Watsontown City Zoning Code
PART 5
LOT AND YARD REQUIREMENTS 1
§ 27-501 Compliance.
[Ord. 1973-1, 2/5/1973, § 500]
The regulations for each district pertaining to minimum lot size, minimum lot width, maximum lot coverage, maximum height and minimum yard space shall be as specified in the "Table of Dimensional Requirements" included in this Part 5.[1] All uses and activities established after the effective date of this chapter shall provide for the minimum and not exceed the maximum dimensions specified. In cases where provisions of Part 4 or other Parts of this chapter provide dimensions differing from the general regulations specified in the table, such provisions shall take precedence.
Regulations applying to lots, buildings and uses in existence prior to the effective date of this chapter shall be governed by Part 9.
[1]
Editor's Note: The table is included as an attachment to this chapter.
§ 27-502 Special Provisions.
[Ord. 1973-1, 2/5/1973, § 510; as amended by Ord. 1988-1, 8/1/1988; and by Ord. 1998-4, 8/13/1998]
1.
Height Exceptions. The height limitations of this chapter shall not apply to church spires, belfries, cupolas, monuments, silos and domes not used for human occupancy nor to chimneys, ventilators, skylights, water tanks, bulkheads, similar features and necessary mechanical appurtenances normally built above the roof level. Such features, however, shall be erected only to such height as necessary to accomplish the purpose they are to serve and shall not exceed in cross-sectional area 20% of the ground floor area of the building.
2.
Special Front Yard Requirements.
A.
Exceptions. If the alignment of two or more existing buildings on each side of a lot within a distance of 50 feet of the proposed building and fronting on the same area of the same street in the same block is nearer to the street than the required front yard depth, the average of such existing alignment within that distance shall be the required front yard.
B.
Additional Setbacks. For those properties fronting on arterial and collector highways identified in the Comprehensive Plan, minimum front yards shall be 50 feet in all districts, measured from the future right-of-way. Future rights-of-way shall be 120 feet for arterial highways and 80 feet for collector highways, measured equally from the center line of the existing right-of-way.
3.
Traffic Visibility Across Corners. In all districts (except CC), no structure, fence, planting or other structure shall be maintained between a plane two feet above curb level and a plane seven feet above curb level so as to interfere with traffic visibility across the corner within that part of the required front or side yard which is within a triangle bounded by the front and side lot lines and a straight line drawn between points on each such lot line 20 feet from the intersection of said lot lines or extensions thereof.
4.
Permitted Uses in Yards.
A.
Projections. Ground-story terraces and unenclosed porches may project into any required yard not more than 1/2 its required dimension and not more than 10 feet in any case. Chimneys, flues, columns, sills and ornamental features may project not more than two feet into a required yard.
B.
(1)
No fence or wall exceeding six feet in height shall be erected within any of the yards required by this Part, except in the Industrial District where security fences may be up to eight feet in height. [See also Subsection 4B(3) below].
(2)
Fences or walls not exceeding six feet in height may be permitted to be located within any of the required yards, but shall be set back at least two feet from all property lines and from the edge of any adjoining street, road or alley right-of-way. Where, however, there is written mutual consent between the adjoining property owners, a fence or wall may be placed on a property line. A copy of such mutual consent, along with arrangements for maintenance of the fence or wall, shall be submitted to the Zoning Officer along with the application for placement of the structure.
(3)
In no case shall a fence or wall be erected which could cause danger to traffic on the street or road (whether public or private) by obscuring a driver's view.
(4)
Fences having only one finished side shall be installed so that the finished side faces out or away from the subject property.
(5)
All fences shall be maintained in good condition and shall not be allowed to become dilapidated.
C.
Accessory Buildings. Completely detached accessory buildings may in no case occupy required front or side yard space directly adjacent to the principal building; but, in the case of rear yards, completely detached accessory buildings shall be permitted with a minimum clearance of five feet from the property line. Accessory buildings which are attached to the principal building may extend into the side or rear yard a distance of 1/2 the normal required yard but may in no case project into the front yard.
D.
Outdoor Storage and Off-Street Parking. Outdoor storage and off-street parking may project into any side or rear yard a distance of not more than 1/2 its required dimension.
5.
Multiple Frontage Lots. On corner or double frontage lots, each side of a lot having a street frontage shall meet the required front yard setback for that lot.
6.
Spacing of Nonresidential Buildings. Where two or more main buildings for nonresidential uses are proposed to be built upon a property in one ownership, front, side and rear yards are required only at lot lines abutting other properties.
§ 27-503 Buffering.
[Ord. 1973-1, 2/5/1973, § 620]
1.
When Required. In general, buffering, either in the form of yard space and/or screening, is required in commercial and industrial districts along district boundaries between themselves and residential districts.
A.
Buffer yards shall be required in HC and I Districts when abutting SR, UR and VC Districts.
B.
Screening shall be required in CC and CI Districts when abutting SR, UR and VC Districts.
C.
Where streets, highways, railroads or rivers serve as district boundaries, no buffering is required along such boundary.
D.
Where streams or other bodies of water serve as boundaries, such stream or river may serve to meet the buffering requirements, providing approved by special exception.
2.
Buffer Yards. A buffer yard is yard space as defined in § 27-202 but whose dimension normally exceeds the normal building setback requirement.
A.
Buffer yards shall be at least 50 feet in width, measured from the applicable district boundary line. Buffer yards may be coterminous with required front, side or rear yards but in no case shall the combined width be less than 50 feet.
B.
In all buffer yards, the exterior twenty-five-foot width shall be planted with grass seed, sod or ground cover and maintained and kept clean of all debris, rubbish, weeds and tall grass in conformance with existing regulations.
C.
No structure, manufacturing or processing activity or stoppage of materials shall be permitted in the buffer yard; however, parking of passenger automobiles shall be permitted in the portion of the buffer yard exclusive of the exterior twenty-five-foot width.
3.
Screening. Screening is the provision of a barrier to visibility, airborne particles, glare and noise between adjacent properties composed entirely of trees, shrubs or other plant materials.
A.
Plant materials used in the screen planting shall be at least four feet in height when planted and of such species as will produce, within two years, a complete visual screen of at least eight feet in height.
B.
The screen planting shall be maintained permanently, and any plant material which does not live shall be replaced within one year.
C.
The screen planting shall be so placed that, at maturity, it will be not closer than three feet from any street or property line.
E.
The screen planting shall be broken only at points of vehicular or pedestrian access.