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Randolph City Zoning Code

ARTICLE 5

Dimensional Regulations

§ 5.1 Table of Dimensional Requirements

Town of Randolph, Table of Dimensional Requirements
District
Minimum Lot Area
(square feet)
Lot Coverage
Maximum Bulding Height
Minimum Frontage (feet)
Minimum Depth (feet)
Setbacks
Buffer Strips
(A) Building Lot Coverage
(B) Impervious Lot Coverage
(C) Green Area Open Space
Maximum Coverage (A)+(B)
Stories
Feet
From Street
(feet)
Side Yard
(feet)
Rear Yard
(feet)
To Street
(feet)
To Residential
(feet)
To Commercial
(feet)
Crawford Square Business District (CSBD)*
5,000
60%
30%
10%
90%
3
40
25
75
15
0
15
10
10
0
North Randolph Business District (NRBD)
5,000
40%
10%
50%
50%
2
30
75
100
15
6
15
5
10
2.5
West Corners Business District (WCBD)
5,000
40%
10%
50%
50%
2
30
75
75
15
6
15
5
10
2.5
Business District (BD)
12,000
40%
20%
40%
60%
3
40
75
100
15
6
15
10
10
2.5
Business Professional District (BPD)
12,000
35%
15%
50%
50%
2
30
100
100
15
6
15
10
10
2.5
Orchard Street Business District (OSBD)
12,000
40%
20%
40%
60%
2
30
100
100
15
6
15
15
10
2.5
Residential High Density (RHDD)
Single-family detached
12,000
20%
10% (not to exceed 1,200 sf)
70%
30%
2 1/2
40
100
100
25
15
15
10
5
10
Two-family
20,000
20%
10% (not to exceed 1,200 sf)
70%
30%
2 1/2
40
130
100
25
20
15
20
40
10
Townhouse
20,000
20% 12 units/acre
10%
70%
30%
2
32
130
100
25
20
15
20
40
10
Residential Medium Density (RMDD)
Single-family detached
16,000
20%
7.5% not to exceed 1,200 sf
72.5%
27.5%
2 1/2
40
120
85
25
15
15
10
5
10
Two-family
20,000
20%
10% (not to exceed 1,200 sf)
70%
30%
2 1/2
40
130
100
25
20
15
20
40
10
Townhouse
20,000
20% 12 units/acre
10%
70%
30%
2
32
130
100
25
20
15
20
40
10
Residential Multi Family District (RMFD)
Single-family detached
217,800 (5 acres)
10%
10%
80%
20%
3
40
100
100
40
40
40
40
20
10
Two-family
217,800 (5 acres)
20%
10% (not to exceed 1200 sf)
70%
30%
2 1/2
40
130
100
25
20
15
20
40
10
Townhouse
217,800 (5 acres)
20% 12 units/acre
10%
70%
30%
2 1/2
40
130
100
25
20
15
20
10
10
Multifamily
217,800 (5 acres)
10%
10%
80%
20%
3
40
100
100
40
40
40
40
20
10
Blue Hills River Highway District (BHRHD) (west of Rt. 28)
20,000
60%
30%
10%
90%
8
90
130
100
15
10
15
5
10 ft per building per story
2.5
Blue Hills River Highway District (BHRHD) (east of Rt. 28)
2
30
Great Bear Swamp Highway District (GBHD)
20,000
60%
30%
10%
90%
6
75
130
100
15
10
15
5
10 ft per building per story
2.5
Industrial District (ID)
20,000
60%
25%
15%
85%
4
50
75
100
50
6
15
20
40
2.5
Sanitary Facility District (SFD)
25 acres
SP
SP
90%
SP
1
20
SP
SP
SP
50
50
50
50
10
NOTES:
For overlay districts, see Article X for dimensional standards.
* Within the Crawford Square Business District, no front yards shall be allowed on North Main Street.

§ 5.2 Frontage.

A. 
In all districts, frontage may be measured at the front yard setback line if the street is an arc of a curve with a radius of one hundred (100) feet or less, provided that in any event there shall be not less than seventy-five percent (75%) of the required frontage at the street line. Notwithstanding the above provision, where the literal enforcement of this subsection would substantially diminish the value of the land, due to the shallowness or other irregularity of the lot boundaries or the curved or other peculiarity of the street location or other valid reason, the owner thereof may apply to the Zoning Board of Appeals for relief, and said Board shall grant, upon equitable terms and conditions, such relief as will carry out the intent of this chapter, but in no event to reduce the frontage to less than sixty (60) feet for a single family dwelling or eighty-five (85) feet for a two-family dwelling OR reduce the minimum lot area for single-family dwellings below seven thousand five hundred (7,500) square feet or two-family dwellings below fifteen thousand (15,000) square feet.

§ 5.3 Front yards.

A. 
Residential districts.
(1) 
In a residential district, no building shall be erected within twenty-five (25) feet of the side line of any street, except as follows:
(a) 
No building shall be erected within forty-five (45) feet of the center line of any street which is less than forty (40) feet in width.
(b) 
No building shall be erected within forty (40) feet of the side lines of South Main Street or of the side lines of that part of North Main Street south of the Pond Street business area.
(c) 
If a residential lot abuts a lot with an historic structure, as defined in § 87-2 of the Town of Randolph General Ordinance, the front yard setback may be reduced to that of the historic structure but not less than ten (10) feet.
(2) 
No building in a residential district need be set back more than the average setback of the residence buildings on the abutting lots. A vacant lot, a lot occupied by a nonconforming use or a building set back more than the required distance shall be counted as though occupied by a building set back at the prescribed distance for the purpose of determining said average.
B. 
In Business Districts, Business Professional Districts, North Randolph Business District, West Corners Business District, Blue Hill River Highway District and Great Bear Swamp Highway District, no building shall be erected within fifteen (15) feet of the side line of any street, except in that part of the east and west sides of North Main Street from Crawford Square northerly within the Crawford Square Business District, where no front yards shall be allowed.
C. 
In Industrial Districts, no building shall be erected within fifty (50) feet of the side lines of any street.
D. 
In multifamily districts or zones, no building shall be erected or accessory use permitted except for walkways and driveways allowed within forty (40) feet of the side lines of any street.
E. 
In the Orchard Street Business District (OSBD), "front yard" and "from street" shall refer to North Main Street.
F. 
Outdoor play areas. No outdoor play area (an area designed or set aside for children in a child-care facility for recreation or play) shall be located closer to the street than the minimum requirements of this section.

§ 5.4 Side yards.

A. 
In a residential district, no building, except a fireproof one-story building of accessory use, shall be erected within fifteen (15) feet of a side lot line for single-family dwellings or within twenty (20) feet of a side lot line for two-family dwellings, unless more than forty (40) feet from the side line of any street.
B. 
In a Business District, Business Professional District, Crawford Square Business District, Industrial District, North Randolph Business District, West Corners Business District, Great Bear Swamp Highway District or Blue Hill River Highway District, no building shall be erected within the buffer zone specified in Section 5.10, nor within six (6) feet of a side lot line unless the wall adjoining such lot line shall be either a party wall or a wall with its outer face coincident with said lot line.
C. 
On a lot containing the proposed child-care facility use, no outdoor play area (an area designed or set aside for children in a child-care facility for recreation or play) shall be located closer to a lot line than the minimum yard setback requirements for the principal use in the district in which it is located.

§ 5.5 Rear yards.

A. 
In all districts, no building shall be erected within fifteen (15) feet of any rear lot line unless said building shall be of fireproof construction and the wall adjoining said rear lot line shall be either a party wall or wall with its outer face coincident with said rear lot line, except that said construction is prohibited in a buffer zone as specified in Section 5.10.
B. 
In the Orchard Street Business District (OSBD), "rear yard" shall refer to Orchard Street and Vesey Road.

§ 5.6 Lot coverage.

A. 
Impervious lot coverage. In all districts, no lot shall have more coverage by impervious surface than as specified in the Table of Dimensional Requirements. Ramps for the disabled, for which the sole purpose is to provide access for the disabled, and which have no more than the minimum dimensions required to meet accessibility standards, shall not be counted as coverage.
B. 
Maximum lot coverage. The total lot non-green area/open space may not exceed the maximum coverage specified in the Table of Dimensional Requirements.[1] In order to fulfill the intent of maximum lot coverage, an applicant may shift a percentage of the building lot coverage requirement and the impervious lot coverage requirement, but in no case shall the maximum coverage percentage noted in the table be exceeded.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Section 5.1.
C. 
Changes to lot coverage. The removal and replacement of impervious material requires review/approval if the site is pre-existing non-conforming.

§ 5.7 Building Heights.

A. 
The height of a structure shall be based on the average pre-existing grade within the proposed building footprint.
B. 
The following diagram illustrates the location of building heights for different types of roofs. Refer to Article II for definition of Building Height.

§ 5.8 Exceptions to Dimensional Standards.

A. 
Maximum building height. Limitations of height, in feet, shall not apply to chimneys, ventilators, skylights, bulkheads and other accessory features, excluding water tanks, usually carried above roofs, nor to towers or spires of places of worship and other buildings, if such features are in no way normally used for human occupancy, and other buildings in business-zoned areas only, excluding buildings in areas surrounded by residential on at least two (2) sides, where maximum building height will be three (3) stories or forty (40) feet only.
B. 
Projections. Nothing herein shall prevent the projection of steps, eaves, chimneys, cornices or windowsills into any required yard or open space.

§ 5.9 Corner setback for fences and other landscaping.

A. 
Corner lots and intersecting streets. No building or structure in any district may be erected and no fence or vegetation, except tree trunks, may be maintained or allowed to remain between three (3) feet and eight (8) feet above the plane through their center-line grades between the property lines of intersecting streets and a line joining points on such lines twenty-five (25) feet distant from their point of intersection or, in the case of a rounded corner, the point of intersection of their tangents.
Diagram for Corner Lots and Intersecting Streets
B. 
Driveways and sidewalks or other pavement. No fence or vegetation, except tree trunks, shall be located within a site triangle so as to obstruct visibility between three (3) feet and eight (8) feet above the plane through their curb grades. The site triangle is that area of the intersection of street rights-of-way or pavement with other streets, driveways or walkways, formed by the side lines of street rights-of-way or pavement, driveways or walkways and a line joining points on such lines ten (10) feet distant from their point of intersection.

§ 5.10 Buffer strips.

A. 
Business Districts, Crawford Square Business District, Business Professional Districts, North Randolph Business District, West Corners Business District, Blue Hill River Highway District or Great Bear Swamp Highway District.
(1) 
In a zoned Business District where the lot abuts or is within ten (10) feet of the side or rear boundary line of any residential district (including any residential districts in an adjacent municipality) or multifamily district, there shall be provided on all portions of said lot within ten (10) feet of said boundary line a buffer strip, as follows: the portion of such buffer for and maintained as a planting area for lawns, trees, shrubs and other landscape materials to provide a parklike area of separation between districts.
(2) 
In this buffer zone, walkways, sewer systems and wells may be constructed and maintained.
(3) 
No building, structure or paved space associated with parking may be located in the buffer strip.
(4) 
Plantings in the buffer strip shall be maintained by the owner of the property used for nonresidential purposes.
B. 
Industrial Districts abutting residential districts or multifamily districts.
(1) 
In an Industrial District where the lot abuts or is within forty (40) feet of the side or rear boundary line of any residential district (including any residential districts in any adjacent municipality) or multifamily district, there shall be provided on all portions of said lot within forty (40) feet of said boundary line a buffer strip, as follows: the portion of such buffer for and maintained as a planting area for lawns, trees, shrubs and other landscape materials to provide a parklike area of separation between districts.
(2) 
In this buffer zone, no building, structure or pavement of any nature may be constructed or maintained.
(3) 
No building, structure or paved space associated with parking may be located in the buffer strip.
(4) 
Plantings in the buffer strip shall be maintained by the owner of the property used for nonresidential purposes.
C. 
Sanitary facility district. In a Sanitary Facility District where the lot abuts the side or rear boundary line of land owned by others in a residential district, as herein defined, there shall be provided on all portions of said lot which abut said residential district a buffer strip fifty (50) feet in depth from said residential district. Such a buffer strip shall be a planting area for trees, shrubs and other landscape materials, to provide a separation between the residential district and the Sanitary Facility District. No building or structure of any nature, except for fences, and drainage systems shall be constructed or maintained in the buffer strip, which area should be fenced as developed until the total area is enclosed.
D. 
Child-care facility. In all districts, the open space between the defined outdoor play area or structure and the property lines adjacent to residential uses shall be screened with either fence, wall, hedge, or landscaping to provide a dense year round screen.
E. 
Residential districts. In a zoned residential district, no building, structure or pavement of any nature may be constructed or maintained in a buffer zone except to provide a driveway and/or walkway no wider than thirty (30) feet to allow ingress to and egress from the lot.