Gainesville › Unified Land Development Code
Article 9 — Use Provisions, Chapter 9-4 — RESIDENTIAL USE STANDARDS
§ 9-4-1
Household Living.
(a)Single-family dwelling, detached.
(1)Exterior siding materials shall consist of wood, brick, stone, concrete, stucco, EIFS or similar materials, cementitious siding, vinyl or similar materials, or any combination of the above except where otherwise identified as a prohibited material within this ULDC.
(2)The structure shall be attached to a permanent foundation constructed in accordance with the Building Code or State regulations as applicable. Exposed foundation walls shall be faced with concrete, hard-coat stucco, brick, stone or a similar material.
(3)The minimum width of a structure shall be 20 feet along the front facade.
(4)A porch or hard surfaced landing shall be provided at each exterior door and stairway top and bottom and shall be no less than 36 inches in width and 36 inches in depth.
(5)All roof surfaces shall have a minimum pitch of 3:12, except that mansard and gambrel roofs must meet this requirement only for those surfaces that rise from the eaves. All roof surfaces exposed to view shall be covered with asphalt or fiberglass shingles, wood shakes or shingles, clay tiles, slate, standing seam metal, or similar materials.
i.Minimum roof overhang shall be 12 inches.
(6)Each dwelling shall be connected to potable water supply and sanitary sewage disposal system approved by the Gainesville Department of Water Resources or Hall County Environmental Health Department.
(b)Single-family dwelling, attached.
(1)Each unit shall have a minimum of 20 feet of frontage on a public street or private road that meets public street standards, and each lot shall have a minimum lot width of 20 feet.
(2)The minimum size of a lot for each fee-simple lot is 1,200 square feet in lot area.
(3)Building Setbacks.
i.The setbacks for the perimeter boundary shall adhere to the existing zoning district or overlay district in which the property is located.
ii.In the case of any public street the front building setback shall be measured from the right-of-way line of the public street. In the case of a private street or public street interior to the development, the front building setback shall be 15 feet and shall be measured from the right-of-way line or, if none is established, the curb of the street nearest the building.
iii.Zero lot line between units within the same building shall be permitted, subject to applicable fire and building codes.
(4)There shall be a minimum building separation of 10 feet between buildings.
(5)To avoid a monotonous appearance no more than 8 attached units may have common walls. Any building containing more than 3 units with common walls must have the front facade and the roof of each 3 units distinct from the others through separation, staggering, or offsets in design at least 3 feet in depth.
(6)Units which face a public street must have an entrance along such street.
Entryways must be articulated with a porch at least 6 feet in width and 6 feet in depth. A stoop or other entry feature may be substituted upon approval by the Director.
(7)Each development or phase thereof requires preliminary and final subdivision plat approval in accordance with Chapter 11-4 and Chapter 11-13, respectively, of this ULDC.
(8)Developments shall be designed with shared access by means of a private drive or alley to minimize the number of driveways along a public street. Individual driveways for townhouse developments shall not be permitted on a public street.
(9)Each unit shall have a two-car garage.
i.When located along a public street, garages shall be located to the rear of the structure and accessed by a private drive or alley.
ii.An exemption from this requirement may be allowed if the minimum required parking is located behind the building. In such cases, each required parking space must be within 100 feet of the entrance to the dwelling is it intended to serve.
(10)All developments containing 50 or more dwelling units shall have a fenced dog park or off-leash area a minimum of 1,500 square feet in size.
(11)If a condominium form of ownership is proposed, the development shall meet all current applicable state laws including the Georgia Condominium Act (O.C.G.A.
44-3-70 et. seq.). Proposed bylaws and the articles of incorporation for the condominium association shall be submitted with the application for development approval.
(c)Live-work.
(1)Only persons living in the dwelling unit shall be engaged in the occupation.
(2)Sales or customers should be limited or not permitted. There shall be no external storage of products or materials. Use of the work space shall be limited to general office and similar uses, including investors and those who perform trades via computer or by phone, but not involving the physical exchange of merchandise on the premises.
(3)Signs may be permitted subject to the district regulations in Article 14.
(4)There shall be no external storage of products or materials.
(5)A minimum of 1,000 square feet of total floor area shall be provided within each live-work unit.
(6)The work component of a live-work unit shall be no smaller than 150 square feet and no larger than 40% of the total floor space in the live-work unit.
(7)There shall be a physical connection between the work floor area and the residential floor area of the unit.
(8)There shall be direct pedestrian access at the fronting street at or near grade level to each individual live-work unit.
(9)Residential areas should normally not be provided within the first 20 feet of the ground floor adjacent to the sidewalk.
(d)Multi-family dwelling.
(1)All developments containing 50 or more dwelling units shall have a community recreational facility as defined by this ULDC.
(2)All developments containing 50 or more dwelling units shall have a fenced dog park or off-leash area at least 1,500 square feet in area.
(3)On-site accessory laundry facilities may be included as accessory uses for developments with 25 or more units.
(4)There shall be no requirements for setbacks from private driveways within the multi-family development.
(5)When more than one building is constructed on a lot, buildings shall be separated by at least 10 feet.
(e)Two-family dwelling.
(1)Two-family dwellings shall be subject to those standards for single-family dwellings found in Title 9Section 9-4-1(a).
§ 9-4-2
Relocated Residential Structure.
(a)A relocation permit is required to relocate a residential structure established in the city limits. The applicant shall include the following with the application for the relocation permit:
(1)A photograph of the structure at its present location.
(2)The current location of the structure, including address and tax parcel number.
(3)If the structure is to be relocated inside the city limits, the proposed location of the structure, including address and tax parcel number, and a copy of the recorded plat of the lot on which the structure will be placed is required. If none exists, the applicant shall be required to comply with subdivision requirements of Article 11 of this ULDC.
(4)The total heated floor area of the existing structure and, if to be located within the city, the renovated structure.
(5)If it is to be relocated within the city a building permit will be required and all exterior improvements to the structure shall be completed within six months of relocation.
(6)If located or proposed to be located within the Historic Preservation Overlay, the applicant must first obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission in accordance with Title 9Chapter 19-3.
(b)The Building Official shall inspect or arrange to inspect the structure for compliance with the minimum standards of the zoning district proposed for location and other applicable regulations.
§ 9-4-3
Group Living.
(a)Continuing Care Retirement Community.
(1)The facility may have on site as a part of its development the following accessory uses for use of residents and their guests: full-service kitchen for meals, exercise facilities, swimming pools, tubs and spas, administrative offices, nursing stations, treatment rooms, emergency paging systems, indoor and outdoor recreational facilities, restrooms, hair salons, computer facilities, game and card rooms, chapel, movie theaters, wellness centers, billiard rooms, restaurant facilities, common areas, libraries, dining rooms, mail rooms, housekeeping and storage areas, laundry facilities, and gift shops.
(2)Independent living units shall contain a minimum of 650 square feet of floor area.
(3)Maximum building coverage shall be limited to 40% of the net lot area.
(4)The minimum lot size shall be 5 acres.
(5)All principal and accessory buildings shall be setback at least 50 feet from all side and rear property lines.
(6)There shall be a buffer at least 25 feet in width along all side and rear property lines.
(7)At least 80% of the units must be occupied by residents 62 years old or older, and the remaining units must be occupied by at least one resident 55 years old or older.
(b)Group Home.
(1)No person shall operate a rooming house or group home without a valid business registration issued in the name of the operator and for the specific dwelling.
(2)As part of the registration process, property owners of existing and new rooming houses or group homes shall appoint an agent, who lives in Hall County, as the person responsible for the property. The designated agent shall be available to be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The designated agent for the property shall be responsible for responding expeditiously to any complaints received by the city and problems if they occur.
(3)The application for registration shall include the agent of the property and the resident manager. The applicant for registration required by this Section shall file with the application the following:
i.A copy of the recorded plat for the property.
ii.A site plan, if no current as-built survey exists.
iii.A floor plan of each floor of the building drawn to scale which shows all stairs, halls, the location and size of all windows, the location and size of habitable rooms, and the exits of each floor to be occupied. The intended use of every room in the building must be indicated on the floor plans submitted.
iv.A written statement indicating the number of persons proposed to be accommodated or allowed on each floor, and any services to be provided.
(4)A resident manager shall reside on the licensed premises. The manager of every rooming house or group home shall keep a register in which shall be entered the name and residence of every person who becomes a lodger, boarder or guest therein. Such register shall also show the number or location of the room or bed occupied by such person, the date of arrival, and the duration of stay. The register shall also be accessible, without charge, to the Director, any police officer, or other duly authorized agent of the city. An up-to-date floor plan and current list of occupants shall be maintained by the resident manager and posted in a conspicuous location.
(5)No basement, attic, or accessory building shall be used for rooming house or group home purposes.
(6)No room in any rooming house or group home shall be occupied as a sleeping room by any person unless there are at least 70 square feet of floor area for each single-occupancy room, with 50 square feet of floor area for each additional person when more than one occupant is allowed. The minimum floor area is exclusive of wardrobe and closet space.
(7)All sleeping quarters shall be served by working heating and cooling facilities and a bed with a mattress for each registered occupant.
(8)At least one flush water closet, lavatory basin, and bathtub or shower, connected to a water and sewerage system and in good working condition, shall be supplied for each 8 persons or fraction thereof residing within a rooming house or group home. All such facilities shall be located within the dwelling and accessible from a common hall or passageway to all persons sharing such facilities. Every lavatory basin and bathtub or shower shall be supplied with hot and cold water at all times.
(9)Any rooming house or group home where food is served shall comply with all requirements of the Hall County Environmental Health Department.
(10)The property owner, property agent, and resident manager of each rooming house or group home shall be individually responsible for the maintenance of safe and sanitary conditions in every part of the rooming house or group home.
(c)Institutionalized Residential Living.
(1)All institutional residential living and care facilities shall meet the requirements of the State Board of Health and applicable rules of the State Department of Human Resources. Proof of compliance with such requirements shall be submitted to the Director prior to business registration approval.
(d)Rooming House.
(1)All rooming houses shall be subject to the standards of Title 9Section 9-4-3(b).