Village of Pittsford, NY Business Districts

It is the purpose of the VGB District to establish and enhance the Village's North Main Street gateway as a vibrant, welcoming commercial area that serves as a transitional zone between the neighborhoods of the north to the Village Center and Schoen Place. Located just west of protected and actively farmed agricultural lands, there is a distinctive agrarian style and landscape present in the historic sites remaining there today (e.g., Hawley House, Pittsford Farms Dairy).

Although the character of the northern gateway has been altered over time, it is the intent of the VGB District to ensure future investment redefines the streetscape in a manner consistent with its place in the history of the Village and role as a transportation and commerce hub. This includes continued efforts to highlight local landmarks and the presence of the railroad, as well as further developing a distinctive landscape in the yard space along the street frontage.

Village Center Business (VCB) District.

It is the purpose of the VCB District to recognize the special significance of the four corners, Main Street and State Street commercial corridors as the central spines to the greater Pittsford community. The district is defined by the core of retail business within the Village center and the concentration of architecturally rich and historically significant structures.

As a compact commercial area bordered by Village neighborhoods, the treatment of fringe properties and properties abutting residential uses in the VCB District is paramount to the preservation of property values in these areas of transition. Future investment shall observe such transitions, in addition to the following District objectives:

(a)

Implement the vision and recommendations of the Pittsford Village Comprehensive Plan.

(b)

Maintain and enhance the district as a location for retail businesses, offices, civic uses, services, and a mix of other uses.

(c)

Foster civic pride and provide economic benefit through the continued utilization, preservation, and restoration of historic structures.

(d)

Maintain economic viability of the district by addressing potential problems such as parking, traffic, and loss of Village character.

(e)

Maintain the quality of residential/commercial transitional areas by requiring investment to be responsive to its relationship with adjacent properties and reflect that of the greater community design context.

(f)

Continue to improve the streetscape and pedestrian experience within the Village center.

Traditional Downtown Design (TDD) District.

The purpose of the TDD District is to provide special design and development controls to guide investment and redevelopment in the traditional downtown core of the Village center. The regulations are designed to protect the architectural integrity, scale, and treatment of the downtown area traditionally defined by multistory, mixed-use buildings built to the street.

The TDD District is intended to function as an overlay district. The overlay is to be superimposed on the VCB District, as indicated on the Village Zoning Map, and should be considered as additional design and development standards to be met in establishing a use within the underlying zoning district.

The use regulations of the underlying zoning district (VCB District) shall apply to all uses of the TDD District as provided thereto. Where specified, the dimensional, bulk, and use requirements of the TDD District shall supersede those of the underlying zoning district (VCB District).

§ 210-21.4 Use lists.

Use table.

Uses identified with a "P" are permitted as-of-right, subject to compliance with all other applicable standards of this zoning law.

Uses identified with a "SP" may be allowed if reviewed and approved in accordance with Article 35 (Special Use Permits) of this chapter.

Uses identified with a "TP" may be allowed if reviewed and approved in accordance with Article 39 (Temporary Use Permits) of this chapter.

(4)

Uses not listed and those identified with a "-" are expressly prohibited.

(5)

Article 24 (Additional Use Regulations) section references have been noted where applicable. Uses identified with an "NA" are not addressed in Article 24, and therefore are not subject to use specific restrictions.

Land Use	VGB	VCB/TDD	Additional Regulations
Residential
Single- or two-family dwelling	P	P	NA
Multifamily dwelling, maximum 8 units	SP	SP	§ 210-24.9
Bed-and-breakfast	SP	SP	§ 210-24.6
Home occupation	P	P	§ 210-24.8
First-floor dwelling units, in mixed-use building	—	—	—
Upper-floor dwelling units, in mixed-use building (maximum 8 units)	P	P	NA
Commercial
Animal grooming shop	P¹	P¹	§ 210-24.5
Agricultural operation with retail sales	P	—	NA
Bakery	P	P	NA
Art or photo studio	P²	P²	NA
Instructional facility	SP	—	NA
Day-care center, child or adult	SP	—	§ 210-24.7
Financial institution	P¹	P	NA
Funeral home or parlor	SP	—	NA
Gym or fitness club	P¹	P¹	NA
Boutique hotel or inn	SP	SP	NA
Laundromat or dry cleaner	P¹	P¹	NA
Office, administrative or professional	P²	P²	NA
Office or clinic, medical (up to 2 practitioners)	SP	—	NA
Office, first floor in mixed-use building	P	—	NA
Personal service shop or spa	SP	SP	§ 210-24.11
Recreation or entertainment facility, indoor	P¹	SP¹	NA
Repair or service of personal items	P	P	NA
Restaurant	SP	SP	§ 210-24.16
Retail store	P	P	NA
Other
Municipal building or use	P	P	NA
Museum or library	P	P	NA
Community or service club	P	P	NA
Place of worship	SP	SP	NA
Public park or playground	P	P	§ 210-24.13
School, public or private	—	SP	NA
Telecommunications equipment	SP	SP	§ 210-24.18
Mix of uses in a single building or lot	Refer to Each Use
Permitted uses over 2,000 square feet	SP	SP	See Use
Accessory
Accessory use or structure³	P	P	§ 210-24.4
Accessory dwelling unit	SP	—	§ 210-24.3
Drive-through facility	—	—	—
Outdoor assembly sales, display, or storage area	TP	TP	§ 210-24.10
Pond	P	P	§ 210-24.12
Temporary storage unit	P	—	§ 210-24.17

NOTES:
¹	Provided the use occupies a gross floor area of no more than 2,000 square feet.
²	Such use shall be permitted only in upper floor spaces or spaces without frontage to the street.
³	There shall be permitted no more than one accessory structure, exclusive of a private garage, per lot. The area of which, together with any additions thereto, shall not exceed 120 square feet.

Prohibited uses. The following uses are specifically prohibited in the VCB and TDD Districts:

Medical offices;

Industrial facilities and storage facilities;

Bowling alleys or pool halls;

(4)

Parking partially dismantled or junked motor vehicles;

(5)

Used car lots including the sale of used or new passenger vehicles and the sale of all other motor vehicles;

(6)

Automobile junkyards;

(7)

Junk dealer businesses, check cashing businesses, pawn shops/resale businesses, and precious metal exchange businesses;

(8)

Distilleries;

(9)

Smoke shops/smoking bars, and vapor establishments; and

(10)

Other businesses, otherwise objectionable by reason of odor, dust, smoke, cinders, gas fumes, noise, glare, vibration, refuse matter, water-carried waste or traffic hazards or businesses likely to cause litter to be deposited within the Village.

§ 210-21.5 Dimensional requirements.

Requirement	VGB	VCB	TDD
Minimum Lot Size
Single- or two-family dwelling	8,000 square feet	5,000 square feet	5,000 square feet
Multifamily dwelling	3,600 square feet/unit¹	3,600 square feet/unit¹	3,600 square feet/unit¹
Nonresidential use	15,000 square feet	—	—
Minimum Lot Width
	100 feet	50 feet	40 feet
Front Yard
Primary use or structure	30 feet minimum²	15 feet minimum 20 feet maximum	0 feet minimum 5 feet maximum
Minimum Side Yard
Primary use or structure	10/15 feet³	0/10 feet³	0/10 feet³
Accessory use or structure	3 feet	3 feet	3 feet
Minimum Rear Yard
Primary use or structure	25/35 feet³	20/30 feet³	20/30 feet³
Accessory use or structure	3 feet	3 feet	3 feet

NOTES:
¹	The notation "square feet/unit" indicates square feet per dwelling unit.
²	Newly constructed buildings shall have a thirty-foot front setback or match the pattern of existing development.
³	The larger requirement shall apply to residential uses and nonresidential uses adjacent to a residential use or district.

§ 210-21.6 Bulk requirements.

General requirements. The following bulk requirements shall apply to the mixed use districts as noted.

Requirement	VGB	VCB	TDD
Maximum Building Height
Primary structure	35 feet¹ (2.5 stories)	35 feet¹ (2.5 stories)	40 feet¹ (3 stories)
Accessory structure	12 feet²	12 feet²	12 feet²
Minimum Building Height
Primary structure	30 feet (2 stories)	—	30 feet (2 stories)
Maximum Building Footprint
Per individual building section	6,000 square feet³	—	—
Maximum Lot Coverage
Gross impervious surface	60%	60%	—

NOTES:
¹	Building height shall be determined in feet, while the visual scale or appearance in height of the building shall be determined in stories. The Historic Preservation Board may adjust this requirement where necessary to preserve the historic character of the neighborhood and Village.
²	No accessory building may exceed the height of the principal building on the lot.
³	An individual building section shall be considered a structure built to stand alone and/or connect to adjacent buildings such as a wing or addition adjoined via a fire wall, breezeway, or other structural element providing for the articulation of the principal structure(s) to appear as a smaller scale.

VGB, VCB, and TDD District modifications. The Planning Board and Historic Preservation Board may consider applications that exceed the height and footprint restrictions of the VGB, VCB, and TDD Districts in the following circumstances when it is demonstrated the proposed building design is visually compatible with the context. In determining compatibility, the following factors shall be considered:

The mass of the building is visually broken into smaller components. An example would be a building including a main block and smaller extending wings where the distribution of mass and general proportions recall historic complexes within the district or other regional construction of a similar age, design, and scale to that found in the district.

The proposed building does not block known important viewsheds or drastically change the view from the street and from the canal of important existing historic landmarks.

The proposed building is set behind existing buildings, thereby reducing its visual impact.

(4)

Exception to the height and/or footprint restrictions are necessary to allow the incorporation of architectural features that are visually compatible with and/or representative of the vernacular construction in the district. Appropriate examples include roof ventilators, cupolas, or penthouses.

§ 210-21.7 Business district design standards and guidelines.

Village of Pittsford Design Standards incorporated. The Village of Pittsford Historic and Architectural Design District Building Design Standards shall hereby be incorporated into this chapter for the purposes of guiding development application review in the business districts by the Historic Preservation Board, Planning Board, and/or Village Board. Development applications include, but are not limited to, certificates of appropriateness, site plan review, and special use permits as provided for in Part 3 of this zoning law.

Historic design principles. Guidance regarding the historic design principles of the Village may be found in Section 3 of the Village of Pittsford Design Standards document.

General principles of design, including scale, proportion, rhythm, location and orientation, balance, massing, and materials.

Design considerations for new construction, including height, scale, width, orientation, setback, proportion and rhythm of openings, neighborhood rhythms, roof form, massing, horizontal versus vertical elements, materials, landscape treatment, and outbuildings.