The boundaries of the General Business/Neighborhood Business
Design Guideline/Design Requirement Overlay District shall be shown
on the Official Zoning Map of the Town of North Greenbush, as amended.
This District encompasses commercial lands zoned as Business General (BG) or Neighborhood Business (BN) in the area of the intersection of Routes 4 and 43. Development of these parcels shall be governed by design guidelines contained in Chapter 155 of the Town Code (Site Plan Review) and design requirements located in this Zoning Law, the intent of which is to govern the form, appearance and impact of development. It is the intent of these guidelines that necessary traffic improvements be constructed concurrent with new development in order to provide adequate capacity on area roadways.
A.
District characterization. This District is located along a busy
state highway with steadily growing traffic volumes. It is a desirable
area for commercial development and is already partly developed for
such use. This District lacks cohesion and architectural focus. New
commercial development is characterized by large parking lots located
in front of big box stores. There are few internal connections between
developments. There are no sidewalks and the District is unfriendly
to pedestrians.
B.
Development within the District is subject to both objective and
subjective requirements. The objective requirements are those that
are readily measurable or quantifiable. These requirements are located
in this Zoning Law and are denominated "design requirements." The
subjective requirements, known as "design guidelines" are those that
regulate nonmeasurable matters and are located in the Site Plan Review
Law and are to be applied by the Planning Board during the site plan
review process.[1]
C.
District objectives:
(1)
Provide a landscaped edge, pedestrian accessibility to both
sides of the Route 4 and 43 corridor, restoring the highway as a desirable
and attractive feature.
(2)
Provide for attractive architectural expression.
(3)
Provide adequate buffering and other protection for adjoining
residential uses.
(4)
Provide for connection between parcels wherever practical.
(5)
Reduce signage clutter.
(6)
Minimize the adverse impacts of parking.
D.
The design requirements are as follows:
(1)
Street edge. Provide a landscaped street edge along Routes 4
and 43. Provide street trees of at least 2.5-inch caliper (as that
term is defined by the American Association of Nurserymen) 35 feet
on center.
(2)
Parking areas.[2]
(a)
Interior parking lot landscaping. Interior parking areas shall
be landscaped in addition to the required landscaped street edge.
Trees must be provided in each parking lot at a minimum average density
of one shade tree (2.5-inch caliper) for each 15 parking spaces, or
any fraction thereof. Additionally, interior parking lot landscaping
shall be provided in accordance with the following table:
|
Total Parking Area
(square feet)
|
Interior Landscaped Area
|
|---|---|
|
Less than 24,999
|
5%
|
|
25,000 to 49,999
|
8%
|
|
50,000 or larger
|
10%
|
(b)
Exterior parking lot landscaping. A landscaped strip shall be provided around the perimeter of the site exclusive of driveways. The landscaped strip shall be a minimum of five feet wide for sites 10,000 square feet or greater and three feet wide for sites less than 10,000 square feet, except for any area abutting a public street, in which case the requirements of Subsection D(1) (Street edge) above shall apply. Within the perimeter landscaped strip, one shade tree (2.5-inch caliper minimum) shall be provided per every 250 square feet, or any portion thereof, of landscaped strip.
(c)
Parking lot landscaping requirements.
[1]
To calculate the total parking area and the subsequent percentage
of required interior lot landscaping, total the square footage of
parking spaces, planting islands, curbed areas, and all interior driveways
and aisles, except those with no parking spaces located on either
side. Landscaped areas located outside the parking lot may not be
used to meet the interior landscape requirement.
[2]
All landscaped areas, including permeable areas and drip lines
around trees and planting beds used for visual screening, which abut
any parking lot or vehicular travel area shall be protected by curbs,
parking blocks, or similar barriers sufficient to protect them from
vehicular intrusion. Such areas shall have a minimum pervious area
of 60% if they are for the purpose of housing landscaping including
trees and 25% if they house landscaping other than trees. Landscaped
islands will be a minimum of five feet in dimension and must be a
minimum of nine feet wide when adjacent to parking spaces where a
car door would open into the island.
(d)
Pedestrian walkways. Pedestrian walkways are to be provided
from parking lots in excess of 100 cars to all buildings. Such walkways
shall be a minimum of five feet in width and must be landscaped for
their entire length. Crosswalks are to be marked by a change in materials
distinguished by color or materials.
[2]
Editor's Note: The greenspace requirements of § 197-22D(2)
are part of the overall greenspace requirement of 25% set forth in
Table 2, Part 3 of the Zoning Law and not in addition to that table.
