This chapter is adopted for the purpose of:
A.
Promoting the public health, safety, comfort, morals, convenience,
and general welfare;
B.
Securing adequate natural light, pure air, and safety from fire and
other dangers;
C.
Lessening or avoiding the hazards to persons and damage to property
resulting from the accumulation or runoff of storm or flood waters;
D.
Lessening or avoiding congestion in the public streets and highways;
E.
Conserving the value of land and buildings throughout the City; and
F.
Preserving and enhancing aesthetic values throughout the City.
To these ends, this chapter is intended to establish and accomplish
certain standards and objectives by:
A.
Dividing the entire City into districts and regulating therein the
location, construction, reconstruction, alteration, and use of buildings,
structures, and land, whether for agriculture, residence, business,
manufacturing or other specified uses;
B.
Avoiding or lessening congestion in the public streets by adequate
requirements for off-street parking and loading facilities;
C.
Preventing the overcrowding of land by regulating and limiting the
height and bulk of buildings hereafter erected;
D.
Establishing, regulating, and limiting the building or setback lines
along streets, alleys, and property lines;
E.
Regulating and limiting the intensity of the use of lot areas, and
regulating and determining the area of open spaces surrounding buildings;
F.
Establishing standards to which buildings or structures therein shall
conform;
G.
Permitting in each zoning district only those uses, buildings, and
structures that are compatible with the character of each district;
H.
Preventing additions to, and alterations or remodeling of, existing
buildings or structures, in such a way as to avoid the restrictions
and limitations imposed under this chapter;
I.
Providing controls governing the continuation of those existing uses,
buildings, and structures which are incompatible with the character
of the districts in which they are located;
J.
Providing for the gradual elimination of structures and uses which
are incompatible with the character of the districts in which they
are located;
K.
Defining the powers and duties of the administrative officers and
bodies as provided in this chapter; and
L.
Prescribing penalties for the violation of the provisions of this
chapter, or of any amendment thereto.
In their application, the provisions of this chapter shall be
held to be the minimum requirements for the promotion and protection
of the public health, safety, comfort, morals, convenience, and general
welfare, and the provisions shall be interpreted in accordance with
the following:
A.
Where the conditions imposed by any provision of this chapter are
either more restrictive or less restrictive than comparable standards
imposed by any other provision of this chapter or of any other law,
ordinance, resolution, rule, or regulation of any kind, the regulations
which are more restrictive, or which imposed higher standards or requirements,
shall govern.
B.
This chapter is not intended to abrogate any easement, covenant,
or other private agreement, provided that where the regulations of
this chapter are more restrictive or impose higher standards or requirements
than such easements, covenants, or other private agreements, the requirements
of this chapter shall govern.
C.
No building, structure, or use not lawfully existing at the time
of the adoption of this chapter shall become or be made lawful solely
by reason of the adoption of this chapter; and to the extent that,
and in any manner that, said unlawful building, structure, or use
is in conflict with the requirements of this chapter, said building,
structure or use remains unlawful under the provisions of this chapter.
