Barrington City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XXX
Senior Residential Communities
§ 185-219 Intent.
It is the intent of this article to encourage residential communities designed for senior citizens in "cottage-style" housing developments, to ensure compatibility with surrounding areas and with the natural environment, and to regulate the location and design of such senior residential communities to ensure safe, sanitary and attractive living conditions.
§ 185-220 Approval procedure.
[Amended 12-4-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-12]
The Planning Board may approve the establishment of a senior residential community development in zoning districts where allowed in Article IV, Use Regulations, as a land development project. Application for such land development projects shall be made in accordance with the procedures of the Town's Subdivision and Land Development Regulations.[1]
§ 185-221 General provisions.
A.
Permitted dwelling units in senior residential communities shall be limited to cottage housing.
B.
Accessory uses allowed by special use include the following:
(1)
Off-street parking areas.
(2)
Garages (including common or shared garages), sheds and other structures customarily accessory to a residential use.
(3)
Recreational facilities intended primarily for residents and their guests.
(4)
Common storage areas or buildings for use of residents of the community.
C.
Affordability requirements.
(1)
A minimum of 50% of total housing units within cottage housing developments shall qualify as low- or moderate-income (LMI) housing, as defined by the State of Rhode Island, and be maintained as LMI housing for at least 30 years through acceptable legal mechanisms, including but not limited to deed restrictions.
(2)
All LMI housing units proposed shall be integrated throughout the development; compatible in scale and architectural style to the market-rate units within the project; and built and occupied prior to, or simultaneous with, the construction and occupancy of any market-rate units.
D.
Density. The total density of a senior residential community development, including the required open space for such projects as described herein, shall not exceed:
E.
Number of units. There shall be a minimum of six cottage housing units and a minimum of four cottage housing unit structures within a senior residential community development.
F.
Dimensional regulations for cottage housing units.
(1)
Floor area (individual units)
(a)
For at least 50% of the units, gross floor area of the main level shall not exceed 650 square feet;
(b)
For no more than 50% of the units, the gross floor area of the main level may be up to 800 square feet.
(c)
The total floor area of each cottage shall not exceed either 1.5 times the area of the main level, or 1,200 square feet, whichever is less.
(2)
Maximum height, principal structure: 18 feet. The ridge of pitched roofs with a minimum slope of six to 12 may extend up to 25 feet. All parts of the roof above 18 feet shall be pitched.
(3)
Private exterior space.
(a)
Front. There shall be private exterior space between the front of each cottage unit and common open space or common accessway, and, if fronting a public street, the public right-of-way. The depth of the private front exterior space for units facing the common open space or common accessway shall average 10 feet for all units, and at no point shall be less than five feet. For units fronting on a public street, the minimum depth of private front exterior space shall be 15 feet or the minimum required in the zoning district, whichever is greater.
(b)
Rear. There shall be private exterior space provided at the rear of each cottage unit, separate from common parking areas, common accessways or the minimum required buffer area. The minimum rear private exterior space shall be 10 feet.
(c)
Side. There shall be private exterior space provided at the sides of each cottage unit, separate from common open space areas, common accessways, public rights-of-way or other nonprivate areas associated with the development, or from adjoining private side exterior spaces. The minimum required side exterior private space shall be five feet for single-family detached cottage units and 10 feet for duplex cottage units.
H.
Recreation and open space. Common open space shall be provided as follows:
(1)
A minimum of 400 square feet per unit of landscaped common open space is required.
(2)
For sites that include areas designated as future greenways in the Town's comprehensive plan, land dedicated for a public pedestrian and non-motorized vehicle easement or deeded to the Town along the greenway may be substituted for required improved recreation space.
I.
Parking. The following standards shall apply.
(1)
Parking shall be located on the development property.
(2)
Parking shall be located in clusters of not more than six adjoining spaces.
(3)
Parking shall be screened from public streets and adjacent residential uses by landscaping or architectural screening.
(4)
Parking is allowed between or adjacent to structures only when it is located toward the rear of the principal structure and is served by an alley or private driveway. No parking is allowed in the front yard setback.
(5)
The minimum parking requirement shall be 1.50 spaces per unit.
J.
Buffers. Along all exterior property lines of a senior residential community development, excluding the street frontage, a landscaped buffer strip shall be maintained.
(1)
Such buffer strip shall be planted, screened, or otherwise maintained in a natural condition in order to provide year-round visual obstruction of the dwellings within the senior residential community development from abutting land. Such buffer strip may be used for recreation of a nonintensive character; provided, however, that no structure or parking area be located thereon.
(2)
Such buffer strip shall be not less than 20 feet in width in R-40, R-40CD, R-25 and R-10 zones.
(3)
In NB and LM zones, such buffer strip shall consist of a ten-foot-wide landscaped strip containing an opaque fence not less than four feet in height nor more than six feet in height, or a double-row compact evergreen screen not less than four feet in height, which shall be maintained in a neat and attractive manner between the parking facility and the adjoining residence district.
K.
Lot dimensional requirements. See § 185-17, Dimensional Regulations Table. In addition, senior residential communities shall be subject to the following supplementary dimensional regulations:
(1)
Lot width.
(a)
For portions of the tract used for general vehicular entrances and exits only, the lot width and frontage shall be a minimum of 50 feet.
(b)
For portions containing lots and buildings open generally to occupants, the width of the lot shall be a minimum of 200 feet. The ratio of width to depth shall not exceed one to five.
(2)
Maximum percent of lot building coverage: 35%.
L.
Connectivity. Recreation areas provided pursuant to this article shall be aligned with and shall adjoin any area designated as a park or open space area on adjoining property, including any public greenway, linear park, or similar facility. Sidewalks, trails, or similar facilities shall align with such facilities in an adjoining tract or, where adjoining tracts are unimproved, with any area designated for recreation or open space in the comprehensive plan or any recreation master plan adopted by the Town.
M.
Occupancy and development standards. All senior residential communities shall be subject to the exemption requirements for housing for older persons set forth in the Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988[1] and the Rhode Island Fair Housing Practices Act,[2] as amended, and the following restrictions which shall be noted on the land development final plan and recorded in the Land Evidence Records of the Town:
(1)
Occupancy of a dwelling unit within a senior residential community is limited to at least one adult 55 years of age or older and a permanent cohabitant over the age of 18. In the event of the death of a qualifying occupant, a two-year exemption may be permitted to allow for the transfer of the unit to another eligible occupant.
(2)
A senior residential community shall not be subdivided into individual lots.
(3)
Dwelling units within senior residential communities are limited to a maximum of two bedrooms per unit.
N.
Prohibition in velocity zones. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other part of this article, no senior residential community may be placed, occupied or maintained in velocity zones as shown on the official Flood Insurance Rate Map for the Town of Barrington, Rhode Island, prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.