Pine Plains Town City Zoning Code
ARTICLE I
Title and Scope
§ 275-1 Title.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Zoning Law of the Town of Pine Plains, New York."
§ 275-2 Scope.
This Zoning Law is adopted for the protection of the residents and property owners of Pine Plains, by means of regulating and restricting the location, construction, alteration, occupancy and use of buildings and structures and the use of land and, for said purpose, dividing the Town into zoning districts.
§ 275-3 Authority; purpose.
This Zoning Law is enacted pursuant to the authority and power granted by Municipal Home Rule Law of the State of New York, Article 2, § 10 et seq. of the Consolidated Laws and Town Law § 261, to protect and promote public health, safety, morals, comfort, convenience, economy, aesthetics, and the general welfare, and for the following additional purposes:
To implement the Town of Pine Plains Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2004, as may be amended from time to time.
To implement the Hudson River Valley Greenway Compact.
To conserve the Town's rural, small-town character and scenic beauty.
To protect the Town's sensitive environmental features, including but not limited to ridgelines and steeply sloping hillsides; streams, wetlands, floodplains and other surface water features; groundwater resources; and ecosystems, including protection of the Town's biodiversity.
To preserve open space for purposes that include but are not limited to agricultural preservation, scenic quality of viewsheds, ecological habitat protection, and passive recreation.
To preserve lands that are conducive to agricultural use, and to support agricultural activities and uses that are integral to the heritage of Pine Plains.
To maintain the functional continuity of the Town's remaining open space, both in the working agricultural landscape and across the Town's expansive, diverse natural environment.
To protect the Town's historic structures, features and character, including the history embodied in the Town's numerous hamlets.
To maintain the Pine Plains hamlet as the Town's center and principal location for residential and nonresidential uses.
To promote and encourage economic development in the hamlets consistent with the use regulations contained herein.
To encourage a range of housing types and residential densities in suitable locations.
To provide adequate transportation facilities, ensure safe and efficient traffic circulation, and encourage a circulation system that supports pedestrians and cyclists.
To ensure that the Town's current and future needs for community facilities and services, including but not limited to emergency protection, recreational resources, and educational facilities, are considered and addressed during the review of land development applications.
To protect property owners from nuisances including but not limited to noxious odors, noise, light, air and water pollution, and other unsightly, obtrusive effects of offensive land uses and activities, and to secure property owners from the perils of fire, flood and other dangers.
To protect existing and future property values through pursuit of the purposes set forth herein.