The purpose of the Rural Residential District is to control the indiscriminate infiltration of urban development into rural areas that are not equipped to provide necessary public services or do not have sufficient roadways to carry increased traffic loads. This district designation will often be used as a transitional designation for newly annexed land.

(Ord. 96-4. Passed 3-5-96.)

   (a)   Permitted Uses in the Rural Residential District are:

      (1)   Agriculture.

      (2)   Single family dwellings.

      (3)   Accessory structures to agricultural operations and single family dwellings.

      (4)   Churches and places of worship provided the land consists of at least three acres and parking and traffic accessibility requirements of Chapter 1171 are satisfied.

      (5)   Public schools provided the land consists of at least three acres and parking and traffic accessibility requirements of Chapter 1171 are satisfied.

      (6)   Public parks, playgrounds and playing fields operated with or without fee.

   (b)   Conditional Uses in the Rural Residential District are: The following uses are conditionally permitted within the Rural Residential District. These uses may be appropriate as permitted uses within the district but require more detailed evaluation with respect to location, design, size, method, and hours of operation, intensity of use and traffic generation and potential impact on surrounding uses, in order to balance these uses in an equitable manner while safeguarding both individual property rights and general, community welfare. It is the Planning Commission’s responsibility to perform this evaluation and after review, to attach necessary conditions and safeguards. The development standards contained in this Chapter are minimum standards. Planning Commission may require more restrictive standards for a conditional use based on the merits of each application. Review and approval of these uses are further regulated in Chapter 1111, Section 1122.03 and Section 1122.04, Conditional Use Supplementary Standards. Parenthetical reference to Section 1122.04 following a listed conditional use indicates that specific supplemental standards have been identified for that use in the referenced subsection.

      (1)   Private schools including child care centers offering general educational courses and having no facilities for the housing of students. Such use shall have sufficient area to provide for outdoor activities, parking and other related activities and be located and designed to provide adequate traffic movement and minimum interference with the use of adjacent property.

      (2)   Camps, day camps and campgrounds operated by and for membership organizations and not operated for commercial gain.

      (3)   Public Use Facilities other than those listed as permitted uses in Sections 1122.02(a)(5) and (a)(6).

      (4)   Public Service Facilities. (Section 1122.04(b))

      (5)   Customary home occupations which comply with the requirement of Chapter 1177 and have no adverse effect upon neighboring properties such as traffic or parking burdens.

      (6)   Farm markets associated with existing agricultural uses. (Section 1122.04(c))

      (7)   Veterinary offices, animal hospitals, kennels and animal grooming. (Section 1122.04(d)).

(Ord. 97-46. Passed 5-20-97.)

   (a)   Lot Requirements for Each Dwelling in the Rural Residential District are:

      (1)   Minimum lot area: For each permitted and conditional use, the lot area shall meet the requirements of the County Board of Health as relating to lot area but in no case shall be less than three acres.

      (2)   Minimum lot width: 200 feet, having at least 60 feet of frontage on a publicly dedicated right of way, 220 feet for corner lots, located on publicly dedicated rights of way.

      (3)   Minimum front yard: Sixty feet; Seventy feet for structures on lots located on arterial streets.

      (4)   Minimum side yard: Twenty-five feet for all structures.

      (5)   Minimum rear yard: sixty feet; thirty feet for accessory buildings, decks/patios thirty inches in height or less above the adjacent grade prior to construction.

      (6)   Maximum lot coverage: Twenty-five percent (25%) for residential uses; thirty percent (30%) for all other uses.

      (7)   Maximum height: Forty feet.

   (b)   Site Development Requirements in the Rural Residential District are: All applicable subdivision regulations and sign, parking and landscaping regulations of this Zoning Ordinance must be satisfied.

(Ord. 98-65A. Passed 10-6-98.)

   All conditional uses shall meet the minimum requirements established by Section 1122.03 unless modified by this section:

   (a)   Purpose and Intent. The purpose of this section is to establish supplementary standards for certain land uses that may affect adjacent properties, the neighborhood, or the community even if all of the general standards of Section 1122.03 are met. It is the intent of this section to establish appropriate standards for permit processing and for location, design and operation of conditional uses to assure that they will be developed in a manner consistent with the purpose of the Rural Residential District.

   (b)   Wireless Telecommunication Facilities.

      (1)   Minimum lot area: The minimum required by the zoning district, but not less than three (3) acres. Preference will be given to larger sites such as schools, parks, churches and public facilities which minimize impact on residential areas and view corridors.

      (2)   Setbacks: Equal to the height of the tallest structure, but in no case less than zoning district requirements. The setback requirement based on height is not applicable when the proposed facility is constructed on or in an existing structure and does not extend more than 20 feet above the existing structure.

      (3)   Height: The maximum height of a tower shall be 150 feet including the antenna. The Planning Commission may allow the maximum height to increase to 200 feet to accommodate co-location. Equipment shelters shall meet district standards.

      (4)   Screening: Perimeter landscaping would be required around fencing at the base of the tower and around any building or equipment. The landscaping should have a year round opacity of 75%. A six foot minimum height would be required at installation for landscaping around the base of a tower. the Planning Commission may elect, in certain instances, to accomplish screening by materials other than landscaping.

      (5)   Parking and access: A paved access drive and one paved parking space for a service vehicle.

      (6)   Lighting. On site: Cutoff style fixtures for control of light spread. On tower: None, unless required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

      (7)   Color: The tower shall be painted a non-contrasting gray or similar color to minimize its visibility unless otherwise required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

      (8)   Emissions: Emissions standards for electromagnetic fields must be in compliance with current and future Federal Communication Commission (FCC) standards.

      (9)   Co-location: All approved installations must allow other providers to co-locate on the same pole to the extent technologically feasible at a reasonable and competitive market rate. All requests for new installation must demonstrate that there is no available space on existing towers or other suitable support structure within the established service area. New installations on an existing permitted tower are exempt from the conditional use process and may proceed with a standard building permit approval.

      (10)   Construction: All new towers shall be constructed to be capable of accommodating at least one additional wireless communication installation for another service provider.

      (11)   Removal: The applicant or any subsequent owner of the facility will remove it within 90 days of obsolescence or abandonment. Obsolescence is defined as being replaced by new technology. Abandonment would occur when the provider is no longer operating a viable telecommunication network using this facility.

      (12)   Design: Preference will be given to monopole construction. Only monopole construction would be allowed in residential districts.

      (13)   Signage: No signage or advertising is to be displayed on the tower structure.

   (c)   Farm Markets.

      (1)   Must be associated with an existing agricultural use.

      (2)   Must derive 50% or more of the gross income received from the market from produce raised on farms owned or operated by the market operation in a normal crop year.

      (3)   Must have adequate access to the site and sufficient on site parking so as to minimize traffic impacts on adjacent roads and neighboring properties.

      (4)   The existing agriculture is not a nuisance as evident by the lack of neighborhood complaints or health problems as determined by the County Health Board.

      (5)   Expansions of existing farm markets or new farm markets shall maintain reasonable protection for adjacent residential properties, through:

         A.   Setbacks.

         B.   Screening.

         C.   Odor control.

         D.   Noise control.

   (d)   Veterinary Clinics and Offices, Animal Hospitals, Kennels and Animal Grooming.

      (1)   Must be an existing use at the time of annexation.

      (2)   Must contain a minimum of three acres.

      (3)   Must have adequate access to the site and sufficient on-site parking so as to minimize traffic impacts on adjacent roads and neighboring properties.

      (4)   Must either meet the standards established by the State of Ohio for such facilities or has received the proper variance, waiver or “grandfather” clause.

      (5)   The existing facility is not a nuisance as evident by the lack of neighborhood complaints or health problems as determined by the County Board of Health.

      (6)   Must connect to the City’s sanitary sewer system within six months from the date of accessibility of the system as determined by Chapter 935, Sewers, of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Westerville.

      (7)   Care and boarding shall be limited to small domestic animals and may not include cattle, horses or swine.

      (8)   Minimum lot area and setback: The minimum lot area for an animal hospital, veterinary clinic or kennel shall be sufficient to accommodate building, required yards, parking, landscaping and circulation requirements. Any structure used for such purposes shall be at least 100 feet from an adjacent residential property.

      (9)   Operational standards.

         A.   All activities other than off-street parking, loading/unloading shall be conducted from a fully enclosed structure. This includes exercise runways.

         B.   Each structure shall be designed and maintained in a manner to prevent the development of unsanitary conditions.

         C.   Rooms intended to accommodate animals shall be insulated, or otherwise soundproofed and vented so animal noises will not be audible at any point on the perimeter of the property.