Town of Amherst, NY: zoning for new construction

Rural Residential District - The three-acre minimum is stated per dwelling, not per lot. Side and rear yards are not fixed: they are never less than 30 ft where the lot adjoins a residential district, and a building over 35 ft tall must stand back three feet for every foot of its height.

• On a corner lot the exterior side yard must meet the 50 ft front-yard figure
• A through lot owes a rear yard equal to the front yard required of the lots facing the other street
• Where buildings already occupy half a block and sit further back than 50 ft, 85% of that average applies instead
• A non-residential building may reach 65 ft
• A rural cluster subdivision needs at least 15 acres with half of it kept as open space, one unit per three acres, and one-acre lots 150 ft wide

Suburban Agricultural District - The one-acre minimum is stated per dwelling, not per lot. Side and rear yards are not fixed: they are never less than 30 ft where the lot adjoins a residential district, and three feet are added for every foot of building height above 35 ft.

• A dwelling of two storeys or more must contain at least 1,200 sq ft
• On a corner lot the exterior side yard must meet the 50 ft front-yard figure
• A non-residential building may reach 65 ft

Residential District One - Eight feet is the least either side yard may be, and the two sides together must add to 20 ft, so a house cannot be pushed to one side of a narrow lot. The 21,780 sq ft minimum is stated per dwelling.

• A dwelling of more than one storey must contain at least 1,400 sq ft
• On a corner lot the exterior side yard must meet the 30 ft front-yard figure
• A through lot owes a rear yard equal to the front yard required of the lots facing the other street

Residential District Two - Eight feet is the least either side yard may be, and the two sides together must add to 20 ft. The 11,500 sq ft minimum is stated per dwelling.

• A dwelling of more than one storey must contain at least 1,400 sq ft
• On a corner lot the exterior side yard must meet the 30 ft front-yard figure

Residential District Three - A corner lot is priced higher than an interior one: 9,750 sq ft on 75 ft of width rather than 8,450 sq ft on 65 ft. The lot area is stated per dwelling.

• Five feet is the least either side yard may be, and the two sides together must add to 10 ft
• A dwelling of two storeys or more must contain at least 1,200 sq ft
• The corner-lot exterior side yard must meet the 30 ft front-yard figure

Cluster Residential District Three-A - No side yard is required at all, and spacing is controlled instead by a 10 ft minimum separation between buildings. The 5,000 sq ft minimum is stated per dwelling.

• A dwelling of two storeys or more must contain at least 1,200 sq ft
• Dwellings may be arranged in groups, in which case each group must abut a street and 30% of the site must be kept as common open space

Traditional Single-Family Residential District - A corner lot is priced higher than an interior one: 5,800 sq ft on 50 ft of width rather than 4,500 sq ft on 40 ft. The lot area is stated per dwelling.

• Five feet is the least either side yard may be, and the two sides together must add to 10 ft
• The corner-lot exterior side yard must meet the 25 ft front-yard figure

Residential District Four - Width is priced by the number of dwellings in the building: 90 ft for a two-family, 105 ft for a three-family and 120 ft for a four-family. The 5,850 sq ft minimum is stated per dwelling, so a four-family building needs 23,400 sq ft.

• Eight feet is the least either side yard may be, and the two sides together must add to 20 ft
• Minimum dwelling size rises with bedroom count, from 400 sq ft for a studio through 640, 760 and 1,000 sq ft to 1,200 sq ft for four bedrooms

Multifamily Residential District Four-A - Three different standards run here, one per development form. The figures shown are for a detached house on its own lot, where a corner lot is priced at 7,200 sq ft and 60 ft of width.

• Detached houses not on individual lots are governed by density instead: one unit per 6,000 sq ft, with buildings kept 10 ft apart and 5 ft off any lot line
• Attached dwellings need 4,300 sq ft of land each on a lot at least 120 ft wide, with 30 ft front, 40 ft rear and 40 ft side yards
• The Planning Board may reduce the side yard below five feet at plat or site-plan approval if buildings stay 10 ft apart

Multifamily Residential District Five - Land per dwelling is priced by bedroom count: 3,630 sq ft for a studio or one bedroom, 4,356 for two, 5,445 for three and 6,250 for four.

• Yards and building spacing are not fixed figures: two parallel buildings must stand apart by 1.66 times their average height
• A building whose longer wall faces a lot line must stand back twice its own height, and never closer than 36 ft to a street line
• Attached dwellings may alternatively be built to the R-4 district standards
• Minimum dwelling size rises with bedroom count, from 400 sq ft for a studio to 1,200 sq ft for four bedrooms

Multifamily Residential District Six - Three different standards run here, one per development form. The figures shown are for a detached house on its own lot, where a corner lot is priced at 7,200 sq ft and 60 ft of width.

• That detached house's side and rear yards are never less than 30 ft against a residential district, with three feet added for every foot of building height above 35 ft
• Detached houses not on individual lots are governed by density instead: one unit per 6,000 sq ft, capped at eight units on any one lot, with buildings 10 ft apart and 5 ft off a lot line
• Attached dwellings are the densest form here: 2,562 sq ft of land for a studio or one bedroom rising to 4,356 sq ft for four bedrooms, on a lot at least 200 ft wide
• For attached dwellings the height limit rises to 65 ft

Multifamily Residential District Seven - The front setback is height-linked: 20 ft for the first 35 ft of building height and 30 ft for any part of the building above that. A corner lot must be 60 ft wide rather than 50 ft.

• Side spacing is stated building to building at 10 ft
• The rear yard and the distance to a lot line are never less than 30 ft against a residential district, with three feet added for every foot of building height above 35 ft
• Attached dwellings are sized differently: 725 sq ft of land for a studio or one bedroom and 1,000 sq ft for two or more, on a lot at least 100 ft wide, with 30 ft between buildings
• A dwelling of two storeys or more must contain at least 1,200 sq ft

Manufactured Home Residential District Eight - The figures shown are for a lot inside the park. The park itself must be at least 10 acres, hold at least 50 lots, be at least 100 ft wide, keep 8% of its gross area as recreation land and hold every structure 25 ft back from the park boundary.

• The front yard is 30 ft on a public street and 25 ft on a private one
• Homes must stand 20 ft apart

Office Building District - The 15 ft side and rear yards apply against another non-residential lot and rise to 25 ft once the building reaches 30 ft; against a residential district they are never less than 30 ft, with three feet added for every foot of height above 35 ft.

• The front setback is 20 ft for the first 35 ft of building height and 30 ft above that
• The district sets no minimum lot area and no minimum lot width
• Buildings on the same site must stand 30 ft apart

Neighborhood Business District - The one-acre figure this district publishes is a maximum lot area, not a minimum: a lot here may not exceed an acre, and there is no floor.

• The front setback is 20 ft for the first two storeys and 30 ft for anything above
• The side and rear yards shown apply against another non-residential lot; against a residential district the rear yard is 30 ft and the side yard 15 ft
• A side yard may be nothing at all where the building sits on the lot line, but must be at least 10 ft if it does not

General Business District - The 10 ft side and 15 ft rear yards apply against another non-residential lot and rise to 25 ft once the building reaches 30 ft; against a residential district they are never less than 30 ft, with three feet added for every foot of height above 35 ft.

• A side yard may be nothing at all where the building sits on the lot line, but must be at least 10 ft if it does not
• The front setback is 20 ft for the first 35 ft of building height and 30 ft above that
• The district sets no minimum lot area and no minimum lot width

Commercial Service District - The 10 ft side and rear yards apply against another non-residential lot; against a residential district both rise to 50 ft.

• The front setback is 20 ft for the first 35 ft of building height and 30 ft above that

Motor Service District - The side and rear yards shown apply against another non-residential lot; against a residential district they are never less than 30 ft, with three feet added for every foot of building height above 35 ft.

• The front setback is 20 ft for the first 35 ft of building height and 30 ft above that
• The district sets no minimum lot area; the site standards for motor service uses are set at § 6-4-12 instead
• Buildings on the same site must stand 30 ft apart

Shopping Center District - The 50 ft side and rear yards apply against another non-residential lot; against a residential district they are never less than 30 ft, with three feet added for every foot of building height above 35 ft.

• The front setback is 25 ft for the first 35 ft of building height and 30 ft above that
• The district sets no minimum lot width
• Buildings on the same site must stand 30 ft apart

Research and Development District - A Research and Development district must cover at least 10 acres, and a lot within it must be at least one acre.

• The 15 ft side and rear yards apply against another non-residential lot, and rise to 25 ft once the building reaches 30 ft
• Against a residential district the side and rear yards are never less than 30 ft, with three feet added for every foot of building height above 35 ft
• The front setback is 20 ft for the first 35 ft of building height and 30 ft above that
• Buildings on the same site must stand 30 ft apart

Science Technology District - A Science Technology district must cover at least 10 acres, and a lot within it must be at least two acres.

• The 30 ft side and rear yards apply against another non-residential lot and rise to 40 ft once the building reaches 30 ft
• Against a residential district the side and rear yards are 50 ft, rising to 75 ft once the building reaches 30 ft
• The front setback is 20 ft for the first 35 ft of building height and 30 ft above that
• Buildings on the same site must stand 30 ft apart

General Industrial District - The 15 ft side and rear yards apply against another non-residential lot and rise to 25 ft once the building reaches 30 ft; against a residential district they are never less than 30 ft, with three feet added for every foot of height above 35 ft.

• The front setback is 20 ft for the first 35 ft of building height and 30 ft above that
• Buildings on the same site must stand 30 ft apart

Agricultural District - Five acres is both the minimum lot area and the land required per dwelling, so a second house needs a second five acres.

• Side and rear yards are never less than 30 ft against a residential district, with three feet added for every foot of building height above 35 ft
• The 15% coverage cap applies to residential use only
• A non-residential building may reach 65 ft

Traditional Neighborhood Development District - This district works the opposite way round: there is no minimum front setback and instead a maximum of six feet, so a building must be built out to the street rather than back from it. There is a minimum height of 26 ft as well.

• A Traditional Neighborhood Development district must cover at least 40 acres
• The 15 ft side and rear yards apply where the lot abuts a residential district; against another non-residential lot no yard is required at all
• Parking and other vehicle areas stand back 25 ft from a residential district and 15 ft otherwise
• Buildings inside the site need no separation

Live-Work District 1 - The side and rear yards shown are the same whether or not the lot abuts a residential district, but parking and other vehicle areas stand back 15 ft from a residential district and 5 ft from the street.

• A detached dwelling of two storeys or more must contain at least 1,200 sq ft
• An attached dwelling is sized by bedroom count instead, from 400 sq ft for a studio through 640, 760 and 1,000 sq ft to 1,200 sq ft for four bedrooms
• The corner-lot exterior side yard must meet the 25 ft front-yard figure

Community Facilities District - The 15 ft side and rear yards apply against another non-residential lot; against a residential district they are never less than 30 ft, with three feet added for every foot of building height above 35 ft.

• The district sets no minimum lot area and no minimum lot width
• The front setback is 20 ft for the first 35 ft of building height and 30 ft above that
• Parking and other vehicle areas stand back 10 ft from a residential district and 5 ft otherwise

Recreation Conservation District - The 15 ft side and rear yards apply against another non-residential lot; against a residential district both rise to 50 ft.

• The district sets no minimum lot area and no minimum lot width
• The front setback is 20 ft for the first 35 ft of building height and 30 ft above that
• Parking and other vehicle areas stand back 25 ft from a residential district and 5 ft otherwise