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Onondaga City Zoning Code

§ 285-8

Residential and Country District, R-C.

The following regulations shall apply in R-C Districts:
A. 
Permitted uses.
(1) 
One-family dwellings.
(2) 
Farms; provided, however, that no manure or odor or dust-producing substances shall be stored within 200 feet of any lot line. Farm crops shall not be considered odor- or dust-producing substances.
(3) 
Residential nurseries or greenhouses; provided, however, that no retail sales or other business shall be conducted and that no storage of manure or of odor- or dust-producing substances and no heating plant shall be permitted within 200 feet of any lot line.
(4) 
Structures for housing domestic household pets, provided that the total floor area of all such structures shall not exceed 50 square feet, and provided that within such structures no use shall be conducted for profit or any commercial purpose.
(5) 
Family day care.
B. 
Permitted accessory uses.
(1) 
Accessory buildings and uses.
(2) 
Off-street parking and loading space. (See § 285-33.)
(3) 
Private swimming pool, provided that such pool is located in the rear yard and that no related pool wall, walk or equipment shall be located any closer to the rear lot line than a distance equal to 10% of the required or actual lot width (whichever is greater) nor any closer to the side lot line than the main building side yard width, and provided further that lights used to illuminate the pool or pool area shall be shielded or installed so as to prevent said lights from shining directly upon any adjacent property.
[Amended 5-7-2001 by L.L. No. 6-2001]
(4) 
Signs. (See § 285-34.)
(5) 
Ground-mounted solar energy systems (subject to the granting of special use permit; see § 285-36.1).
[Added 1-8-2018 by L.L. No. 1-2018]
C. 
Special permit uses, as provided in § 285-39.
(1) 
Religious uses.
(2) 
Cemeteries.
(3) 
Private or public membership clubs, including but not limited to golf or country clubs, tennis clubs and swimming clubs. Athletic clubs are not allowed.
(4) 
Facilities for the delivery of natural gas service, other than containerized natural gas, to the local community, except storage or heavy equipment yards. Such facilities shall not include those designed for exploration for natural gas deposits, extraction of same from the earth or activities related thereto.[1]
[Amended 3-17-1997 by L.L. No. 3-1997; 12-3-2012 by L.L. No. 8-2012]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection C(5), Home occupations, was repealed 9-18-2000 by L.L. No. 9-2000. See now § 285-24.
(5) 
Public stables, on not less than 20 acres of land, provided that no building housing animals shall be within 200 feet of any lot line and that no manure or within 200 feet of any lot line and that no manure or dust- or odor-producing substances shall be stored within 200 feet of any lot line. The total number of horses, mules and/or burros shall not exceed one per acre of contiguous usable grazing land.
(6) 
Private stables, on not less than five acres of land, provided that no building housing animals shall be within 200 feet of any lot line and that no manure or dust- or odor-producing substances shall be stored within 200 feet of any lot line. The total number of horses, mules and/or burros per acre of contiguous usable grazing land shall not exceed the following:
Number of Acres
Number of Horses, Mules or Burros
5
2
6 to 20
1 for every 2 acres
Over 20
1 per acre
(7) 
Private residential noncommercial towers, including but not limited to radio transmitting and radio receiving towers, television towers and wind turbines. [See § 285-39C(1)(m).]
(8) 
Day-care facilities.
(9) 
Public or private elementary or secondary schools.
(10) 
Public or private institutions of higher education.
(11) 
Public libraries.
(12) 
Facilities necessary for the provision of electrical service to the local community, except storage or heavy equipment yards.
[Added 3-17-1997 by L.L. No. 3-1997]
(13) 
Facilities, other than towers, necessary for the provision of telephone service to the local community, except storage or heavy equipment yards.
[Added 3-17-1997 by L.L. No. 3-1997]
(14) 
Facilities, other than towers, necessary for the provision of cable television service to the local community, except storage or heavy equipment yards.
[Added 3-17-1997 by L.L. No. 3-1997]
(15) 
Nursery.
[Added 6-18-2011 by L.L. No. 3-2011]
(16) 
Emergency services facility.
[Added 1-7-2019 by L.L. No. 1-2019; amended 8-21-2023 by L.L. No. 4-2023]
D. 
Lot and building requirements.
(1) 
Minimum lot area.
(a) 
Lots with both public water supply and public sanitary sewer: 20,000 square feet.
(b) 
All other lots: two acres.
(c) 
See also § 285-31.
(2) 
Minimum lot width (measured at the minimum front yard setback line).
(a) 
Lots with both public water supply and public sanitary sewer: 100 feet.
(b) 
All other lots: 200 feet.
(c) 
See also § 285-31.
(3) 
Maximum building height: 35 feet, but not more than 2 1/2 stories, except as provided in § 285-30.
(4) 
Minimum yard.
(a) 
Front and rear: 50 feet.
(b) 
Each side: 20 feet.
(c) 
See also §§ 285-25, 285-29 and 285-31.
(5) 
Maximum lot coverage: 25%.
(6) 
Minimum lot frontage.
(a) 
Lots with both public water supply and public sanitary sewer: 60 feet.
(b) 
All other lots, except culs-de-sac: 120 feet.
(c) 
Culs-de-sac: 60 feet.
(d) 
See also § 285-31.
(e) 
Exemption. For lots legally existing at the time of approval of this chapter, there shall be no minimum lot frontage requirement.
(7) 
Exceptions; application. For lots which meet any of the conditions in Subsection D(7)(a) below, the lot requirements will be those listed in Subsection D(7)(b) and D(7)(c) below.
(a) 
Conditions.
[1] 
Lots contained in a preliminary subdivision plat approved by the Town of Onondaga Planning Board before December 28, 1989;
[2] 
Lots in a subdivision filed with the County Clerk before December 28, 1989; or
[3] 
Legally existing lots as of December 28, 1989.
(b) 
Minimum lot area.
[1] 
Lots with a public water supply: 20,000 square feet.
[2] 
All other lots: one acre.
(c) 
Minimum lot width, all lots: 100 feet.