Ravenswood City Zoning Code

16.12.140 General

Provisions

Continuing Existing Uses:
1. Non-Conforming Uses of Land And Buildings: No existing building or premises devoted to a use not permitted by this Ordinance in the district in which such building or premises is located, except when required to do so by law or order, shall be enlarged, reconstructed, substituted or structurally altered, unless the use thereof is changed to a use permitted in the district in which such building or premises is located, and except as follows:
2. Discontinuance:
  1. No building, structure or premises, the use of which as a non-conforming use has ceased for eighteen (18) months or more, shall again be put to a non-conforming use.
  2. All non-conforming uses of land not involving any building or structure, except minor structures such as fences, signs, billboards, or commercial advertising structures, and buildings less than four hundred (400) square feet in area, may be continued for a period of one (1) year after the date of enactment of this Ordinance, at the end of which period such non-conforming use shall cease, be removed, or shall be changed to a conforming use.
  3. All non-conforming buildings or structures each having an assessed value for tax purposes of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or less and all non-conforming structures may be continued for a period of two (2) years after the date of enactment of this Ordinance, at the end of which period such non-conforming buildings or structure shall be changed to a conforming use or shall be removed.
  4. All non-conforming uses which are permitted only in the C, SC, or I Districts, and are located in an R District, or in an A District designated for residential use in The GENERAL PLAN, or any non-conforming residential use located in the C, SC, or I District, shall be changed to a conforming use, or terminated and the buildings or structures removed within twenty (20) years after the date of the adoption of this Ordinance.
  5. Any non-conforming building or structure damaged fifty (50) percent or more of its then replacement cost exclusive of the foundations, at the time of damage by fire, flood, explosion, wind, earthquake, war, riot, or other calamity or Act of God, shall not be restored nor reconstructed and used as before such happening; but if less than fifty (50) percent damaged above the foundation, it may be restored, reconstructed, or used as before, provided that it be substantially complete within six (6) months of such happening.
  6. Such repairs and maintenance work as required to keep it in sound condition may be made to a non-conforming building or structure, provided no structural alterations shall be made, except such as are required by law or Ordinance or authorized by the Commission. Except as otherwise provided elsewhere in this Ordinance, the total structural repairs and alterations that may be made in a non-conforming building or structure shall not, during its life subsequent to the date of its becoming a non-conforming use, exceed twenty-five (25) percent of its replacement cost at such date, unless such building or structure is changed to a conforming use.
3. Unsafe Buildings: Nothing in this Ordinance shall prevent the strengthening or restoring to a safe condition of any part of any building or structure declared unsafe by proper authority.
Accessory Buildings:
1. May Be Attached: An accessory building may be erected detached from the principal building or, except when a stable, may be erected as an integral part of the principal building, or it may be connected therewith by a breezeway or similar structure.
2. On corner lots where the rear lot line abuts the side lot line of a lot on the side street, any accessory building or required off-street parking space shall be at least twenty (20) feet from the rear lot line if it projects beyond the required front set-back line of the abutting property, and in no case shall an accessory building be located closer to the side street property line than the distance required for the main building.
3. Where Located: Any accessory building attached to the main building shall be made structurally a part and have a common wall with the main building and shall comply in all respects with the requirements of this Ordinance applicable to the main building. Unless so attached, an accessory building in an R District shall be located on the rear one-half (1/2) of the lot, except for lots deeper than 110 feet it may be located on the rear two-thirds (2/3) of the lot, and at least ten (10) feet from any dwelling building existing or under construction on the same lot or any adjacent lot. An accessory building shall not be located within five (5) feet of any rear lot line or within five (5) feet of the side line of the front half (1/2) of any adjacent lot. A detached accessory building on the rear half of the lot shall in no case be less than three (3) feet from the side property line away from the street.
4. Rear Dwellings: No building in the rear of a principal building on the same lot shall be used for residential purposes unless it conforms to all appropriate yard and other open space and off-street parking requirements of this Ordinance. In addition, there must be provided for any such rear dwelling an unoccupied and unobstructed access way not less than twelve (12) feet wide to a public street for each lot. In addition, any usable rear lot shall contain not less than seventy (70) percent of the minimum lot area of the district within which it is located and that the creation of a rear lot shall not reduce the original lot or lots to less than sixty (60) percent of the lot area required in said district. And, a rear lot may be used for only the residential use permitted in the district located therein.

Parking and Loading Areas:

Off-street Parking Spaces Required:

Required In All Districts: In all districts, in connection with every industrial, business, institutional, recreational, residential or any other use, there shall be provided at the time any building or structure is erected or is enlarged or increased in capacity, off-street parking space for automobiles in accordance with the requirements herein.
Size And Access: Each off-street parking space shall have an area of not less than one hundred eighty (180) square feet exclusive of access drives or aisles, except that in the case where only one (1) space is provided it shall be two hundred (200) square feet and shall be of usable shape and condition. There shall be adequate provision for ingress and egress to all parking spaces. Where a lot does not abut on a public or private alley or easement of access, there shall be provided an access drive not less than twelve (12) feet in width in the case of a dwelling, and not less than twenty (20) feet in width in all other cases, leading to the parking or storage areas or loading or unloading spaces required hereunder in such manner as to secure the most appropriate development of the property in question, but, except where provided in connection with a use permitted in an R District, such easement of access or access drive shall not be located in any R District.
Floor Area Defined: For the purpose of applying the requirements in C Districts, “gross floor area”, in the case of offices, merchandising or retail types of uses, shall mean the gross floor area used or intended to be used by tenants, or for service to the public as customers, patrons, clients, or patients, including areas occupied by fixtures and equipment used for display or sales of merchandise. In SC and I Districts, the term “gross floor area” shall mean the total area of the building or buildings on the subject property utilized for the major purposes of the business for which the parking and loading is required. It shall not include areas used principally for non-public purposes, such as storage, incidental repair, processing or packaging of merchandise, for shop windows, for offices incidental to the management or maintenance of stores or buildings, for toilet or rest rooms, for utilities, or for dressing rooms, fitting or alteration rooms.

Number Of Parking Spaces Required: The number of street parking spaces required shall be as set forth as follows:

Automobile or Machinery Sales and Service Garages	1 for each 400 sq. ft. floor area
Banks, Business and Professional Offices	1 for each 200 sq. ft. floor area
Bowling Alleys	5 for each alley
Churches and Schools	1 for each 3.5 seats in an auditorium or 1 for each 17 classroom seats; whichever is greater
Dance Halls and Assembly Halls without fixed seats, exhibition halls except church assembly rooms in conjunction with auditorium	1 for each 100 sq. ft. of floor area used for assembly or dancing
Dwellings, single family, duplex	See Chart A
Dwellings, multiple	See Chart A
Funeral Homes, Mortuaries	4 for each parlor or 1 for each 50 sq. ft. of floor area
Furniture & Appliance Stores Household equipment or furniture repair shop	1 for each 200 sq. ft. of floor area
Hospitals	1 for each bed
Manufacturing Plants, Research or Testing Laboratories, Bottling Plants	1 for each 1-1/2 employees in the maximum working shift
Rooming & Lodging Houses	1 for each 2 bedrooms
Medical or Dental Clinics	5 spaces for each doctor or dentist
Hotels and Motor Hotels	1 space for each living or sleeping unit
Restaurants, Beer Parlors and Night Clubs	1 for each 2.5 seats
Retail Stores, Shops, Etc.	1 for each 100 sq. ft. of floor area
Children’s Homes	1 for each 4 beds plus 1 for each employee
Sports Arenas, Auditoriums, Theaters, Assembly Halls	1 for each 3.5 seats
Wholesale Establishments or Warehouses	1 for each 2 employees on maximum shift

In the case of any buildings, structure or premises, the use of which is not specifically mentioned herein, the provisions for a use which is so mentioned and to which said use is similar, in the option of the Commission, shall apply.

Development And Maintenance Of Parking Areas: Every parcel of land hereafter used as a public or private parking area, including a commercial parking lot and also an automobile or trailer sales lot, shall be developed and maintained in accordance with the following requirements:
1. Screening And Landscaping: Off-street parking areas for more than five (5) vehicles shall be effectively screened on each side which adjoins or faces premises situated in any R District, or institutional premises, by a masonry wall or solid fence of acceptable design. Such wall or fence shall not be less than four (4) feet or more than six (6) feet in height and shall be maintained in good condition without any advertising thereon. The space between such wall or fence and the side lot line adjoining premises, or the front lot line facing premises, in any R District shall be landscaped with grass, hardy shrubs or evergreen ground cover and maintained in good condition. In case the capacity of the parking area exceeds thirty (30) vehicles, it shall be screened by a masonry wall of a height hereinabove prescribed.
2. Minimum Distances And Set-Backs: No part of any parking area for more than five (5) vehicles shall be closer than ten (10) feet to any dwelling, school, hospital or other institution for human care located on an adjoining lot, unless screened by an unpierced masonry wall of acceptable design. If not in an R District but adjoining such district, the parking area shall not be located within twenty (20) feet from the established street right-of-way line within fifty (50) feet of any R District, provided however that in the case the parking area fronts on a public service road the parking area may be located within ten (10) feet of the established right-of-way line of the service road.
3. Surfacing: Any off-street parking area and access thereto shall be surfaced with an asphaltic or Portland cement binder pavement so as to provide a durable and dustless surface, shall be so graded and drained as to dispose of all surface water accumulated within the area, and shall be so arranged and marked as to provide for orderly and safe loading or unloading and parking and storage of self-propelled vehicles. The foregoing requirements with respect to surfacing shall not apply to a parking area in an A or F District if more than five hundred (500) feet distant from any R District.
4. Lighting: Any lighting used to illuminate any off-street parking area shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from the adjoining premises in any R District.
5. The Commission may authorize on appeal a modification, reduction on waiver of the foregoing requirements, if it should find that, in the particular case appealed the peculiar nature of the residential, business, trade, industrial or other use, or the exceptional shape or size of the property or other exceptional situation or condition, must justify such action.

Off Street Loading Spaces Required:
1. Number Of Spaces Required: In any district, in connection with every building or part thereof hereafter erected and having a gross floor area of five thousand (5000) square feet or more in C District and two thousand (2000) square feet or more in SC Districts which is to be occupied by manufacturing storage, warehouse, goods display, retail store, wholesale store, market, hotel, hospital, mortuary, laundry, dry cleaning or other uses similarly requiring the receipt or distribution by vehicles of material or merchandise, there shall be provided and maintained on the same lot with such building, at least one (1) off-street loading space plus one (1) additional such loading space for each ten thousand (10,000) square feet in C Districts and four thousand (4000) square feet in SC Districts or major fraction thereof of gross floor area so used in excess of ten thousand (10,000) square feet.
2. Size Of Space: Each loading space shall be not less than ten (10) feet in width, twenty-five (25) feet in length, and fourteen (14) feet in height.
3. May Be In Rear Yard: Subject to the limitations in RMC 16.12.080 paragraph D,1, such space may occupy all or part of any required yard or court space.
4. Relation To R District: No such space shall be located closer than twenty (20) feet to any lot in any R District unless wholly within a completely enclosed building or unless enclosed on all sides, except for a gate, by a wall not less than eight (8) feet in height.

Trailers, Trailer Parks, Dwelling Groups, Signs And Advertising:
1. Where Permitted: Trailer courts, as herein defined, shall be permitted only in A and F Districts.
2. Trailer Courts: A trailer court shall have a minimum of six (6) trailer spaces, and where permitted by the terms of this Ordinance, shall conform to the following regulations: The trailer court shall be located on a well-drained site, shall be so located that its drainage will not endanger any water supply and shall be in conformity with a plan approved by the Planning Commission and the State Director of Sanitary Engineering. The following standards shall be adhered to prior to the issuance of any Use Permit by the Commission, provided, however, that with respect to the expansion of any trailer court already in existence at the time of the passage of this Amendment, only those areas which can be considered as new areas shall be made to conform to these standards.
  1. Each trailer coach space shall be a minimum of thirty (30) feet wide and fifty (50) feet long measured along and perpendicular to the proposed side space line.
  2. All streets within the trailer court shall have a forty (40) foot right-of-way with the center twenty (20) feet paved with asphaltic concrete or its equivalent and two ten-foot parking lanes suitably surfaced with rock or slag and maintained so as to prevent standing water or hazardous conditions.
  3. There shall be one hundred (100) square feet of usable and maintained recreation space for each trailer space.
  4. There shall be provided at least one service building for each trailer court containing toilets, showers, lavatory and laundry facilities.
  5. All roads and walks shall be lighted and have a minimum illumination provided by at least 25 watt bulbs every 100 feet shielded in such a way as to prevent glare.
  6. Containers for refuse disposal shall be provided on racks for each trailer space.
  7. Fuel tanks shall be located not less than five (5) feet from any trailer.
  8. Fire protection shall be afforded by the use of hydrants and/or fire extinguishers, the latter requirement to be met by the provision of one (1) CO2 extinguisher for every ten (10) occupied trailer spaces.
  9. A central incinerator may be provided and, if so, shall be located not less than fifty (50) feet from any building or trailer coach space.
  10. Water Supply: An accessible, adequate, safe and potable supply of water shall be provided in each trailer court capable of furnishing 125 gallons per day per trailer coach space, or a public supply of water of such quality as is available. Connections shall be made thereto and the supply shall be used exclusively. The development of an independent water supply to serve the trailer court shall be made only after the system has been approved by the enforcing officer and the State Director of Sanitary Engineering.
  11. Plumbing: All plumbing in the trailer court shall comply with State and local plumbing laws and regulations.
  12. Sewage Disposal: Trailer courts shall be served by a private or public sewer system which has the approval of the enforcing officer and the State Director of Sanitary Engineering. Each trailer coach space shall be provided with a satisfactory sewer connection. All sewage-disposal apparatus, including appurtenances thereto, shall be provided, maintained and operated so as not to create a nuisance or health hazard.
  13. Refuse Disposal: The storage, collection or disposal of refuse in the court shall be so managed as to create no health hazards, rodent harborage, insect breeding areas, accident hazards, or air pollution.
  14. Liquefied Petroleum Gas for cooking purposes shall be used at individual trailer spaces only after containers are properly connected by copper or other suitable metallic tubing. Liquefied petroleum gas cylinders shall be securely fastened in place and adequately protected from the weather. No cylinder containing liquefied petroleum gas shall be located in a trailer coach, nor within five (5) feet thereof.
  15. Alteration And Additions: No permanent additions of any kind shall be built onto, nor become part of any trailer coach. Skirting of coaches is permissible, but such skirting shall not permanently attach the coach to the ground, provide a harborage for rodents, or create a fire hazard. The wheels of the coach shall not be removed except temporarily when necessary for repairs. Jacks or stabilizers may be placed under the frame of the coach to prevent movement on the springs while the coach is parked and occupied.
  16. Register Required: Every trailer court owner or operator shall maintain a register containing a record of all trailer coaches and occupants using the trailer court. Such register shall be available to any authorized person inspecting the court.
Dwelling Groups: A Conditional Use Permit for the erection of a dwelling group, in those districts where permitted, may be granted by the Planning Commission, provided such dwelling group conforms to all the following conditions and requirements:
1. The area of the lot on which the dwelling group is to be erected shall be at least twenty (20) percent greater than the aggregate of the minimum lot areas otherwise required for the individual dwellings in the group.
2. Each dwelling in the group shall front either on a street, or other permanent public open space at least forty (40) feet wide, or on a common yard or outer court not less than fifty (50) feet wide. In each case, the distances between principal buildings, other than the distances specified above, shall be not less than the sum of the least widths of side yards required in the districts in which the dwelling group is to be located.
3. The distance between principal buildings and the nearest lot lines, other than a front line, shall be not less than the height of the building, nor less than required for a principal building in the district in which located, in any case.
4. Every dwelling in the dwelling group shall be within sixty (60) feet of an access roadway or drive, having a pavement at least twenty (20) feet wide, providing vehicular access from a public street, and within three hundred (300) feet, measured along the route of vehicular access, from a public street.
5. Except as modified in this section, such dwelling group shall conform to all the requirements of this Ordinance for the district in which it is to be located.
6. There shall be paid at the time of filing of the application for the Use Permit a fee of two dollars ($2.00) per dwelling unit.
Signs And Advertising Structures:
1. No person except a public officer or employee in performance of a public duty shall paste, post, paint, print, nail, tack, erect, or place or fasten any sign, pennant, or notice of any kind, or cause the same to be done on, facing or visible from any public street in the Town of Ravenswood, except as provided herein and elsewhere in this Ordinance; and to insure compliance with this paragraph, a separate zoning permit shall be required for any such sign, pennant, or notice not specifically included in an original zoning permit, except as provided hereinafter.
  1. Temporary announcement and directional signs required for commercial and community activities shall be allowed without permit except that the owners or sponsors of such events shall be held responsible for the removal of such signs after said event.
2. No sign except for authorized traffic signs shall be erected at the intersection of any streets in such a manner as to create a traffic hazard by obstructing vision; or at any location where it may interfere with, obstruct the view, or be confused with any authorized traffic sign.
3. Outdoor advertising signs and structures, where permitted, shall be set back from the established right-of-way line of any street or thoroughfare, at least as far as the required front yard depth for a principal building in such districts; provided that for every square foot by which such signs or billboards exceed eighty (80) square feet, such setback shall be increased by one-half (1/2) foot but need not exceed one hundred (100) feet, except that at the intersection of any State or Federal highways with a major or secondary thoroughfare, the setback of any outdoor advertising sign or billboards shall not be less than one hundred (100) feet from the established or planned future right-of-way of such highway or street.
4. Signs, not to exceed four (4) square feet in area, announcing the existence of or the direction to local, non-profit organizations may be erected in any district, provided a Conditional Use Permit is first obtained for which no fee shall be charged.
5. In any C, SC, I, A, F, CR, RC-C or RC-SC District there shall be permitted signs, including signs painted on buildings, for identification purposes or advertising products processed, manufactured or sold on the premises either on the building appurtenant thereto or on the ground, a distance not more than one hundred (100) feet from said building; provided such signs do not exceed fifty (50) square feet in area for each twenty-five (25) feet of frontage; provided that such signs shall not exceed two (2) per business and the total area of all such signs shall not exceed one thousand (1000) square feet. Such signs shall require a separate Conditional Use Permit if not submitted at the time of the submission of permit application for the primary land use.
  1. No such billboard, sign, or advertisings structure, other than signs flat against the face of a commercial building shall be permitted which faces the front or side lot line of any lot in any R District within two hundred (200) feet of such lot line, or which faces any public parkway, public square or entrance to any public park, public or parochial school, library, church, or similar institution, within two hundred (200) feet thereof.
  2. The front and back of a sign may be used for sign purposes, provided that one face may not exceed the limits specified herein, nor may the area of the total sign faces exceed twice these limits.
6. One non-illuminated real estate sign advertising the sale, rental or lease of the premises on which it is maintained and not over twelve (12) square feet in aggregate area shall be permitted on any lot without a zoning permit. For each ten (10) feet by which the width of the lot, or two or more contiguous lots in single ownership, exceeds fifty (50) feet, one (1) square foot may be added to the above aggregate area of twelve (12) square feet, but in no case shall such area exceed one hundred (100) square feet, and a zoning permit shall be required therefor. All such signs shall be set back from every street lot line at least a distance in feet equal to the number of square feet in area of the sign, but such setback shall not be less than the least depth of the required front yard, and need not be more than fifty (50) feet. Additional tract signs complying with the above requirements may be located on major thoroughfares, provided that the total number of such signs for any tract shall not exceed four (4).
7. One small announcement or professional sign shall be permitted not over one (1) square foot in area; except that church, school, community center, or other public or institutional building may have for its own use an announcement sign or bulletin board not over twelve (12) square feet in area, which if not attached flat against a building, shall be at least twelve (12) feet from all street lines.
8. No billboard or outdoor advertising structure not pertaining to the use of any property shall be painted or located on any wall, building, or fence, or erected upon the roof of any building. Moving signs and flashing lights shall be prohibited.
9. The Commission Secretary shall collect the following fees which must be paid at the time of the filing of the application for Conditional Use Permits as required:
  Signs for non-profit organizations ….................................................… None Signs for announcement and professional purposes …………………. None
  Signs appurtenant to a permitted building or land use:
  Under 101 sq. ft. ……….….. $10.00 Over 100 sq. ft. ……………… $20.00
  Signs advertising property for sale or lease as specified in paragraph F,6:
  12 sq. ft. or under …………. None Over 12 sq. ft. ………………... $10.00
Quarrying, Mining, And Excavating:
1. The extraction from or deposits on the earth of rock, stone, gravel, sand, earth, minerals, or building or construction materials shall not be constructed to be a permitted use in any district established by the Ordinance, unless and until Conditional Use Permit shall first have been secured therefor as provided in RMC 16.12.160 paragraph B, except for the following defined extractions and deposits:
  1. Excavations for the foundation or basement of any building or for a swimming pool for which a zoning permit and a building permit have been issued, or deposits on the earth of any building or construction materials to be used in a structure for which such zoning permit and building permit have been issued.
  2. Grading of any parcel of land for a permitted use where no bank is left standing and exposed of more than ten (10) feet in vertical height, or when less than one thousand (1000) cubic yards of earth is removed from the premises.
  3. Grading in a subdivision which has been approved by the Town in accordance with the Ravenswood Land Division Regulations and any amendments thereto.
  4. Excavations by any public agency or public utility for the installation, operation, inspection, repair or replacement of any of its facilities.
  5. Any quarry existing and operating as such on the effective date of this section shall obtain a new Use Permit and conform with the provisions of this Ordinance within one (1) year of the adoption of this Ordinance.
Specified Uses:
1. Commercial Uses:
  1. Drive-in Theaters: Shall be located only on highways or major thoroughfares, shall provide ingress and egress so designed so as to minimize traffic congestion, shall be located sufficiently distant from any R District or existing dwelling, and so screened from such district or dwelling that any noise shall not disturb residents, and shall maintain lighted signs and other lights only in such a way as not to disturb neighboring residents.
  2. Golf Driving Range: Shall be located on highways or major thoroughfares or non-residential streets. Flood lights used to illuminate the premises are to be directed and shielded so not to be of annoyance to any developed residential property. The golf driving platform shall be not less than two hundred (200) feet from any adjacent R District or existing dwelling. A temporary permit may be granted to be in force for one year only, which permit may be renewed for a period of one year at the expiration of such permit; provided all requirements of this Ordinance have been and can continue to be complied with.
  3. Retail Sales For Guests Only: Within R Districts, community buildings, private clubs, lodges, social or recreational establishments may engage in retail sales for guests only, provided that:
    1. For continuing uses there shall be no external evidence of any gainful activity, however, incidental, nor any access to any space used for gainful activity other than from within the building.
    2. There shall be no harm to adjacent existing or potential residential development due to excessive traffic generating or noise or other circumstances.
  4. A Circus Or Carnival: Involving temporary assemblages and their automobiles may be held in any district where permitted, provided that such establishment may not be located within two hundred (200) feet from any residence.
  5. Amusement Center, Bowling Alley, Dance Hall, and Similar Places of Amusement: Shall provide parking with ingress and egress designed so as to minimize traffic congestion, shall not be less than twenty (20) feet from any property line, provide a minimum of six (6) foot solid board fence or masonry wall separating parking area from abutting residential property, and shall show that adequate controls or measures will be taken to prevent offensive noise and vibration.
  6. Temporary Tract Office: In any district shall be located on the property to which it is appurtenant, shall be limited to a six-month period at the expiration of which time the applicant may request a further extension of time. Otherwise, the tract office shall be removed at the expense of the owner.
2. Public And Semi-Public Uses:
  1. Cemetery, Crematory, Mausoleum, Columbarium: Shall provide entrance on a major street or road with ingress and egress so designed as to minimize traffic congestion, shall provide required off-street parking space, and shall provide a minimum six (6) foot high evergreen hedge, or provide a minimum twenty (20) feet or permanently maintained planting strip on all property lines abutting on R District or residential street.
  2. Nursing Homes: Approval must be obtained from proper agencies concerning health and safety conditions, and said home must be licensed by such agencies.
  3. Airports or Heliports or Landing Strips for Aircraft: Shall be located no closer than six hundred (600) feet from any dwelling; shall provide runways only so oriented that aircraft landing and taking off do not pass directly over dwellings; shall be located so that air or land traffic shall not constitute a nuisance to neighboring uses; proponents shall show that adequate controls or measures will be taken to prevent offensive dust, noise, vibrations or bright lights; proponents shall show that the field in question comes up to the standards of the Civil Aeronautics Authority for the particular class of field.
  4. Community Building, Social Halls, Lodges, Fraternal Organizations And Clubs:
    1. All new buildings must be a minimum of twenty (20) feet from the side lot lines, and fifty (50) feet from the rear lot line.
    2. There shall be no external evidence of any continuing gainful activity, however incidental, nor any access to any space used for gainful activity other than from within the building.
    3. Any such use must be located on a major or secondary thoroughfare or be able to provide access without causing heavy traffic on local residential streets.
  5. Hospital, Church or other religions or eleemosynary institution shall be located on a major street on a minimum parcel of one (1) acre; shall maintain a ten (10) foot wide minimum landscaped strip on all property lines abutting R Districts and on all residential streets.
  6. Nursery School or Day Care Center for more than five (5) children shall maintain a minimum six (6) foot high solid board fence combined with a minimum three (3) foot wide shrub planting area or a minimum six (6) foot high masonry wall on any property line abutting a residential district. A nursery school shall be located only on a minimum ten thousand (10,000) square foot lot and shall not develop excessive traffic on local residential streets.
  7. Approval Of Public Uses: The Planning Commission shall act as an advisory body to the Town Council on proposed land uses by public agencies, including any construction, alteration or addiction to public buildings. Such agencies shall submit suitably-detailed plans and information to the Planning Commission at least thirty (30) days prior to any site lease or purchase, for review and approval of the land use in relation to the GENERAL PLAN. In addition, building plans shall be submitted for review prior to final approval by the public agency’s governing body or executive, and at least thirty (30) days prior to the letting of bids. The Commission shall submit its recommendations in writing to the Town Council and public agency involved. Where action by the Town Council is required before the public agency can proceed with its proposed land use, the Council shall require full consideration and written acknowledgment of the Commission’s recommendations by the public agency; and in any event, such consideration shall be requested. No fee is required for public uses reviewed under this paragraph.
Miscellaneous Provisions:
1. Street Frontage Required: Except as permitted by other provisions, no lot shall contain any building used in whole or part for residential purposes unless such lot abuts for at least thirty-five (35) feet on a street and there shall be not more than one single-family dwelling for such frontage.
2. One Main Building: Every building hereafter erected shall be located on a lot herein defined. In no case shall there be more than one (1) main residential building and its accessory buildings, not to exceed two (2), on one (1) lot. Group dwellings, court apartments and semi-detached dwellings shall be considered as one (1) main residential building on one lot. In the case of court apartments and semi-detached dwellings, each two (2) separate structures may have one (1) accessory building.
3. Frontage On Corner Lots: No building permit shall be issued for a building or structure on a corner lot when such building or structure is to be oriented in such a manner as to reduce the front yard requirement on the street on which such corner lot has its frontage at the time this Ordinance becomes effective.
4. Required Area Or Space Cannot Be Reduced: No lot, yard, court, parking area or dimension shall be further reduced so as to make said area or dimension less than the minimum required by this Ordinance. Every required front, side and rear yard shall be open and unobstructed from the ground to the sky. At each end of a through lot there shall be a front yard of a depth required by this Ordinance for the district in which each street frontage is located; provided, however, that one of such front yards may serve as a required rear yard.
5. Pending Applications For Building Permits: Nothing herein contained shall require any change in the over-all layout, plans, construction, size or designated use of any development, building, structure, or part thereof, for which official approvals and required building permits have been granted before the enactment of this Ordinance, the construction of which, conforming with plans approved by the Building Inspector shall have been started prior to the effective date of this Ordinance and construction thereof is carried on in a normal manner within the subsequent six (6) month period, and not discontinued until completion.
6. Home Occupations: In any R District customary home occupations such as handicraft, dress making, millinery, laundering, preserving, home cooking, and office uses may be permitted; provided that such occupations shall be conducted solely by resident occupants in their residence and provided that not more than one quarter (1/4) of the area of one (1) floor of said residence shall be used for such purposes; that no such use shall require internal or external alterations or involve construction features or the other use of mechanical equipment not customary in dwellings; that the entrance to the space devoted to such use shall be from within the dwelling. An unlighted sign of not over one (1) square foot area and attached flat against the building shall be permitted.
7. Professional Office In Home: In any R District, the secondary office or studio in his residence of a physician or surgeon, dentist, artist, lawyer, architect, engineer, teacher or other member of a recognized profession may be permitted; but not including a photo studio, beauty parlor, barber shop, music school, dancing school, business school, or school of any kind with organized classes, or similar activity; provided that not more than one-half (1/2) of the floor area of one floor of the dwelling is devoted to such office or studio; that no one not a resident on the premises is employed, that no such use shall require external or internal alterations, or involve construction features not customary in dwellings; that the entrances to such office or studio shall be from within the dwelling. An unlighted name plate of not over one (1) square foot in area and attached flat against the building shall be permitted.

Ravenswood City Zoning Code

16.12.140 General

Provisions

Continuing Existing Uses:
1. Non-Conforming Uses of Land And Buildings: No existing building or premises devoted to a use not permitted by this Ordinance in the district in which such building or premises is located, except when required to do so by law or order, shall be enlarged, reconstructed, substituted or structurally altered, unless the use thereof is changed to a use permitted in the district in which such building or premises is located, and except as follows:
2. Discontinuance:
  1. No building, structure or premises, the use of which as a non-conforming use has ceased for eighteen (18) months or more, shall again be put to a non-conforming use.
  2. All non-conforming uses of land not involving any building or structure, except minor structures such as fences, signs, billboards, or commercial advertising structures, and buildings less than four hundred (400) square feet in area, may be continued for a period of one (1) year after the date of enactment of this Ordinance, at the end of which period such non-conforming use shall cease, be removed, or shall be changed to a conforming use.
  3. All non-conforming buildings or structures each having an assessed value for tax purposes of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or less and all non-conforming structures may be continued for a period of two (2) years after the date of enactment of this Ordinance, at the end of which period such non-conforming buildings or structure shall be changed to a conforming use or shall be removed.
  4. All non-conforming uses which are permitted only in the C, SC, or I Districts, and are located in an R District, or in an A District designated for residential use in The GENERAL PLAN, or any non-conforming residential use located in the C, SC, or I District, shall be changed to a conforming use, or terminated and the buildings or structures removed within twenty (20) years after the date of the adoption of this Ordinance.
  5. Any non-conforming building or structure damaged fifty (50) percent or more of its then replacement cost exclusive of the foundations, at the time of damage by fire, flood, explosion, wind, earthquake, war, riot, or other calamity or Act of God, shall not be restored nor reconstructed and used as before such happening; but if less than fifty (50) percent damaged above the foundation, it may be restored, reconstructed, or used as before, provided that it be substantially complete within six (6) months of such happening.
  6. Such repairs and maintenance work as required to keep it in sound condition may be made to a non-conforming building or structure, provided no structural alterations shall be made, except such as are required by law or Ordinance or authorized by the Commission. Except as otherwise provided elsewhere in this Ordinance, the total structural repairs and alterations that may be made in a non-conforming building or structure shall not, during its life subsequent to the date of its becoming a non-conforming use, exceed twenty-five (25) percent of its replacement cost at such date, unless such building or structure is changed to a conforming use.
3. Unsafe Buildings: Nothing in this Ordinance shall prevent the strengthening or restoring to a safe condition of any part of any building or structure declared unsafe by proper authority.
Accessory Buildings:
1. May Be Attached: An accessory building may be erected detached from the principal building or, except when a stable, may be erected as an integral part of the principal building, or it may be connected therewith by a breezeway or similar structure.
2. On corner lots where the rear lot line abuts the side lot line of a lot on the side street, any accessory building or required off-street parking space shall be at least twenty (20) feet from the rear lot line if it projects beyond the required front set-back line of the abutting property, and in no case shall an accessory building be located closer to the side street property line than the distance required for the main building.
3. Where Located: Any accessory building attached to the main building shall be made structurally a part and have a common wall with the main building and shall comply in all respects with the requirements of this Ordinance applicable to the main building. Unless so attached, an accessory building in an R District shall be located on the rear one-half (1/2) of the lot, except for lots deeper than 110 feet it may be located on the rear two-thirds (2/3) of the lot, and at least ten (10) feet from any dwelling building existing or under construction on the same lot or any adjacent lot. An accessory building shall not be located within five (5) feet of any rear lot line or within five (5) feet of the side line of the front half (1/2) of any adjacent lot. A detached accessory building on the rear half of the lot shall in no case be less than three (3) feet from the side property line away from the street.
4. Rear Dwellings: No building in the rear of a principal building on the same lot shall be used for residential purposes unless it conforms to all appropriate yard and other open space and off-street parking requirements of this Ordinance. In addition, there must be provided for any such rear dwelling an unoccupied and unobstructed access way not less than twelve (12) feet wide to a public street for each lot. In addition, any usable rear lot shall contain not less than seventy (70) percent of the minimum lot area of the district within which it is located and that the creation of a rear lot shall not reduce the original lot or lots to less than sixty (60) percent of the lot area required in said district. And, a rear lot may be used for only the residential use permitted in the district located therein.

Parking and Loading Areas:

Off-street Parking Spaces Required:

Required In All Districts: In all districts, in connection with every industrial, business, institutional, recreational, residential or any other use, there shall be provided at the time any building or structure is erected or is enlarged or increased in capacity, off-street parking space for automobiles in accordance with the requirements herein.
Size And Access: Each off-street parking space shall have an area of not less than one hundred eighty (180) square feet exclusive of access drives or aisles, except that in the case where only one (1) space is provided it shall be two hundred (200) square feet and shall be of usable shape and condition. There shall be adequate provision for ingress and egress to all parking spaces. Where a lot does not abut on a public or private alley or easement of access, there shall be provided an access drive not less than twelve (12) feet in width in the case of a dwelling, and not less than twenty (20) feet in width in all other cases, leading to the parking or storage areas or loading or unloading spaces required hereunder in such manner as to secure the most appropriate development of the property in question, but, except where provided in connection with a use permitted in an R District, such easement of access or access drive shall not be located in any R District.
Floor Area Defined: For the purpose of applying the requirements in C Districts, “gross floor area”, in the case of offices, merchandising or retail types of uses, shall mean the gross floor area used or intended to be used by tenants, or for service to the public as customers, patrons, clients, or patients, including areas occupied by fixtures and equipment used for display or sales of merchandise. In SC and I Districts, the term “gross floor area” shall mean the total area of the building or buildings on the subject property utilized for the major purposes of the business for which the parking and loading is required. It shall not include areas used principally for non-public purposes, such as storage, incidental repair, processing or packaging of merchandise, for shop windows, for offices incidental to the management or maintenance of stores or buildings, for toilet or rest rooms, for utilities, or for dressing rooms, fitting or alteration rooms.

Number Of Parking Spaces Required: The number of street parking spaces required shall be as set forth as follows:

Automobile or Machinery Sales and Service Garages	1 for each 400 sq. ft. floor area
Banks, Business and Professional Offices	1 for each 200 sq. ft. floor area
Bowling Alleys	5 for each alley
Churches and Schools	1 for each 3.5 seats in an auditorium or 1 for each 17 classroom seats; whichever is greater
Dance Halls and Assembly Halls without fixed seats, exhibition halls except church assembly rooms in conjunction with auditorium	1 for each 100 sq. ft. of floor area used for assembly or dancing
Dwellings, single family, duplex	See Chart A
Dwellings, multiple	See Chart A
Funeral Homes, Mortuaries	4 for each parlor or 1 for each 50 sq. ft. of floor area
Furniture & Appliance Stores Household equipment or furniture repair shop	1 for each 200 sq. ft. of floor area
Hospitals	1 for each bed
Manufacturing Plants, Research or Testing Laboratories, Bottling Plants	1 for each 1-1/2 employees in the maximum working shift
Rooming & Lodging Houses	1 for each 2 bedrooms
Medical or Dental Clinics	5 spaces for each doctor or dentist
Hotels and Motor Hotels	1 space for each living or sleeping unit
Restaurants, Beer Parlors and Night Clubs	1 for each 2.5 seats
Retail Stores, Shops, Etc.	1 for each 100 sq. ft. of floor area
Children’s Homes	1 for each 4 beds plus 1 for each employee
Sports Arenas, Auditoriums, Theaters, Assembly Halls	1 for each 3.5 seats
Wholesale Establishments or Warehouses	1 for each 2 employees on maximum shift

Development And Maintenance Of Parking Areas: Every parcel of land hereafter used as a public or private parking area, including a commercial parking lot and also an automobile or trailer sales lot, shall be developed and maintained in accordance with the following requirements:
1. Screening And Landscaping: Off-street parking areas for more than five (5) vehicles shall be effectively screened on each side which adjoins or faces premises situated in any R District, or institutional premises, by a masonry wall or solid fence of acceptable design. Such wall or fence shall not be less than four (4) feet or more than six (6) feet in height and shall be maintained in good condition without any advertising thereon. The space between such wall or fence and the side lot line adjoining premises, or the front lot line facing premises, in any R District shall be landscaped with grass, hardy shrubs or evergreen ground cover and maintained in good condition. In case the capacity of the parking area exceeds thirty (30) vehicles, it shall be screened by a masonry wall of a height hereinabove prescribed.
2. Minimum Distances And Set-Backs: No part of any parking area for more than five (5) vehicles shall be closer than ten (10) feet to any dwelling, school, hospital or other institution for human care located on an adjoining lot, unless screened by an unpierced masonry wall of acceptable design. If not in an R District but adjoining such district, the parking area shall not be located within twenty (20) feet from the established street right-of-way line within fifty (50) feet of any R District, provided however that in the case the parking area fronts on a public service road the parking area may be located within ten (10) feet of the established right-of-way line of the service road.
3. Surfacing: Any off-street parking area and access thereto shall be surfaced with an asphaltic or Portland cement binder pavement so as to provide a durable and dustless surface, shall be so graded and drained as to dispose of all surface water accumulated within the area, and shall be so arranged and marked as to provide for orderly and safe loading or unloading and parking and storage of self-propelled vehicles. The foregoing requirements with respect to surfacing shall not apply to a parking area in an A or F District if more than five hundred (500) feet distant from any R District.
4. Lighting: Any lighting used to illuminate any off-street parking area shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from the adjoining premises in any R District.
5. The Commission may authorize on appeal a modification, reduction on waiver of the foregoing requirements, if it should find that, in the particular case appealed the peculiar nature of the residential, business, trade, industrial or other use, or the exceptional shape or size of the property or other exceptional situation or condition, must justify such action.

Off Street Loading Spaces Required:
1. Number Of Spaces Required: In any district, in connection with every building or part thereof hereafter erected and having a gross floor area of five thousand (5000) square feet or more in C District and two thousand (2000) square feet or more in SC Districts which is to be occupied by manufacturing storage, warehouse, goods display, retail store, wholesale store, market, hotel, hospital, mortuary, laundry, dry cleaning or other uses similarly requiring the receipt or distribution by vehicles of material or merchandise, there shall be provided and maintained on the same lot with such building, at least one (1) off-street loading space plus one (1) additional such loading space for each ten thousand (10,000) square feet in C Districts and four thousand (4000) square feet in SC Districts or major fraction thereof of gross floor area so used in excess of ten thousand (10,000) square feet.
2. Size Of Space: Each loading space shall be not less than ten (10) feet in width, twenty-five (25) feet in length, and fourteen (14) feet in height.
3. May Be In Rear Yard: Subject to the limitations in RMC 16.12.080 paragraph D,1, such space may occupy all or part of any required yard or court space.
4. Relation To R District: No such space shall be located closer than twenty (20) feet to any lot in any R District unless wholly within a completely enclosed building or unless enclosed on all sides, except for a gate, by a wall not less than eight (8) feet in height.

Trailers, Trailer Parks, Dwelling Groups, Signs And Advertising:
1. Where Permitted: Trailer courts, as herein defined, shall be permitted only in A and F Districts.
2. Trailer Courts: A trailer court shall have a minimum of six (6) trailer spaces, and where permitted by the terms of this Ordinance, shall conform to the following regulations: The trailer court shall be located on a well-drained site, shall be so located that its drainage will not endanger any water supply and shall be in conformity with a plan approved by the Planning Commission and the State Director of Sanitary Engineering. The following standards shall be adhered to prior to the issuance of any Use Permit by the Commission, provided, however, that with respect to the expansion of any trailer court already in existence at the time of the passage of this Amendment, only those areas which can be considered as new areas shall be made to conform to these standards.
  1. Each trailer coach space shall be a minimum of thirty (30) feet wide and fifty (50) feet long measured along and perpendicular to the proposed side space line.
  2. All streets within the trailer court shall have a forty (40) foot right-of-way with the center twenty (20) feet paved with asphaltic concrete or its equivalent and two ten-foot parking lanes suitably surfaced with rock or slag and maintained so as to prevent standing water or hazardous conditions.
  3. There shall be one hundred (100) square feet of usable and maintained recreation space for each trailer space.
  4. There shall be provided at least one service building for each trailer court containing toilets, showers, lavatory and laundry facilities.
  5. All roads and walks shall be lighted and have a minimum illumination provided by at least 25 watt bulbs every 100 feet shielded in such a way as to prevent glare.
  6. Containers for refuse disposal shall be provided on racks for each trailer space.
  7. Fuel tanks shall be located not less than five (5) feet from any trailer.
  8. Fire protection shall be afforded by the use of hydrants and/or fire extinguishers, the latter requirement to be met by the provision of one (1) CO2 extinguisher for every ten (10) occupied trailer spaces.
  9. A central incinerator may be provided and, if so, shall be located not less than fifty (50) feet from any building or trailer coach space.
  10. Water Supply: An accessible, adequate, safe and potable supply of water shall be provided in each trailer court capable of furnishing 125 gallons per day per trailer coach space, or a public supply of water of such quality as is available. Connections shall be made thereto and the supply shall be used exclusively. The development of an independent water supply to serve the trailer court shall be made only after the system has been approved by the enforcing officer and the State Director of Sanitary Engineering.
  11. Plumbing: All plumbing in the trailer court shall comply with State and local plumbing laws and regulations.
  12. Sewage Disposal: Trailer courts shall be served by a private or public sewer system which has the approval of the enforcing officer and the State Director of Sanitary Engineering. Each trailer coach space shall be provided with a satisfactory sewer connection. All sewage-disposal apparatus, including appurtenances thereto, shall be provided, maintained and operated so as not to create a nuisance or health hazard.
  13. Refuse Disposal: The storage, collection or disposal of refuse in the court shall be so managed as to create no health hazards, rodent harborage, insect breeding areas, accident hazards, or air pollution.
  14. Liquefied Petroleum Gas for cooking purposes shall be used at individual trailer spaces only after containers are properly connected by copper or other suitable metallic tubing. Liquefied petroleum gas cylinders shall be securely fastened in place and adequately protected from the weather. No cylinder containing liquefied petroleum gas shall be located in a trailer coach, nor within five (5) feet thereof.
  15. Alteration And Additions: No permanent additions of any kind shall be built onto, nor become part of any trailer coach. Skirting of coaches is permissible, but such skirting shall not permanently attach the coach to the ground, provide a harborage for rodents, or create a fire hazard. The wheels of the coach shall not be removed except temporarily when necessary for repairs. Jacks or stabilizers may be placed under the frame of the coach to prevent movement on the springs while the coach is parked and occupied.
  16. Register Required: Every trailer court owner or operator shall maintain a register containing a record of all trailer coaches and occupants using the trailer court. Such register shall be available to any authorized person inspecting the court.
Dwelling Groups: A Conditional Use Permit for the erection of a dwelling group, in those districts where permitted, may be granted by the Planning Commission, provided such dwelling group conforms to all the following conditions and requirements:
1. The area of the lot on which the dwelling group is to be erected shall be at least twenty (20) percent greater than the aggregate of the minimum lot areas otherwise required for the individual dwellings in the group.
2. Each dwelling in the group shall front either on a street, or other permanent public open space at least forty (40) feet wide, or on a common yard or outer court not less than fifty (50) feet wide. In each case, the distances between principal buildings, other than the distances specified above, shall be not less than the sum of the least widths of side yards required in the districts in which the dwelling group is to be located.
3. The distance between principal buildings and the nearest lot lines, other than a front line, shall be not less than the height of the building, nor less than required for a principal building in the district in which located, in any case.
4. Every dwelling in the dwelling group shall be within sixty (60) feet of an access roadway or drive, having a pavement at least twenty (20) feet wide, providing vehicular access from a public street, and within three hundred (300) feet, measured along the route of vehicular access, from a public street.
5. Except as modified in this section, such dwelling group shall conform to all the requirements of this Ordinance for the district in which it is to be located.
6. There shall be paid at the time of filing of the application for the Use Permit a fee of two dollars ($2.00) per dwelling unit.
Signs And Advertising Structures:
1. No person except a public officer or employee in performance of a public duty shall paste, post, paint, print, nail, tack, erect, or place or fasten any sign, pennant, or notice of any kind, or cause the same to be done on, facing or visible from any public street in the Town of Ravenswood, except as provided herein and elsewhere in this Ordinance; and to insure compliance with this paragraph, a separate zoning permit shall be required for any such sign, pennant, or notice not specifically included in an original zoning permit, except as provided hereinafter.
  1. Temporary announcement and directional signs required for commercial and community activities shall be allowed without permit except that the owners or sponsors of such events shall be held responsible for the removal of such signs after said event.
2. No sign except for authorized traffic signs shall be erected at the intersection of any streets in such a manner as to create a traffic hazard by obstructing vision; or at any location where it may interfere with, obstruct the view, or be confused with any authorized traffic sign.
3. Outdoor advertising signs and structures, where permitted, shall be set back from the established right-of-way line of any street or thoroughfare, at least as far as the required front yard depth for a principal building in such districts; provided that for every square foot by which such signs or billboards exceed eighty (80) square feet, such setback shall be increased by one-half (1/2) foot but need not exceed one hundred (100) feet, except that at the intersection of any State or Federal highways with a major or secondary thoroughfare, the setback of any outdoor advertising sign or billboards shall not be less than one hundred (100) feet from the established or planned future right-of-way of such highway or street.
4. Signs, not to exceed four (4) square feet in area, announcing the existence of or the direction to local, non-profit organizations may be erected in any district, provided a Conditional Use Permit is first obtained for which no fee shall be charged.
5. In any C, SC, I, A, F, CR, RC-C or RC-SC District there shall be permitted signs, including signs painted on buildings, for identification purposes or advertising products processed, manufactured or sold on the premises either on the building appurtenant thereto or on the ground, a distance not more than one hundred (100) feet from said building; provided such signs do not exceed fifty (50) square feet in area for each twenty-five (25) feet of frontage; provided that such signs shall not exceed two (2) per business and the total area of all such signs shall not exceed one thousand (1000) square feet. Such signs shall require a separate Conditional Use Permit if not submitted at the time of the submission of permit application for the primary land use.
  1. No such billboard, sign, or advertisings structure, other than signs flat against the face of a commercial building shall be permitted which faces the front or side lot line of any lot in any R District within two hundred (200) feet of such lot line, or which faces any public parkway, public square or entrance to any public park, public or parochial school, library, church, or similar institution, within two hundred (200) feet thereof.
  2. The front and back of a sign may be used for sign purposes, provided that one face may not exceed the limits specified herein, nor may the area of the total sign faces exceed twice these limits.
6. One non-illuminated real estate sign advertising the sale, rental or lease of the premises on which it is maintained and not over twelve (12) square feet in aggregate area shall be permitted on any lot without a zoning permit. For each ten (10) feet by which the width of the lot, or two or more contiguous lots in single ownership, exceeds fifty (50) feet, one (1) square foot may be added to the above aggregate area of twelve (12) square feet, but in no case shall such area exceed one hundred (100) square feet, and a zoning permit shall be required therefor. All such signs shall be set back from every street lot line at least a distance in feet equal to the number of square feet in area of the sign, but such setback shall not be less than the least depth of the required front yard, and need not be more than fifty (50) feet. Additional tract signs complying with the above requirements may be located on major thoroughfares, provided that the total number of such signs for any tract shall not exceed four (4).
7. One small announcement or professional sign shall be permitted not over one (1) square foot in area; except that church, school, community center, or other public or institutional building may have for its own use an announcement sign or bulletin board not over twelve (12) square feet in area, which if not attached flat against a building, shall be at least twelve (12) feet from all street lines.
8. No billboard or outdoor advertising structure not pertaining to the use of any property shall be painted or located on any wall, building, or fence, or erected upon the roof of any building. Moving signs and flashing lights shall be prohibited.
9. The Commission Secretary shall collect the following fees which must be paid at the time of the filing of the application for Conditional Use Permits as required:
  Signs for non-profit organizations ….................................................… None Signs for announcement and professional purposes …………………. None
  Signs appurtenant to a permitted building or land use:
  Under 101 sq. ft. ……….….. $10.00 Over 100 sq. ft. ……………… $20.00
  Signs advertising property for sale or lease as specified in paragraph F,6:
  12 sq. ft. or under …………. None Over 12 sq. ft. ………………... $10.00
Quarrying, Mining, And Excavating:
1. The extraction from or deposits on the earth of rock, stone, gravel, sand, earth, minerals, or building or construction materials shall not be constructed to be a permitted use in any district established by the Ordinance, unless and until Conditional Use Permit shall first have been secured therefor as provided in RMC 16.12.160 paragraph B, except for the following defined extractions and deposits:
  1. Excavations for the foundation or basement of any building or for a swimming pool for which a zoning permit and a building permit have been issued, or deposits on the earth of any building or construction materials to be used in a structure for which such zoning permit and building permit have been issued.
  2. Grading of any parcel of land for a permitted use where no bank is left standing and exposed of more than ten (10) feet in vertical height, or when less than one thousand (1000) cubic yards of earth is removed from the premises.
  3. Grading in a subdivision which has been approved by the Town in accordance with the Ravenswood Land Division Regulations and any amendments thereto.
  4. Excavations by any public agency or public utility for the installation, operation, inspection, repair or replacement of any of its facilities.
  5. Any quarry existing and operating as such on the effective date of this section shall obtain a new Use Permit and conform with the provisions of this Ordinance within one (1) year of the adoption of this Ordinance.
Specified Uses:
1. Commercial Uses:
  1. Drive-in Theaters: Shall be located only on highways or major thoroughfares, shall provide ingress and egress so designed so as to minimize traffic congestion, shall be located sufficiently distant from any R District or existing dwelling, and so screened from such district or dwelling that any noise shall not disturb residents, and shall maintain lighted signs and other lights only in such a way as not to disturb neighboring residents.
  2. Golf Driving Range: Shall be located on highways or major thoroughfares or non-residential streets. Flood lights used to illuminate the premises are to be directed and shielded so not to be of annoyance to any developed residential property. The golf driving platform shall be not less than two hundred (200) feet from any adjacent R District or existing dwelling. A temporary permit may be granted to be in force for one year only, which permit may be renewed for a period of one year at the expiration of such permit; provided all requirements of this Ordinance have been and can continue to be complied with.
  3. Retail Sales For Guests Only: Within R Districts, community buildings, private clubs, lodges, social or recreational establishments may engage in retail sales for guests only, provided that:
    1. For continuing uses there shall be no external evidence of any gainful activity, however, incidental, nor any access to any space used for gainful activity other than from within the building.
    2. There shall be no harm to adjacent existing or potential residential development due to excessive traffic generating or noise or other circumstances.
  4. A Circus Or Carnival: Involving temporary assemblages and their automobiles may be held in any district where permitted, provided that such establishment may not be located within two hundred (200) feet from any residence.
  5. Amusement Center, Bowling Alley, Dance Hall, and Similar Places of Amusement: Shall provide parking with ingress and egress designed so as to minimize traffic congestion, shall not be less than twenty (20) feet from any property line, provide a minimum of six (6) foot solid board fence or masonry wall separating parking area from abutting residential property, and shall show that adequate controls or measures will be taken to prevent offensive noise and vibration.
  6. Temporary Tract Office: In any district shall be located on the property to which it is appurtenant, shall be limited to a six-month period at the expiration of which time the applicant may request a further extension of time. Otherwise, the tract office shall be removed at the expense of the owner.
2. Public And Semi-Public Uses:
  1. Cemetery, Crematory, Mausoleum, Columbarium: Shall provide entrance on a major street or road with ingress and egress so designed as to minimize traffic congestion, shall provide required off-street parking space, and shall provide a minimum six (6) foot high evergreen hedge, or provide a minimum twenty (20) feet or permanently maintained planting strip on all property lines abutting on R District or residential street.
  2. Nursing Homes: Approval must be obtained from proper agencies concerning health and safety conditions, and said home must be licensed by such agencies.
  3. Airports or Heliports or Landing Strips for Aircraft: Shall be located no closer than six hundred (600) feet from any dwelling; shall provide runways only so oriented that aircraft landing and taking off do not pass directly over dwellings; shall be located so that air or land traffic shall not constitute a nuisance to neighboring uses; proponents shall show that adequate controls or measures will be taken to prevent offensive dust, noise, vibrations or bright lights; proponents shall show that the field in question comes up to the standards of the Civil Aeronautics Authority for the particular class of field.
  4. Community Building, Social Halls, Lodges, Fraternal Organizations And Clubs:
    1. All new buildings must be a minimum of twenty (20) feet from the side lot lines, and fifty (50) feet from the rear lot line.
    2. There shall be no external evidence of any continuing gainful activity, however incidental, nor any access to any space used for gainful activity other than from within the building.
    3. Any such use must be located on a major or secondary thoroughfare or be able to provide access without causing heavy traffic on local residential streets.
  5. Hospital, Church or other religions or eleemosynary institution shall be located on a major street on a minimum parcel of one (1) acre; shall maintain a ten (10) foot wide minimum landscaped strip on all property lines abutting R Districts and on all residential streets.
  6. Nursery School or Day Care Center for more than five (5) children shall maintain a minimum six (6) foot high solid board fence combined with a minimum three (3) foot wide shrub planting area or a minimum six (6) foot high masonry wall on any property line abutting a residential district. A nursery school shall be located only on a minimum ten thousand (10,000) square foot lot and shall not develop excessive traffic on local residential streets.
  7. Approval Of Public Uses: The Planning Commission shall act as an advisory body to the Town Council on proposed land uses by public agencies, including any construction, alteration or addiction to public buildings. Such agencies shall submit suitably-detailed plans and information to the Planning Commission at least thirty (30) days prior to any site lease or purchase, for review and approval of the land use in relation to the GENERAL PLAN. In addition, building plans shall be submitted for review prior to final approval by the public agency’s governing body or executive, and at least thirty (30) days prior to the letting of bids. The Commission shall submit its recommendations in writing to the Town Council and public agency involved. Where action by the Town Council is required before the public agency can proceed with its proposed land use, the Council shall require full consideration and written acknowledgment of the Commission’s recommendations by the public agency; and in any event, such consideration shall be requested. No fee is required for public uses reviewed under this paragraph.
Miscellaneous Provisions:
1. Street Frontage Required: Except as permitted by other provisions, no lot shall contain any building used in whole or part for residential purposes unless such lot abuts for at least thirty-five (35) feet on a street and there shall be not more than one single-family dwelling for such frontage.
2. One Main Building: Every building hereafter erected shall be located on a lot herein defined. In no case shall there be more than one (1) main residential building and its accessory buildings, not to exceed two (2), on one (1) lot. Group dwellings, court apartments and semi-detached dwellings shall be considered as one (1) main residential building on one lot. In the case of court apartments and semi-detached dwellings, each two (2) separate structures may have one (1) accessory building.
3. Frontage On Corner Lots: No building permit shall be issued for a building or structure on a corner lot when such building or structure is to be oriented in such a manner as to reduce the front yard requirement on the street on which such corner lot has its frontage at the time this Ordinance becomes effective.
4. Required Area Or Space Cannot Be Reduced: No lot, yard, court, parking area or dimension shall be further reduced so as to make said area or dimension less than the minimum required by this Ordinance. Every required front, side and rear yard shall be open and unobstructed from the ground to the sky. At each end of a through lot there shall be a front yard of a depth required by this Ordinance for the district in which each street frontage is located; provided, however, that one of such front yards may serve as a required rear yard.
5. Pending Applications For Building Permits: Nothing herein contained shall require any change in the over-all layout, plans, construction, size or designated use of any development, building, structure, or part thereof, for which official approvals and required building permits have been granted before the enactment of this Ordinance, the construction of which, conforming with plans approved by the Building Inspector shall have been started prior to the effective date of this Ordinance and construction thereof is carried on in a normal manner within the subsequent six (6) month period, and not discontinued until completion.
6. Home Occupations: In any R District customary home occupations such as handicraft, dress making, millinery, laundering, preserving, home cooking, and office uses may be permitted; provided that such occupations shall be conducted solely by resident occupants in their residence and provided that not more than one quarter (1/4) of the area of one (1) floor of said residence shall be used for such purposes; that no such use shall require internal or external alterations or involve construction features or the other use of mechanical equipment not customary in dwellings; that the entrance to the space devoted to such use shall be from within the dwelling. An unlighted sign of not over one (1) square foot area and attached flat against the building shall be permitted.
7. Professional Office In Home: In any R District, the secondary office or studio in his residence of a physician or surgeon, dentist, artist, lawyer, architect, engineer, teacher or other member of a recognized profession may be permitted; but not including a photo studio, beauty parlor, barber shop, music school, dancing school, business school, or school of any kind with organized classes, or similar activity; provided that not more than one-half (1/2) of the floor area of one floor of the dwelling is devoted to such office or studio; that no one not a resident on the premises is employed, that no such use shall require external or internal alterations, or involve construction features not customary in dwellings; that the entrances to such office or studio shall be from within the dwelling. An unlighted name plate of not over one (1) square foot in area and attached flat against the building shall be permitted.

Ravenswood City Zoning Code

16.12.140 General

Provisions

Continuing Existing Uses:
1. Non-Conforming Uses of Land And Buildings: No existing building or premises devoted to a use not permitted by this Ordinance in the district in which such building or premises is located, except when required to do so by law or order, shall be enlarged, reconstructed, substituted or structurally altered, unless the use thereof is changed to a use permitted in the district in which such building or premises is located, and except as follows:
2. Discontinuance:
  1. No building, structure or premises, the use of which as a non-conforming use has ceased for eighteen (18) months or more, shall again be put to a non-conforming use.
  2. All non-conforming uses of land not involving any building or structure, except minor structures such as fences, signs, billboards, or commercial advertising structures, and buildings less than four hundred (400) square feet in area, may be continued for a period of one (1) year after the date of enactment of this Ordinance, at the end of which period such non-conforming use shall cease, be removed, or shall be changed to a conforming use.
  3. All non-conforming buildings or structures each having an assessed value for tax purposes of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or less and all non-conforming structures may be continued for a period of two (2) years after the date of enactment of this Ordinance, at the end of which period such non-conforming buildings or structure shall be changed to a conforming use or shall be removed.
  4. All non-conforming uses which are permitted only in the C, SC, or I Districts, and are located in an R District, or in an A District designated for residential use in The GENERAL PLAN, or any non-conforming residential use located in the C, SC, or I District, shall be changed to a conforming use, or terminated and the buildings or structures removed within twenty (20) years after the date of the adoption of this Ordinance.
  5. Any non-conforming building or structure damaged fifty (50) percent or more of its then replacement cost exclusive of the foundations, at the time of damage by fire, flood, explosion, wind, earthquake, war, riot, or other calamity or Act of God, shall not be restored nor reconstructed and used as before such happening; but if less than fifty (50) percent damaged above the foundation, it may be restored, reconstructed, or used as before, provided that it be substantially complete within six (6) months of such happening.
  6. Such repairs and maintenance work as required to keep it in sound condition may be made to a non-conforming building or structure, provided no structural alterations shall be made, except such as are required by law or Ordinance or authorized by the Commission. Except as otherwise provided elsewhere in this Ordinance, the total structural repairs and alterations that may be made in a non-conforming building or structure shall not, during its life subsequent to the date of its becoming a non-conforming use, exceed twenty-five (25) percent of its replacement cost at such date, unless such building or structure is changed to a conforming use.
3. Unsafe Buildings: Nothing in this Ordinance shall prevent the strengthening or restoring to a safe condition of any part of any building or structure declared unsafe by proper authority.
Accessory Buildings:
1. May Be Attached: An accessory building may be erected detached from the principal building or, except when a stable, may be erected as an integral part of the principal building, or it may be connected therewith by a breezeway or similar structure.
2. On corner lots where the rear lot line abuts the side lot line of a lot on the side street, any accessory building or required off-street parking space shall be at least twenty (20) feet from the rear lot line if it projects beyond the required front set-back line of the abutting property, and in no case shall an accessory building be located closer to the side street property line than the distance required for the main building.
3. Where Located: Any accessory building attached to the main building shall be made structurally a part and have a common wall with the main building and shall comply in all respects with the requirements of this Ordinance applicable to the main building. Unless so attached, an accessory building in an R District shall be located on the rear one-half (1/2) of the lot, except for lots deeper than 110 feet it may be located on the rear two-thirds (2/3) of the lot, and at least ten (10) feet from any dwelling building existing or under construction on the same lot or any adjacent lot. An accessory building shall not be located within five (5) feet of any rear lot line or within five (5) feet of the side line of the front half (1/2) of any adjacent lot. A detached accessory building on the rear half of the lot shall in no case be less than three (3) feet from the side property line away from the street.
4. Rear Dwellings: No building in the rear of a principal building on the same lot shall be used for residential purposes unless it conforms to all appropriate yard and other open space and off-street parking requirements of this Ordinance. In addition, there must be provided for any such rear dwelling an unoccupied and unobstructed access way not less than twelve (12) feet wide to a public street for each lot. In addition, any usable rear lot shall contain not less than seventy (70) percent of the minimum lot area of the district within which it is located and that the creation of a rear lot shall not reduce the original lot or lots to less than sixty (60) percent of the lot area required in said district. And, a rear lot may be used for only the residential use permitted in the district located therein.

Parking and Loading Areas:

Off-street Parking Spaces Required:

Required In All Districts: In all districts, in connection with every industrial, business, institutional, recreational, residential or any other use, there shall be provided at the time any building or structure is erected or is enlarged or increased in capacity, off-street parking space for automobiles in accordance with the requirements herein.
Size And Access: Each off-street parking space shall have an area of not less than one hundred eighty (180) square feet exclusive of access drives or aisles, except that in the case where only one (1) space is provided it shall be two hundred (200) square feet and shall be of usable shape and condition. There shall be adequate provision for ingress and egress to all parking spaces. Where a lot does not abut on a public or private alley or easement of access, there shall be provided an access drive not less than twelve (12) feet in width in the case of a dwelling, and not less than twenty (20) feet in width in all other cases, leading to the parking or storage areas or loading or unloading spaces required hereunder in such manner as to secure the most appropriate development of the property in question, but, except where provided in connection with a use permitted in an R District, such easement of access or access drive shall not be located in any R District.
Floor Area Defined: For the purpose of applying the requirements in C Districts, “gross floor area”, in the case of offices, merchandising or retail types of uses, shall mean the gross floor area used or intended to be used by tenants, or for service to the public as customers, patrons, clients, or patients, including areas occupied by fixtures and equipment used for display or sales of merchandise. In SC and I Districts, the term “gross floor area” shall mean the total area of the building or buildings on the subject property utilized for the major purposes of the business for which the parking and loading is required. It shall not include areas used principally for non-public purposes, such as storage, incidental repair, processing or packaging of merchandise, for shop windows, for offices incidental to the management or maintenance of stores or buildings, for toilet or rest rooms, for utilities, or for dressing rooms, fitting or alteration rooms.

Number Of Parking Spaces Required: The number of street parking spaces required shall be as set forth as follows:

Automobile or Machinery Sales and Service Garages	1 for each 400 sq. ft. floor area
Banks, Business and Professional Offices	1 for each 200 sq. ft. floor area
Bowling Alleys	5 for each alley
Churches and Schools	1 for each 3.5 seats in an auditorium or 1 for each 17 classroom seats; whichever is greater
Dance Halls and Assembly Halls without fixed seats, exhibition halls except church assembly rooms in conjunction with auditorium	1 for each 100 sq. ft. of floor area used for assembly or dancing
Dwellings, single family, duplex	See Chart A
Dwellings, multiple	See Chart A
Funeral Homes, Mortuaries	4 for each parlor or 1 for each 50 sq. ft. of floor area
Furniture & Appliance Stores Household equipment or furniture repair shop	1 for each 200 sq. ft. of floor area
Hospitals	1 for each bed
Manufacturing Plants, Research or Testing Laboratories, Bottling Plants	1 for each 1-1/2 employees in the maximum working shift
Rooming & Lodging Houses	1 for each 2 bedrooms
Medical or Dental Clinics	5 spaces for each doctor or dentist
Hotels and Motor Hotels	1 space for each living or sleeping unit
Restaurants, Beer Parlors and Night Clubs	1 for each 2.5 seats
Retail Stores, Shops, Etc.	1 for each 100 sq. ft. of floor area
Children’s Homes	1 for each 4 beds plus 1 for each employee
Sports Arenas, Auditoriums, Theaters, Assembly Halls	1 for each 3.5 seats
Wholesale Establishments or Warehouses	1 for each 2 employees on maximum shift

Development And Maintenance Of Parking Areas: Every parcel of land hereafter used as a public or private parking area, including a commercial parking lot and also an automobile or trailer sales lot, shall be developed and maintained in accordance with the following requirements:
1. Screening And Landscaping: Off-street parking areas for more than five (5) vehicles shall be effectively screened on each side which adjoins or faces premises situated in any R District, or institutional premises, by a masonry wall or solid fence of acceptable design. Such wall or fence shall not be less than four (4) feet or more than six (6) feet in height and shall be maintained in good condition without any advertising thereon. The space between such wall or fence and the side lot line adjoining premises, or the front lot line facing premises, in any R District shall be landscaped with grass, hardy shrubs or evergreen ground cover and maintained in good condition. In case the capacity of the parking area exceeds thirty (30) vehicles, it shall be screened by a masonry wall of a height hereinabove prescribed.
2. Minimum Distances And Set-Backs: No part of any parking area for more than five (5) vehicles shall be closer than ten (10) feet to any dwelling, school, hospital or other institution for human care located on an adjoining lot, unless screened by an unpierced masonry wall of acceptable design. If not in an R District but adjoining such district, the parking area shall not be located within twenty (20) feet from the established street right-of-way line within fifty (50) feet of any R District, provided however that in the case the parking area fronts on a public service road the parking area may be located within ten (10) feet of the established right-of-way line of the service road.
3. Surfacing: Any off-street parking area and access thereto shall be surfaced with an asphaltic or Portland cement binder pavement so as to provide a durable and dustless surface, shall be so graded and drained as to dispose of all surface water accumulated within the area, and shall be so arranged and marked as to provide for orderly and safe loading or unloading and parking and storage of self-propelled vehicles. The foregoing requirements with respect to surfacing shall not apply to a parking area in an A or F District if more than five hundred (500) feet distant from any R District.
4. Lighting: Any lighting used to illuminate any off-street parking area shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from the adjoining premises in any R District.
5. The Commission may authorize on appeal a modification, reduction on waiver of the foregoing requirements, if it should find that, in the particular case appealed the peculiar nature of the residential, business, trade, industrial or other use, or the exceptional shape or size of the property or other exceptional situation or condition, must justify such action.

Off Street Loading Spaces Required:
1. Number Of Spaces Required: In any district, in connection with every building or part thereof hereafter erected and having a gross floor area of five thousand (5000) square feet or more in C District and two thousand (2000) square feet or more in SC Districts which is to be occupied by manufacturing storage, warehouse, goods display, retail store, wholesale store, market, hotel, hospital, mortuary, laundry, dry cleaning or other uses similarly requiring the receipt or distribution by vehicles of material or merchandise, there shall be provided and maintained on the same lot with such building, at least one (1) off-street loading space plus one (1) additional such loading space for each ten thousand (10,000) square feet in C Districts and four thousand (4000) square feet in SC Districts or major fraction thereof of gross floor area so used in excess of ten thousand (10,000) square feet.
2. Size Of Space: Each loading space shall be not less than ten (10) feet in width, twenty-five (25) feet in length, and fourteen (14) feet in height.
3. May Be In Rear Yard: Subject to the limitations in RMC 16.12.080 paragraph D,1, such space may occupy all or part of any required yard or court space.
4. Relation To R District: No such space shall be located closer than twenty (20) feet to any lot in any R District unless wholly within a completely enclosed building or unless enclosed on all sides, except for a gate, by a wall not less than eight (8) feet in height.

Trailers, Trailer Parks, Dwelling Groups, Signs And Advertising:
1. Where Permitted: Trailer courts, as herein defined, shall be permitted only in A and F Districts.
2. Trailer Courts: A trailer court shall have a minimum of six (6) trailer spaces, and where permitted by the terms of this Ordinance, shall conform to the following regulations: The trailer court shall be located on a well-drained site, shall be so located that its drainage will not endanger any water supply and shall be in conformity with a plan approved by the Planning Commission and the State Director of Sanitary Engineering. The following standards shall be adhered to prior to the issuance of any Use Permit by the Commission, provided, however, that with respect to the expansion of any trailer court already in existence at the time of the passage of this Amendment, only those areas which can be considered as new areas shall be made to conform to these standards.
  1. Each trailer coach space shall be a minimum of thirty (30) feet wide and fifty (50) feet long measured along and perpendicular to the proposed side space line.
  2. All streets within the trailer court shall have a forty (40) foot right-of-way with the center twenty (20) feet paved with asphaltic concrete or its equivalent and two ten-foot parking lanes suitably surfaced with rock or slag and maintained so as to prevent standing water or hazardous conditions.
  3. There shall be one hundred (100) square feet of usable and maintained recreation space for each trailer space.
  4. There shall be provided at least one service building for each trailer court containing toilets, showers, lavatory and laundry facilities.
  5. All roads and walks shall be lighted and have a minimum illumination provided by at least 25 watt bulbs every 100 feet shielded in such a way as to prevent glare.
  6. Containers for refuse disposal shall be provided on racks for each trailer space.
  7. Fuel tanks shall be located not less than five (5) feet from any trailer.
  8. Fire protection shall be afforded by the use of hydrants and/or fire extinguishers, the latter requirement to be met by the provision of one (1) CO2 extinguisher for every ten (10) occupied trailer spaces.
  9. A central incinerator may be provided and, if so, shall be located not less than fifty (50) feet from any building or trailer coach space.
  10. Water Supply: An accessible, adequate, safe and potable supply of water shall be provided in each trailer court capable of furnishing 125 gallons per day per trailer coach space, or a public supply of water of such quality as is available. Connections shall be made thereto and the supply shall be used exclusively. The development of an independent water supply to serve the trailer court shall be made only after the system has been approved by the enforcing officer and the State Director of Sanitary Engineering.
  11. Plumbing: All plumbing in the trailer court shall comply with State and local plumbing laws and regulations.
  12. Sewage Disposal: Trailer courts shall be served by a private or public sewer system which has the approval of the enforcing officer and the State Director of Sanitary Engineering. Each trailer coach space shall be provided with a satisfactory sewer connection. All sewage-disposal apparatus, including appurtenances thereto, shall be provided, maintained and operated so as not to create a nuisance or health hazard.
  13. Refuse Disposal: The storage, collection or disposal of refuse in the court shall be so managed as to create no health hazards, rodent harborage, insect breeding areas, accident hazards, or air pollution.
  14. Liquefied Petroleum Gas for cooking purposes shall be used at individual trailer spaces only after containers are properly connected by copper or other suitable metallic tubing. Liquefied petroleum gas cylinders shall be securely fastened in place and adequately protected from the weather. No cylinder containing liquefied petroleum gas shall be located in a trailer coach, nor within five (5) feet thereof.
  15. Alteration And Additions: No permanent additions of any kind shall be built onto, nor become part of any trailer coach. Skirting of coaches is permissible, but such skirting shall not permanently attach the coach to the ground, provide a harborage for rodents, or create a fire hazard. The wheels of the coach shall not be removed except temporarily when necessary for repairs. Jacks or stabilizers may be placed under the frame of the coach to prevent movement on the springs while the coach is parked and occupied.
  16. Register Required: Every trailer court owner or operator shall maintain a register containing a record of all trailer coaches and occupants using the trailer court. Such register shall be available to any authorized person inspecting the court.
Dwelling Groups: A Conditional Use Permit for the erection of a dwelling group, in those districts where permitted, may be granted by the Planning Commission, provided such dwelling group conforms to all the following conditions and requirements:
1. The area of the lot on which the dwelling group is to be erected shall be at least twenty (20) percent greater than the aggregate of the minimum lot areas otherwise required for the individual dwellings in the group.
2. Each dwelling in the group shall front either on a street, or other permanent public open space at least forty (40) feet wide, or on a common yard or outer court not less than fifty (50) feet wide. In each case, the distances between principal buildings, other than the distances specified above, shall be not less than the sum of the least widths of side yards required in the districts in which the dwelling group is to be located.
3. The distance between principal buildings and the nearest lot lines, other than a front line, shall be not less than the height of the building, nor less than required for a principal building in the district in which located, in any case.
4. Every dwelling in the dwelling group shall be within sixty (60) feet of an access roadway or drive, having a pavement at least twenty (20) feet wide, providing vehicular access from a public street, and within three hundred (300) feet, measured along the route of vehicular access, from a public street.
5. Except as modified in this section, such dwelling group shall conform to all the requirements of this Ordinance for the district in which it is to be located.
6. There shall be paid at the time of filing of the application for the Use Permit a fee of two dollars ($2.00) per dwelling unit.
Signs And Advertising Structures:
1. No person except a public officer or employee in performance of a public duty shall paste, post, paint, print, nail, tack, erect, or place or fasten any sign, pennant, or notice of any kind, or cause the same to be done on, facing or visible from any public street in the Town of Ravenswood, except as provided herein and elsewhere in this Ordinance; and to insure compliance with this paragraph, a separate zoning permit shall be required for any such sign, pennant, or notice not specifically included in an original zoning permit, except as provided hereinafter.
  1. Temporary announcement and directional signs required for commercial and community activities shall be allowed without permit except that the owners or sponsors of such events shall be held responsible for the removal of such signs after said event.
2. No sign except for authorized traffic signs shall be erected at the intersection of any streets in such a manner as to create a traffic hazard by obstructing vision; or at any location where it may interfere with, obstruct the view, or be confused with any authorized traffic sign.
3. Outdoor advertising signs and structures, where permitted, shall be set back from the established right-of-way line of any street or thoroughfare, at least as far as the required front yard depth for a principal building in such districts; provided that for every square foot by which such signs or billboards exceed eighty (80) square feet, such setback shall be increased by one-half (1/2) foot but need not exceed one hundred (100) feet, except that at the intersection of any State or Federal highways with a major or secondary thoroughfare, the setback of any outdoor advertising sign or billboards shall not be less than one hundred (100) feet from the established or planned future right-of-way of such highway or street.
4. Signs, not to exceed four (4) square feet in area, announcing the existence of or the direction to local, non-profit organizations may be erected in any district, provided a Conditional Use Permit is first obtained for which no fee shall be charged.
5. In any C, SC, I, A, F, CR, RC-C or RC-SC District there shall be permitted signs, including signs painted on buildings, for identification purposes or advertising products processed, manufactured or sold on the premises either on the building appurtenant thereto or on the ground, a distance not more than one hundred (100) feet from said building; provided such signs do not exceed fifty (50) square feet in area for each twenty-five (25) feet of frontage; provided that such signs shall not exceed two (2) per business and the total area of all such signs shall not exceed one thousand (1000) square feet. Such signs shall require a separate Conditional Use Permit if not submitted at the time of the submission of permit application for the primary land use.
  1. No such billboard, sign, or advertisings structure, other than signs flat against the face of a commercial building shall be permitted which faces the front or side lot line of any lot in any R District within two hundred (200) feet of such lot line, or which faces any public parkway, public square or entrance to any public park, public or parochial school, library, church, or similar institution, within two hundred (200) feet thereof.
  2. The front and back of a sign may be used for sign purposes, provided that one face may not exceed the limits specified herein, nor may the area of the total sign faces exceed twice these limits.
6. One non-illuminated real estate sign advertising the sale, rental or lease of the premises on which it is maintained and not over twelve (12) square feet in aggregate area shall be permitted on any lot without a zoning permit. For each ten (10) feet by which the width of the lot, or two or more contiguous lots in single ownership, exceeds fifty (50) feet, one (1) square foot may be added to the above aggregate area of twelve (12) square feet, but in no case shall such area exceed one hundred (100) square feet, and a zoning permit shall be required therefor. All such signs shall be set back from every street lot line at least a distance in feet equal to the number of square feet in area of the sign, but such setback shall not be less than the least depth of the required front yard, and need not be more than fifty (50) feet. Additional tract signs complying with the above requirements may be located on major thoroughfares, provided that the total number of such signs for any tract shall not exceed four (4).
7. One small announcement or professional sign shall be permitted not over one (1) square foot in area; except that church, school, community center, or other public or institutional building may have for its own use an announcement sign or bulletin board not over twelve (12) square feet in area, which if not attached flat against a building, shall be at least twelve (12) feet from all street lines.
8. No billboard or outdoor advertising structure not pertaining to the use of any property shall be painted or located on any wall, building, or fence, or erected upon the roof of any building. Moving signs and flashing lights shall be prohibited.
9. The Commission Secretary shall collect the following fees which must be paid at the time of the filing of the application for Conditional Use Permits as required:
  Signs for non-profit organizations ….................................................… None Signs for announcement and professional purposes …………………. None
  Signs appurtenant to a permitted building or land use:
  Under 101 sq. ft. ……….….. $10.00 Over 100 sq. ft. ……………… $20.00
  Signs advertising property for sale or lease as specified in paragraph F,6:
  12 sq. ft. or under …………. None Over 12 sq. ft. ………………... $10.00
Quarrying, Mining, And Excavating:
1. The extraction from or deposits on the earth of rock, stone, gravel, sand, earth, minerals, or building or construction materials shall not be constructed to be a permitted use in any district established by the Ordinance, unless and until Conditional Use Permit shall first have been secured therefor as provided in RMC 16.12.160 paragraph B, except for the following defined extractions and deposits:
  1. Excavations for the foundation or basement of any building or for a swimming pool for which a zoning permit and a building permit have been issued, or deposits on the earth of any building or construction materials to be used in a structure for which such zoning permit and building permit have been issued.
  2. Grading of any parcel of land for a permitted use where no bank is left standing and exposed of more than ten (10) feet in vertical height, or when less than one thousand (1000) cubic yards of earth is removed from the premises.
  3. Grading in a subdivision which has been approved by the Town in accordance with the Ravenswood Land Division Regulations and any amendments thereto.
  4. Excavations by any public agency or public utility for the installation, operation, inspection, repair or replacement of any of its facilities.
  5. Any quarry existing and operating as such on the effective date of this section shall obtain a new Use Permit and conform with the provisions of this Ordinance within one (1) year of the adoption of this Ordinance.
Specified Uses:
1. Commercial Uses:
  1. Drive-in Theaters: Shall be located only on highways or major thoroughfares, shall provide ingress and egress so designed so as to minimize traffic congestion, shall be located sufficiently distant from any R District or existing dwelling, and so screened from such district or dwelling that any noise shall not disturb residents, and shall maintain lighted signs and other lights only in such a way as not to disturb neighboring residents.
  2. Golf Driving Range: Shall be located on highways or major thoroughfares or non-residential streets. Flood lights used to illuminate the premises are to be directed and shielded so not to be of annoyance to any developed residential property. The golf driving platform shall be not less than two hundred (200) feet from any adjacent R District or existing dwelling. A temporary permit may be granted to be in force for one year only, which permit may be renewed for a period of one year at the expiration of such permit; provided all requirements of this Ordinance have been and can continue to be complied with.
  3. Retail Sales For Guests Only: Within R Districts, community buildings, private clubs, lodges, social or recreational establishments may engage in retail sales for guests only, provided that:
    1. For continuing uses there shall be no external evidence of any gainful activity, however, incidental, nor any access to any space used for gainful activity other than from within the building.
    2. There shall be no harm to adjacent existing or potential residential development due to excessive traffic generating or noise or other circumstances.
  4. A Circus Or Carnival: Involving temporary assemblages and their automobiles may be held in any district where permitted, provided that such establishment may not be located within two hundred (200) feet from any residence.
  5. Amusement Center, Bowling Alley, Dance Hall, and Similar Places of Amusement: Shall provide parking with ingress and egress designed so as to minimize traffic congestion, shall not be less than twenty (20) feet from any property line, provide a minimum of six (6) foot solid board fence or masonry wall separating parking area from abutting residential property, and shall show that adequate controls or measures will be taken to prevent offensive noise and vibration.
  6. Temporary Tract Office: In any district shall be located on the property to which it is appurtenant, shall be limited to a six-month period at the expiration of which time the applicant may request a further extension of time. Otherwise, the tract office shall be removed at the expense of the owner.
2. Public And Semi-Public Uses:
  1. Cemetery, Crematory, Mausoleum, Columbarium: Shall provide entrance on a major street or road with ingress and egress so designed as to minimize traffic congestion, shall provide required off-street parking space, and shall provide a minimum six (6) foot high evergreen hedge, or provide a minimum twenty (20) feet or permanently maintained planting strip on all property lines abutting on R District or residential street.
  2. Nursing Homes: Approval must be obtained from proper agencies concerning health and safety conditions, and said home must be licensed by such agencies.
  3. Airports or Heliports or Landing Strips for Aircraft: Shall be located no closer than six hundred (600) feet from any dwelling; shall provide runways only so oriented that aircraft landing and taking off do not pass directly over dwellings; shall be located so that air or land traffic shall not constitute a nuisance to neighboring uses; proponents shall show that adequate controls or measures will be taken to prevent offensive dust, noise, vibrations or bright lights; proponents shall show that the field in question comes up to the standards of the Civil Aeronautics Authority for the particular class of field.
  4. Community Building, Social Halls, Lodges, Fraternal Organizations And Clubs:
    1. All new buildings must be a minimum of twenty (20) feet from the side lot lines, and fifty (50) feet from the rear lot line.
    2. There shall be no external evidence of any continuing gainful activity, however incidental, nor any access to any space used for gainful activity other than from within the building.
    3. Any such use must be located on a major or secondary thoroughfare or be able to provide access without causing heavy traffic on local residential streets.
  5. Hospital, Church or other religions or eleemosynary institution shall be located on a major street on a minimum parcel of one (1) acre; shall maintain a ten (10) foot wide minimum landscaped strip on all property lines abutting R Districts and on all residential streets.
  6. Nursery School or Day Care Center for more than five (5) children shall maintain a minimum six (6) foot high solid board fence combined with a minimum three (3) foot wide shrub planting area or a minimum six (6) foot high masonry wall on any property line abutting a residential district. A nursery school shall be located only on a minimum ten thousand (10,000) square foot lot and shall not develop excessive traffic on local residential streets.
  7. Approval Of Public Uses: The Planning Commission shall act as an advisory body to the Town Council on proposed land uses by public agencies, including any construction, alteration or addiction to public buildings. Such agencies shall submit suitably-detailed plans and information to the Planning Commission at least thirty (30) days prior to any site lease or purchase, for review and approval of the land use in relation to the GENERAL PLAN. In addition, building plans shall be submitted for review prior to final approval by the public agency’s governing body or executive, and at least thirty (30) days prior to the letting of bids. The Commission shall submit its recommendations in writing to the Town Council and public agency involved. Where action by the Town Council is required before the public agency can proceed with its proposed land use, the Council shall require full consideration and written acknowledgment of the Commission’s recommendations by the public agency; and in any event, such consideration shall be requested. No fee is required for public uses reviewed under this paragraph.
Miscellaneous Provisions:
1. Street Frontage Required: Except as permitted by other provisions, no lot shall contain any building used in whole or part for residential purposes unless such lot abuts for at least thirty-five (35) feet on a street and there shall be not more than one single-family dwelling for such frontage.
2. One Main Building: Every building hereafter erected shall be located on a lot herein defined. In no case shall there be more than one (1) main residential building and its accessory buildings, not to exceed two (2), on one (1) lot. Group dwellings, court apartments and semi-detached dwellings shall be considered as one (1) main residential building on one lot. In the case of court apartments and semi-detached dwellings, each two (2) separate structures may have one (1) accessory building.
3. Frontage On Corner Lots: No building permit shall be issued for a building or structure on a corner lot when such building or structure is to be oriented in such a manner as to reduce the front yard requirement on the street on which such corner lot has its frontage at the time this Ordinance becomes effective.
4. Required Area Or Space Cannot Be Reduced: No lot, yard, court, parking area or dimension shall be further reduced so as to make said area or dimension less than the minimum required by this Ordinance. Every required front, side and rear yard shall be open and unobstructed from the ground to the sky. At each end of a through lot there shall be a front yard of a depth required by this Ordinance for the district in which each street frontage is located; provided, however, that one of such front yards may serve as a required rear yard.
5. Pending Applications For Building Permits: Nothing herein contained shall require any change in the over-all layout, plans, construction, size or designated use of any development, building, structure, or part thereof, for which official approvals and required building permits have been granted before the enactment of this Ordinance, the construction of which, conforming with plans approved by the Building Inspector shall have been started prior to the effective date of this Ordinance and construction thereof is carried on in a normal manner within the subsequent six (6) month period, and not discontinued until completion.
6. Home Occupations: In any R District customary home occupations such as handicraft, dress making, millinery, laundering, preserving, home cooking, and office uses may be permitted; provided that such occupations shall be conducted solely by resident occupants in their residence and provided that not more than one quarter (1/4) of the area of one (1) floor of said residence shall be used for such purposes; that no such use shall require internal or external alterations or involve construction features or the other use of mechanical equipment not customary in dwellings; that the entrance to the space devoted to such use shall be from within the dwelling. An unlighted sign of not over one (1) square foot area and attached flat against the building shall be permitted.
7. Professional Office In Home: In any R District, the secondary office or studio in his residence of a physician or surgeon, dentist, artist, lawyer, architect, engineer, teacher or other member of a recognized profession may be permitted; but not including a photo studio, beauty parlor, barber shop, music school, dancing school, business school, or school of any kind with organized classes, or similar activity; provided that not more than one-half (1/2) of the floor area of one floor of the dwelling is devoted to such office or studio; that no one not a resident on the premises is employed, that no such use shall require external or internal alterations, or involve construction features not customary in dwellings; that the entrances to such office or studio shall be from within the dwelling. An unlighted name plate of not over one (1) square foot in area and attached flat against the building shall be permitted.