Chapter 17.210 — RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICTS

This Chapter provides development and land use regulations for the residential zoning districts established by Section 17.200.010 . The purpose of the individual residential zoning districts and the manner in which they are applied are as follows.

• A. R1 (Single-Family Residential) District. The R1 zoning district identifies areas characterized by single-family dwellings and provides areas for the development of detached dwelling units at densities no greater than 7 units per acre, except for SB 9 two-unit housing developments pursuant to Section 17.400.122 . The standards of this district are intended to protect the existing density and maintain the character of single-family residential neighborhoods. The R1 zoning district is consistent with the Low Density Residential land-use designation of the General Plan.

• B. R2 (Multiple-Family Residential—12 Units/Acre) District. The R2 zoning district is intended for the development of dwelling units within a density range of 8 to 12 units per acre. The R2 zoning district is consistent with the Residential Medium land-use designation of the General Plan.

• C. R3 (Multiple-Family Residential 13 to 14 Units/Acre) District. The R3 zoning district provides opportunity for the development of dwelling units with densities of 13 to 14 units per acre. The R3 zoning district is consistent with the Residential Medium land-use designation of the General Plan.

• D. R4 (Multiple-Family Residential 15 to 18 Units/Acre) District. The R4 zoning district is intended to provide opportunities for the development of multiple-family housing with densities of 15 to 18 units per acre. The R4 zoning district is consistent with the Residential High land-use designation of the General Plan.

• E. R5 (Multiple-Family Residential 19 to 25 Units/Acre) District. The R5 zoning district is intended to provide opportunities for the development of residential projects with densities of 19 to 25 units per acre. The R5 zoning district is consistent with the Residential High land-use designation of the General Plan.

• (Ord. 2456 § 2, 2010; Ord. 2580U § 3, 2022)

• A. General Requirements. Table 2-2 identifies the land uses permitted by this Title in the residential zoning districts, and the land use permit required to establish each use, in compliance with Section 17.200.020.B, Determination of Permitted Land Uses and Permit Requirements .

Note: Where the last column in the table ("See Specific Use Regulations") includes a section number, the regulations in the referenced section apply to the use; however, provisions in other sections of this Title may also apply.

Table 2-2 Permitted Uses and Permit Requirements For Residential Zoning Districts

Notes:

P = Permitted Use; CUP = Conditional Use Permit Required; AUP = Administrative Use Permit Required; – = Prohibited Use or Not Applicable

• 1

  • See Article 7 for definitions of the land uses listed.

• 2 Limited to providing social services, education, training, medical, and dental assistance. Overnight stay prohibited.

• 3 Accessory structures and uses as provided in Article 7, Definitions , including buildings and structures commonly required for the operation of an ordinary farm or ranch of 10 or more acres, provided each such farm or ranch accessory building is built not closer than 100 feet to any public street or highway or exterior property boundary.

• 4 Residential uses within the Planned Development Overlay General Plan land use designation may exceed the densities when the development meets the average daily traffic (ADT) goals for the site as specified in the General Plan.

(Ord. 2456 § 2, 2010; Ord. 2478 § 2, 2011; Ord. 2500 § 2, 2012; Ord. 2507 § 2, 2013; Ord. 2549 § 2, 2018; Ord. 2563 § 2, 2019; Ord. 2572 § 2, 2021; Ord. 2580U § 4, 2022)

• A. General Requirements. Subdivisions, new land uses and structures and alterations to existing land uses and structures in the R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 zones shall conform to the requirements outlined in Table 2-3. In addition, the applicable development standards outlined in Article 3 shall apply to all residential zoning districts. Please refer to Section 17.400.120 for single-family residential design standards. For applicable multiple-family residential design standards, please refer to Section 17.400.125 of the WMC and the Section 5.0 of the City of Westminster Design Guidelines Manual. The Design Guidelines are not included in any article of this Title, but are available for review on the City's website or at the offices of the Division.

17.400.120** for single-family residential design standards. For applicable multiple-family residential design standards, please refer to Section 17.400.125 of the WMC and the Section 5.0 of the City of Westminster Design Guidelines Manual. The Design Guidelines are not included in any article of this Title, but are available for review on the City's website or at the offices of the Division.

Notes:

SF = square feet; n/a = not applicable

• 1 Applicable to R1 Districts only: With the exception of lots fronting on cul-de-sac and/or knuckle streets, the building setback may be further reduced to 10 feet when sufficient maneuvering and parking are provided in front of the garage entrance to park two vehicles without encroaching into the public right-of-way.

• 2 In the case of cul-de-sac and knuckle lots, open latticework patio covers, unenclosed and attached to the rear of the main building, are permitted within the required setback area as long as no supports of said patio structures are within 3 feet of the rear property line.

• 3 Patios (enclosed or open) and sunshades shall not exceed the height of the first floor of the dwelling unit meaning not to exceed the plate line.

• 4 In no event under this provision shall balconies, porches, terraces or outside stairways or steps be closer than 2 feet to the side property line or 3 feet to the rear property line of a building site.

• 5 In no event under this provision shall eaves, cornices, or canopies be closer than 2 feet to any side, front, or rear property line of the building site.

• 6 In no event under this Section shall chimneys, fireplaces (attached), media niches, or bay windows (cantilevered) be closer than 3 feet to any side property line of the building site.

• 7 Any required covered or enclosed parking spaces (up to a maximum of 600 square feet), including children's play houses, shall be exempt from lot coverage criteria.

• 8 A single-story portion of a dwelling unit, with a maximum height of 16 feet for a pitched roof and 11 feet for a flat roof can maintain a 10-foot rear yard setback provided that there is no less than 1,000 square feet of contiguous open space, with a minimum dimension of 10 feet, located in the back yard area. When a rear lot line abuts a public street, alley, park, floodcontrol channel or a railroad right-of-way, with a minimum dimension of 20 feet, the minimum rear yard can be 10 feet. If the abutting alley is 15 feet wide the minimum rear yard cannot be less than 12.5 feet.

• 9 If lot has average width of less than 50 feet, the minimum required width of each side yard shall be no more than 10 percent of such average width, but in no event less than 3 feet; provided, that this shall not apply to a lot created after December 9, 1976.

• 10 See Section 17.400.130 for additional applicable standards.

• 11 For streets 80 feet or more in width setback is 20 feet or 20 percent of street width whichever is greater but no more than 30 feet

For Westminster Blvd – 60 feet from centerline of street

State Highways – 70 feet from centerline of street, except the following:

If width is more than 100 feet – 20 percent of street width but not more than 30 feet

On Beach Blvd, existing lots less than 50 feet in depth – 0 setback

(Ord. 2456 § 2, 2010; Ord. 2477 § 2, 2011; Ord. 2478 § 2, 2011)