The City of Cohoes established in § 285-31 the following districts, as shown on the Regulating Plan Map below and described in more detail on the following pages.

Each form-based code district is defined by particular characteristics that correspond with building placement, building characteristics, building form, frontage standards, signage standards, and parking placement, all of which influence the level of walkability and vibrancy in a particular place.

The Mixed-Use Civic Core District is the location of the City's most important civic spaces, including the Cohoes Music Hall, Cohoes City Hall, the Cohoes Community Center, and the Cayuga Plaza Senior Apartments. Form and placement of future buildings should complement that of the Cohoes Music Hall, including having a minimal setback, an architecturally significant facade, and should not exceed the Music Hall in height.

The civic center of the City should be amenable to pedestrians and cyclists by providing appropriate street furniture and bicycle parking. The uses of the buildings should also be complementary to the Music Hall, including mainly mixed use structures that can provide a high density of retail, office, and housing options.

The Mixed-Use Downtown Core (MU-DC) will develop into a dense neighborhood embracing smart growth principles outlined in the City's Comprehensive Plan. Frontage lines should be consistent and there should be a seamless interaction between the street and street-level businesses. Local retailers should be able to express their products through appropriate signage and street furniture that improves the streetscape.

Off-street parking should be limited and shared when applicable and a diverse mix of alternative travelers, including bicyclists and pedestrians, will be accommodated in order to create a walkable and vibrant mixed-use downtown core.

The Mixed-Use Transit Corridor District (MU-TC) includes Ontario Street, Bedford Street and Columbia Street and serves as a connector between major thoroughfares and the downtown. Ontario Street is the site of a new BusPlus Rapid Transit stop, which will create more regional connectivity and bring new visitors from surrounding communities. The transit corridor will also allow for new transit-oriented development near the City core and provide a range of local services and housing types. Setting standards for bicycle routes and appropriate pedestrian traffic will transition this automobile-oriented corridor organically into comprehensive complete streets.

The Mixed-Use Neighborhood Corridor District (MU-NC) aims to introduce neighborhood-scale retail and office while preserving single-family character. Building heights should be low and setbacks should have more flexibility. This district is intended to be used as a pedestrian and bicyclist corridor between heavier downtown development and less intensely developed neighborhoods.

Buildings;

Facades;

Site layout;

Lighting;

Future streets; and

Civic spaces.

These changes in expression may be a vertical element running from the ground plane at sidewalk level to the roof. A change in fenestration, color, texture, or a break in the facade is acceptable and desired.

These changes may be subtle or pronounced but should soften the visual effect of a very long building, especially those adjacent to narrow buildings, complementing the neighborhood and adjacent form.

Construction and modifications to existing structures must strive for an appearance of authenticity when subdividing a large facade into smaller facades and these shall resemble distinct and independent buildings.

Minimum building facade transparency for ground stories shall be 60% and allow for a view of at least five feet of interior space for all retail uses in all districts and all uses in the MU-CC, MU-DC, MU-TC and MU-NC Districts.

Minimum building facade transparency shall be 30% for uses other than retail.

Minimum building facade transparency for upper stories shall be 30%.

Building frontages in new construction shall complement existing building types. Renovations to existing buildings shall also enhance and complement the facades within the area. All new construction and renovations shall conform to the frontage types set forth within this chapter.

Examples of frontage types are provided herein for illustrative purposes only and need not be interpreted literally with regard to architectural styles.

Individual descriptions and form requirements of each frontage type are detailed herein on the following pages.

Each building with a shop front on the ground story is required to have awnings, balconies, colonnades, or arcades facing the primary streets. See § 285-174 for dimensional requirements.

When appurtenances are to extend over public sidewalks, the property owner may be required to enter into a right-of-way agreement establishing the property owner's responsibility for repairing any damage that may result from the public maintenance or improvements.

Flat roofs. Flat-roof structures shall be bounded by an articulated parapet design which provides a noticeable cap to the building.

The parapet on a single-story facade should express at least six inches in overhang depth, and be at least 18 inches tall. Parapet overhang depth and height for taller facades should be increasingly larger.

Sloped roofs. Sloped-roof structures are encouraged to maintain a pitch between 6:12 minimum and 12:12 maximum for all primary roof areas (not including dormers, entry canopies or similar accessory elements.)

Drive through. A ground-floor shop front shall face the primary street. All parking shall be located in the rear and accessed from a rear alley when present.

Drive-through windows shall be located to the side or rear of the building.

Trash and recycling collection shall be located at the rear of all buildings except for sites which are primarily single-family residential in the MU-TC and MU-NC Districts only.

Dumpsters or movable grease traps in any district shall be fully screened by a fence, which shall be able to be fully secured. Said fence must be adequately screened by a nontransparent fence or by appropriate vegetation. When gaining any necessary approvals from the City of Cohoes, the site plan shall indicate a permanent location of any dumpsters or grease traps and these shall be relegated to that area only, except when moved temporarily for cleaning, site modifications or routine dumping.

All means to assuage loud or disruptive noises shall be utilized when possible, and shall include extra buffering if applicable.

Loading docks shall be adequately screened from general public view. This shall include screening from sidewalks, rights-of-way, adjacent properties and public space. Service alleys shall not require screening.

All means to assuage loud or disruptive noises shall be utilized when possible, and shall include extra buffering if applicable.

Mechanical equipment that is roof-mounted, facade-mounted, or ground-level mounted shall be adequately screened from adjacent public spaces. Service alleys shall not require screening.

All means to assuage loud or disruptive noises shall be utilized whenever possible, to include full enclosure or extra buffering for specialty buildings.

Parking garages shall complement districts in form and design. All standards described herein shall be required of parking structures. Structures for parking developed with another building, regardless of use, shall have an integrative design to those standards.

On-street parking directly in front of a business or use shall be counted as parking for that business or use.

All retail and office to include mixed use shall be required to have parking at a calculated rate of one space per 400 square feet.

Places of public assembly shall have one parking space for every four seats.

Bars and taverns shall have one parking space for every 150 square feet of dining floor space. Outdoor dining associated with a year-round bar or tavern facility will not be required to account for additional parking as long as the outdoor floor area is 50% or less of the indoor dining floor area; anything over 50% shall require one space per 150 square feet of dining space.

All residential units shall have a maximum of one space, regardless of square footage or rooms therein.

Construction of spaces above the minimum required shall require a special use permit.

All parking lots constructed with an associated structure shall require parking access to be gained from rear/side streets or rear alleys, where such exist.

Should no access be available at rear or side access points, cross access shall be preferred, especially for commercial uses.

Bicycle parking shall be required per every three required vehicle spots in the form of an acceptable and appropriate bike rack.

Electric vehicle charging station parking shall be counted the same as traditional parking.

Lighting fixtures shall be appropriately chosen for the MU-CC, MU-DC, MU-TC and MU-NC Districts. There shall also be consistency in creating a unifying scheme of illumination that is appropriate to the scale of the street and the level of evening activity. Lamp styles should not be mixed along any one particular block of a street.

Light fixtures shall be downcast or low cut-off fixtures to prevent glare and light pollution.

In order to conserve energy and reduce long-term costs, energy-efficient lamps shall be used for all public realm lighting.

A combination of pedestrian-scaled streetlight fixtures and intersection streetlight fixtures may be required to ensure a well-lit street area and to establish a unifying element along the street.

Pedestrian-scaled fixtures shall be used on all streets in MU-CC, MU-DC, MU-TC and MU-NC District frontage areas.

Intersection-scaled lighting may be used in addition to pedestrian-scaled lights where required by the City of Cohoes.

Streetlights shall be aligned with street tree placement and shall generally be located between 2.5 feet and four feet from the back of the curb.

Placement of fixtures shall be coordinated with the organization of sidewalks, landscaping, street trees, building entries, curb cuts, signage, etc.

The height of light fixtures shall be kept low to promote a pedestrian scale to the public realm and to minimize light spill to adjoining properties (generally not taller than 15 feet). Light fixtures shall be closely spaced to provide appropriate levels of illumination (generally not more than 30 feet on center).

Light poles may include armature that allows for the hanging of banners or other amenities (e.g., hanging flower baskets, artwork, etc.).

All fixtures shall be full cutoff, downward facing.

Light fixtures located within the interior asphalt area of a parking lot shall not exceed 30 feet in height. Light fixtures located along the perimeter edge of a parking area within 50 feet of a property line shall not exceed 15 feet.

Building-mounted architectural accent lights are encouraged to emphasize architectural character and signage.

Light fixtures located along pedestrian walkways adjacent to parking lots shall not exceed 15 feet in height.

Light fixtures located along internal pedestrian walkways or paths not adjacent to a parking area shall not exceed 10 feet in height.

All exterior building or security lighting must be full cutoff, shielded and/or angled downward to focus the light only on the intended doorway or walkway as necessary.

Security lighting is encouraged to be provided with regular pedestrian light fixtures where visible from the street or public way to match others used on site.

Building-mounted architectural accent lights are encouraged to emphasize architectural character and signage.

Business owners are encouraged to assist with lighting the sidewalk and to accent their business location by leaving display window and interior lighting on at night. Lighting shall be designed in such a way as to prevent the direct view of the light source to neighboring residential areas.

Improvements to existing thoroughfares shall be coordinated with the Economic Development Department. Some dimensional flexibility is permitted for street types to account for varying right-of-way widths; however, they shall be designed to have all the basic functional characteristics, including roadway width, on-street parking, sidewalks, trails, street trees and landscaped areas shown for their type.

All streets shall connect to other streets.

Culs-de-sac and T-turnarounds are not permitted.

Dead-end streets are only permitted for those shown on the Future Streets and Civic Spaces Map when the adjacent property has not been developed or redeveloped.

Where possible, there shall be parking lanes which in addition to on-street parking may be used for dropoff areas or bus stops.

On-street parking lanes shall not be closer than 25 feet to intersections measured from the curbline.

All streets shall have sidewalks which are a minimum width of five feet, and have a continuous unobstructed path of a width no less than 60 inches. This path shall be unobstructed by utility poles, fire hydrants, benches or any other temporary or permanent structures.

With the exception of fire hydrants, utilities shall run underground and above-ground projections of utilities shall be placed in rear service areas wherever practicable.

Civic spaces in the form of parks, greens, squares, plazas, playgrounds, or community gardens shall, at a minimum, be located within the MU-CC, MU-DC, MU-TC and MU-NC Districts. All designated civic spaces shall be at grade level and shall be accessible to the public, and shall be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The location and size of the designated civic spaces shall conform to the Civic Space Standards tabulated below.

Squares and plazas shall be densely shaded and provide seating. Trees and shrubs shall be of sufficient quantity and located as to define a specific geometry of open space and shall promote security by allowing visibility through all areas. Fountains, sculpture, and works of public art are encouraged.

New civic spaces may be of the following types, which are allowable in various districts as indicated by the letter "X" in Table 3 below:

This article shall apply to all new development, renovations, redevelopment, changes of use and site plan approvals within the form-based code zoning districts, as identified on the City of Cohoes Regulating Plan Map.

Any building permit or site plan approval issued before the date of adoption, or subsequent amendment, of this article shall remain in effect. Applicants who have received project approvals prior to the date of adoption of this article may choose to comply with this article voluntarily.

Is necessary to reasonably accommodate existing site constraints or development limitations; and

Does not create an undue adverse effect on abutting properties or uses; and

Does not increase the number of stories of a building; and

Does not conflict with the intent of the standard being waived or modified; and

Allows for an improvement that will add to the overall vitality of the form-based code district and advances the purposes of this article of the City Zoning Law.

Administrative review. The Director of Community and Economic Development is hereby authorized to undertake the administrative review and approval of the following types of applications and shall coordinate such review with any other City Zoning Law review requirements with the Zoning Officer, emergency responders, and public works or other agency officials as, or if, deemed necessary by the Director of Community and Economic Development:

In addition, the Director of Community and Economic Development is hereby authorized to undertake the administrative review and approval of certain project applications, subject to the following thresholds and conditions:

In addition to administrative review and approval authorized above, the Planning Board may authorize the administrative review and approval of additional applications where such delegation of authority is permitted by law and is specified in writing in the Planning Board's Rules of Procedure with clearly specified thresholds and conditions under which the Planning Board classifies an application as eligible for administrative review. The thresholds and conditions shall be structured such that no new development shall be approved that results in a substantial adverse impact under any of the standards set forth in the bylaws. No amendment issued as an administrative review shall have the effect of substantively altering any of the findings of fact or Planning Board decision.

Consent agenda. The Planning Board may require that administrative review applications be placed on a consent agenda at the next Planning Board meeting. As part of the consent agenda process, the Planning Board may review and modify the administrative review of the Director of Community and Economic Development or otherwise approve any items on the consent agenda as a group or individually.

Applications reviewed for compliance with this article may be either approved through administrative review or shall be approved through design development review (DDR). The purpose of administrative review is to streamline the approval process where possible for smaller or less complex applications.

The Director of Community and Economic Development is authorized to administratively review and approve all applications which clearly conform to all the applicable principles and standards of this article, or to deny approval if it does not conform. Applications which are denied may reapply after appropriate modification, and/or the applicant may request a full design development review instead.

If the Director of Community and Economic Development determines that an application requires interpretation or discretionary judgment with respect to compliance with the standards and guidelines of this article, the application shall be referred to a Technical Advisory Committee, hereby established.

Schematic conference. At the very early stages of concept design, prior to developing any detailed architectural/engineering drawings or filing a formal application, the applicant shall schedule an informal (preapplication) schematic conference with the Director of Community and Economic Development to discuss the general project intentions and review the article and its procedures. The purpose of this conference is early detection of any potential design or other concerns before the applicant has expended time and funds on design and engineering plans which may require significant changes.

Concept design development review.