Stratford City Zoning Code
SECTION 1
Introduction
1.1 Authority.
These Regulations are adopted and enacted by the Stratford Zoning Commission under the authority of Chapter 124 of the General Statutes of the State of Connecticut, or as amended [C.G.S. § 8-1 et seq.] and are hereby known as the Zoning Regulations of the Town of Stratford.
1.2 Purposes.
These Regulations are adopted, and all amendments here to, for the purposes set forth in Chapter 124, § 8-2 of the C.G.S., or as amended. These Regulations are designed to meet Statutory responsibilities and to achieve the following purposes.
1)
To promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the residents of Stratford, Connecticut.
2)
To guide growth within the Town of Stratford in accordance with the latest Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD).
3)
To provide for and facilitate the orderly growth of the Town, thereby preventing an undue concentration of population and overcrowding of the land.
4)
To regulate the use of land throughout the Town with reasonable consideration as to the physical site characteristics of the district and its suitability for particular uses.
5)
To make suitable provisions for transportation, potable water, sewerage and waste disposal, schools, parks, open space, and other public requirements.
6)
To encourage safe and efficient vehicular and pedestrian facilities and circulation patterns and thereby avoid traffic hazards and congestion.
7)
To provide for adequate light and air.
8)
To provide protection against fire, flood, explosion, hazardous materials, and other potential dangers associated with existing or proposed land uses.
9)
To protect and maintain the stability of residential, business, and industrial areas within the Town, including areas and properties of historic significance.
10)
To provide diverse and healthy housing options to meet the needs of current and future residents during all stages of life, while maintaining a sense of community and the unique attributes of existing neighborhoods.
11)
To provide for the protection of the physical environment including proper provisions for the control of soil erosion and sedimentation, pursuant to C.G.S. Chapter 446h, § 22a-329 and proper provisions for protecting public surface and ground drinking water supplies.
12)
To encourage reasonable consideration for the restoration and protection of the ecosystem and habitat of Long Island Sound and the reduction of hypoxia, pathogens, toxic contaminants, and floatable debris on Long Island Sound.
13)
To consider the environmental impact on Long Island Sound coastal resources, as defined in Section 22a-93 of C.G.S. Chapter 444, of any proposal for development.
14)
To provide for energy-efficient patterns of development and the use of renewable forms of energy and energy conservation.
15)
To promote the efficient review of proposals and applications and define the powers and the duties of the administrative officers and bodies as provided herein.
1.3.1 Districts.
For the purposes of these Regulations, the Town of Stratford is divided into the following zoning districts, as described herein:
Type of District | District Name | Abbreviation(s) |
|---|---|---|
Residential | Single-Family Residence | RS-1, RS-2, RS-3, RS-4 |
Two and Three Family Residence | RM-1 | |
Affordable Housing | Affordable Housing Opportunity Zone | AHOZ |
Housing Opportunity Development | HOD | |
Surf Avenue Housing Zone | SAHZ | |
Lordship Boulevard Housing Zone | LBHZ | |
Commercial | Limited Business (Civic Center) | LB |
Limited Business B | LBB | |
Office Park District | OP | |
Retail Commercial A | CA | |
Retail Commercial F | CF | |
Retail Commercial Neighborhood | CNC | |
Waterfront Business District | WF | |
Industrial | Coastal Industrial | MC |
Light Industrial | MA | |
General Industrial | MB | |
Other | Airport Zoning | RZ; ADD |
Resource Conservation District | RC | |
Overlays | Transit-Oriented Development | TOD |
Waterfront Redevelopment | WR |
1.3.2 District boundaries.
The boundaries of the zoning districts listed in Section 1.3.1 are hereby established as shown on the Official Zoning Map of the Town of Stratford dated October 1, 1956. The Official Zoning Map (and amendments thereto) are hereby declared to be a part of these Regulations. The Official Zoning Map is on file in the Town Clerk's office and office of the Town's Planning and Zoning Commissions. The following rules apply to zoning district boundaries shown on the Official Zoning Map:
1)
The boundary of each district shall include the bed of any street, right-of-way or easement lying therein. When opposite sides of the street lie in different districts, the boundary shall be deemed the center of the right-of-way.
2)
The boundary of each district shall be projected in a straight line to the Town boundary line and shall include any land under any lake, pond or stream lying therein, and shall also include any land which extends under navigable waters.
3)
In the event that a district boundary line divides a lot in single ownership, as appearing on the official zoning map, the requirements for that lot shall comply with those of the district in which the greatest portion of the lot lies.
a)
In the case of a through lot, the requirements of the district regulating the adjoining lots, which front on the same street as the proposed use of the lot, shall apply.
4)
In cases of uncertainty, the Zoning Commission shall determine the location of the boundary.
1.4.1 General interpretation.
The interpretation and application of the provisions of these Regulations shall be held to be the minimum requirements adopted to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare of the Town, its residents, and businesses.
1.4.2 Minimum requirements.
The requirements established within these Regulations shall be minimum requirements and, except where specific exceptions are made within these Regulations, shall apply uniformly to each piece of property, category of use, building and structure.
1.4.3 Strictest standard control.
Where the requirements of any section or subsection of these Regulations appear to conflict with the requirements of any other section or subsection, the requirement imposing the greater restriction shall apply. Wherever the requirements of these Regulations differ from the requirements of any other adopted rule or regulation, the most restrictive or that imposing the highest standard shall apply.
1.4.4 Uses prohibited if not permitted.
Unless allowed by the consolidated use table, any use of land, buildings, or structures that is not expressly permitted in a district by these Regulations is prohibited in that district, unless determined to be similar in nature by the Zoning Commission.
1.4.5 Other local, state, and federal requirements.
All land uses in Stratford shall comply with all applicable Town of Stratford, State of Connecticut, and federal regulations and requirements including but not limited to, compliance with the Stratford Subdivision Regulations and the Stratford Inland Wetland and Watercourses Regulations.
1.4.6 Reference to technical standards.
Where references are made in these Regulations to technical standards contained in technical manuals or publications, the latest published edition or version of those technical manuals or publications shall be used in the application of technical standards.
1.5.1 Conformity with all applicable regulations.
No lot, structure or building, or part thereof, shall hereafter be used, and no building or part thereof, or sign or other structure, shall be constructed, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, moved, or altered except in conformity with these Regulations and with an application for Zoning Compliance (Section 7.3.5). Changes in lot size: No lot shall be reduced in area or dimension below the minimum requirements established in these Regulations.
1.6 Severability.
If any section, subsection, paragraph, subdivision, clause, or provision of these Regulations is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of these Regulations as a whole, or any part thereof, other than the part so declared to be invalid.
1.7 Effective date.
These Regulations, and any amendment or change hereto, shall be in full force and effect upon the date established by the Zoning Commission in accordance with the provisions of the Connecticut General Statutes, or as amended.
The initial adoption of the Town of Stratford Zoning Regulation was on March 12, 1945, and a record of all amendments to the Zoning Regulations since the initial adoption is on file in the Stratford Office of Planning and Zoning. The Regulations were substantially updated in 2024, and the effective date of these Regulations is January 1, 2025.