§ 27-460. R-5 apartment district.

(a)

Generally. The purpose of the R-5 apartment district is to accommodate medium-density apartment buildings of more than two stories. At its higher range of permitted densities, this district is appropriate for infill or redevelopment sites and for areas of existing similar density near major business or employment centers, but not for suburban areas of the city. Conversions of residential buildings shall be permitted only when parking, land and floor area, and life safety requirements are fully met. This section applies to the R-5 apartment district.

(b)

Permitted uses. In the R-5 apartment district, no building, structure or land shall be used and no building shall be hereafter erected, converted, or structurally altered unless otherwise provided in this article, except for one or more of the following uses:

(1)

Any use permitted in the R-2 two-family district, under the requirements of that district.

(2)

Apartment buildings.

(c)

Height and area standards. All buildings, structures and other uses of land shall conform to the following minimum standards:

(1)

Height shall be not more than four stories.

(2)

Setback from property lines shall be as follows:

a.

Front yard: Not less than 25 feet from any public street.

b.

Side yard, interior: Not less than ten feet between any building and any property line.

c.

Side yard, corner: Not less than 25 feet from any public street.

d.

Rear yard: Not less than 25 feet between any building and the property line of the project.

e.

For parking and other paved areas: Not less than 25 feet from any street line and not less than six feet from any other property line.

(3)

Lot area shall be not less than 1,500 square feet per dwelling unit; provided, however, that an area equal to at least 40 percent of the site area is maintained as nonvehicular open space.

(4)

Minimum floor area: Not less than 380 square feet of habitable floor area per dwelling unit.

For additional standards and information, see division 8 of this article.

(d)

Parking standards. One and one-half parking spaces shall be provided for each dwelling unit that has one bedroom or less. Two parking spaces shall be provided for each dwelling unit that has two bedrooms or more. For additional standards and information, see division 9 of this article.

(e)

Signs. Uses other than single-family or two-family dwellings shall be permitted one wall sign and one monument sign. For additional standards and information, see division 11 of this article.

(f)

Landscaping and screening. A reasonable amount of landscaping is required on all projects with emphasis on softening the visual impact of parking areas and enhancing the overall appearance. Trees are required at not less than one per 4,500 square feet of site area. For additional standards and information, see division 10 of this article.

(g)

Planned zoning. All rezoning cases are reviewed relative to likely impacts of the proposed use on neighboring property and on the community in general. It is recognized that the manner in which a building is designed and located on a site, the visual perception of the project by nearby property owners, and the way that vehicular traffic and surface water are handled are important to the public welfare, yet may vary widely within the framework of these regulations and standards. Many such critical issues can be resolved in the public interest at the time of rezoning by use of the planned zoning process. This process involves submittal and approval of development plans at the time of zoning, a practice that may enhance neighborhood relationships and minimize traffic and other impacts on the public in general. The planned zoning equivalent in this district is RP-5 and the procedures are set out in section 27-212.

(Code 1988, § 27-1165; Ord. No. 64690, § 1(27-33), 8-30-1984; Ord. No. 65552, § 2, 8-9-1990)