[R.O. 2011 § 400.140; R.O. 2009 § 156.025; CC 1981 § 30-26; Ord. No. 77-31, 7-5-1977; Ord. No. 92-302, 12-16-1992; Ord. No. 98-209, 5-15-1998; Ord. No. 04-176, 8-4-2004; Ord. No. 10-74 § 1, 4-22-2010; Ord. No. 10-244 § 1, 11-18-2010; Ord. No. 11-26 § 2, 2-4-2011; Ord. No. 25-056, 7-1-2025]
A.
Purpose. The purpose of the "A" Agricultural District is to provide for agricultural activities, to provide for spacious residential development for those who choose this environment and to prevent untimely scattering of more dense urban uses, which should be confined to areas planned for efficient extension of public services.
B.
Permitted Uses. A building or land in the "A" Agricultural District shall be used only for the following purposes:
1.
Agricultural activities on a farm of three (3) acres or more, including general farming, truck gardening, cultivation of field crops, orchards, groves or nurseries for growing or propagation of plants, turf, trees and shrubs, dairy farming, keeping or raising for sale of large or small animals, reptiles, fish, birds or poultry and including structures for storage and processing; provided, that commercial slaughtering and processing of large animals such as horses, cows, pigs, sheep or goats shall not be conducted on the premises.
3.
Greenhouse, commercial.
4.
Public and private parks and open spaces.
5.
Reservoirs.
6.
Single-family dwellings.
7.
Wildlife reservations and other similar conservation projects.
8.
Placement of a telecommunication antenna on an existing telecommunication tower (co-location) where no expansion or enlargement of the existing tower enclosure is required.
C.
Permitted Accessory Uses. The following accessory uses are permitted in the "A" District:
1.
Buildings used as contractors' or construction operations during development of the tract or subdivision on which they are located. They shall be removed upon completion or abandonment of the project or the end of a two-year period, whichever is sooner.
2.
Dwelling unit used for guests.
3.
Fertilizer storage, for farm use only, in bags or bulk storage of liquid or dry fertilizer in tanks or in a completely enclosed building, but not manufacture, processing, retail or wholesale.
4.
Garage, private.
5.
Garden house, tool house, playhouse or greenhouse incidental to residential use.
6.
Grain storage, blending and packaging for farm use only, but not milling.
7.
Home occupations.
8.
Marinas and boat docks.
9.
Storage of a boat trailer, self-propelled camper, camp trailer or a boat, but not in a front yard.
D.
Conditional Uses.
1.
The following uses may be permitted in the "A" District as conditional uses if approved by the City Council following recommendation by the Planning and Zoning Commission:
a.
Airports and landing fields and accessory uses for general aviation.
b.
Archery range, provided, that such range is approved by the Chief of Police.
c.
Cemetery on a site of not less than twenty (20) acres.
d.
Circus or carnival grounds, amusement park, zoo or midway, permanent or temporary, for specified time period.
e.
Day camps and campgrounds.
f.
Day care facilities subject to the following as may be modified through the conditional use process:
(1)
Not more than ten (10) children not related to the operator shall be kept. Up to three (3) additional children over the age of two (2) may be kept for up to two (2) hours per day. Up to three (3) additional school-age children may be kept on unscheduled days of school closings; provided, that, at no time shall more than thirteen (13) children not related to the operator be kept.
(2)
Such uses shall be permitted only if the rear yard in which the home would operate meets the minimum requirements of this Section and is enclosed with a suitable fence.
(3)
Such uses are located in the dwelling used by the operator as his/her private residence.
(4)
The operator shall not employ more than one (1) full-time [forty (40) hours per week] assistant who does not reside on the premises or more than two (2) half-time [twenty (20) hours per week] assistants who do not reside on the premises.
(5)
All City health and fire regulations are met.
(6)
All applicable State regulations are met.
g.
Dog kennels, commercial or non-commercial; provided any commercial open pens, runs, cages or kennels shall be located at least two hundred (200) feet from any side or rear lot lines.
h.
Dwellings and mobile homes occupied by persons employed on the premises or immediate members of the family or families owning or operating a farm.
i.
Educational institutions, including museums, art galleries and libraries.
j.
Excavation or filling, borrow pits, extraction, processing and removal of sand, gravel or stone and other major excavations other than for construction of swimming pools and foundations for buildings.
k.
Exposition center or fairgrounds.
l.
Golf courses, putting greens, driving ranges and similar activities operated as a business, including a building for a golf shop, locker room and snack bar as an accessory use to a golf course; provided no such building is located closer than one hundred (100) feet from adjoining property lines.
m.
Hospital or clinic for large or small animals; provided, that all buildings, structures, pens or open kennels shall be located at least two hundred (200) feet from any lot lines.
n.
Hospitals, congregate care facilities and group living arrangements.
o.
Livestock auction market.
p.
Racetrack, any type, subject to the following requirements for protective screening: where a racetrack directly adjoins a residential zoning district or a "PD" zoning district, a landscaped greenbelt at least fifty (50) feet in width shall be provided and maintained along the appropriate property line by the owners and/or managers of the racetrack. The undeveloped area shall be planted with trees or shrubs or shall be maintained in a well kept lawn. The greenbelt shall not be used for off-street parking facilities, for driveways or for open storage. Along the inner side of the greenbelt, there shall be provided a masonry wall at least six (6) feet in height above grade to separate the greenbelt from the racetrack facilities.
q.
Radio television transmission receiving station or tower; subject to building codes and further regulations of Section 400.470.
r.
Recreational uses or facilities, commercially operated or for a private membership, such as game courts, swimming pools, tennis clubs, fishing or boating lakes, camping areas, picnic grounds, dude ranches or similar activities; and accessory facilities, including the sale of food, beverages, bait, incidentals, supplies and equipment; provided, that no such use, structure or accessory use is located closer than fifty (50) feet to any adjoining property lines.
s.
Riding academies and commercial stables; provided, that any buildings for the keeping of animals shall be located at least two hundred (200) feet from any side or rear lot lines and the site size of the lot shall be no less than forty (40) acres.
t.
Sports arenas or stadiums, commercial athletic fields or baseball parks.
v.
Telecommunication towers, antennas attached to structures, or placement of a telecommunication antenna on an existing tower (co-location) where an expansion or enlargement of the existing tower enclosure is required. Telecommunication towers shall be located only on property that is a non-residential use.
w.
Warming and cooling centers when accessory to a church or other place of worship. Occupancy limits for a warming and cooling center shall be determined by the Building Code Official and Fire Marshal.
2.
The provisions of this Section shall apply to all new uses and to existing uses where a substantial change or expansion to the layout, operation or configuration is proposed.
E.
Design Standards. (See also Article III, Division 2, Design Standards, for additional regulations.) In the "A" District, the design standards shall be as follows:
1.
Minimum lot area: three (3) acres.
2.
Minimum lot width at the building line: one hundred fifty (150) feet.
3.
Minimum street frontage: twenty-five (25) feet.
4.
Minimum lot depth: two hundred (200) feet.
5.
Maximum height of building: two and one half (2 1/2) stories or thirty-five (35) feet.
7.
Off-street parking and loading requirements shall be as contained in Article V, Division 1, Parking.
8.
Minimum Floor Elevation. Floor elevations shall be at least one (1) foot above the Corps of Engineers' 100-year flood elevation.
9.
Protective Screening. All exterior solid waste containers and container racks or stands for any non-conforming use which is a permitted or conditional use in any multi-family, commercial or industrial district shall be screened from public view by an enclosure which complies with the requirements contained in Section 400.965(B)(4).