Town of Chester, NY: zoning for new construction

Agricultural-Residential - A clustered development approved by the Planning Board under § 98-25 can cut the lot to 0.75 acre, or 21,780 square feet (0.5 acre) with both central water and central sewer, on 100 ft of width, and allows 40 ft of height and 20% coverage.

• Yards on a clustered lot are 35 ft front, 15 ft on one side, 30 ft both sides and 40 ft rear.
• Lot area may be reduced to the clustered figures only through clustering based on a conventional plan.
• A town-wide floor area ratio also caps the house itself on a sliding scale keyed to lot size (§ 98-43): about 20% of a one-acre lot, which is 8,600 square feet of gross residential floor area.
• No house in any residential district may exceed 15,000 square feet without a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
• A commercial agricultural operation needs 10 acres on 500 ft of width, with 100 ft front, 150 ft one side, 300 ft both sides and 150 ft rear yards, 60 ft of height and 10% coverage.
• Keeping one horse per acre for each acre above two is an accessory use on a minimum three-acre lot.

Suburban-Residential - The lot minimum stays at one acre whatever the water and sewer service; only a cluster subdivision under § 98-25 reaches a smaller lot, down to 21,780 square feet (0.5 acre) with both central water and central sewer. A floor area ratio also caps the house.

• With both central water and central sewer, a clustered lot is 21,780 square feet (0.5 acre) on 100 ft of width, with 35 ft front, 15 ft one side, 30 ft both, 40 ft rear, 40 ft height and 20% coverage.
• With central water or sewer alone, a clustered lot is 32,670 square feet (0.75 acre) on 100 ft of width, with 40 ft front, 15 ft one side, 30 ft both, 30 ft rear, 40 ft height and 20% coverage.
• Lot area may be reduced to the clustered figures only through clustering based on a conventional plan of one-acre lots.
• A town-wide floor area ratio (§ 98-43) caps the house on a sliding scale keyed to lot size: about 20% on a one-acre lot, which is 8,600 square feet of gross residential floor area.
• No house in any residential district may exceed 15,000 square feet without a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
• A clustered lot with neither central water nor central sewer is three quarters of an acre.

Suburban-Residential - The figures shown apply where there is neither central water nor central sewer. With either service the minimum lot is 32,670 square feet (0.75 acre) on 100 ft of width at 20% coverage; with both it is 21,780 square feet (0.5 acre) on 100 ft of width at 25% coverage.

• Setbacks shrink with service: 35 ft front, 20 ft one side, 40 ft combined and 40 ft rear with either central water or sewer; 35 ft front, 15 ft one side, 30 ft combined and 40 ft rear with both.
• A two-family dwelling needs site plan approval on a lot of 175% of the single-family requirement for the same services, with 125 ft of width and 20% coverage.
• Two-family setbacks are 35 ft front, 20 ft one side, 40 ft combined and 40 ft rear, and no more than 20% of the dwelling units in a subdivision may be two-family.
• Clustered development under § 98-25 with both central services: lots to 14,520 square feet (0.3333 acre), but no more than two dwelling units per acre, with lot sizes set by the Planning Board.
• A town-wide floor area ratio also caps the house on a sliding scale keyed to lot size (§ 98-43), about 20% on a one-acre lot, or 8,600 square feet of gross residential floor area.
• No house in any residential district may exceed 15,000 square feet without a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Suburban-Residential - The one-acre minimum applies only without central service. With central water or central sewer the lot drops to 21,780 square feet (0.5 acre) on 100 ft of width, and with both to 10,890 square feet (0.25 acre) on 80 ft, with smaller yards and coverage of 20% or 25%.

• A two-family dwelling is a permitted use; the schedule prints 17,424 square feet (0.4 acre) on 120 ft of width, with 40 ft front, 10 ft one side, 20 ft combined and 30 ft rear at 20% coverage.
• A footnote instead sets a two-family lot at 175% of the single-family requirement for the same service category, so ask the Town which figure governs.
• Clustering under § 98-20 allows up to four dwelling units per buildable acre of single- and two-family homes, requires public water and sewer, plus 800 square feet of usable open space per unit.
• A town-wide floor area ratio keyed to lot size also caps the house itself (§ 98-43): about 20% of a one-acre lot, which is 8,600 square feet of gross residential floor area.
• No house in any residential district may exceed 15,000 square feet without a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
• Condominium ownership is prohibited in SR-6, and attached and detached units must be owned fee simple.

Local Business - The figures shown apply to the district's business uses, all of which require site plan approval. The only dwelling allowed is a single-family house that already stood before May 2003, together with additions to it; a new house is not available here.

• An existing pre-May 2003 house and its additions are held to 21,780 square feet (0.5 acre) on 100 ft of width, 50 ft front, 20 ft one side, 40 ft both, 30 ft rear and 20% coverage.
• Day-care centers and nursery schools: 1 acre on 200 ft of width, 60 ft front, 20 ft one side, 40 ft both sides, 40 ft rear and 20% coverage.
• A religious institution: 2 acres on 150 ft of width, 80 ft front, 30 ft one side, 60 ft both sides, 30 ft rear, 50 ft of height and 50% coverage.
• A gas station canopy must stand at least 25 ft from a property line.
• Outdoor recreation facilities next to a residential district need a 100 ft buffer, unless they are along a state highway.

Local Business (Sugar Loaf) - The lot minimum here turns on utilities. Without central water and sewer it is 1 acre, with a 40 ft front yard, 30 ft on one side, 80 ft combined, 50 ft rear and 20% coverage. The figures shown apply to a single-family dwelling with one central service.

• With both central water and central sewer, a single-family lot is 0.25 acre on 50 ft of width, with a 10 ft front yard, 5 ft on one side, 15 ft combined, 30 ft rear and 50% coverage.
• A two-family dwelling requires site plan approval on a lot 175% of the single-family requirement for similar utilities, and is capped at 20% of the lots or uses in a subdivision or site plan.
• The front yard requirement does not apply to pre-1 July 1973 buildings on both sides of County Route 13, from Pine Hill Road south to the Orange County Citizens Foundation and Lycian parcels.
• A town-wide floor area ratio also caps the house itself on a sliding scale keyed to lot size (§ 98-43), about 20% on a one-acre lot, or 8,600 square feet of gross residential floor area.
• No house in any residential district may exceed 15,000 square feet without a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
• Day-care and nursery schools have their own figures, 0.25 acre on 50 ft of width; theaters need 5 acres on 200 ft with a 100 ft front yard, 50 ft of height and 30% coverage.

General Commercial - The only dwelling allowed here is a single-family house that already stood before May 2003, on 1 acre but with 150 ft of width, a 50 ft front yard, 35 ft of height and 25% coverage. A new house is not available.

• Wholesale and retail operations of a light industry nature, self-service storage and a building contractor's office and equipment yard need 2 acres, on the same 200 ft of width and the same yards.
• Motels and hotels take their lot area from § 98-29 rather than from the district schedule.
• The commercial and institutional uses here, from offices, retail and restaurants to gas stations and automotive repair, are subject to site plan approval.
• Only the uses the schedule marks for it may store goods outdoors, under Local Law No. 4-2008.

Residence Office - Only single-family dwellings already standing are permitted in RO, so no new house can be built here. The figures shown apply to a lot served by either central water or central sewer, and both the unserved and fully served cases differ.

• With neither central water nor central sewer, the lot is 1 acre on 150 ft of width, with 60 ft front, 30 ft on one side, 60 ft both sides combined, 60 ft rear and 20% building coverage.
• With both central water and central sewer, the lot is 14,520 square feet (0.3333 acre) on 80 ft of width, with 30 ft front, 10 ft on one side, 25 ft combined, 40 ft rear, and coverage rises to 30%.
• New development is limited to offices, restaurants converted from an existing residence, and bed-and-breakfasts, each on site plan approval.
• A town-wide floor area ratio caps the house itself on a sliding scale keyed to lot size (§ 98-43), about 20% of a one-acre lot, or 8,600 square feet of gross residential floor area.
• No house in any residential district may exceed 15,000 square feet without a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Office Park - The figures shown apply to offices for business, research and professional use and to self-service storage. The only dwelling allowed is a single-family house that already stood before May 2003, on 1 acre with 150 ft of width and 20% coverage.

• That pre-May-2003 house is held to 60 ft front, 30 ft on one side, 60 ft for both sides combined, 60 ft rear and 35 ft of height. A new house is not available here.
• Day-care centers and vocational schools: 1 acre on 150 ft of width, 60 ft front, 20 ft one side, 50 ft both sides combined, 50 ft rear, 35 ft of height and 25% building coverage.
• Gas stations, banks, restaurants, commercial indoor recreation, health and fitness facilities, municipal buildings and public utilities: 1 acre on 200 ft of width, 45 ft of height, 30% coverage.
• Motels and hotels take their minimum lot area from § 98-29, on 250 ft of width with a 75 ft front yard, 40 ft on one side, 80 ft for both sides combined and 75 ft rear.
• Outdoor storage of goods is limited to the uses marked for it under L.L. No. 4-2008.

Agri-Industry - A single-family house is available only with site plan approval, one dwelling unit per lot, and only on a lot without water and sewer service. Commercial agricultural operations are the district's permitted use.

• No stable, animal housing or manure or dust-producing substance may be placed within 100 ft of any property line.
• Fowl may be kept only on lots of 50 acres, at no more than 500 per acre.
• Other uses needing site plan approval include veterinarian offices and kennels accessory to a residence, migrant worker dormitories, food processing and packaging plants excluding slaughterhouses.
• Warehousing and wholesaling of farm products, building contractors and lumberyards, and fully enclosed warehouses also need site plan approval.
• Storage of nonfarm materials is allowed only in barns standing before May 2003, on site plan approval.
• A seasonal roadside stand up to 300 square feet and a nonseasonal stand up to 1,000 square feet set back 50 ft from the road are accessory uses, with highway agency approval.