Each such off-street parking area for more than five units which is located in a single-family residence district shall be screened from the adjoining residential properties in such districts by a landscaped strip not less than 10 feet wide, on which there is a shrubbery screen not less than five feet wide and three feet high and of which 1/2 the shrubs shall be evergreens.

Within any yard of any business use which adjoins property zoned for one-family residence purposes and along the edge thereof, there shall be a landscaped strip not less than 15 feet in width where it adjoins a one-family residence district and 10 feet in width where it adjoins a street, except for entrances and exits approved by the Superintendent of Highways as to safety, convenience and adequacy. The layout and planting of such strip shall be subject to the approval of the Building Inspector as to adequacy of shrubbery and permanence of cover. Where site-plan approval is required from the Planning Board and where a permanent buffer area of 100 feet or more in width is provided, said Board may permit a waiver or other modification of the landscaping requirement, provided that it finds that, due to the size of the buffer area, the nature of the topography and/or the extent of existing vegetation, adequate screening will be achieved without it.

Except for parking spaces accessory to a one-family residence or parking spaces located in a parking garage, all off-street parking and loading areas subject to site plan approval by the Planning Board shall include at least one shade tree of not less than four inches caliper for each six parking spaces. This is in addition to ground cover, shrubs and hedges which are to be provided in appropriate locations where they will not interfere with safe sight distance for pedestrian or vehicular circulation. All landscaping as shown on the approved site plan shall be maintained in a healthy growing condition throughout the duration of the use being served. Any plants not so maintained shall be replaced with healthy new plants of comparable size, type and quality at the beginning of the next immediately following growing season. Raised planting islands shall be constructed to guide vehicular movement to separate adjacent rows of parking spaces, to prevent the diagonal movement of vehicles, to alleviate the visual impact of large expanses of paved areas and to otherwise improve traffic and pedestrian safety. Such landscaped islands shall be located at the ends of each parking bay containing six or more spaces and separating adjacent rows of parking spaces as required by the Planning Board. The minimum width of landscaped islands shall be six feet where located at the ends of parking bays and eight feet where separating adjacent rows of parking spaces or adjacent to circulation aisles. Wider islands shall be provided where pedestrian circulation needs must also be served, in which case the width usable for pedestrian circulation shall be at least four feet. Curbs of such planting islands shall be designed to facilitate surface drainage and to prevent vehicles from overhanging pedestrian walks or damaging landscape materials. Where curbs are kept to a maximum height of six inches, 1 1/2 feet of the parking space shall be allowed to overhang an island. Such bumper overhang area shall be considered a part of the parking space and shall not be counted toward meeting minimum yard setbacks or buffer area requirements.[1]

Unless specifically provided for elsewhere in this chapter, each parking unit (PU) shall be a nearly level area not less than nine feet wide and 18 feet long, exclusive of access and turning areas, which together with such access drives and aisles shall be paved or gravelled. Exceptions to this design requirement are permitted as follows:

Irrespective of the number of vehicles accommodated in common or individual garages accessory to any structure, other than a one-family dwelling in any district or an office building in an Office Business OB-100 District or Corporate Research/Office CRO District, all required additional units as set forth in § 170-40 shall be in the open and located as specified herein.

Except for parking spaces accessory to a single-family residence, the maximum slope within a parking area shall be no greater than 5%. All parking spaces shall be separated by double painted lines as illustrated on Figure 1: Typical Parking Space Details.[1]

All parking spaces shall be designed at a ninety-degree angle with a twenty-four-foot wide two-way maneuvering aisle unless a different angle is permitted by the Planning Board based upon the unique size and/or shape of the parking facility. In those circumstances where the Planning Board does permit parking at an angle other than 90º, circulation in each maneuvering aisle shall be limited to one-way only. Figure 2: Sample Parking Layout - Angled Parking,[2] illustrates a typical parking layout. The following is a table of minimum parking space and maneuvering aisle dimensions:

Vehicular access. For reasons of fire protection, on-site and off-site vehicular and pedestrian traffic safety, as well as to provide for possible future road widening or other improvements, all new vehicular access driveways and sidewalk crossings entering onto any street shall comply with all requirements of these regulations, § A174-29 and shall be subject to the approval of the Superintendent of Highways, except where such are part of a use subject to special exception use permit in the Town of Somers zoning code or site development plan approval by the Planning Board, in accordance with Article IV of Chapters 144 and 150.

One-family residence districts.

Business Historic Preservation B-HP, Neighborhood Shopping NS, Community Shopping CS, Planned Hamlet PH, and Office and Light Industry Districts.

(Reserved)

All special exception uses. For each special exception use: as provided in §§ 170-83 to 170-92 inclusive.

Office Business OB-100 Districts and Corporate Research/Office CRO Districts.

Towers, gables, penthouses, scenery lofts, cupolas, water tanks, similar structures and necessary mechanical appurtenances may be erected on a building to a height greater than the limit established for the district in which the building is located, provided that they are not used for sleeping or housekeeping purposes or for any commercial purposes other than such as may be incident to the permitted use of the principal building and that the total area of any such exceptions cover at any level not more than 25% of the area of the roof on which they are located.

The height limitations of this chapter shall not apply to chimneys, church spires, standpipes or water towers, flagpoles, monuments, transmission towers and cables or radio or television antennas or towers.

In any district, public buildings, buildings for religious worship, parish houses, buildings for religious education, hospitals and other institutional uses permitted in such district may be erected to a greater height than permitted in Column 16 of the Schedule,[1] provided that the front, rear and side yards shall each be increased one foot for each one foot by which such building exceeds the height limit therein established for such district.

In an Office Business OB-100 District, buildings may be erected to a height up to 10 feet and one story greater than the limit established in Article VIII of this chapter, provided that the minimum required setbacks for such structures from adjoining streets and property lines shall be increased by 10 feet for each one foot by which the building height is increased.

The depth of a required front yard in any residence district shall be whichever is the least of the following:

In the case of subdivision or site plats approved by the Planning Board subsequent to the adoption of this chapter, where by reason of difficulties of topography, the achievement of a reasonable pattern and grade of streets has necessitated the inclusion of some lots lacking the required width at front of building at the normal setback line and such lot plan has been accepted by the Planning Board and so noted on the plat, such lots for the purpose of this chapter shall be deemed to be conforming with respect to the requirements of width of lot at front of building, provided that: