Skaneateles City Zoning Code
ARTICLE V
Area and Bulk Regulations
§ 225-13 Purpose.
The purpose of this article is to create attractive and inviting public spaces, to encourage a sense of community and neighborliness, to facilitate pedestrian circulation, to enhance the economic viability of commercial uses, to maintain and extend the historic character and development pattern of the Village, to provide adequate open space for access of light and circulation of air, to facilitate the prevention and fighting of fires, and to provide efficient municipal utility services.
§ 225-14 General provisions.
A.
General prohibition. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no building, structure or parcel of land, or part thereof, shall hereafter be used, occupied, erected, constructed, reconstructed, enlarged, moved, or structurally altered, or its use altered, in such a manner so as to:
(1)
Exceed the maximum height;
(2)
Fail to provide the minimum open space percentage;
(3)
Accommodate or house a greater number of persons or families; or
(4)
Have narrower or smaller front yard, rear yard, side yard or other open space than is herein specified for the district in which such premises is located.
B.
Promulgation of area and bulk regulations. The Density Control Schedule included at the end of this chapter and the regulations contained therein are hereby adopted by the Board of Trustees and shall be considered an integral and official part of this chapter. Where the Village Design Standards contained in § 225-16 conflict with the Density Control Schedule, the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals may apply the Design Standards, provided that it finds that the provisions of the standards will better maintain the historic visual character of the Village.
C.
Interpretation of Density Control Schedule.[1]
(1)
Projections into required yards. The following projections into required yards shall be permitted:
(a)
Open fire escapes: four feet into required side or rear yards.
(b)
Cornices, eaves and other similar architectural features: three feet into any required yard.
(c)
Awnings and movable canopies: six feet into any required yard.
(d)
Open wheelchair ramps which shall be removed within 60 days after the requirement for such use ends: four feet into any required yard.
(e)
Flags, which may be installed by commercial users in the Commercial Mixed-Use C and Downtown D Districts solely for aesthetic purposes, shall be subject to the following conditions:
[1]
Flags may be attached to the facade of a building or mounted on a staff projecting not more than 66 inches, not including a staff ornament, from the front of a building and hung in a manner to provide at least seven feet clearance with any pedestrian right-of-way to avoid obstructions or injury to such pedestrians;
[2]
The dimensions of the flag shall not exceed 36 inches by 60 inches;
[3]
The number shall not exceed one per business;
[4]
No speech or alpha or numeric symbols shall be included on any part of such flag or its mounting equipment;
[5]
The owner thereof shall be solely responsible for the daily maintenance, placement and removal of such flag which may be flown only when the business is open; and
[6]
The use on the effective date of this chapter of any flag that does not conform to these regulations shall be removed within one year after the effective date of this chapter.
(f)
Generators, air-conditioning condenser units, and electric vehicle charging stations are not permitted in any front yard, but may be located in a required side or required rear yard without the necessity of obtaining a variance, provided such items listed above are not closer than five feet to a lot line. The foregoing side and rear yard requirements shall not apply in the Downtown D District.
[Added 1-12-2023 by L.L. No. 1-2023]
(2)
Required open space.
(a)
In determining the percentage of open space required for the purposes of this chapter, porches and terraces which are covered and carports shall be considered part of a building.
(b)
No yard or other open space provided for a specific premises to comply with the provisions of this chapter shall be considered as part of a yard or other open space required for any other premises.
(c)
No more than 25% of any front yard may be paved or used for driveways. Off-street parking in a Residential A, Residential B or Commercial Mixed-Use C District may not be located in the front yard, except on driveways. Off-street parking in the Downtown D District may be located in the front yard, not to exceed 25% of the front yard.
[Amended 3-22-1999 by L.L. No. 1-1999; 6-24-2002 by L.L. No. 4-2002]
(d)
In determining the percentage of open space required for purposes of this chapter, generators, air-conditioning condenser units, and electric vehicle charging stations shall not be considered.
[Added 1-12-2023 by L.L. No. 1-2023]
(3)
Fences and walls. Minimum front yard requirements shall not apply to necessary retaining walls and fences or walls not exceeding three feet above the natural grade. Minimum side and rear yard requirements shall not apply to fences or walls not exceeding six feet above the average natural grade except as provided in Subsection C(4)(a). Stone, brick, or formed concrete fences or walls in excess of three feet above natural grade are prohibited. All fences or walls shall be set with the exterior (good) side of the fence facing out and the wiring, structural elements, or other components of the fencing not designated for presentation to the public facing in.
[Amended 6-24-2002 by L.L. No. 4-2002]
(4)
Interpretation of height restrictions.
(a)
Corner lots. For the purpose of minimizing traffic hazards at street intersections on corner lots, no structure, fence, wall or planting that causes an obstruction between a height of three feet and eight feet above the adjacent center-line elevation shall be permitted to be planted, placed, erected or maintained within the triangular area formed by the lot lines along the streets to the points on such lines a distance of 20 feet from their intersection and a line connecting such points.
[Amended 6-24-2002 by L.L. No. 4-2002]
(b)
Church spires, chimneys, etc. The height regulations of this chapter shall not apply to church spires, belfries, cupolas, chimneys, ventilators, skylights, water tanks, monument flagpoles, utility lines and similar features normally carried above roof level, provided that such structures do not occupy more than 20% of the roof area of a building and provided that such features are erected only to such height as is necessary to accomplish the normal purposes of such feature.
(c)
Ornamental features. The height regulations of this chapter shall not apply to parapet walls or cornices erected for ornamental purposes and without windows, provided that such parapet walls or cornices do not extend more than five feet above the roof level of a building.
(5)
Accessory uses and buildings.
(a)
Accessory uses enclosed in a building and accessory buildings may not be located in a front or required side yard but may be located in a required rear yard, provided that such building shall not be located closer than 15 feet to a rear or side lot line. Notwithstanding anything in this chapter to the contrary: in a Residential A or Residential B District, a one- or two-car garage or a storage shed accessory to a dwelling on the same lot may be erected not nearer than three feet to the side line of a lot, provided that such building is not nearer than 10 feet to any other building. For purposes of this provision, a one- or two-car garage shall not have an area greater than 650 square feet except with an area variance granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
[Amended 4-27-2023 by L.L. No. 5-2023]
(b)
Accessory buildings not attached to the principal building shall be located no closer to the principal building than 10 feet or a distance equal to the height of each accessory building, whichever is greater.
(c)
In a Residential A, Residential B or Downtown D District no truck over one ton capacity or similar large vehicle or recreational vehicle, including campers, licensed boat trailers, boats and personal watercraft, snowmobile trailers and snowmobiles and utility trailers, shall be stored except in the rear yard and no closer than the required side yard to any side lot line. Unlicensed and/or unregistered vehicles, boats, boat trailers, personal watercraft, snowmobiles and snowmobile trailers are prohibited from outdoor storage.
[Amended 6-24-2002 by L.L. No. 4-2002]
(d)
In a Residential A, Residential B or Downtown D District accessory uses not enclosed in a building, including swimming pools and tennis courts, may not be located in front yards, and such uses shall be distant not less than 25 feet from any side or rear lot line in such district.
(6)
Minimum lot area.
(a)
Subdivision of residential lot. Except as provided in Article IX hereof, a residential lot of required or larger than required size as set forth in this chapter shall not be reduced in size for transfer of ownership if such lot so subdivided will form two or more lots which shall not be in compliance with the requirements for the minimum lot area per dwelling unit for the district in which such lot or lots are situated.
(b)
Two principal dwelling units on same lot. Where two or more dwelling units are permitted by this chapter to be located on the same lot, the minimum lot area per dwelling unit contained in this article must be complied with, except as provided in § 225-23.
(c)
Residential and nonresidential use on same lot in residential district. If a residential and a nonresidential use are to be located in one structure on a single lot in a Residential A or Residential B District, the applicable lot area and lot width requirements for the residential use shall apply, and the applicable yard size, parking, sign and other requirements for the nonresidential use shall also apply.
(d)
Residential and nonresidential use on same lot in Commercial Mixed-Use C District. If a residential and nonresidential use are to be located on a single lot in a C District, the requirements for both the residential and nonresidential use shall apply.
(e)
Residential and nonresidential use on same lot in Downtown D District. If a residential and nonresidential use are to be located in one structure on a single lot within the Downtown D District, only the requirements for the residential use shall apply.
(7)
Distance between two or more principal buildings on same lot. No detached principal building shall be closer to any other principal building on the same lot than the average of the height of all the principal buildings on said lot.[2]
(8)
Planned new streets. After the planned right-of-way line for future streets, for future extensions of existing streets, or for future street widening is established on the Official Map of the Village, buildings and structures shall be set back from such line as though it were a street line.
§ 225-15 Interpretation of Density Control Schedule.
A.
Explanatory notes. The following subsections explain the Density Control Schedule contained at the end of this chapter. Each numbered subsection is keyed to and contains clarification of those regulations appearing in those subsections and columns on said Density Control Schedule where a number corresponding to the subsection number of said subsection in this section appears in parentheses on said Density Control Schedule.
(1)
"DU" stands for dwelling unit.
(2)
Except as provided in § 225-23, Supplemental apartments, § 225-24, Two-family dwellings, and Article IX, Open Space Subdivisions and Cluster Housing, of this chapter (all of which sections contain guidelines concerning minimum livable floor area, minimum lot area and minimum lot width required for each additional dwelling unit), only one dwelling unit per lot is permitted in a Residential A1, A2, A3, and A4 District.
[Amended 9-25-2000 by L.L. No. 5-2000; 5-12-2003 by L.L. No. 3-2003]
(3)
If the average setback of existing buildings fronting on the same street as the proposed structure and located on lots adjoining the subject property is less than the setback required herein, then the minimum setback required of the subject property shall be that of such average setback, but in no case shall the setback from the street right-of-way be less than 10 feet. Similarly, if the subject property is a corner lot requiring two front yard setbacks, one of said front yard setbacks may be reduced by 30%.
(4)
Maximum width shall be 2.5 times the height of the building. Each unit of a party wall structure shall be considered a separate building for purposes of measuring building width.
(5)
In the Downtown D District, if two or more permitted nonresidential uses are combined in one structure on a single lot, the minimum lot dimensions shall be 2,000 square feet of lot area and 20 feet of lot width for each such use.
(6)
There are no side yard requirements in the Downtown D District, except that where a lot in such district abuts a Residential A or Residential B District, a side yard of at least 15 feet shall be provided on that portion of the subject premises abutting the Residential A or Residential B District.
(7)
No building shall be erected or added to in that part of the Downtown D District south of the center line of Genesee Street unless there shall be along the south or lakefront side thereof an open and usable roadway not less than 33 feet wide in order to permit free passage for fire engines and other emergency vehicles.
(8)
No minimum setback for party wall buildings. Both minimum and maximum setback ("build-to line"). This setback may be adjusted to match the prevailing setback of adjoining buildings through site plan review.
(9)
In the Residential A District, no accessory building shall exceed the lesser of: 1) the height of the building housing the principal dwelling located on the same lot; or 2) 25 feet for a building with a flat roof (less than five-degree pitch) and 30 feet for a building with a pitched roof (five-degree pitch or greater).
[Amended 5-12-2003 by L.L. No. 3-2003; 4-27-2023 by L.L. No. 5-2023]
(10)
Where a lot in this district is used for a nonresidential use and abuts a lot in a Residential A District used for a residential use, there shall be provided along such side or rear lot line in this district abutting said residential use a wall, fence, compact evergreen hedge or a landscaped strip of trees or shrubs so designed as to form a visual screen not less than six feet in height at the time of planting or construction, which screen shall extend the entire length of such lot line or lines abutting said residential use. The maintenance of the visual screen shall be a continuing obligation of the users of such lot in this district.
(11)
The lot width between the building line and rear lot line shall be not less than the minimum required by said Density Control Schedule.
(12)
The minimum density for a subdivision or development shall be one dwelling unit per 22,000 square feet. The minimum lot area for individual lots shall be 10,000 square feet for a single-family residence, with an additional 4,000 square feet of lot area for each additional dwelling unit on a lot.
[Added 5-12-2003 by L.L. No. 3-2003]
(13)
These percentages may be reduced through site plan review for lots that are less than 22,000 square feet in area.
[Added 5-12-2003 by L.L. No. 3-2003]
§ 225-16 Downtown D District Design Standards.
See Appendix A.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Appendix A is included at the end of this chapter.
§ 225-17 Residential B and Commercial Mixed-Use C District Design Standards.
[Added 5-12-2003 by L.L. No. 3-2003]
A.
Purpose and findings. The purpose of the standards that follow is to inform applicants, municipal boards, and the Code Enforcement Officer about preferred patterns and designs for development in the Village of Skaneateles. The Village Board of Trustees finds that:
(1)
The high quality of life enjoyed by Village residents results in large measure from the physical design of the Village. This traditional neighborhood pattern of development is characterized by an inviting and attractive street environment that encourages informal interaction.
(2)
The economic and social vitality of the Village and Town of Skaneateles depend upon maintaining the historic street environment, the economic viability of its businesses, and a hospitable atmosphere for residential occupants.
(3)
The traditional Village pattern of development should be maintained as much as possible throughout the Village, and particularly in those portions of the Village where there is likely to be the most new development and redevelopment. In furtherance of this goal, Design Standards for the Downtown D District were enacted in 1996 as Section 15-44 of the Zoning Law.[1]To ensure that the Village's traditional development patterns are maintained elsewhere in the Village, the Village Board finds that design standards are also needed in the largely undeveloped Residential B District and the Commercial Mixed-Use C District. These standards are intended to properly shape the public spaces that give the Village its special character. Although the C District is intended for uses that normally require automobile access, inappropriate design of such uses has damaged and could seriously compromise the traditional character of the Village without proper controls. Therefore, the enactment of this § 225-17 is necessary to preserve the character of the Village where it is most vulnerable to inappropriate development under otherwise applicable zoning rules.
B.
Applicability and administration. These standards shall apply throughout the B and C Districts. The standards herein shall be administered in connection with site plan review and special permit review of applications for development within the B and C Districts.
C.
Standards. The general standards and standards for detached buildings for the D District, contained in § 225-16, shall apply within the B and C Districts, except where the Planning Board finds them to be inappropriate to the context of a neighborhood outside the Downtown area or in conflict with any of the standards specified below. The following standards shall apply within the B and C Districts:
(1)
Exterior siding on buildings shall be wood or Hardiplank clapboard, wood shingle, brick, stucco, or natural stone. Vinyl and aluminum siding shall be prohibited. Shutters shall be made of wood and sized to match window openings. Exterior hardware shall be solid brass, bronze, or wrought iron.
(2)
At least 1/3 of the floor area of all principal buildings shall be on the second story.
(3)
Ground floors, except entry vestibules and outbuildings shall have a minimum elevation of three feet above ground level at the front building line or sidewalk level, whichever is higher. Interior ceiling heights shall be a minimum of nine feet on the ground floor.
(4)
Instead of a minimum front yard, the front of all principal buildings on new blocks or streets shall be aligned along a "build-to line," which is a line parallel to the front lot line set back a fixed distance. The build-to line shall be established at the time of subdivision approval and shall be between 20 and 35 feet from the edge of the sidewalk. Build-to lines may differ from block to block, on different sides of a block, and on opposite sides of a street, but they shall be uniform for each block face.
(5)
On existing streets, new principal buildings shall be constructed so that their front facades are in one of the following locations:
(a)
The same distance from the road as an adjacent principal building (on the same side of the road), provided that the adjacent building is located no more than 100 feet from the building to be constructed; or
(b)
The average distance from the road of both adjacent principal buildings (on the same side of the road), provided that they are both located no more than 100 feet from the building to be constructed; or
(c)
If no principal buildings are within 100 feet on the same side of the road, the front facade shall be 30 feet from the front lot line or such other distance as the Planning Board may approve in the course of site plan review. The Planning Board may establish a maximum setback in order to maintain a sense of enclosure and continuity in the street wall.
(d)
In no case shall the new building be located more than 50 feet from the front lot line.
(6)
Steps, bay windows, porches, and chimneys may encroach up to three feet into a required side yard. Porches may encroach eight feet in front of a build-to line. There shall be no electric or gas meters, compressors, garbage cans, or clothes lines between the front of a building and the front lot line.
(7)
The street facade of all buildings shall extend along a minimum of 40% of the lot width at the build-to line.
(8)
In any new residential subdivision with five or more lots, at least 60% of the houses shall have a covered front porch, which shall extend along a minimum of 50% of the street facade and be at least eight feet deep. The subdivision plat shall specify which lots are required to have front porches.
(9)
Porches shall be supported by wooden or fiberglass columns on brick or stone piers no less than 12 inches by eight inches. Columns shall be of the Doric, Tuscan, or Ionic order. The use of posts rather than columns shall be permitted only if they are not visible from the street or if the Planning Board finds that the proposed designs and materials are substantially similar to traditional architectural elements found in the Village of Skaneateles. Balustrades shall be made of wood, with the spacing between spindles not exceeding 4.5 inches, on center.
(10)
Outbuildings shall not exceed 22 feet in height and shall conform to the same architectural standards as the principal building. On lots exceeding 30,000 square feet, the Planning Board may grant a special permit to allow larger outbuildings, such as a traditional carriage home or a small barn, based on lot conditions and architectural merit, and clustered in a traditional family compound configuration.
(11)
Residential garages shall meet the following criteria:
(a)
Detached garages located behind the home or attached garages with garage doors facing the rear yard are the preferred garage configurations.
(c)
Attached garages with garage doors perpendicular to the front facade are permitted, provided that the materials and massing of the side wall of the garage facing the street are residential in character, comply with the applicable architectural and fenestration standards in § 225-16, and are compatible with the primary structure.
(d)
Attached garages with garage doors running parallel to the front facade of the home are only permissible where lot conditions prohibit a perpendicular garage configuration. Under these conditions, garage doors must be set back at least thirty feet behind the principal plane of the front facade.
(12)
Sidewalks on residential streets shall be a minimum of five feet wide.
(13)
The following landscaping requirements shall apply:
(a)
A planting strip between the sidewalk and the street shall be planted with street trees and grass between the trees.
(b)
One native tree of at least 3.5-inch caliper shall be planted at least every 30 feet within the planting strips.
(c)
Within each lot, at least one 3.5-inch caliper native tree shall be planted per 4,000 square feet of lot area. Existing trees shall be retained to the extent feasible and may substitute for the planting of new trees.
(d)
All areas not occupied by buildings, driveways, or other improvements shall be intensively planted with trees, hedges, ground covers, and/or grasses, unless the retention of existing vegetation will accomplish an equivalent or better result.
(e)
Trees over six-inch caliper may not be removed without site plan approval by the Planning Board.