shall show building envelopes and deed restricted lands. Any change in the proposed building envelope placement shall be subject to the review and approval of the City Engineer and the Building Department.

      (3)   No increase in density shall be permitted when using the grouping option.

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95.)

   There shall be maximum total site disturbance of twenty-five percent of the total site area to be used for public improvements, including streets and storm water management facilities. All improvement-related disturbance shall be included in this calculation, including areas of grading and vegetation removal. Any site disturbance over twenty-five percent must be supported by the SDE and approved by the Planning Commission.

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95.)

   The appropriate use of common driveways is encouraged, and the number of driveways accessing off-site public streets shall be kept to a minimum. Where lots will access an off-site public road, common driveways shall be used where appropriate to minimize the number of curb cuts required. (See Figure 2 following the text of this chapter.)

   (a)   The maximum number of units to be served by a common driveway in the RR-2 and RR-3 Districts shall be four. (See Figure 3 following the text of this chapter.)

   (b)   Minimum common driveway width in the RR-2 and RR-3 Districts shall be twelve feet hard paved with two-foot graded and stoned shoulders or sixteen feet of stone/gravel.

   (c)   Paving shall be required in areas where the driveway grade is in excess of six percent.

   (d)   The maximum length of common driveway shall be 1,000 feet. (See Figure 3 following the text of this chapter.)

   (e)   All driveways in excess of 500 feet shall provide one or more ten-foot by thirty-foot turn-outs. The exact location of the turn-outs shall be determined by the Planning Commission with the review of the Fire Department. (See Figure 4 following the text of this chapter.)

      All driveways shall be designed to ensure ease of fire engine and emergency vehicle access to homes.

   (f)   All driveway areas shall be included in the total lot disturbance calculation (when applicable) for the lot on which the driveway is located.

   (g)   The developer shall provide common driveway easements, including a maintenance agreement for all lots using common driveways, to be reviewed and approved by the Law Director.

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95.)

   When a tract contains existing structures deemed to be of historic or architectural significance, and where these structures are suitable for rehabilitation, the structures should be retained. Adaptive re-use of existing structures for residential use or permitted accessory residential uses is permitted with necessary building permits.

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95.)

   In the RR-2 and RR-3 Districts, street lighting shall be provided only where site-specific safety conditions warrant.

   In the RR-V District, street lighting is required as an integral part of the Village streetscape design.

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95.)

   The Planning Commission will review the plans for construction of a Rural Residential Village. The Planning Commission's review will consist of an evaluation of the locations, bulk and general design of buildings; the relationship of buildings to each other and to yards and other open spaces; the locations and widths of streets and private access drivers (when used); and the locations of pedestrian walkways, paved areas, landscape planting, exterior lighting, signs and other exterior landscape features. Such Village plans shall be developed in accordance with the criteria set forth in the following provisions.

   (a)   Rural Residential Villages shall be limited in area, oriented around a defined center as well as a formal network of open green areas, and have a delineated edge.

      (1)   Village centers are a common open space which may be a square, green, town commons or an important street intersection with a surrounding green area. These Village centers shall be designed for use, not merely viewing.

      (2)   Village edges may vary in character. Edges may include natural features, such as forests, meadows, flood plains, wetlands or steep slopes. Edges can also be man-made and include such elements as rurally designed infrastructure improvements or land designated for agriculture, including farms, orchards or nurseries. Edges can also be a system of parks or a golf course. Buffering shall be required as specified in Section 1288.05 and shall be a minimum of a fifty-foot natural planting buffer which shall be maintained between an RRV and other single-family property lines.

   (b)   Rural Residential Villages shall allow for homes to occupy a major portion of the defined private lot. Residents of each home shall have access to open green areas as well as the town square, commons or green. The design of each home shall emphasize front porches, reduce the impact of driveways and restrict the placement of garages to the rear of the property.

   (c)   In general, the design of Rural Residential Villages shall emphasize the public character of the streets, the aesthetic character of the front porch, the private character of the back yard and the service nature of private access drives (when used).

   (d)   Rural Residential Villages shall create architectural diversity among the homes while maintaining a design theme for each Village. Design themes shall be maintained by an established homeowner's association.

   (e)   Rural Residential Village street networks shall be configured to create blocks of appropriate building sites and to shorten pedestrian routes. The street networks are designed to keep local traffic off arterial roads and keep through traffic off local streets. An interconnecting street pattern provides multiple routes which effectively diffuse traffic congestion.

      (1)   Neighborhood streets of various types should be detailed to provide equitably for pedestrian safety and for automobile movement.

      (2)   The design of Villages using private access drives is encouraged. Private access drives serve in a variety of capacities, including auto parking and garage access, thus creating an improved streetscape for residents.

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95.)

   A building envelope shall be determined for every buildable lot in RR-2 and RR-3 Districts. The use of building envelopes is in lieu of building setback lines in order to achieve greater flexibility in house placement to protect natural features and views. The determination of the building envelope shall include the following considerations:

   (a)   Building envelopes should be selected that do not include the tops of ridge lines. (See Figure 5 following the text of this chapter.)

   (b)   Building envelopes should avoid open fields. (See Figure 5 following the text of this chapter.)

   (c)   Building envelopes should be located on the edges of fields and in wooded areas to minimize the visual impact of development. (See Figure 5 following the text of this chapter.)

   (d)   Building envelopes shall not include wetlands and flood plains.

   (e)   Building envelopes shall not include areas with slopes in excess of thirty-five percent. (See Figure 5 following the text of this chapter.)

   (f)   Septic systems, sewers, water lines, wells and driveways may be located outside building envelopes.

   (g)   Building envelopes shall be indicated on the subdivision sketch plan and preliminary plat. Final locations of the building envelope shall be shown on the record plat, including dimensioning to clearly define the limitations.

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95.)

   In RR-2 and RR-3 Districts, existing vegetation should be preserved in areas where disturbance is not necessary outside the building envelope.

   (a)   Lawn areas should be minimized in wooded areas.

   (b)   Where building envelopes are located in woodlands, a treed area of at least forty feet between the building envelope and the common drive or roadway shall be retained. (See Figure 6 following the text of this chapter.)

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95; Ord. 15-11. Passed 1-20-15.)

   In RR-2 and RR-3 Districts, permanent on-site development identification signs are discouraged.

   (a)   Where the Planning Commission determines that a development identification sign is appropriate, its area shall be limited to ten square feet, its construction shall be of natural materials (i.e. wood and stone), and the base area shall be appropriately landscaped.

   (b)   Resident identification signs are permitted at entrances to driveways. The maximum height of resident identification signs shall be eight feet. Each individual name sign shall not be more than one square foot. (See Figure 8 following the text of this chapter.)

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95.)

   Deed restricted lands shall be indicated on the record plat, including dimensioning, to clearly define the restricted areas.

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95.)

 

 

 

1   The Planning Commission may approve building envelope setbacks less than what is required here if the lesser setback will better preserve natural features and protect views.

2.   Ibid.

3.   Ibid.

(Ord. 95-150. Passed 10-3-95.)