A total land area appropriate to the use as set forth in Subsection F below, unless otherwise waived by the Planning Board, consistent with the interests of the community.

Served by municipal sewer and water or by private systems approved for community use by the Planning Board and the State of New Hampshire.

Having frontage on an existing or proposed Class V Town road of at least 200 feet, or access to a Class V Town road through an adjoining commercially zoned or business-office property with conforming frontage on a Class V Town road.

Commercial-Industrial A or C Subdistrict, or abutting or adjoining commercially zoned land, or Business-Office Districts.

Town Center District.

Zoning dimensions (minimum acreage, frontage, setbacks, height restriction): see § 490-202.

Seniors facilities must be served by municipal water and sewer or by private systems approved for community use by the Planning Board and the State of New Hampshire.

Facilities designed as dwelling units within the district may have a maximum of two bedrooms.

Open space shall consist of no less than 50% of the lot area.

Massing and style. Building massing and style must be distinctively residential in character, drawing on the historical design elements that are contextually consistent with regional New England architecture. Historical and traditional design elements are encouraged. Front yards which use boxwood hedges, evergreen hedges, traditional style picket fences, stone walls, or iron picket fences with granite curb and pilasters are encouraged. Fences or hedges should not exceed three feet in height at the fronts of buildings. Fences and landscaping to screen service areas may exceed this height, consistent with the intent and use of the space.

Roofs. Preference shall be given to roof pitches consistent with single-family residential design. New England traditional or vernacular styles are preferred. Material must be consistent with the architecture of the building. Composition shingle material is acceptable, provided that it is of high quality and provides architectural definition to the tab shingle to emulate traditional wood shingle styles. Tile, slate, or metal roofing is permitted, provided that it is consistent with the architectural style of the building. Gutters and downspouts are encouraged to provide drainage away from foundations but must be consistent with the other architectural elements of the building. The installation of chimneys on the roofs of all buildings is encouraged to convey the look and feel of residential use.

Facade element. Design of the facade shall be highly detailed and articulated to be compatible with the scale and sensitivity to the residential uses of the project. Facades should have a well-defined foundation, a modulated wall element, and pitched roof or articulated cornice which defines the character of the building and provides relation to the human scale of typical family residences.

Entrances. Building entrances must comply with all current accessibility regulations; however, the use of ramps and lifts is discouraged. Buildings should be designed with entrances that are barrier free for the intended residential or commercial uses. The use of sloping entry walks, covered entryways, porticos, arcades, and covered porches is encouraged. Where grade separation of an entrance is required because of site topography, accommodation should be provided in the architectural detail of the entry to allow barrier-free use by building residents and visitors.

Door and window openings. Doors and windows form the transition from public to private space and should reflect residential detailing in design and placement. The use of cornices, architectural moldings, side lights, transom lights, and raised panels in doors is encouraged. Window openings should vary between buildings but should not be unbroken and continuous in any circumstance. The use of opening sash windows with true divided lights or detailing to convey the character of divided lights is encouraged. The use of shutters consistent with the architecture of a building is encouraged. A wide range of material for doors and windows is acceptable, except that the use of commercial, anodized or painted aluminum or steel storefront assemblies is discouraged.

Materials and design elements. Material chosen for exterior elements should be consistent with the intent and use of materials traditionally found in residential design in New England. Siding materials such as clapboard and shingle are preferred, and the use of new materials which reduce maintenance but emulate the look and feel of traditional materials is encouraged. The use of a variety of trim material to provide detail at the eaves, corners, gables, pediments, lintels, sills, quoins, and balustrades is encouraged. The use of bays, towers, cupolas, cross gables, and dormers to provide unique character to a building and provide articulation of the facade is encouraged. The color palette chosen for any building should be consistent with traditional residential colors.

Paving and curbing. Granite curbing, gray in color, is required on all public roads and is preferred, except in areas of very low traffic volume where no curbing will be required. Rolled asphalt (Cape Cod berm) curbing is unacceptable in all public ways. Curbing is to be sloped or cut to provide a barrier-free transition at road crossings and building entrances. Paving which provides a nonskid surface and is contrasting in design, materials, or color is encouraged at all pedestrian crosswalks and walkways.

Parking. Parking lots in front setbacks are prohibited. Parking areas are to be to the side or rear of all buildings. Parking lot layout shall be planned to permit landscaping, buffering, or screening to prevent direct views of parked vehicles from adjacent streets. The use of traditional picket fencing, hedges, walls, or landscape berms to define parking areas is encouraged. Parking lot interiors shall be landscaped to provide shade and relief. In parking areas of 11 or more parking stalls, at least one tree of three-inch or greater caliper shall be planted for every six parking places. Adequate tree wells and irrigation shall be provided for all parking lot landscaping. Pedestrian access is to be taken into consideration in parking lot design. The use of separate walkways is encouraged. Textured paving or grade-separated (elevated) walkways are desired on all pedestrian accessways. Separate loading areas are required for service vehicles in all residential projects of 20 or more units and at all other facilities greater than 2,500 square feet. In multifamily buildings of 20 or more units, at least one loading area must be provided for 20 to 50 units and one additional loading area for each additional increment of 25 units. In other facilities, loading areas must be provided at the ratio of one space for each 10,000 square feet of building area on a site, except that all activities of 2,500 square feet or more shall have at least one loading area provided. Loading areas must be at least 20 feet by nine feet and have a minimum overhead clearance of 10 feet. Screening and landscaping shall be provided to block all views of loading areas (except those specifically designated for emergency vehicles) from the public right-of-way and adjacent properties.

Parking ratios shall be as follows:

Signs. Permitted signs are to be as specified in § 490-702D(1) for Residential, Rural, Recreational or Garden Apartment Districts.

Lighting. Multi-halide lighting or color-corrected sodium lighting is encouraged. Streetlighting, except as required for vehicle entrances and public rights-of-way in the Subdivision Regulations, should be pedestal mounted or mounted on adjacent buildings at pedestrian-scale heights between 10 and 14 feet. Lights should not illuminate adjacent properties, and caps or cutoffs must be provided to prevent direct lighting of abutting or adjacent properties. The use of porch lights, gatepost lights, and bollard lighting to illuminate walkways is encouraged.

Foundation planting and general landscaping. A broad range of foundation plants and general landscape planting is encouraged. The intent is to provide an intensity of landscaping that creates a residential character for any project in this district.

Maximum allowable density shall be based on project location as follows:

A density bonus of up to 10% of the total units allowed above may be granted by the Planning Board for projects which restrict the age of all occupants to age 62 and older. An additional density bonus of up to 10% may be granted by the Planning Board for projects of any size which dedicate a greater percentage of affordable units than required in Subsection H(5), but in no case may the total density bonus exceed 20% of the total units otherwise allowed.

Density calculations shall be based on the amount of contiguous upland area of a lot.

The Planning Board may grant conditional use permits to modify the requirements and standards in Subsections D, E, F [except Subsection F(5)], G, and H of this section in limited respects, provided that the Board finds that all of the following criteria are met:

An applicant is not entitled to a conditional use permit, and the Planning Board may, in its discretion, decline to grant it if the Board determines such permit is not justified or warranted.

This provision is adopted as an innovative land use control pursuant to RSA 674:21 and the Planning Board is vested with sole authority to administer it and to grant conditional use permits.

Architectural character.

Urban design considerations.

Site improvements.

Mixed-use developments with retail on the first floor, with office and/or residential above, subject to the additional restrictions noted below.

Multifamily housing in a mixed-use development with no more than 12 units per acre.

Senior housing and assisted living with no more than 12 units per acre.

Business and professional offices, including medical offices, up to 15,000 square feet (per building).

Banks.

Retail stores no greater than 15,000 square feet (per individual store).

Food markets up to 20,000 square feet.

Convenience stores.

Restaurants and other places for the preparation, serving or sale of food and beverages.

Production and processing of food products for restaurants and food establishments in the district.

Personal service stores.

Bed-and-breakfast; hotels.

Health clubs no greater than 10,000 square feet.

Performance theater or movie theater with up to three screens.

Public and private parking garages.

Facilities for research and for the manufacture, assembly, storage, distribution and servicing of products and materials, unless associated with a previously approved use on the site.

Gas stations and automobile repair or body shops; sales agencies for automobiles, boats, and farm, industrial and construction equipment.

Convenience stores/mini-marts associated with gas stations.

Motels.

Single-family homes.

Drive-through restaurants.

Multi-screen movie theater with over three screens.

A low wall made of concrete, masonry or other suitable material not exceeding a height of 2.5 feet.

Raised planters planted with a minimum of 80% evergreen shrubs not to exceed a total height of five feet (including planter).

Landscaping consisting of a mix of trees and shrubs, provided that 80% of the shrub plantings are evergreen.

The minimum required parking spaces within the Depot Village Overlay District shall be 75% of the minimum required parking spaces found in § 490-701 of this chapter, provided that the Planning Board finds that an adequate amount of parking will be provided to meet the needs of the proposed uses.

Conditional use permit. The Planning Board may grant a conditional use permit to reduce this requirement to 50% of what would be required in § 490-701 if it finds that the criteria in § 490-701D and these additional criteria are met:

From an existing side or rear street or public alley, thus avoiding the principal thoroughfare; or

From a common driveway serving one or more adjacent properties.

Curb cuts shall be limited to one unless the Board feels that due to large parcel size an additional cut is justified.

When access is available from a public alley the Board may deny a curb cut from a primary street.

Shared drives are encouraged between adjacent parcels when appropriate.

Curb cuts shall not be greater than 36 feet long.

Side yard treatment.

Parking areas.

Trash and service areas.

Orientation. Buildings shall be oriented parallel to the front property line to preserve a consistent facade line with the street. Primary building entrances should be easily identified and be oriented to the street. The primary entry should be clearly visible from the public street which provides the building's main orientation.

Articulation.

Transparency. For commercial and mixed-use buildings, a minimum of 60% of the building facade oriented to the street must be comprised of clear windows that provide views to indoor retail space, dining space or product areas when applicable. Where parking occupies the ground floor, the same solid to void ratio must be achieved utilizing techniques such as half walls, grillwork, or landscaped trelliswork or their equal.

Doors and entrances.

Pedestrian spaces and comfort.

Utilities. Underground utilities for new and redeveloped buildings are required unless physically restricted or blocked by existing underground obstructions.

Lighting.

Quality of site furnishings. Provide for the following site plan elements:

Signs.

Snow storage/removal. Adequate areas for snow storage should be provided. Removal and off-site storage may be required if adequate on-site areas are not available.

Accessibility. State and federal regulations on accessibility shall be met.

Encourage the aggregation of smaller existing properties as well as the redevelopment of older commercial and industrial properties;

Encourage a campus-like development pattern (with interconnected buildings, parking, pedestrian access, and open space) which provides an alternative to conventional commercial-industrial development;

Encourage new roadway configurations, connections and access methods that enable improved access and facilitate vehicle movement without degrading intersection function and/or creating bottlenecks;

Encourage complementary and integrated uses such as retail, residential and commercial that are co-located within a single building;

Allow complementary retail uses (e.g. banking, coffee shop, dry cleaner, etc.) as part of a mixed-use development to serve office/industrial employees that are fully integrated into the primary building structure;

Allow limited multifamily residential uses (condominiums, apartments, etc.) that do not exceed 20% of the total gross floor area on a site as part of a mixed-use development that are physically integrated with and complementary to the primary building structure(s);

Avoid freestanding and/or standalone retail and residential uses;

Mitigate negative impacts on traffic, public utilities, municipal services, and natural resources;

Provide high-quality site planning, architectural, landscaping, lighting, and signage designs that meet the Town of Salem Design Guidelines;

Create pedestrian and vehicular links to abutting parcels and add sidewalks that enable interconnected and safe pedestrian access to avoid the need to use vehicles to access other buildings and/or properties;

Establish open space amenities, including usable common land, outdoor plazas, greens, or parks.

Buffer residential areas from commercial-industrial encroachment. No building, parking lot or other improvements shall be located within 100 feet of residentially or rurally zoned land if such residentially or rurally zoned land is not separated by a public way;

Prohibit commercial-industrial access onto Brookdale Road and Brady Avenue;

Limit building height to 75 feet (NOTE: Building height shall be calculated in accordance with the New Hampshire State Building Code, as amended.);

At least 20% of the total parking on a site must be located in parking decks, below-grade parking garages, or at grade parking incorporated into a building;

Be consistent with the Salem Master Plan.