Pleasant Valley Town
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE I
General Provisions
§ 98-1 Scope.
This chapter regulates and restricts the location, construction, alteration, occupancy and use of buildings and structures and the use of land in the Town of Pleasant Valley and, for said purposes, divides the town into zoning districts. Where references are made to boundaries defined by tax maps, these maps are dated December 16, 2009.
§ 98-2 Interpretation.
Whenever the requirements of this chapter are at variance with the requirements of any other lawfully adopted rules, regulations or ordinances, the most restrictive or that imposing the higher standards shall govern.
§ 98-3 Word usage.
Except where specifically defined herein, all words used in this chapter shall carry their customary meanings. Words used in the present tense include the future, and the plural includes the singular; the word "lot" includes the word "plot"; the word "shall" is intended to be mandatory; the word "should" is optional but strongly recommended; the word "may" is optional; and "occupied" or "used" shall be considered as though followed by the words "or intended, arranged or designed to be used or occupied."
§ 98-4 Statutory authority; purposes.
This chapter is enacted pursuant to the Town Law, Chapter 62 of the Consolidated Laws, Article 16, in conformance with the updated Town of Pleasant Valley Comprehensive Plan, adopted by the Town Board on December 16, 2009. Its purpose is to advance the goals of the Comprehensive Plan as adopted to protect and promote public health, safety, morals, comfort, convenience, economy, Town aesthetics, general welfare, and for the following additional purposes:
A.
To protect and preserve the rural and agricultural character of the Town by encouraging development in appropriate locations and limiting development in areas that would negatively impact the Town's historically rural pattern and scale of settlement.
B.
To protect the economic value and environmental integrity of the Town's natural and scenic resources in order to maintain property values and preserve the remaining open and rural character of the Town. Important resources include the Wappinger Creek watershed, waterways, groundwater, aquifers, wetlands, agricultural land and soils, wildlife habitats, green spaces, forests, and scenic ridgelines and meadows.
C.
To enhance the hamlets as walkable and well-designed centers, providing suitable areas for a harmonious mix of commercial, civic, and residential uses. Commercial uses should be focused in the hamlets, with areas outside of the hamlets maintaining their rural scale and character while supporting appropriate economic activities such as farming operations and eliminating the spread of strip business developments.
D.
To ensure that the architecture and site design of new and renovated nonresidential buildings are in harmony with the historic scale and character of the Town, to preserve and protect lands and buildings that are historically significant, and to enhance the aesthetic and architectural quality of the entire Town.
E.
To enhance transportation facilities in hamlet areas, with emphasis placed on traffic calming and pedestrian- and bike-friendly improvements, while maintaining a network of smaller country roads outside of the hamlets.
F.
To encourage the continuation and expansion of agriculture and the preservation of green spaces, and to avoid regulating agricultural uses in a manner that unreasonably restricts or regulates farm structures or farming practices.
G.
To concentrate development in appropriate hamlet locations where municipal infrastructure is or can be made available, and to ensure access to light and air, conserve green spaces, facilitate the prevention and fighting of fires, minimize the cost of municipal services, and accomplish the other purposes enumerated in § 263 of the Town Law of New York State.
H.
To encourage a variety of housing options.
I.
To encourage the conservation of energy and the appropriate use of solar and other renewable energy sources.
J.
To encourage development plans that are properly designed to conserve the use of land and the cost of municipal services.
K.
To provide a variety of recreation opportunities and park enhancements.
L.
To protect the community from nonagricultural nuisances, odors, noise, pollution, and unsightly, obtrusive and offensive land uses and operations.
§ 98-5 Greenway connections.
The Town of Pleasant Valley encourages development that is compatible with Greenway Connections, Greenway Compact Program and Guides for Dutchess County Communities. In any discretionary decisions, the reviewing board shall apply the principles in Greenway Connections, adopted by the Town of Pleasant Valley as Local Law No. 3-2004, Chapter 11 of the Town Code entitled "Greenway Compact." Copies of Greenway Connections are available online at www.dutchessny.gov.