Meeting Date: October 20, 2015

STAFF REPORT
To:

City Council

From: Ronald M. Traub, Director, Economic & Community Development

Re: Revisions to Chapter 1165.01 Accessory Buildings
The Administration has proposed several revisions to Chapter 1165.01 Accessory
Buildings regulating storage buildings and detached garages within the residential zoning
districts of the City. At the regular meeting of the Municipal Planning Commission on
April 30, 2015, it was unanimously recommended to amend Chapter 1165.01 Accessory
Buildings.
The current accessory building code allows for a maximum floor area of 250 sq. ft. for a
storage building and 576 sq. ft. for a detached garage. The current accessory code does
not provide a mechanism for permitting individuals with larger lots to correspondingly
have larger storage buildings and/or detached garages. The one size fits all storage
buildings and detached garages have resulted in multiple variance requests before the
Board of Building and Zoning Appeals (BZA). The variance request approvals have been
based on the size of the property and storage needs demonstrated by the property owner.
Variance requests for storage buildings and detached garages were analyzed from 2010 to
the present to determine the frequency of such requests. There were 13 variance requests
for storage building in excess of 250 sq. ft. during the five-year period; one (1) request
was dismissed by the homeowner and 12 requests were approved by the Board. The
revisions to the accessory buildings code would permit all of the prior variance requests
with the exception of the height variances to exceed the maximum 15-ft. height
requirement.
During the same time period, there were 29 variance requests for detached garages
exceeding the maximum area of 576 sq. ft. permitted under the accessory building code.
The BZA approved 23 variance requests, denied four (4) and two (2) requests were
dismissed at the request of the property owner. The proposed revisions to the accessory
building area would permit 21 of the area requests, while eight (8) requests would still
require a variance. It was noted that several of the variance requests would require an
additional variance since the floor area of the accessory building exceeded the floor area
of the home. All of the requests including height variances would still be required.
A review of accessory building requirements in other cities indicate that regulations
typically base the size of an accessory building on a percentage of the lot size and/or floor
area of the home. The Administration has prepared three (3) spreadsheets of sixty (60)
properties in the City which includes data on the floor area of the home and the lot area of

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the property. The data set includes a 10, 15 and 20 percent calculation of the floor area of
the home, which would provide the maximum allowable area for a storage building. The
maximum allowable detached garage area would be based on three (3) percent of the lot
area. At 10 percent, the permitted storage area building could be 194 sq. ft., and 15
percent is 291 sq. ft., and at 20 percent is 388 sq. ft. The Administration is
recommending 15 percent floor area ratio be utilized for calculating the maximum
permitted area for storage buildings. The three (3) percent lot area calculation indicates
an average of 537 sq. ft. for a detached garage based on the sixty properties.
A spreadsheet was prepared for analyzing the lot size based on a three (3) percent, three
and one-half (3.5) percent and four (4) percent of lot area. A 15,000 sq. ft. lot size, the
minimum lot size for the R-2, Single Family district, would allow for a detached garage
area of 450 sq. ft. at three (3) percent; 525 sq. ft. at three and one-half (3.5) percent; and
600 sq. ft. at four (4) percent. A 22,000 sq. ft. lot, the minimum lot size for the R-4,
Single Family Residential district would allow for a detached garage area of 660 sq. ft. at
three (3) percent; 770 sq. ft. at three and one-half (3.5) percent; and 880 sq. ft. at four (4)
percent. A one-acre lot (43,560 sq. ft.), the minimum lot size for the R-5, Single Family
Residential district, would allow for a detached garage area of 1,307 sq. ft. at three (3)
percent; 1,525 sq. ft. at three and one-half (3.5) percent; and 1,742 sq. ft. at four (4)
percent. The Administration is recommending the three (3) percent lot area calculation
be used for determining the allowable area for a detached garage.
The code revision includes a provision allowing for all dwelling units to be permitted a
200 sq. ft. storage building. This allows for a home with a minimal floor area to have a
storage building; although floor area of the storage building and any other existing
accessory structure, such as a detached garage, cannot exceed the floor area of the home.
The code revision also includes a provision allowing for all lots or developmental units
consisting of multiple parcels to be permitted a 576 sq. ft. detached garage regardless of
the lot size. A typical 15,000 sq. ft. lot would only be permitted a detached garage with an
area 450 sq. ft.
The area of existing storage buildings including detached garages located on a property
would be deducted from the 15 percent floor area requirement for storage buildings
and/or the three (3) percent lot area requirement for detached garages. The code revision
also includes a provision that 50 percent of the permitted floor area for a storage building
may be allocated towards the construction of a larger detached garage and 50 percent of
the permitted floor area of a detached garage may be allocated for a larger storage
building. The provision would provide flexibility to property owners who may not want
a garage with a driveway but need a larger storage building for a workshop or hobby.
Conversely, property owners may want a larger detached garage for housing of motor
vehicles and recreational vehicles.
The accessory building code revision would allow for two (2) storage buildings and one
(1) detached garage. The existing code does not include this limitation and there have
been instances where property owners have constructed two (2) detached garages
meeting the maximum 576 sq. ft. area requirement. A provision is also included that the

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floor area for all accessory structures (storage building and detached garage) cannot
exceed the floor area of main structure or dwelling unit. This will provide a limitation on
the size of detached garages on lots that are larger than one (1) acre.
The accessory code revision includes a provision for increasing the rear and side building
setbacks for storage buildings and detached garages over 576 sq. ft. Accessory buildings
or structures in excess of 576 sq. ft. shall be set back 20 ft. from the rear property line.
The side setback shall meet the minimum side setback requirements established for the
main building structure as outlined in Chapter 1155.01 Schedule of District Regulations.
The accessory code revision also includes a provision allowing for a maximum area of
576 sq. ft. for accessory structures erected for institutional uses with Planning
Commission approval.
Finally, detached garages must have a driveway constructed of asphalt, concrete and/or
permeable type pavers approved by the City. The revision also includes a provision that
no accessory structure may be erected upon any parcel that does not have a principal
structure located on it.

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