GALLIPOLIS — Gallipolis City Commissioners approved the second reading of a new ordinance aiming to set standards of construction for new buildings intended to be utilized as residences within municipal limits after a trend of discussion over past meetings regarding concerns with tiny houses moving into the area, property value and quality of living areas.
Dwellings within Gallipolis would need to be constructed on a permanent foundation and structures must be comparable to surrounding adjacent dwellings.
Dwellings would need constructed or assembled on-site. No structure of temporary “character,” trailer, mobile home, motor home, basement, tent, shanty, garage, barn, storage shed, outbuilding or similar-type structure may be erected or used for a place of residence.
For a dwelling, single family: the square footage of the first floor, heating living space shall be a minimum of 850 square feet.
Ordinance language also states that, “If a lot of record at the date of effective date of adoption or amendment of this ordinance, notwithstanding limitations imposed by other provisions of the Codified Ordinances of Gallipolis, Ohio, is a size that prevents the construction of a dwelling, single family as described in section (c) with required setbacks, then the square footage of heating living space shall be, at a minimum, equal to or larger than the square footage of the lot’s previous dwelling’s first floor heated living space. The new structure must adhere to all required setbacks as defined in the Codified Ordinances of Gallipolis, Ohio.”
For residences built for two or more family structures, the ordinance proposes the square footage of the first floor of heating living space be a minimum of 480 square feet per dwelling unit and a total square footage of heating living space for each dwelling unit shall be a minimum of 850 square feet.
Housing structure proposals that aren’t described in the proposed ordinance would need brought before the Gallipolis Planning Commission.
Structures already existing in Gallipolis before the potential passage of the ordinance would not be affected by the new ordinance as it is geared to target new construction.
