The Town of Amenia is hereby divided into the following land use and overlay districts. Overlay districts are intended to provide additional protection of important environmental resources and/or to permit certain types of economically productive uses that would not otherwise be allowed in a particular land use district. They may overlap different land use districts, but they do not change the use and dimensional requirements of the underlying land use districts unless specifically so stated in this chapter.
Rural Agricultural District (RA)
The purpose of this district is to maintain the Town's working landscape by promoting agriculture, forestry, recreation, land conservation, and low-density residential uses, as well as compatible open space and rural uses, by encouraging such activities and discouraging large-scale residential development.
Rural Residential District (RR)
The purpose of this district is to allow residential uses in a rural setting, at a lower density than is allowed in the hamlets.
Hamlet Mixed-Use District (HM)
The purposes of this district are to maintain the traditional scale, density, architectural style, and mixed-use character of the existing Amenia and Wassaic hamlet core areas, to allow them to be restored, revitalized and expanded to become more economically viable, and to allow for the creation of new hamlet centers where access to commuter rail stations makes such centers viable for transit-oriented development. See § 121-12.1.
Hamlet Residential District (HR)
The purpose of this district is to maintain the traditional scale, density, and character of small hamlets and the residential neighborhoods surrounding the hamlet cores and to allow expansion into surrounding land areas that are generally within walking distance from the hamlet centers or the train stations. See § 121-12.1.
Suburban Residential (SR)
The purpose of this district is to maintain the character of existing suburban density residential developments and to allow a limited extension of suburban growth patterns.
Highway Commercial District (HC)
The purpose of this district is to allow commercial uses that rely heavily on automobile and truck access and that would not be compatible with a hamlet mixed-use area.
Office/Commercial/Industry Mixed-Use District (OC)
The purpose of this district is to allow areas for light industrial, service commercial, office, and research facilities. Such districts may also include, where compatible, housing and limited retail commercial development intended to support the primary uses or to provide adaptive reuses for existing commercial or industrial buildings.
Industrial/Manufacturing District (M)
The purpose of this district is to allow industrial and related uses and adult entertainment, uses that are not compatible with most commercial, office, or residential uses, in isolated and well-buffered locations.
Floodplain Overlay District (FPO)
The purpose of this overlay district is to control development within the one-hundred-year floodplain in order to minimize flood damage and protect water resources. This district also incorporates, by reference, the Town's existing floodplain protection chapter.[1] See § 121-13.
Stream Corridor Overlay District (SCO)
The purpose of this overlay district is to protect the water resource values and biodiversity of the Wassaic Creek, Amenia Creek, Webutuck Creek, and Ten Mile River and certain designated tributaries. See § 121-14.
Scenic Protection Overlay District (SPO)
[Amended 10-20-2011 by L.L. No. 3-2011]
The purpose of this overlay district is to protect the scenic character of scenic resources in the Town, including scenic road corridors, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, and prominent scenic areas that remain substantially undeveloped and/or that lie within important scenic viewsheds. See § 121-14.1.
Historic Preservation Overlay District (HPO)
The purpose of this overlay district is to protect the historic character of those hamlets and individual buildings and sites that have recognized historic significance, while encouraging their adaptive reuse where appropriate. See § 121-14.2.
Aquifer Overlay District (AQO)
The purpose of this overlay district is to protect groundwater resources that provide both public and private drinking water supplies. See § 121-15.
Mixed-Use Institutional Conversion Overlay District (MCO)
The purpose of this overlay district is to provide use and design flexibility to encourage productive reuse of privately owned portions of what was formerly the Wassaic Developmental Center (now Taconic DDSO) campus. This district provides greater use flexibility and a procedure for master planned development of this property in a manner that advances the Town's development goals. See § 121-16.
Soil Mining Overlay District (SMO)
The purpose of this overlay district is to provide environmentally appropriate locations for soil mining to occur where landowners can achieve a reasonable return on their land from sand and gravel mining without adversely impacting their neighbors. See § 121-17.
Resort Development Overlay District (RDO)
The purpose of this overlay district is to provide use and design flexibility to encourage resort development that fits into the rural character of the Town and protects its scenic, historic, and environmental resources. This district provides a procedure for master planned development of large properties to promote tourism, recreation, and open space and natural areas protection. See § 121-18.
Mobile Home Park Overlay District (MHO)
The purpose of this overlay district is to provide appropriate locations for mobile home parks to be located, consistent with the requirements of § 121-44.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 67, Flood Damage Prevention.
A. 
The boundaries of the land use and overlay districts are hereby established on four maps adopted hereby and certified by the Town Clerk, which accompany and are hereby declared to be a part of this chapter. Unofficial reductions of these maps are appended to this chapter for reference purposes only. The four maps are entitled:
(1) 
"Town of Amenia Land Use and Development Overlay Districts Zoning Map," showing the land use districts RA, RR, HM, HR, SR, HC, OC, and M and the overlay districts HPO, SMO, MHO, MCO, and RDO.
(2) 
"Town of Amenia Hydrological Overlay Districts," showing the SCO and FPO Overlay Districts.
(3) 
"Town of Amenia Scenic Protection Overlay District."
(4) 
"Town of Amenia Aquifer Overlay District."
B. 
The Official Zoning Maps shall be kept in the office of the Town Clerk and shall be reviewed for accuracy and updated at least once annually with any Zoning Map amendments adopted in the previous year by the Town Board or its designee. Changes may be made in district boundaries or other matter portrayed on the Zoning Maps only by a zoning amendment adopted by the Town Board pursuant to Article X of this chapter. Such changes shall be noted by the Town Clerk on the Official Zoning Maps promptly after the Town Board adopts an amendment.
C. 
Each local law adopting an amendment shall be the final authority as to the current zoning status of lands, structures and uses in the Town.
D. 
An unauthorized map change made by any person shall be considered a violation of this chapter, punishable under § 121-57 of this chapter.
E. 
Where a land use district boundary line divides a lot in a single ownership existing at the time of enactment of this chapter, the Planning Board may grant a special permit to allow the uses authorized and the district requirements of the less restricted portion of such lot to extend up to a maximum of 50 feet into the more restricted portion of the lot. This provision shall not apply to overlay district boundaries.
Where uncertainty exists as to the boundaries of districts shown on the Zoning Maps, the following rules apply:
A. 
Boundaries indicated as approximately following the center lines of streets, highways, or railroad tracks shall be construed to follow such center lines.
B. 
Boundaries indicated as approximately following lot lines shall be construed to follow such lot lines.
C. 
Boundaries indicated as following shorelines of ponds and lakes shall be construed to follow such shorelines and, in the event of change in the shoreline, shall be construed as moving with the actual shoreline.
D. 
Boundaries indicated as following center lines of streams shall be construed to follow such center lines and, in the event of change in the center line, shall be construed as moving with the actual center line.
E. 
Boundaries indicated as parallel to or extensions of features indicated in Subsections A through D above shall be so construed. Distances not specifically indicated on the Zoning Maps shall be determined by the scale of the map.
F. 
Where overlay district boundaries are based upon natural features such as topographic contour lines or aquifer and aquifer recharge areas, such boundaries may be more precisely established through field investigation by a qualified professional.