Rio Vista City Zoning Code
CHAPTER 17
16 R-4 RESIDENTIAL HIGH DENSITY DISTRICT
§ 17.16.010 Purpose.
The R-4 district is designated as described for the R-3 district, Section 17.14.010, with the additional purpose of allowing for small scale, limited office and commercial uses, which shall be developed at a scale and character consistent with the surrounding structures and neighborhood. Such nonresidential uses shall be permitted only with a conditional use permit.
(Prior code Appendix B § 405(A); Ord. 001-2024, 2/20/2024)
§ 17.16.020 Uses permitted.
Uses permitted are as designated in R-3 district, Chapter 17.14.
(Prior code Appendix B § 405(B); Ord. 001-2024, 2/20/2024)
§ 17.16.030 Conditional uses.
Uses permitted only after receipt of a conditional use permit by the planning commission are as designated by the R-3 district, Section 17.14.030, with the addition of the following:
A.
Guest houses;
B.
Bed and breakfast inns;
C.
Antique shop;
D.
Arts and crafts gallery or studio;
E.
Bookstore;
F.
Custom dressmaker or tailor;
G.
Florist shop;
H.
Interior decorator;
I.
Museum;
J.
Optical shop, opticians;
K.
Printing, publishing;
L.
Photographic studio;
M.
Professional offices (accountants, architects, attorneys, insurance agents, physicians and similar business offices);
N.
Medical/dental/optical laboratory;
O.
Catering service;
P.
Nonautomotive related personal and business services;
Q.
Single room occupancy;
R.
Generally. Any other limited commercial, service, or public use similar in nature, function and operation to listed conditional uses and consistent with the intent of this district.
(Prior code Appendix B § 405(C); Ord. 010-2021 § 3; Ord. 001-2024, 2/20/2024)
§ 17.16.040 Parking.
A.
One and one-half parking spaces per dwelling unit shall be provided. When the computation determining the number of required parking spaces results in requirements of a fractional space, any fraction shall require one additional parking space. In the older parts of the city any fraction shall be rounded off towards the lower part of the fraction.
B.
Parking spaces located between the principal building(s) and the fronting street shall be covered and shall be so designed and situated as to preclude unrestricted view of the parking vehicles from the street, or may, with the approval of the architectural committee be covered and screened to achieve the same result.
(Prior code Appendix B § 405(D); Ord. 001-2024, 2/20/2024)
§ 17.16.050 Maximum building height.
Maximum building height: Main building: 35 feet; accessory buildings: 15 feet.
(Prior code Appendix B § 405(E); Ord. 001-2024, 2/20/2024)
§ 17.16.060 Minimum building site area required.
Minimum building site area: 6,000 square feet. 1,500 square feet per family unit is required.
In determining the minimum lot area, all public utility transmission line easements may be required to be excluded for the purpose of computing land areas, even though such easements are included in the subdivision design.
(Prior code Appendix B § 405(F); Ord. 001-2024, 2/20/2024)
§ 17.16.070 Minimum average lot width.
Minimum average lot width shall be 60 feet.
(Prior code Appendix B § 405(G); Ord. 001-2024, 2/20/2024)
§ 17.16.080 Minimum yards required.
§ 17.16.090 Special yards required for dwelling groups.
A.
In case the buildings of the group are so located on the lot that the rear of the building which faces the street is faced by the front of a building to the rear (i.e., in a front-to-back series) no such building shall be closer than 25 feet to any other such building and the side yard providing access shall not be less than 10 feet.
B.
In case the buildings of the group are so located on the lot that the rears thereof abut upon one side yard and the fronts thereof abut upon the other side yard (i.e., in a single row side-to-side series), the side yard providing access shall have a width of not less than 15 feet.
C.
In case the buildings of a group are so located on the lot that the rears thereof abut upon each side yard and the fronts thereof face a court (i.e., in a double row side-to-side series), the court shall have a width of not less than 25 feet.
D.
In no case shall any separate buildings of the group be closer to any other building of the group than a distance of 12 feet.
E.
No building in any group shall be so located on the lot that the rear thereof abuts on any street line.
F.
Distances required between buildings on the same lot and as yards and courts for dwelling groups shall be increased by two feet for each story that the height of any building or dwelling group exceeds two stories.
(Prior code Appendix B § 405(I); Ord. 001-2024, 2/20/2024)
§ 17.16.100 Maximum permitted lot coverage.
Maximum permitted lot coverage by all structures: 60%.
(Prior code Appendix B § 405(J); Ord. 001-2024, 2/20/2024)
§ 17.16.110 Site and architectural approval.
Site and architectural approval pursuant to Chapter 17.60 shall be required for all new structures and exterior improvements to existing structures. Single-family dwellings shall be reviewed in accordance with the procedures contained in Section 17.08.080 (residential low density or R-1 district) and Chapter 17.60.
(Prior code Appendix B § 405(K); Ord. 628 § 1, 2007; Ord. 001-2024, 2/20/2024)
§ 17.16.120 Requirements for conditional use permit.
All of the following findings shall be required in order to grant a conditional use permit for the nonresidential uses listed in Section 17.14.030:
A.
Adequate parking exists or will be provided within 300 feet of the proposed use. The term "adequate" means that the number of spaces is consistent with the parking standards of the zoning ordinance for the proposed use, except that a combination of on- and off-street spaces may be used to meet the requirement. Parking for the proposed new use must be available for that use alone, not part of the on- or off-street parking required for other uses in the area. A lesser number of spaces than required by ordinance or shared parking arrangements may be allowed under the use permit if supported by a parking study or other evidence.
B.
The use will not generate automobile traffic at a level that would create a nuisance for the surrounding residential uses.
C.
The use will not create noise at a level that would create a nuisance to the surrounding use.
D.
The mixing of residential and use-permitted commercial occupancies in the same structure is allowed, provided business and residential occupancies observe all county, state and/or federal regulations.
E.
The proposed nonresidential use is located on or abuts an arterial, major or collector street as designated by the circulation element of the general plan.
F.
The proposed use will not change the general appearance of existing residential structures.
(Prior code Appendix B § 405(L); Ord. 001-2024, 2/20/2024)
§ 17.16.130 Development standards for nonresidential uses.
The buildings that front on Main Street between Fourth Street and Seventh Street, as well as other areas within the R-4 district, are predominantly residential in design and character. Particularly the structures on Main Street and those adjacent to commercial districts, may be converted to retail or limited commercial uses over time, if a conditional use permit is granted by the planning commission. The following subsections A through H provide standards for the renovation of these residential structures for commercial use. These standards also apply to the design of new commercial structures within the R-4 district. The intent is to ensure that any nonresidential uses protect the residential character of both individual structures and the surrounding neighborhoods.
A.
Additions to existing structures shall be of a height and scale which is compatible with that of the original building.
B.
Building setbacks shall be provided from all property lines. The setback from the street shall approximate that of adjacent residential buildings on the block, with a minimum setback of 15 feet. Rear and side setbacks shall be similar to those provided for existing residential buildings.
C.
Setback areas shall be adequately landscaped to provide a residential character to the street and to form green buffers between buildings.
D.
Unique architectural features and the overall residential quality and appearance of a structure shall be maintained and respected. Major form-giving elements to be retained include, but are not limited to, pitched roof lines, projecting or recessed entry porches, dormers and bay windows.
E.
New construction and additions to existing buildings shall utilize the major residential form-giving elements described above.
F.
Roof forms shall be expressed rather than concealed behind parapets or false fronts. Appropriate forms are those typically used for residential development in and adjacent to the area. These include hip, gable and shed forms with projecting eaves. Roof forms for building additions shall be consistent with those of the original structures.
G.
Building massing shall relate to the scale of surrounding residential structures. Where a new building will be significantly larger than surrounding structures it shall be composed of smaller elements which approximate the scale or form of the existing residential structures.
H.
Exterior wall materials shall be limited to those commonly used for residential buildings including stucco, wood siding and brick.
(Prior code Appendix B § 405(M); Ord. 001-2024, 2/20/2024)