LDR Low-Density Residential District. This district is intended to protect large contiguous more remote areas of the Town which contain significant aggregations of natural and historic resources. The intent is to maintain rural characteristics by limiting the amount of land disturbed by grading for development and to maintain a density compatible with these characteristics.

MDR Moderate-Density Residential District. This district is intended to extend the benefit of rural environment while living relatively close to educational, cultural, recreational, business, employment, transportation, and other compatible and interdependent land uses where county and state highways are easily accessible. Small-scale convenience businesses designed to serve the adjacent residential population and certain cultural, educational and recreational uses compatible with a rural environment may also be permitted, subject to conditions which protect the residential character of this district.

HDR High-Density Residential District. This district is intended to provide concentrated suburban housing adjacent to educational, cultural, recreational, retail business, employment, public transportation and/or other supportive uses along state roads. Permitted densities may reflect the degree of public benefits such as affordable housing, senior residences, community water and sewer, publicly accessible open space or similar amenities. Residences may consist of a variety of housing types. This district can contain receiving areas for the transfer of development rights if permitted.

RH Residential Hamlet District. This district is intended to reflect the Town's historically self-contained hamlets in which interdependent mixed uses coexist in harmony providing high-density housing, local employment, limited small-scale retail goods and services, education and other public and private facilities which are compatible with the residential character of the district.

GB General Business District. This district is intended to include retail, service, shopping centers, office complex, commercial office and high-density housing normally within 200 feet of highways with adequate traffic capacity. Under specific design criteria, deeper districts may be delineated to provide alternatives to strip development, provided they are separated by significant residential or other noncommercial well-landscaped uses. Access management may be required to join adjacent uses without depending solely on the adjacent state road. Such connections shall attractively and efficiently join such uses for pedestrian, bicycle, low-speed automobile and truck access.[1]

HB Highway Business District. This district is intended to permit, in addition to the uses permitted in general business districts, businesses dependent on state highway access for large volumes of traffic and requiring extensive parking. Such uses, which may include automotive, dining, entertainment, shopping centers and similar uses, shall be buffered from adjacent noncommercial uses by a depth, density and height of landscaping and/or architectural design adequate to provide compatibility with such adjacent uses.[2]

I Industrial District. The purpose of this district is to accommodate certain heavy industrial and other nonresidential uses not permitted in other districts. It shall include specific parcels that are adjacent to a state or county highway and/or an active railway with a siding for off loading, and it shall include buffering and other requirements to mitigate potential adverse impacts on nearby, noncommercial uses.

SA Sensitive Area Overlay District. This is an overlay district which is to protect specific natural, scenic or historic features unique to the Town or the district. These may include agricultural soils, steep slopes, major rock formations, waterfalls, streams, wetlands, Village Reservoir watershed, hydric soils, floodplains, rare or endangered plant, insect or animal habitats, farmlands and/or historic sites.

AP Aquifer Protection Overlay District. This is an overlay district, the purpose of which is to establish regulations for activities over identified aquifers to protect groundwater resources from degradation.

OLI Office/Light Industrial District. The purpose of this district is to provide sites for industrial and office development which are subject to standards that limit the nature and intensity of permitted uses and resulting impacts from on-site activities. Consideration shall be made to the protection of important groundwater resources that underlie much of this district as specific development proposals are reviewed.

RB Recreation Business District. This district is intended to provide for the development of outdoor-recreation-oriented commercial businesses. Such businesses shall be subject to site plan review in order to ensure that their operating characteristics do not cause adverse impacts to nearby property owners, Town infrastructure and natural resources.

GD Gateway Overlay District. The purpose of this district is to enhance the attractiveness of gateway areas in Saugerties for visitors and residents. To further this purpose, these regulations establish a design context to be followed by applicants in the design of projects and to be followed by the Planning Board as part of the special use permit and site plan approval processes.

WD Waterfront Overlay District. The purpose of this district is to protect the water quality, floodways, shorelines, embankments and slopes of the Hudson River, Esopus Creek, and Plattekill Creek within the Town of Saugerties against erosion, filling, diversion or other land activities and development which will degrade property or public enjoyment of these unique resources.

Along center lines and right-of-way lines. Where district boundaries are indicated as approximately following the center lines or right-of-way lines of streets, highways, or public utility easements, said boundaries shall be construed to be coincident with such lines. Said boundaries shall be deemed to automatically be moved if a center line or right-of-way line of such street, highway, or public utility easement is moved a maximum of 20 feet.

Along lot or boundary lines. Where district boundaries are indicated as approximately following the Town boundary line, property lines, lot lines, or projections thereof, said boundaries shall be construed to be coincident with such lines or projections thereof.

Parallel to lot or boundary lines. Where district boundaries are so indicated that they are approximately parallel to the Town boundary line, street lines, property lines, lot lines, or center lines of public utility easements, lands or structures, or projections thereof, said boundaries shall be construed as being parallel thereto and at such distances therefrom as are indicated on the Zoning Map or as shall be determined by the use of the scale shown on the Zoning Map.

Watercourses. Where district boundaries are indicated as following a river or stream, said boundaries shall be construed to be coincident with the center line of such river or stream, and said boundaries shall be deemed to be automatically moved if the main channels of such streams or rivers are moved by natural or artificial means up to a maximum of 50 feet.

Existing physical markers. Where a street, highway, railroad or public utility easement center line or right-of-way line is coincident with a zoning boundary line and varies from the actual on-the-ground physical monument or mark, then such on-the-ground physical monument or mark shall determine said zoning boundary.

Lots divided by zoning district lines. Where a lot is divided by a district boundary line, the regulations for each respective district shall apply, except that, where a district boundary line is located not farther than 50 feet away from a lot line of record, the regulations applicable to the greater part of the lot shall be deemed to apply to the entire lot.

No building shall be erected, moved, altered, rebuilt or enlarged nor shall any land or building be used, designed or arranged to be used for any purpose or in any manner except in conformity with all regulations, requirements and/or restrictions specified in this chapter for the district in which such building or land is located.

No yard or open space required in connection with any building or use shall be considered as providing a required open space for any other building on the same or any other lot.

No lot shall be formed from part of a lot already occupied by a building unless such building, all yards and open spaces connected therewith, and the remaining lot comply with all requirements prescribed by this chapter for the district in which said lot is located. No permit shall be issued for the erection of a building on any new lot thus created unless such building and lot comply with all the provisions of this chapter.

The minimum lot dimension or lot area regulations, or both, shall not apply to any lot with an area, width and/or depth of less than those described herein, provided that:

Nothing contained in this chapter shall require any change in the plans, construction, or designated use of a building complying with the Town's prior zoning law, a permit for which shall have been duly issued and the construction of which shall have been started before the effective date of this chapter, and which entire building shall have been completed in accordance with such plans as have been filed within one year from the effective date of this chapter.

Any uses not specifically permitted shall be deemed to be prohibited. Any list of prohibited uses contained in any section of this chapter shall not be deemed to be an exhaustive list, but to have been included for the purposes of clarity and emphasis and to illustrate by example some of the uses frequently proposed that are deemed undesirable and incompatible in the particular district.