Oskaloosa City Zoning Code

17.04.020

Establishment of districts.

The following base districts and overlay districts are established. Table 17.04.A displays the purposes of these districts.

Table 17.04.A Summary Table of Base Districts and Purpose
Symbol	Title	Purpose
AG	Agricultural/Urban Reserve	The AG district provides for and preserves the agricultural and rural use of land, while accommodating very low density residential development generally associated with agricultural uses. This district is designed to maintain complete agricultural uses within the Oskaloosa extra-territorial jurisdiction. In addition, land included in the urban reserve in the Comprehensive Plan should be retained in the AG district to prevent premature or inappropriate development.
RR	Rural Residential	The RR district provides for the rural residential use of land, accommodating very low and low density residential environments. The district's regulations assure that density is developed consistent with land use polices of the Oskaloosa Comprehensive Plan regarding rural subdivisions, levels of infrastructure, and environmentally sensitive development practices. The district also accommodates developments that merge urban living with rural life.
R-1	Suburban Residential	The R-1 district is intended to provide for residential development, characterized by mostly single-unit dwellings in lower density settings with supporting community facilities and urban services. Its regulations are intended to minimize traffic congestion and to assure that density is consistent with the carrying capacity of infrastructure.
R-2	General Residential	The R-2 district is intended to provide for medium density residential development, characterized by dwellings on moderately-sized lots along with low density multi-unit residential structures such as duplexes and townhouses. It adapts to established and developing neighborhoods and transitions between lower and higher density areas. Its regulations are intended to minimize traffic congestion and to assure that density is consistent with the carrying capacity of infrastructure.
R-3	High-Density Residential	The R-3 district is intended to provide locations primarily for multiple-unit and higher density housing arrangements, with supporting and appropriate community facilities. It also permits some nonresidential uses to mix uses with relatively similar operating and development effects.
RM	Residential Manufactured Home Park	The RM district recognizes that manufactured home development, properly planned, can provide important opportunities for affordable housing. It provides opportunities for manufactured home development within planned parks or subdivisions, along with the supporting services necessary to create quality residential neighborhoods.
NC	Neighborhood Commercial	The NC district supports neighborhood convenience uses with building and site design standards that are compatible and cohesive with abutting and adjacent residential uses. There are wider combinations of residential, commercial, and office uses. Design standards maintain their character as neighborhood amenities.
CC	Community Commercial	The CC district is intended for commercial facilities which serve the needs of markets ranging from several neighborhoods to the overall region. While allowed, commercial and office uses are generally compatible with nearby residential areas, traffic and operating characteristics may have more negative effects on residential neighborhoods. CC districts are appropriate at major intersections, at the junction of several neighborhoods, or at substantial commercial subcenters and corridors.
DC	Downtown Commercial	The DC district is intended to provide appropriate development regulations for downtown Oskaloosa. Mixed uses are encouraged within the DC district. The grouping of uses is designed to strengthen the town center's role as a center for trade, service, and civic life.
GC	General commercial	The GC district accommodates a variety of commercial uses, some of which have significant traffic or visual effect. These districts may include commercial uses which are oriented to services, including automotive services, rather than retail activities. These uses may create land use conflicts with adjacent residential areas, requiring the provision of adequate buffering. This district is most appropriate in areas adequately buffered from residential districts.
BP	Business Park	The BP district is designed to promote the development of planned business parks that accommodate corporate offices, research facilities, and structures that can combine office, distribution, and limited industrial uses. These facilities serve a more regional audience but may provide services to local residents. They are characterized by extensive landscaping, abundant parking facilities, and good visual and pedestrian relationships among buildings.
LI	Limited Industrial	The LI district is intended to reserve sites appropriate for the location of industrial uses with relatively limited environmental effects. The district is designed to provide appropriate space and regulations to encourage good quality industrial development while assuring that facilities are served with adequate parking and loading facilities.
GI	General Industrial	The GI district is intended to accommodate a wide variety of industrial uses, some of which may have significant external effects. These uses may have operating characteristics that create conflicts with lower-intensity surrounding land uses. The district provides the reservation of land for these activities and includes buffering requirements to reduce incompatibility.
PI	Public and Institutional	The PI district accommodates a variety of public and Institutional uses. Examples include civic buildings, schools, places of assembly, hospitals, medical campuses, and elder care facilities. The district is designed to provide appropriate space and development regulations to accommodate the unique needs of these uses.

Table 17.04.B Summary Table of Overlay Districts
Symbol	Title	Purpose
PUD	Planned Unit Development	The Planned Unit Development (PUD) district is intended to provide flexibility in the design of planned projects, permit innovation in project design that incorporates open space and other amenities, and ensure compatibility of developments with the surrounding urban environment.
IP	Industrial Park Overlay District	The Industrial Park overlay district (IP) is intended to reserve large areas for largely exporting businesses and industries that are coordinated and complementary in scale, uses, mobility, and long-term planning for new development.
HD	Historic Overlay District	The Historic overlay district enables the adoption of special performance and development standards in combination with site development regulations of a base district for areas of special historical or architectural significance within the city. The district recognizes the importance of historically and architecturally significant districts to the character of Oskaloosa and provides for their conservation.
FP	Floodplain Overlay District	The Floodplain overlay district protects areas designated as floodplains or floodways by the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) for significant development that would increase natural flooding boundaries.

(Ord. No. 1465, § 2(Att.), 9-11-2023)