3-2-3 Development Standards for the Agricultural District and Single Family – District

§ 3-2-3 Development Standards for the Agricultural District and Single Family – District.

The following development standards apply to all single family residential districts.

A. Table 3-2-3-A prescribes development standards for each agricultural district and single family residential district. Additional development and design standards and regulations for agricultural districts and single family residential districts can be found elsewhere in the Zoning Ordinance.

Table 3-2-3-A: Development Standards – Single Family Districts
Standard	AG	AU	R1-10	R1-7	R1-6	R1-4	R1-A	R1-C	R2
Lot Standards
Minimum Lot Area (sq ft)	435,600	43,560	10,000	7,000	5,500	4,500	2,800	3,200	7,200
Minimum Lot Width (ft)	300	150	80	70	55	45	35	40	72
Minimum Lot Depth (ft)	N/A	N/A	125	100	100	100	80	80	100
Building Form and Location
Maximum Height (ft)	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30
Maximum Building Coverage	20%	20%	40%	45%	60%	60%	75%	60%	40%
Minimum Setbacks (ft)
Front (1)	20	20	10	10	10	10	10	5 (2)	20
Front facing garage	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20
Side	20	15	10	5	5	5	0 (3)	0	5
Total both sides	40	30	20	15	15 (5)	15 (5)	0 (3)	10	15
Street Side (4)	100	30	20	15	10	10	10	10	20
Rear	100	50	30	25	20	20	15	15	20
Development Standards
Open Space % (of net area)	0	0	10	12	15	15	15	15	12

1Front setback shall be measured to patios, livable space, and side entry garages

2Setback from a public or private street that is not providing direct vehicular access to homes shall be 10 feet

3Attached side setbacks shall be 0 feet, whereas building separation shall be a minimum of 5 feet

4Where a minimum 10 foot wide landscape tract is provided, the typical side setbacks, rather than Street Side setback applies

5Total of both sides setback may be reduced to 10 feet subject to the requirements as provided in Section 3-2-3-D

B. Additional standards set forth in Section 3-2-7 (Supplemental Standards Applicable to All Residential Districts)

C. The following requirements apply in all Single Family districts:

a. Open Space Requirements. Minimum open space shall be provided as listed in Table 3-2-3-A.

b. Parks. A portion of the required open space shall be provided as park space or useable open space for recreation purposes. Facilities such as, but not limited to, pools and clubhouses can be counted toward useable open space. The following useable open space shall be provided:

i. For complete developments less than 40 acres in size, 75% of required open space shall be useable open space. Phasing a larger project into 40 acre or less in order to avoid providing the neighborhood parks required for developments larger than 40 acres is not permitted.

ii. For developments that are 40 acres in size or larger, the following shall apply. There shall be a 5-acre neighborhood park within a ¼ mile walking distance of all dwelling units. Two parks totaling at least 5 acres may be provided in lieu of a single 5-acre park if additional amenities are provided above and beyond those listed in section c and the parks are connected via a system of on or off-street connections. When two parks are provided it is highly encouraged to connect them via off-street trails.

c. Useable Open Space Design Standards. The required useable open space (i.e., neighborhood parks) must meet the following standards:

i. Parking shall be provided to the park either on-street or on-site.

ii. Residents shall not be separated by an arterial or freeway from the neighborhood park.

iii. At least one tot lot shall be provided per park, or in age-restricted communities a recreation amenity of similar scope.

iv. Shaded seating areas and walking paths shall be provided.

v. 50% of all neighborhood parks within a square mile shall include active recreation facilities that are fields. If there is only one neighborhood park within the development, it shall include an active recreation facility.

d. Entry Feature. Each project shall have a unique entry feature at its primary entrance to provide individual identity to the development. Entry features are encouraged to be creative and may include elements such as: entrance paving, distinctive landscaping treatment, planters, special wall treatment, gates and other entry features.

i. Perimeter Walls shall be required along the rear of reverse frontage of single family lots along collector or arterial streets and may be installed elsewhere around the perimeter of a subdivision. Such walls shall be not less than of six (6) feet nor more than eight (8) feet in height and shall be constructed of slump block, brick, or masonry with stucco or mortar wash finish and decoratively designed with details such as inlaid tile or brick work, cap tiles, wall inserts, offsets, or pilaster treatments. Long, straight, unbroken walls are not permitted. Wall openings shall be provided to allow pedestrian access to adjacent commercial, open space, trail, school, and similar amenities.

ii. Perimeter Lot Fences if provided, shall be not less than five (5) feet nor more than six (6) feet in height and shall be constructed of slump block, masonry, or wrought iron except for sections of Perimeter Lot Fences that are part of Perimeter Wall along the reverse frontage of single family lots along collector or arterial streets, in which case, the requirements for a Perimeter Wall set forth above shall apply.

a. In addition to the requirements listed in Section 3-2-3-C, each subdivision shall be designed with at least the number of Design Elements set forth Table 3-2-3-E.

b. The minimum lot width may be reduced, administratively, up to 5 feet in R1-6 and R1-4 if additional Design Elements are provided as set forth in Table 3-2-3-E.

c. The Total Both Sides setback may be reduced to 10 feet in the R1-6 and R1-4 districts if additional Design Elements are provided as set forth in Table 3-2-3-E. Both the lot width and setback may be reduced by providing the Design Elements set forth in the table.

d. The descriptions of the Design Elements for each category are listed below in paragraphs (i), (ii), (iii), (iv).

For example, if an owner of property zoned R1-6 wants do develop 50 foot wide lots, the owner would need to comply with the requirements of Section 3-2-3-D and provide at least; 2 Amenity Elements listed in paragraph (i) below, 3 Connectivity Elements listed in paragraph (ii) below, 1 Streetscape Element listed in paragraph (iii), and 1 Additional Streetscape Element listed in paragraph (iv) below.

Table 3-2-3-E: Lot Size and Minimum Number of Required Design Elements for Reduced Lot Width and Side Yard Setback Reduction Requests
Zoning Designation	Minimum Lot Width (ft)	Total Both Sides Setback	Amenity Elements	Connectivity Elements	Streetscape Elements
R1-6	55	15	0	0	0
REDUCED R1-6	50	10	1	2	2
R1-4	45	15	1	2	3
REDUCED R1-4	40	10	2	4	4
R1-A	35	N/A	1	2	1
R1-C	40	N/A	1	2	1

i. Amenity Elements. The purpose of providing amenity elements is to create diverse places within a community that are accessible to the surrounding residents. Smaller lots require additional amenities because of the smaller private yards that are provided.

1. Adjacent to Community Amenity. The project is adjacent to an open space amenity (e.g., Bullard Wash, Gila River, hillside preserve) or community facility (e.g., community park, recreation center) and reasonable access has been provided to the amenity. A clubhouse, pool, or other significant community amenity within a master planned community can count toward this requirement without being directly adjacent if the neighborhood is served by the amenity.

2. Additional Park Space. The development includes privately maintained park space at least 30 percent greater in area than the minimum required useable open space.

3. Additional Internal Park Amenities. Meaningful and impactful additional amenities are provided within parks. For example, a horseshoe pit would not meet this threshold but pickle ball courts would; Simple outdoor grills would not meet this threshold but an outdoor fireplace with integrated grills would. Additional amenities are provided within the required park space:

(a) A pool, splash pad, or similar active recreational infrastructure.

(b) A clubhouse, community room, or similar passive recreational gather places.

(d) Active recreation fields above and beyond the minimum requirements including basketball courts, soccer fields, baseball fields, and similar facilities.

(e) Additional amenities that are not minimally required by the Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Trails Master Plan as determined by the Zoning Administrator and that provide meaningful and impactful recreational opportunities for the community that as a general rule cannot be accommodated in a traditional 10,000 square foot lot.

4. Integrated Commercial. A parcel zoned commercial is located within the development or directly adjacent that is integrated into the neighborhood and has the impact of serving as a gathering place and amenity to the community, subject to the following:

(a) No subdivision perimeter wall separates the neighborhood from the commercial parcel or direct pedestrian connections are provided.

(b) The residential neighborhood is not separated from the commercial amenity by an arterial roadway (i.e., a residential area receiving credit for this amenity must not have to cross an arterial roadway to get to the commercial amenity)

(c) The residential neighborhood is entirely contained within a 1,320 foot radius of a commercial property. (i.e., the residential area receiving credit for this amenity must be within 1,320 feet of the commercial area, residential lots outside of the radius would provide another amenity or not be eligible for lot reductions).

5. Additional Amenities. Other amenity elements not minimally required by any other regulation, ordinance, policy, standard or master plan adopted by the City that meet the stated purpose and provide the same impact to the community as the listed elements may be approved.

ii. Connectivity Elements. The purpose of connectivity elements is to create an inclusive community that promotes a sense of community and provides a walkable and bikeable community with easy and quick access to nearby amenities such as schools, commercial areas, trails, and parks.

1. Infill Development. The site is located in areas that will provide easy and quick access to nearby amenities such as schools, trails, and parks and that also have been identified as growth areas as defined by the General Plan.

2. Trail System Connections. Publicly accessible trail connections are provided within the community and connect to larger trail systems or have the ability to connect to future trail systems (i.e., trails are not limited to use by only those who live within the H.O.A.).

3. Smaller Blocks. Smaller blocks create a more walkable community. They should be designed in a way to reduce street lengths and foster neighborhood interactions. Maximum block lengths shall be no more than 660 feet. The maximum number of continuous blocks with side yards facing the street is limited to three. The blocks should be broken up with some homes facing the side street and/or should be staggered.

4. No subdivision perimeter wall. The subdivision is designed and homes are oriented so that subdivision perimeter walls are not necessary in order to increase connectivity from the neighborhood to surrounding amenities.

5. Lot Diversity. At least 30% of the lots within the subdivision exceed the minimum lot width by 5 feet. (e.g., in a 100 lot subdivision in the R1-4 district 70 homes are 45-foot wide and 30 homes are 50-foot wide).

6. Additional Connectivity Elements. Other connectivity elements not minimally required by any other regulation, ordinance, policy, standard or master plan adopted by the City that meet the stated purpose of creating an inclusive community that provides easy access to amenities and services and provide the same impact to the community as the listed elements may be approved.

iii. Streetscape Elements. The purpose of streetscape elements is to create a sense of place and ensure that smaller lot developments are of high quality.

1. Additional front setback. Homes (and all elements of the homes and garages) have a minimum setback of 30-feet.

2. Detached sidewalk. A detached sidewalk is utilized with a planter strip that is a minimum of 5.5 feet wide. Planter strips shall be planted, irrigated, and maintained with live plant materials.

3. Shared or Clustered Driveways. Driveways are paired so that there is a single curb-cut providing access to 2 houses, and the total width for the paired driveway is not more than 20 feet. Alternatively, driveways may be clustered (but need not share the same curb cut) so that there is at least 36 feet of uninterrupted curb between the clustered driveways.

4. Alley – Loaded. Homes utilize alley loaded garages.

5. Open Space Facing Homes. Homes do not have a traditional front yard but face onto a shared open space or courtyard.

6. Paving Material. Decorative paving (i.e., pavers) are utilized for all horizontal paved surfaces between the house and sidewalk.

7. Deep recessed garages. Garages are setback at least 20-feet from the front part of the home which could include living space or a front porch but does not include a courtyard.

8. Porches and Courtyards. 100% of homes have a front porch or courtyard with at least 50% of the homes having a covered front porch that is at least 48 square feet. Covered porch can include a slatted roof or other roof design alternative, if it is an integrated, significant architectural feature with columns that are complimentary to the style of the home.

9. Additional Streetscape Elements. Other streetscape elements not minimally required by any other regulation, ordinance, policy, standard or master plan adopted by the City that meet the stated purpose and provide the same impact to the community as the listed elements may be approved.

e. Creation of a new lot that is less than the required minimum lot area requires approval of a Planned Area Development (PAD)