Meriden City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VI
Industrial Districts
§ 213-29 M-1 Research, Development and Manufacturing District.
A.
The purpose of this district shall be to provide areas for a wide range of office, industrial and research activity at a low density that conforms to a high level of performance standards, that can be located in proximity to residential, institutional and commercial areas without objectionable influence, and that can serve as a buffer in some cases between more objectionable industrial activities and residential and/or certain commercial areas.
B.
Permitted uses. No building or premises may be used, in whole or in part, for any purpose except those listed below.
(1)
Permitted uses by right.
(a)
Manufacturing, production and fabrication.
(b)
Offices.
(c)
Warehouses and distribution facilities.
(d)
Research and development facilities.
(e)
Veterinarian.
(f)
Newspaper printing and job printing.
(g)
Conference center hotel, provided that the same shall be located on a minimum ten-acre site.
[Added 11-19-1984]
(h)
Child-care provider — Class I.
[Added 7-5-1988; amended 2-3-1992]
(i)
Child-care provider — Class II, subject to the requirements of § 213-16B(1)(d).
[Added 2-3-1992]
(j)
Conference hotel.
[Added 10-1-2001]
(k)
Breweries and brewpubs.
[Added 11-26-2019]
(l)
Religious assemblies and institutions, including places of worship, parochial schools, meeting rooms, and recreation facilities customarily accessory to such uses, provided that the same shall be located on a minimum ten-acre site.
[Added 4-5-2021]
(2)
Uses permitted subject to issuance of a special exception permit by the Zoning Board of Appeals in accordance with the requirements of § 213-73.
(a)
Heliports, subject to the conditions of § 213-23B(2)(m).
(b)
Mobile homes and mobile home parks, subject to the provisions of § 213-19B(2)(c).
(c)
Factory outlets for the purpose of merchandising products that are manufactured on the premises along with the sale of accessory and related items, subject to the following conditions:
[Added 10-21-1985]
(d)
Child-care provider — Class III, subject to the requirements of § 213-19B(2)(j).
[Added 7-5-1988; amended 2-3-1992]
C.
Accessory uses.
(1)
Uses customarily accessory to permitted uses if constructed concurrently with or subsequent to the main building; accessory uses that are for the convenience of employees and limited to use by occupants and employees of the permitted use; and accessory uses that are necessary to maintain and support the permitted use and not operated as a commercial facility with service to the general public.
(2)
Storage.
§ 213-30 M-2 Industrial District.
A.
The purpose of this district shall be to provide areas for a wide range of office, industrial and research activity at a higher density than that of the M-1 District and to require conformance to a high level of performance standards.
B.
Permitted uses. No building or premises may be used, in whole or in part, for any purpose except those listed below.
(1)
Permitted uses by right:
(a)
Manufacturing, production and fabrication.
(b)
Offices.
(c)
Warehouses and distribution facilities, except petroleum and other highly flammable products.
(d)
Research and development.
(e)
Veterinarians.
(f)
Newspaper printing and job printing.
(g)
Industrial laundry for large bulk laundry and commercial/industrial establishment's laundry.
[Added 9-2-1986]
(h)
Child-care provider — Class I.
[Added 7-5-1988; amended 2-3-1992]
(i)
Child-care provider — Class II, subject to the requirements of § 213-16B(1)(d).
[Added 2-3-1992]
(j)
Brewery and brewpub.
[Added 11-26-2019]
(2)
Uses permitted subject to issuance of a special exception permit by the Zoning Board of Appeals in accordance with the requirements of § 213-73:
(a)
Heliports, subject to the conditions of § 213-23B(2)(m).
(b)
Mobile homes and mobile home parks, subject to the provisions of § 213-19B(2)(c).
(c)
Factory outlets for the purpose of merchandising products that are manufactured on the premises along with the sale of accessory and related items, subject to the following conditions:
[Added 10-21-1985]
(d)
Child-care provider — Class III, subject to the requirements of § 213-19B(2)(j).
[Added 7-5-1988; amended 2-3-1992]
(3)
Uses permitted subject to the issuance of a provisional special exception by the Planning Commission in accordance with the requirements of § 213-73.1:
[Added 11-15-2021]
(a)
Cannabis micro-cultivator, as defined in The Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis Act ("RERACA") Public Act 21-1/Senate Bill 1201 as amended, subject to the following additional requirements:
[1]
Visibility. Window advertising signage is prohibited.
[2]
Distance requirements. All micro-cultivators shall be located so that the building is at least 250 feet from a residential structure, measured wall of the micro-cultivator to wall of the residential structure.
[3]
The applicant shall provide an odor control plan as part of their application. In addition, the applicant may be required to provide additional odor control measures if offensive odors are perceived by the ZEO on a residentially zoned property.
C.
Accessory uses.
(1)
Uses customarily accessory to permitted uses if constructed concurrently with or subsequent to the main building; accessory uses that are for the convenience of employees and limited to use by occupants and employees of the permitted use; and accessory uses that are necessary to maintain and support the permitted use and not operated as a commercial facility with service to the general public.
(2)
Storage.
§ 213-31 M-3 Industrial District.
A.
The purpose of this district shall be to provide opportunities for industrial and related activities which meet the high performance standards of the M-1 and M-2 Districts but which may be more intensive than M-1 or M-2 and which may involve greater dependence upon trucks and are potentially noisier or otherwise more objectionable as neighbors to residential or institutional uses.
B.
Permitted uses. No building or premises may be used, in whole or in part, for any purpose except those listed below.
(1)
Permitted uses by right:
(a)
Manufacturing, production and fabrication.
(b)
Offices.
(c)
Warehouses and distribution facilities, including petroleum and other highly flammable products, which shall require a special exception permit in accordance with § 213-73 and the following conditions:
(d)
Research and development.
(e)
Veterinarians.
(f)
Newspaper printing and job printing.
(g)
Industrial laundry for large bulk laundry and commercial/industrial establishment's laundry.
[Added 9-2-1986]
(h)
Retail stores, banks, and service business, provided that not more than 20% of the gross floor area of any building shall be used for such purposes.
[Added 4-6-1987]
(i)
Recreation center.
[Added 4-6-1987]
(j)
Child-care provider — Class I.
[Added 7-5-1988; amended 2-3-1992]
(k)
Child-care provider — Class II, subject to the requirements of § 213-16B(1)(d).
[Added 2-3-1992]
(l)
Brewery and brewpub.
[Added 11-26-2019]
(m)
Religious assemblies and institutions, including places of worship, parochial schools, meeting rooms, and recreation facilities customarily accessory to such uses.
[Added 4-5-2021]
(2)
Uses permitted subject to issuance of a special exception permit by the Zoning Board of Appeals in accordance with the requirements of § 213-73:
(a)
Building materials and contractors' yards, feed and fuel storage, lumberyards, junkyards, industrial and commercial equipment sale, rental, service and storage, when conducted within a building or surrounded by a solid fence or wall.
(b)
Bituminous paving plants, manufacturing of bituminous products, concrete batching plants, manufacturing or storage of acid, lime, cement, explosives or fireworks, fertilizer, gas, flammable fluids and storage of petroleum, oil or its products.
(c)
Truck terminals, truck service facilities and repairer's garage, subject to the requirements of § 213-30B(2)(e).
[Amended 3-5-1990; 6-5-2000]
(d)
Heliports, subject to the conditions of § 213-23B(2)(m).
(e)
Mobile homes and mobile home parks, subject to the provisions of § 213-19B(2)(c).
(f)
Factory outlets for the purpose of merchandising products that are manufactured on the premises along with the sale of accessory and related items, subject to the following conditions:
[Added 10-21-1985]
(g)
Child-care provider — Class III, subject to the requirements of § 213-19B(2)(j).
[Added 7-5-1988; amended 2-3-1992]
(h)
Indoor automotive sales and service.
[Added 7-16-2018]
[1]
All service, storage, or similar activities connected with indoor automotive sales facilities shall be conducted entirely indoors on the lot on which facilities are located. No outside storage or dismantled vehicles shall be permitted.
[2]
Temporary, same-day staging of a limited number of vehicles for customer test drives may be approved as part of the indoor automotive sales and service use. All vehicles must be returned to indoor storage prior to the close of business the same day.
(3)
Uses permitted subject to the issuance of a provisional special exception by the Planning Commission in accordance with the requirements of § 213-73.1:
[Added 11-15-2021]
(a)
Cannabis micro-cultivator, as defined in The Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis Act ("RERACA") Public Act 21-1/Senate Bill 1201 as amended, subject to the following additional requirements:
[1]
Visibility. Window advertising signage is prohibited.
[2]
Distance requirements. All micro-cultivators shall be located so that the building is at least 250 feet from a residential structure, measured wall of the micro-cultivator to wall of the residential structure.
[3]
The applicant shall provide an odor control plan as part of their application. In addition, the applicant may be required to provide additional odor control measures if offensive odors are perceived by the ZEO on a residentially zoned property.
C.
Accessory uses.
(1)
Uses customarily accessory to permitted uses if constructed concurrently with or subsequent to the main building; accessory uses that are for the convenience of employees and limited to use by occupants and employees of the permitted use; and accessory uses that are necessary to maintain and support the permitted use and not operated as a commercial facility with service to the general public.
(2)
Storage.
D.
Lot and bulk requirements. Lot and bulk requirements are found in § 213-12B.
§ 213-32 M-4 Planned Industrial District.
A.
The purpose of this district shall be to allow for the creation of an integrated industrial development in which buildings, structures and facilities may be constructed and used for different and mixed uses, to include use for industrial, institutional, public, municipal, office and commercial. Any development and use of land in a Planned Industrial M-4 District shall be in accordance with the standards set forth in this section. The primary purpose of this district is to encourage well-planned integrated developments of industrial and office use with supportive commercial uses. It is further the intent that all of the land in each such district shall be considered as a single unit of development for the purposes of site planning and utilities so that the integrated nature of the development will be promoted and maintained even though lots in such district may be individually owned. Further, the mapping of this district shall occur only upon approval of an overall plan for the development of the site by the City Council, and said approved plan shall serve as the detailed zoning for this site.
B.
Permitted uses. No building or premises may be used, in whole or in part, for any purpose except those listed below.
(1)
Permitted uses by right:
(a)
Manufacturing, production and fabrication.
(b)
Offices, banks, institutional, public and municipal buildings, including facilities to house data processing equipment.
(c)
Warehouses and distribution facilities.
(d)
Research and development facilities.
(e)
Hotels, motels and convention centers.
(f)
Shops and stores and service establishments, limited to the following: apparel, bakery, barber, beauty, book, dry-cleaning, confectionery, drug, florist, specialty food, gift, laundry, jewelry, millinery, print and newspaper, tailor, ice cream and sandwich shops and caterers, photographers and photo supplies, restaurants, theaters, clinics, cocktail lounges, public and private substations and transportation terminals, provided that not more than 20% in the aggregate of the land area of any one M-4 District shall be used for such purposes.
(g)
Child-care provider — Class I.
[Added 7-5-1988; amended 2-3-1992]
(h)
Child-care provider — Class II, subject to the requirements of § 213-16B(1)(d).
[Added 2-3-1992]
(i)
Breweries and brewpubs.
[Added 11-26-2019]
(j)
Religious assemblies and institutions, including places of worship, parochial schools, meeting rooms, and recreation facilities customarily accessory to such uses.
[Added 4-5-2021]
(2)
Uses permitted subject to issuance of a special permit by the Planning Commission.
(a)
Any use permitted in the Central Commercial C-1 District, not mentioned in § 213-32B(1) above, provided that the City Council also approves and that the Planning Commission shall find other uses will not tend to depreciate the value of the property in the neighborhood or be otherwise detrimental or aggravating to the neighborhood or its residents or alter the neighborhood's essential characteristics.
(b)
Heliports, subject to the conditions of § 213-23B(2)(m).
(c)
Child-care provider — Class III, subject to the requirements of § 213-19B(2)(j).
[Added 7-5-1988; amended 2-3-1992]
C.
Accessory uses.
(1)
Cafeterias, restaurants and similar facilities, when for the convenience of occupants and employees of the permitted use.
(2)
Recreational facilities, both indoor and outdoor, such as recreation buildings, swimming pools, golf courses and facilities for group activities.
(3)
Facilities for housing employees, visitors and others for training purposes.
(4)
Maintenance and machine shops, sources of energy, keeping of animals for research purposes, antennas and other similar equipment, garages for vehicles used in connection with the activity of the permitted use on the lot and security fences.
(5)
Drive-in facilities subordinate and related to a permitted use.
D.
Lot and bulk requirements. Lot and bulk requirements are found in § 213-12B, except as follows:
(1)
Not less than 20% of the gross land area shall be preserved in its natural state and/or landscaped or suitably planted.
(2)
Accessory structures, such as antennas, stacks, towers and other similar uses may be erected to a reasonable and necessary height but not greater than the lesser of 120 feet or the distance of such structure from the property line.
(3)
No required yard shall be used for any purpose other than:
(a)
Parking for visitors in yards adjacent to existing and proposed streets and roadways, provided that such parking shall not be less than 30 feet from the street line or roadway boundary and 10 feet from any property lines.
(b)
Driveways and walkways, solid walls and fences with necessary gates, not more than four feet in height, and chain-link or other open-type fencing for security purposes of a reasonable and necessary height.
(c)
Guard and watchman stations, having a reasonable height and floor area.
(d)
Signs, as provided herein.
(4)
No building on a lot in a M-4 District east of Interstate I-91 which abuts an R-R, S-R, R-1, R-2, R-3 or R-4 District or a residential lot may be closer than 50 feet to the boundary of the residential district or lot, and no parking area may be closer than 25 feet to such boundary, and at least 20 feet of the required yard shall be landscaped, seeded and planted with a suitable number of evergreen and/ or deciduous trees and shrubs to provide for adequate visual buffering. The Planning Commission may consider the adequacy of existing vegetation and may require additional evergreen plantings to augment the existing vegetation within the buffer area to provide for adequate visual buffering.
[Amended 5-2-2022]
(5)
No building on a lot in a M-4 District west of Interstate 91 which abuts an R-R, S-R, R-1, R-2, R-3 or R-4 District or any residential lot may be closer than 80 feet to the boundary of the residential district or lot, and at least 50 feet of the required yard shall be landscaped with a suitable berm, seeded, and planted with a suitable number of evergreen and/or deciduous trees and shrubs to provide for adequate visual buffering. The Planning Commission may consider the adequacy of existing vegetation and may require additional evergreen plantings to augment the existing vegetation within the buffer area to provide for adequate visual buffering.
[Added 5-2-2022]
§ 213-33 Unified industrial district (UID).
A.
Purpose. Per its Land Use Plan of Development, the City, confronted with decreasing supply of suitable land for economic development, recognizes the need to provide for carefully planned and unified industrial projects which will maximize the use of this scarce resource. This section intends to encourage:
B.
Definition. A "unified industrial district" shall mean a parcel of land owned, developed and maintained as an entity to be used for industrial and related purposes.
C.
Applicability. The provisions of this section can be applied to any parcel of land which is in single ownership, four acres or more in size and not in excess of nine acres. The entire parcel designated as a unified industrial district shall be located in an industrial district.
D.
Permitted uses. Uses permitted in a unified industrial district may include all those uses permitted by right within the zoning district in which it is located. Different industrial and related uses are allowed in the same or separate buildings on a parcel designated as a unified industrial district.
E.
Requirements. The following shall be met for approval by the Planning Commission:
(1)
All density requirements, including lot area, lot coverage and height requirements of the zoning district, must be met.
(2)
The minimum setbacks required for the district shall apply to the periphery of the district designated as a unified industrial district.
(3)
A minimum distance of 30 feet must be maintained between all buildings within the unified industrial district.
(4)
No portion of the parcel designated as a unified industrial district shall be of less width than required by the zoning district.
(5)
The parcel must have the required width on a City-accepted street.
(6)
The entire unified district must be serviced by public water and sewer.
(7)
Roads within the unified industrial district are to be private and shall not be the maintenance responsibility of the City of Meriden. Said interior roads are to be built to City standards unless such standards are specifically waived by the Planning Commission.
(8)
Meet all parking requirements of § 213-55, including but not limited to the requirement that accessory parking shall be located within 400 feet of the main use.
(10)
The proposed development shall be in harmony with the Plan of Development.
(11)
The application for designation as a unified industrial district shall specify reasonable periods within which development of each section of the UID may be started and shall be completed.
F.
Application procedure.
[Added 8-3-1987]
(1)
The application for a unified industrial district will be a request for such designation on the same application with the same site plan requirements (§ 213-72) and done simultaneously with a certificate of approval application. The Planning Commission shall review and grant or deny this request for the designation of "unified industrial district" as to the application's compatibility with the specific regulations as stated in this section of the chapter. Upon the granting of designation of "unified industrial district," said designation shall be noted on the Zoning Map.
(2)
The designation of a parcel as a UID is not the granting of a certificate of approval for a specific building. The Commission must act separately on the certificate of approval application.
(3)
When subdividing a lot and/or lots from or within a parcel designated as a UID, said lot and/or lots must meet all subdivision and zoning regulations (of the underlying zoning district), including but not limited to frontage on a City-accepted street, setback requirements, etc. The remaining parcel which continues to be designated a UID must meet all the UID regulations, including, but not limited to, minimum setbacks around the periphery of the district, etc.