[Added 10-21-2004 by L.L. No. 41-2004]
The intent of the Rural Corridor (RLC) Zoning Use District is
to allow a very limited range of roadside shops and services that
are compatible with the agricultural and rural setting along major
arterial roads, such as New York State Route 25, leading into Downtown
Riverhead and areas zoned Hamlet Center (HC) or Village Center (VC).
In the RLC Zoning Use District, no building, structure, or premises
shall be used or arranged or designed to be used, and no building
or structure shall be hereafter erected, reconstructed, or altered,
unless otherwise provided in this chapter, except for the following
permitted uses or specially permitted uses and their customary accessory
uses:
A.
Permitted uses:
(1)
Agricultural production.
(2)
Antique stores and craft stores.
(3)
Retail stores or shops on properties with frontage along either side
of New York State Route 25 between South Jamesport and Washington
Avenues and their logical extensions.
(4)
Nurseries.
(5)
Museums.
(6)
Libraries.
(7)
Schools.
(8)
Places of worship.
(9)
Parks and playgrounds.
(10)
Single-family and two-family houses.
B.
Special permit uses:
(1)
Professional offices, provided they are within 1/4 mile of the Hamlet
Center (HC) or Village Center (VC) Zoning Use Districts.
(2)
Country inns, provided they are within 1/4 mile of the HC or VC Zoning
Use Districts.
(3)
Funeral homes, provided they are within 1/4 mile of the HC or VC
Zoning Use Districts.
(4)
Bistros, cafes.
(5)
Bed-and-breakfast establishments.
(6)
Professional offices of attorneys, architects, medical doctors, or
dentists, provided that the subject real property conforms to the
following conditions:
[Added 6-17-2008 by L.L. No. 17-2008]
(a)
The property is improved with a single-family residence at the time of the adoption of this Subsection B(6).
(b)
The professional office use shall be within the building footprint
of the existing single-family residence.
(c)
The property has frontage along New York State Route 25 between
Route 105 and the Town boundary with the Town of Southold.
(7)
Existing structures may be enlarged for use as professional offices
of attorneys, architects, medical doctors, or dentists as wellness
facilities or as general offices, provided that the subject property
conforms to the following:
[Added 9-6-2017 by L.L.
No. 19-2017]
(a)
Such property must be designated as a landmark pursuant to Article II of Chapter 241 of the Town Code of the Town of Riverhead or be property that is located in and contributes to the character of a designated historic district, created pursuant to Article III of Chapter 241 of the Town Code of the Town of Riverhead.
(d)
Additions to and alteration and rehabilitation of exteriors are approved
by the Town's Landmarks Preservation Commission prior to commencement
of work.
(e)
The floor area of additions shall not exceed 100% of the floor area
of the existing structure or 3,000 square feet, whichever is less.
(f)
The lot coverage of additions shall not exceed the total lot coverage
allowed for this zone.
(g)
The property has frontage along New York State Route 25 between Route
105 and the Town boundary with the Town of Southold.
A.
No buildings shall be erected nor any lot or land area utilized unless
in conformity with the Zoning Schedule[1] incorporated into this chapter by reference and made a
part hereof with the same force and effect as if such requirements
were herein set forth in full as specified in said schedule, except
as may be hereafter specifically modified.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Zoning Schedule is included as an attachment to this chapter.
B.
New buildings in the RLC Zoning Use District shall comply with the
lot, yard, bulk and height requirements of the Zoning Schedule. However,
the Town Board shall have discretion during site plan approval to
grant variances in front setbacks based on the contextual pattern
of nearby commercial or residential properties, so as to maintain
a unified street wall pattern.
[Amended 5-5-2009 by L.L. No. 18-2009]
The design, buffer and parking standards listed in the provisions
below (Subsections A and B of this section) are intended as a guide
or measure for improvements in parcels in this zoning district, and
the word "shall" recited in the provisions below, with the exception
of Subsection B(1) which requires adherence to the Parking Schedule,
is intended to obtain compliance with the provisions to the extent
practicable as determined by the Board responsible for review.
A.
Design standards.
(1)
For all parcels three acres or greater in area, the proposed floor
area shall be distributed into a minimum of four buildings, with no
building having a footprint greater than 5,000 square feet.
(2)
Properties within 1/4 mile of a Downtown Center (DC), Hamlet Center
(HC) or Village Center (VC) Zoning Use District shall provide sidewalks
within the public right-of-way abutting their properties. Otherwise,
sidewalks are specifically discouraged.
(3)
In order to minimize their visual impacts on the predominantly rural
corridors, nonagricultural uses shall be housed in residential or
farm-style buildings.
(4)
Nonagricultural-use buildings should echo the character of the district's
residences or farmhouses in terms of shape, roofline, and massing.
The exteriors of buildings shall utilize natural cladding materials
such as wood, brick, stucco, stone or a combination of such materials.
The use of synthetic, metallic, and reflective materials should be
avoided.
(5)
Agricultural-use buildings should harmonize with the agricultural
character of the area through appropriate use of materials, paint
colors, and landscaping.
B.
Parking standards.
(1)
The number of off-street parking spaces in the RLC Zoning Use District shall be provided in accordance with § 301-231, Off-street parking, of this chapter.
(2)
Parking is prohibited in the front yard. Parking shall be provided
to the side or rear of buildings.
(3)
Where site grading and topography result in parking areas being located
at higher elevation than and visible from the adjacent roadway, planted
berms shall be used to screen the view of automobiles from public
roadways.
(4)
In order to provide shade, parking lots with 21 or more spaces shall
have "orchard" planting for shade: one tree per 10 off-street spaces.
Such trees shall be spread throughout the parking lot, rather than
clustered only along the edges.
(5)
In order to soften the appearance of parking lots, parking lots shall
be landscaped with ground cover, grasses, or low shrubs for at least
15% of their land area.
(6)
In order to provide recharge of the groundwater basin and minimize
runoff into water bodies, at least one of the following stormwater
management measures shall be used in parking lots where underlying
soils support infiltration of precipitation to the groundwater:
(a)
Entire parking areas shall be surfaced with gravel, rather than
impervious pavement.
(b)
Where sanding and salting are not used in the winter, low-traffic
or seasonal parking overflow areas of the parking lot shall be surfaced
with porous pavement or gravel.
(c)
Landscaped areas shall be sited, planted, and graded in a manner
to provide infiltration and detention of runoff from paved areas.
C.
Additional requirements.
[Added 2-17-2016 by L.L.
No. 4-2016]
(1)
Hours of operation of retail business establishments. As used herein,
a "retail business establishment" shall mean and include a retail
store, shop, or other business establishment in which goods, wares,
foods, commodities, articles or products are sold at retail, except
that a retail business establishment shall not be construed to include
any business establishment licensed to sell alcoholic beverages at
retail for on-premises consumption. No retail business establishment
shall remain open for business during the five-hour period between
12:00 midnight and 5:00 a.m. Every retail business establishment shall
be closed to the public during the aforementioned five-hour period,
and business with the public therein is prohibited after the hour
of 12:00 midnight and before the hour of 5:00 a.m. of every day.
