Richmond Heights City Zoning Code
CHAPTER 1139
R-3 Single-Family Residential District
1139.01 INTENT
The R-3 Single-Family Residential District is intended to permit and to relate to the type, design and layout of attached and detached single-family residential development to the particular site in a manner consistent with the preservation of the property values in established residential areas.
This District is intended to encourage a more efficient and desirable use of land and to provide a greater variety of designs and layouts of single-family buildings, and improve the environment of single-family developments in accordance with the objectives of the Master Plan.
This District is specifically intended to prohibit multiple-family buildings where entry to individual dwelling units is from an interior common area or where individual dwelling units are attached in any way other than by their side walls.
(Ord. 72-72. Passed 8-31-72.)
1139.02 PERMITTED USES.
In an R-3 District, no building or structure or part thereof shall be erected, altered, moved or used or land used, in whole or in part, except as otherwise provided in this chapter for one or more of the following uses:
(a) All uses permitted in R-1 and R-2 Single-Family Residential Districts.
(b) Single-family attached dwellings with not more than six attached dwelling units.
(c) Accessory buildings and uses permitted in R-1 and R-2 Districts.
(d) Recreational uses, including, but not limited to, parks, swimming pools, pavilions and tennis courts. The entire area of the District shall be treated to service the residents of the District and any accessory buildings, uses or services shall be developed solely for the use of the residents of the District.
(Ord. 72-72. Passed 8-31-72.)
1139.03 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Ingress and egress to the R-3 District shall be provided only by an arterial or secondary street or freeway service drive.
(b) All land within the District shall be contiguous and shall not be divided into parts by:
(1) An arterial street;
(2) Any State or Federal limited access highway; or
(3) Any large area of land not included within the District.
(c) An R-3 District shall contain not less than fifty acres of land.
(Ord. 72-72. Passed 8-31-72.)
1139.04 DENSITY CONTROL.
The density of the dwelling units shall be controlled by the following requirements:
(a) Not less than thirty-five percent of the total number of dwelling units shall be detached single-family dwellings. There shall be not less than 6,000 square feet of lot area for each attached dwelling unit and not less than 9,375 square feet of lot area for each detached dwelling unit not including any reserved open space or any existing public streets or any public right of way dedications that may be required as a condition of the site plan review.
(b) There shall be not more than four dwelling units per gross acre of the District. In computing the overall density, the entire area of the District may be used in the computation, including all areas intended for use for streets, dwelling units, recreational areas and other open spaces.
(Ord. 72-72. Passed 8-31-72.)
1139.05 OPEN SPACE AND RECREATIONAL AREAS.
Not less than fifteen percent of the land constituting the R-3 District shall be reserved as contiguous, landscaped open space in which no buildings or structures, other than buildings or structures for recreational uses, shall be constructed. Such open space, including any recreational facilities proposed to be constructed in such space shall be clearly delineated on the site plan together with descriptive data as to the methods to be employed to preserve and maintain such open space. All open space land shown on the site plan must contain legally enforceable reservations and restrictions which will insure the preservation of such land for recreational and similar use in perpetuity and absolutely prohibit development of such open space land, except for the above collective uses for the use of the owners and residents without profit.
Legal title to the open spaces must be transferred to a nonprofit homes association in which the property owners or residents within the district have control when at least fifty-one percent of the number of dwelling units within the District have been occupied.
(Ord. 72-72. Passed 8-31-72.)
1139.06 SUBDIVISION AND DEVELOPMENT.
No land within an R-3 District shall be subdivided so as to conflict with the final development plan. Prior to the issuance of any building permit to the owner, the owner shall provide financial guarantees acceptable to the City in an amount determined by the City Engineer and equal to the estimated total cost of materials and labor required to install or construct the site improvements, including but not limited to, parking areas, drives, walks, malls and yards, outside lighting, grading, drainage and sanitary sewerage systems as determined by the Engineer.
(Ord. 72-72. Passed 8-31-72.)
(Ord. 72-72. Passed 8-31-72.)
1139.07 SITE PLAN REVIEW.
(a) No building or structure shall be erected or land used in any R-3 Single-Family Residential District unless the site plan has been approved by Council. Council shall not approve the site plan unless it receives a report and recommendation from the Planning Commission, but Council may act on the site plan if a report and recommendation is not received from the Planning Commission within sixty days after the site plan has been presented to the Commission.
(b) When recommending the approval of a site plan for an R-3 District, the Planning Commission may recommend such additional conditions as are necessary to secure the following objectives:
(1) That the site plan shall be in accordance with the objectives of the land use plan;
(2) That the proposed land use shall encourage designs in which new buildings will create an orderly arrangement with the landscape which will be in scale with surrounding residential buildings and the environment so as to conserve trees and other natural topographic features;
(3) That all the development features including the principal and accessory buildings, open spaces, service roads, driveways and parking areas shall be located so as to encourage pedestrian and vehicular traffic safety; and
(4) That the design of such land use will not discourage the appropriate development or impair the value of existing or proposed development in the area surrounding the District. (Ord. 72-72. Passed 8-31-72.)
1139.08 YARD, AREA AND BULK REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Except as herein provided, the height and bulk of buildings, the required minimum lot area, the minimum setback requirements, the minimum floor area of each attached and detached dwelling, and the maximum percent of the area of a lot that each attached and detached dwelling together with accessory buildings may occupy, shall be as set forth in Chapter 1173
.
(b) No building shall be less than fifty feet from a perimeter line of the District.
(c) Front yard setbacks may be designed and adjusted to accommodate topographic and natural features of the site and the particular building design. Setbacks from the front property line may be reduced to a minimum of fifty feet, provided that the average depth of the front yards for the entire District area shall be not less than the setback established for the District.
(d) Side yard requirements between unattached single-family dwellings may be modified by narrowing the side yards adjoining service rooms of the dwelling which do not require side yard windows, thereby attaining greater space and privacy in the opposite side yards. Such compositions may be combined to create a designed pattern of open courts along the streets.
(Ord. 72-72. Passed 8-31-72.)
(Ord. 72-72. Passed 8-31-72.)
1139.09 OFF-STREET PARKING.
1139.10 WALLS AND LANDSCAPING.
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) hereof, walls and/or landscaping shall be as required in Chapter 1177
.
(b) An unpierced, solid masonry wall shall be required whenever off-street parking areas are adjacent to R-1 or R-2 Single-Family Districts, provided, however, that a buffer strip of not less than thirty feet in width may be permitted upon a finding by the Planning Commission that the buffer strip would provide equal or greater protection to the District from any adverse effects from the use of such parking areas.
(Ord. 72-72. Passed 8-31-72.)
1139.11 SIGNS AND LIGHTING.
Signs and lighting shall be permitted only when in conformity with the provisions set forth in Chapter 1179
.
(Ord. 72-72. Passed 8-31-72. )
(Ord. 72-72. Passed 8-31-72. )