This district covers portions of the County which are occupied
by various open uses, such as forests, parks, and farms necessary
public and private industrial, recreational and religious facilities,
single-family and two-family dwellings and certain transient uses
in a rural environment. Manufactured home parks and certain commercial
and light manufacturing uses are allowed by conditional use permit.
This district is established for the specific purpose of facilitating
existing and future farming operations, conservation of land and other
natural resources, reducing soil erosion, and reducing hazards from
flood, fire, and storms. Uses not consistent with the existing character
of this district are not permitted.
[Amended 7-22-2014; 9-22-2015; 10-25-2016]
The following uses shall be permitted subject to all other requirements
of this chapter as a matter of right in the Rural District (RU).
B.
Agriculture.
D.
Aquaculture.
E.
Bed-and-breakfast
establishment.
F.
Cemeteries.
G.
Churches.
H.
Cluster development of single-family dwellings.
I.
Dairying.
K.
Day-care centers.
L.
Drainage, erosion and flood control facilities.
M.
Dwelling, single-family.
O.
Facilities for grading, packing, marketing and storage of agricultural,
horticultural, and forestal products.
P.
Fire stations.
Q.
Forestry activities and facilities.
R.
Game preserves and conservation areas.
S.
General farming.
T.
Golf clubs and courses.
V.
Horticulture.
W.
Hunting blinds and stands.
X.
Hunting clubs.
Y.
Kennels.
Z.
Livestock/fowl horse penning and stables.
AA.
Lodges.
BB.
Manufactured homes located on individual lots, provided that:
(1)
All of the development standards applicable to single-family
dwelling in this district shall be applicable to such manufactured
home.
(2)
Manufactured homes shall be provided with a permanent foundation
meeting the requirements of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building
Code. Where an approved permanent foundation does not consist of a
foundation wall around the full perimeter of the manufactured home,
skirting shall be provided so as to conceal from view the frame, axles,
wheels, crawl space and all utility connections. Skirting shall be
constructed of uniform weather-resistant material and shall meet the
requirements of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code.
CC.
Museums.
DD.
Nurseries and greenhouses.
EE.
Post offices and other governmental buildings.
GG.
Professional offices within occupant's dwelling.
HH.
Recycling location (dropoff) with a total capacity of 10 cubic yards
or less.
II.
Rescue and police stations.
JJ.
Schools.
LL.
Signs, subject to Article 13.
MM.
Silviculture.
NN.
Subdivisions, major.
OO.
Subdivisions, minor.
PP.
Tennis clubs.
QQ.
Tractor and farm equipment sales rental and repair.
RR.
Utility use, minor.
[Amended 2-23-2021]
SS.
Wayside stands, roadside stands, and wayside markets.
A.
In order to ensure that special uses will not harm the natural environment,
no zoning permit shall be issued therefor unless and until all other
required permits are first obtained from environmental protection
agencies, including the Mathews County Wetlands Zoning Board, the
Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the State Water Control Board,
the Virginia Department of Health, the United States Army Corps of
Engineers, and any other applicable agency.
B.
The following uses shall be permitted in the Rural District (RU),
subject to all the other requirements of this chapter, only upon obtaining
of a conditional use permit from the Board of Supervisors.[1]
(1)
Auto service (owner-operator only).
(3)
Conditional sewage disposal permits granted by the Virginia
Department of Health for less than year-round occupancy.
(4)
Fairgrounds, carnivals.
(5)
Farmer's market.
(6)
Health care facilities.
(8)
Light manufacturing and cottage and craft industries as defined.
(9)
Manufacture of cement and stone products.
(10)
Manufactured homes, individual, which are not permitted by § 175-5.2, where:
(a)
The minimum lot size and width as well as the front, side and
rear yards setback shall be doubled for the respective zoning districts,
and the maximum height allowed will be 25 feet measured from the bottom
to the top of the manufactured home.
(b)
The electricity meter base shall not be attached to the manufactured
home.
(c)
All manufactured homes shall be skirted with some type of uniform
durable weatherproof material, and installed with a set of permanent
steps at each exit.
(11)
Manufactured home parks in which lots are rented or sold, subject
to Article 14.
(12)
Office buildings.
(13)
Parks.
[Added 9-22-2015]
(14)
Playgrounds.
[Added 9-22-2015]
(15)
Radio, television, and other communications towers and facilities.
(16)
Recreational facilities, including main and accessory buildings
and parking areas.
(17)
Recycling location (dropoff) with a total capacity in excess
of 10 cubic yards.
(18)
Rehabilitation and group homes or centers.
(19)
Retail general, and convenience stores and shops, including
storage facilities.
(20)
Restaurants.
(21)
Sand and gravel operations.
(22)
Sewage treatment systems (private) where the subject lot or
parcel shall be located outside the area identified by the Floodplain
Management Ordinance of Mathews County[4] as being subject to inundation by waters of the one-hundred-year
flood event.
(23)
Shellfish and finfish processing, packing and storage facilities.
(26)
Transfer stations (publicly owned or operated).
(27)
Travel trailers (licensed), located outside of travel trailer parks, which are to be occupied for habitation on a temporary basis, other than allowed by § 175-15.3B if the Board of Supervisors grants a temporary conditional use permit and if the applicant agrees in writing to remove the travel trailer on or before the period specified in the permit.
(29)
Veterinary hospitals with or without kennels.
[1]
Editor’s Note: Former Subsection B(1), Aquaculture,
which immediately followed, was repealed 7-22-2014.
A.
Lot size.
(1)
The minimum lot area for each principal permitted use shall
be 2.5 acres except as provided herein.
(2)
A maximum of one lot less than 2.5 acres may be subdivided from a parent parcel existing as a legally recorded lot prior to July 22, 1997. Legally recorded lots subsequent to July 22, 1997, shall not be subdivided pursuant to this exception. Lots subdivided pursuant to the exception permitted in § 175-5.4 shall not contain less than one acre. The parent parcel remaining after subdivision pursuant to the exception stated in this § 175-5.4 shall contain at least 2.5 acres.
(3)
The minimum lot area for a single-family dwelling or manufactured
home shall be one acre, provided such lot is subdivided for the purpose
of development or placement of such structures for occupancy by a
member of the immediate family of the property owner.
B.
Setback regulations. Buildings and piers on all public or private
rights-of-way shall be set back 50 feet or more from the edge of the
right-of-way. Freestanding canopies over commercial fuel pumps shall
be setback a minimum of 15 feet from the edge of the right-of-way.
C.
Frontage and lot width regulations. The minimum frontage for permitted
uses shall be 24 feet on any street or right-of-way and the lot shall
be 100 feet at the setback line.
D.
Yard regulations.
(1)
Side: The minimum side yard for each main building shall be
10 feet, and the total width of the two required side yards shall
be 20 feet or more. The minimum side yard for accessory buildings
and piers shall be five feet.
(2)
Rear: Each main building shall have rear yard of 50 feet or
more. Each accessory building shall have a rear yard of five feet.
A.
Buildings and accessory buildings and structures may be erected up
to 50 feet in height.
B.
Public utility structures, church spires, belfries, cupolas, monuments,
water towers, chimneys, flues, flag poles, television antenna, radio
aerials, farm buildings and structures excluding dwellings, smoke
stacks, and observation towers are exempt. Parapet walls may be up
to four feet above the height of the building on which the walls rest.
Sign regulations shall conform to Article 13 of this chapter.
Off-street parking shall be provided in conformance with Article
12 of this chapter.
