§ 30. RA Recreation/Amusement District.
PURPOSE: The RA Recreation/Amusement District is established to provide locations for recreation and amusement uses representing various types of recreational activities. The purpose is to facilitate family entertainment and related uses while protecting adjacent residential areas. The RA Recreation/Amusement District eliminates the impact of entertainment uses by requiring screening and buffering adjacent to residential areas.
USES GENERALLY: In a RA Recreation/Amusement District no land shall be used and no building shall be erected, or converted to any use other than as hereinafter provided.
A.
Permitted uses:
1.
Amusement centers within an enclosed building.
2.
Bowling centers.
3.
Country clubs.
4.
Golf courses, public and private
5.
Outdoor commercial amusements including golf driving ranges, miniature golf, pitch and putt golf.
6.
Health spas and physical fitness centers (massage establishments must meet the requirements of Section 49.B.5.) within an enclosed building.
7.
Stables and/or riding clubs.
8.
Art galleries and museums.
9.
Parks, playgrounds, and recreational uses, publicly or privately owned.
10.
Movie theaters and opera houses within an enclosed building.
11.
Roller and inline skating rinks within an enclosed building.
12.
Restaurants with inside dining.
B.
Accessory uses: The following uses shall be permitted as accessory uses:
1.
Off-street parking in conjunction with any permitted use in this district. Provisions for the parking of automobiles provided that such provisions within 100 feet of a residentially zoned district shall be separated from said lot by a blind fence or wall, berm and/or landscaping at least six feet high.
2.
Signs advertising use on the premises, in accordance with Section 60 of this ordinance.
3.
Mechanical equipment located within 120-feet of any residentially zoned district must meet the standards established for noise regulation as stated in Section 55. Performance Standards.
4.
Screened refuse and garbage storage on a concrete pad and located no closer than 100 feet to any residentially zoned district and not located between the front of the building and any right-of-way. All refuse and garbage storage shall be landscaped and screened in accordance with Section 50.B.3.
C.
Conditional uses: The following uses may be permitted, provided they meet the provisions of, and a conditional use permit is issued pursuant to, Section 48 of this ordinance.
1.
Amphitheaters.
2.
Amusement parks (indoor and outdoor operations).
3.
Auto racing tracks.
4.
Baseball stadiums.
5.
Batting cages.
6.
Conference/convention centers.
7.
Go-cart tracks.
8.
Horse racing tracks.
9.
Planned commercial centers.
10.
Private and public swimming pools.
11.
Racquet and swim clubs.
12.
Restaurants with drive through and/or outside dining.
13.
Alcoholic beverage sales provided a special permit is issued in accordance with Section 42.B. of this ordinance.
14.
Rodeo facilities.
15.
Yacht clubs and/or marinas.
16.
Zoos and zoological facilities.
17.
Any recreational or amusement uses not included in any of the other commercial districts, whether indoor or outdoor, provided that all such uses are not noxious or offensive by reason of the emission of odor, dust, gas fumes, noise, or vibration shall be permitted, except when such is clearly incidental and subordinate to the conduct of the permitted use.
18.
Health spas and physical fitness centers with outdoor activities.
19.
Outdoor roller and inline skating rinks.
20.
Any use allowed within this district with outdoor speakers.
D.
Limitation on uses:
1.
Any proposed activity on Corps of Engineers property located in the RA Recreation/Amusement District must also meet the requirements of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
2.
Archery ranges.
3.
Firearm ranges.
E.
Plan requirements: No application for a building permit for construction of a building or structure shall be approved unless:
1.
A plat, meeting all requirements of the City of Grapevine has been approved by the city council and recorded in the official records of Tarrant County.
2.
A site plan, meeting the requirements of Section 47, has been approved.
3.
A landscape plan, meeting the requirements of Section 53, has been approved.
F.
Density requirements: The following bulk and intensity of use requirements shall apply:
1.
Maximum density: No floor area ratio restriction.
2.
Minimum lot size: The minimum lot size in a RA District shall be 8,000 square feet.
3.
Minimum open space: At least 20 percent of the total lot area shall be devoted to nonvehicular open space. (Nonvehicular open space is any area not devoted to buildings, parking, loading, or vehicular use.) Planned commercial centers permitted as a conditional use shall meet the requirements of Section 30.N.3.
a.
Landscaping in excess of the required minimum open space that is located in the rear yard of the site shall not be used to meet the minimum open space requirements for the site.
4.
Maximum building coverage: The combined area occupied by all buildings and structures shall not exceed 60 percent of the total lot area.
5.
Maximum impervious surface: The combined area occupied by all buildings and structures, parking, storage, loading and other paved areas shall not exceed 80 percent of the total lot area.
G.
Area regulations: The following minimum standards shall be required:
1.
Lot width: Every lot shall have a minimum width of not less than 80 feet.
2.
Lot depth: Every lot shall have a minimum depth of not less than 100 feet.
3.
Front yard: Every lot shall have a front yard of not less than 25 feet which shall be utilized as a landscaped setback area. Front yards shall not be used for any building, structure, fence, wall or storage area, except that signs may be permitted in this area. Front yards shall be landscaped with grass, shrubbery, vines, or trees and no part shall be paved or surfaced except for minimum access, driveways and sidewalks in accordance with Section 53 of this ordinance.
4.
Side yard: Every lot shall have two side yards, each of which shall be not less than ten feet in width. Planned commercial centers permitted as a conditional use shall meet the requirements of Section 30.N.1.
5.
Rear yard: Every lot shall have a rear yard of not less than ten feet in depth. Planned commercial centers permitted as a conditional use shall meet the requirements of Section 30.N.1.
6.
Distance between buildings: None required.
7.
Buffer area: Additional buffer yard may be required to accommodate additional building or structure setbacks in Section 30.H.
H.
Buffer area regulations: Whenever a RA District abuts a Residential District, an appropriate buffer screen shall be provided in accordance with the provisions of Section 53 and 30.M.5. of this ordinance. In addition, no building or structure shall be located nearer to any residentially zoned property than a distance of 100 feet. Any use other than buffer area or off-street parking proposed to be located within the 100-foot buffer may be permitted as a conditional use meeting the requirements of Section 48.
I.
Height:
1.
No building or structure shall be erected or altered to a height exceeding 35 feet.
For buildings or structures exceeding 35 feet, a conditional use permit must be issued in accordance with Section 48 of this ordinance.
J.
Landscaping requirements: Landscaping shall be required in accordance with Section 53 of this ordinance.
K.
Off-street parking: Off-street parking shall be provided in accordance with the provisions of Section 56 and 58 and shall be landscaped in accordance with Section 53 of this ordinance. No off-street parking shall be located closer than 25 feet to any residential district nor ten feet to any other adjacent property line.
L.
Off-street loading: Off-street loading shall be provided in accordance with the provisions of Section 57 and Section 58 of this ordinance.
M.
Design requirements: The following design requirements shall apply to all the permitted, accessory and conditional uses:
1.
No outdoor storage, except for refuse and garbage storage, shall be permitted. Refuse and garbage storage areas shall be landscaped and screened in accordance with Section 50.B.3.
2.
Heating, ventilating, air conditioning and electrical equipment shall be designed, installed and operated to minimize noise impact on surrounding property. All such equipment shall be screened from public view.
3.
Lighting facilities, if provided, shall be so arranged as to be reflected away from residentially zoned or used property. Lighting provided within parking facilities shall meet the requirements of Section 58.E.
4.
Masonry requirement: Due to the development nature of the RA Recreation/Amusement District, it is recognized that requiring all permitted and conditional uses in this district to have exterior fire resistant construction having at least 70 percent of the total exterior walls, excluding doors and windows constructed of brick, stone or other masonry or material of equal characteristics in accordance with the city building code and fire prevention code may not allow for some amusement recreational type developments. Uses proposed in the RA District not meeting the 70 percent masonry requirement shall present an exterior wall plan to the planning and zoning commission and the commission shall establish the amount of masonry required.
5.
Additional buffering, screening, fencing, and landscaping. The planning and zoning commission may recommend and the city council may require additional buffering, screening, fencing and landscaping requirements on any zoning change, conditional use or special use case or concept plan in addition to or in lieu of buffering, screening, fencing, or landscaping requirements set out specifically in each use district when the nature and character of surrounding or adjacent property dictate a need to require such protection for the general health, welfare and morals of the community in general.
N.
Planned commercial center design requirements: Each lot or parcel of land created within a planned commercial center shall comply with the following requirements:
1.
Minimum yard requirement of planned commercial centers: The front yard requirements contained in Section 30.G.3. shall be applicable to each lot or parcel of land within a planned commercial center. A minimum ten-foot side yard and a minimum 25-foot rear yard shall be required around the outside perimeter of a planned commercial center. Minimum side and rear yard requirements of interior lots may be required if deemed necessary by city council in order to meet the provisions of Section 48.
2.
Landscaping requirements of planned commercial centers: The minimum landscaping requirements of Section 53.H.2.b. shall be applicable around the outside perimeter of a planned commercial center. For interior lots the minimum landscaping requirements of Section 53.H.2.b. may be required if deemed necessary by city council in order to meet the provisions of Section 48.
3.
Minimum open space requirements of planned commercial centers: At least 20 percent of the total site area of the planned commercial center shall be devoted to nonvehicular open space (Nonvehicular open space is any area not devoted to buildings, parking, loading, storage, or vehicular uses).
4.
Building elevations of proposed structures shall be submitted with the site plan required by section 48.D.7.
(Ord. No. 95-12, § 1(D), 2-21-95; Ord. No. 2001-34, § 1(Exh. H), 4-17-01; Ord. No. 2009-04, § 1.K, 1-20-09)