The following regulations regarding lot sizes, yards, setbacks, building heights, and densities apply within the zoning districts as indicated, including the regulations contained in section 17.2, Notes to Schedule of Regulations. No building shall be erected, nor shall an existing building be altered, enlarged or rebuilt, nor shall any open spaces surrounding any building be encroached upon or reduced in any manner, except in conformity with the regulations hereby established for the district in which such building is located. No portion of lot used in complying with the provisions of this Ordinance for yards, courts, lot area occupancy, in connection with an existing or projected building or structure, shall again be used to qualify or justify any other building or structure existing or intended to exist at the same time.

(Ord. No. 179, § 1, 2-4-02)

(a)

See section 17.3, Lot Size Averaging, for flexibility allowances.

(b)

Minimum front yard setback is measured from the edge of the abutting right-of-way, based upon information and standards set forth by the City of Parchment.

(c)

For all nonresidential uses allowed in residential districts, the setbacks shall equal the height of the main building, or the setbacks required in articles 5 and 7, or the Schedule of Regulations, whichever is greater.

(d)

All side yards abutting upon a public street shall be considered as a front yard for setback purposes, except as may otherwise be required by this Ordinance.

(e)

The minimum floor area per dwelling unit shall not include area of basements, breezeways, porches or attached garages.

(f)

The minimum livable floor area per multiple-family unit shall be in accordance with the following schedule:

(g)

In all residential districts, the required front yard setback shall not be used for off-street parking, loading, or unloading, and shall remain as open space unoccupied and unobstructed from the ground upward except for landscaping, plant materials, vehicle access drives, or as otherwise specified by this Ordinance.

(h)

Where the average setback of the buildings existing at the time of adoption of this Ordinance within 150 feet on either side of the lot on which a building is proposed is less than 25 feet, that average distance may be used as a minimum setback.

(i)

For two-family dwellings in the single-family district, the following standards shall apply:

(j)

On a corner lot, the minimum lot area in the multifamily district shall be 8,000 square feet.

(k)

The distance between any two structures within a multiple-family residential development shall not be less than 30 feet.

(l)

In the multifamily district, the minimum side yards for multiple-family developments shall be equal to 15 feet or one-half the height of the structure, whichever is greater.

(m)

Within any yard setback or area between buildings, an area equivalent to 70 percent of any required yard or any required minimum area between buildings must be landscaped and developed as usable open space or recreation area available to the residents of the development, and further, said areas shall be kept free of all vehicular uses.

(n)

In the district, front, side, or rear yards need not refer to spacing between buildings for the planned development of two or more buildings on the same parcel. In such cases, the minimum distance between any two buildings shall be regulated according to the length and height of such buildings and in no instance be less than 35 feet.

The formula for regulating the required minimum distance between two buildings is as follows:

S = LA + LB + [2 (HA + HB)] / 6

where:

(o)

The maximum percentage of coverage shall be determined by the use and provisions of required off-street parking, loading and unloading, and required yards.

(p)

Off-street parking shall be permitted to occupy a portion of the required front yard provided that there shall be maintained a minimum unobstructed landscaped setback of ten feet between the nearest point of the off-street parking area, exclusive of access driveways, and the front lot line.

(q)

Loading space shall be provided in the rear yard in accordance with section 12.12.

(r)

Off-street parking shall be permitted in a required side yard setback when said side yard abuts a nonresidential district.

(s)

All storage shall be in the rear yard and shall be completely screened with an obscuring wall or fence, not less than six feet high, or with a chain link type fence and a greenbelt planting so as to obscure all view from any adjacent residential or business district or from a public street.

(t)

In the Recreation/Conservation District, the requirements for minimum lot size, maximum building height, and maximum lot coverage shall not apply to educational and municipal buildings.

Lot size averaging may be permitted by the planning commission, upon application from the proprietor, if it determines that it will provide a better relationship of lots to the topography, vegetation or other natural or man-made features. Lot size averaging is the allowance for a change in lot area and width in a development, but with the average lot area meeting the minimum area as required in section 17.1 for that particular one-family residential district.

In the case where lot size averaging is permitted, the following conditions shall be met:

1.

The number of lots shall not exceed the number allowed for the zoning district in which the development is located.

2.

Reduction of lot area or width below the minimum required for the zoning district shall not be permitted for more than one-third of the total number of lots in the development.

3.

No lot shall have an area or width more than ten percent below that area or width required in the Schedule of Regulations.

4.

All computations showing lot area and the average resulting through this technique shall be indicated on the print of the preliminary plat.

5.

The submittal shall be reviewed and approved in accordance with terms, conditions, and standards of PA 288 of 1967, as amended (the state Subdivision Control Act) and the city's local subdivision regulation ordinance.