Stowe Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE I
General Provisions
§ 675-1 Short title.
§ 675-2 Purpose.
The fundamental purpose of this chapter is to promote the safety, health, morals, convenience and general welfare; to encourage the most appropriate use of land throughout the Township; to conserve and stabilize the value of property; to prevent overcrowding of land and buildings; to avoid undue concentration of population; to lessen congestion in the streets; to secure safety from fire, panic and other dangers; to provide adequate open spaces for light and air; to facilitate adequate provision of streets and highways, water, sewerage, drainage and other public facilities; to conserve life, property and natural resources; and to conserve the expenditure of funds earmarked for public improvements.
§ 675-3 Community development objectives.
This chapter is based on community development goals and objectives developed by the Board of Commissioners. The legislative findings of the Board of Commissioners are as follows:
A.
Maintain and enhance the current quality of life in Stowe Township;
B.
Protect existing neighborhoods to provide a small-town atmosphere with a friendly, family-oriented population;
C.
Promote economic development within the Township;
D.
Develop appropriate land use controls to ensure future land development throughout the Township will maintain and improve the Township's character and appearance;
E.
Continue to provide good public safety measures;
F.
Maximize development opportunities in vacant areas adjacent to existing neighborhoods with access to public water and wastewater facilities;
G.
Allow for the reasonable expansion of existing commercial areas;
H.
Promote the growth of light industries with a minimal impact on the environment, at suitable sites;
I.
Discourage new tax-exempt uses from locating in the Township, or the expansion of the existing tax-exempt uses;
J.
Educate the community about planning and the Township's role in providing good land use controls; and
K.
Review and amend, if necessary, the Township's land development regulations to accommodate the stated land use goals and objectives.
§ 675-4 Applicability.
A.
The regulations established by this chapter shall be minimum regulations and shall apply uniformly to each class or kind of structure or land, except that additional classifications may be made within any district for the purposes of making transitional provisions at or near the boundaries of districts; regulating nonconforming uses and structures; regulating, restricting or prohibiting uses and structures at or near major thoroughfares, their intersections and interchanges; natural or artificial bodies of water; places of relatively steep slope or grade; public buildings and grounds; places having unique historical or patriotic value or interest; floodplain areas and other places having a special character or use affecting or affected by their surroundings. Among several classes of zoning districts, the provisions for permitted uses may be mutually exclusive, in whole or in part.
B.
No building, structure or land shall hereafter be used or occupied, and no building or structure or part thereof shall hereafter be erected, constructed, reconstructed, moved or structurally altered, unless in conformity with all the regulations herein specified for the district in which it is located.
C.
No part of a yard or other open space or off-street parking or loading space required about or in connection with any building for the purpose of complying with this chapter shall be included as part of a yard, open space or off-street parking or loading space similarly required for any other building, unless otherwise provided by this chapter.
D.
No yard or lot existing at the time of passage of this chapter shall be reduced in dimension or area below the minimum requirements set forth herein. Yards or lots created after the effective date of this chapter shall meet at least the minimum requirements established by this chapter.
E.
All territory which may hereafter be annexed to the Township of Stowe shall be considered to be in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District until otherwise classified.
F.
In case any public building, facility or land area, such as a school, recreation area, community center, or municipal building shall cease to be used according to its intended function, the Township Planning Commission shall study the existing zoning classification of the property on which the said use is located and shall make recommendations to the Township Commissioners on any necessary zoning changes to ensure a suitable reuse of the parcel. This study and recommendation shall be made by the Planning Commission within 90 days of the notification by the appropriate public entity of the intent to terminate the existing use of the property.
§ 675-5 Interpretations.
A.
In the event of conflicts between the provisions of this chapter and any other ordinance or regulation, the more restrictive provisions shall apply.
B.
In their interpretation and application, the provisions of this chapter shall be considered minimum requirements adopted for the promotion of the health, safety and general welfare of the public.
C.
In interpreting the language of this chapter to determine the extent of the restriction upon the use of property, the language shall be interpreted, where doubt exists as to the intended meaning of the language written and enacted by the Board of Commissioners, in favor of the property owner and against any implied extension of the restriction.