General. The purposes of this chapter are set forth in general terms in the Town Law, which enables the Town to adopt this chapter. The provisions of this chapter shall be held to be minimum requirements for the protection of the health, safety and welfare of the people at large and are designed to encourage the establishment and maintenance of reasonable standards of physical environment. This section, together with all provisions of the chapter, shall be considered when appraising the spirit of the chapter as a guide to its interpretation.

Relating development to local conditions. It is a major purpose of this chapter to permit and encourage the concentrated and orderly physical development of the Town, in accordance with the Town Master Plan, in areas most suitable therefor because of physical conditions and relationship to existing or planned development and improvements. This is especially true with relationship to the basic requirement of adequately and economically providing for the supply of potable water, for the purification of sewage and for the removal of stormwater. Conversely, it is also a major purpose of this chapter to limit development in the areas less suitable therefor because of physical features or other conditions or where necessary to protect the agricultural economy.

With relation to unnecessary hardship. It is fundamental for the purpose of this chapter to recognize that some existing lots in the Town will be difficult to use for a permitted purpose because of location, size, slope or general topography. Usually such differences will not make use of a lot impractical, although such use may require greater expense or ingenuity. Where such lots cannot practically be used for a permitted use, the remedy of variance is available for the modifications in required yards or other requirements so as to enable the conduct of a use generally permitted in the district but not to permit a more intensive use. For example, a difficulty in using land for a permitted single-family dwelling because of topography problems should not justify use of the land for a multifamily or commercial use not normally permitted but only accommodation in the regulations so as to facilitate the single-family use.