Can you build an ADU in Cold Spring, NY?

Older Residential Neighborhoods - The front setback is not fixed in this district: under § 134-6.J(1) the Planning Board may permit a structure anywhere within the front setback, measured from the two adjacent structures on the same side of the street.

• On a corner lot, the front setback may be averaged using the adjacent lot on each side.
• The side figure shown applies to one side only, and a separate combined total for both sides applies alongside it.
• Accessory structures follow their own standards: 5 ft one side, 15 ft both sides, 5 ft rear, and 1 1/2 stories or 15 ft.
• Because the accessory both-sides total is 15 ft, an accessory structure is held to wider side yards than the house at 12.5 ft.

Newer Residential Neighborhoods - Lot area alone is not enough: the lot must contain a 50 ft by 50 ft square within 50% of the lot, so a long, narrow parcel can fail even at full size. The front setback is not fixed; the Planning Board can set it from the two adjacent structures on the same side of the street.

• The alternate front setback is a Planning Board decision under § 134-6.J(1), measured from the two adjacent structures on the same side of the street, not an automatic right.
• On a corner lot, the front setback may be averaged using the adjacent lot on each side.
• Accessory structures have their own standards: 10 ft on one side, 20 ft both sides combined, 10 ft rear, and 1 1/2 storeys or 15 ft.
• The side setback figure shown applies to a single side, and a separate combined total for both sides applies as well.

Large Residential Lots - Lot area alone is not enough: the lot must contain a 50 ft by 50 ft square within 50% of the lot, so a long narrow parcel can fall short. The front setback is not fixed either, the Planning Board can set it from the two adjacent structures on the same side of the street.

• The front setback allowance sits at § 134-6.J(1); on a corner lot the setback may be averaged from the adjacent lot on each side.
• The 10 ft side figure is the minimum for one side only, and the two sides together must still total 20 ft.
• Three storeys are permitted here, but they have to fit within the same 35 ft height limit.
• Accessory structures are held to their own standards: 10 ft one side, 20 ft both sides combined, 10 ft rear, and 1 1/2 storeys or 15 ft.

Multi-Family Housing - Land required per dwelling unit rises with bedroom count under § 134-8D(2): 4,000 sq ft for a studio or one-bedroom, 6,500 sq ft for a two-bedroom and 8,500 sq ft for three or more bedrooms. The figure shown is the studio and one-bedroom rate.

• Maximum building length is 180 ft.
• Two multifamily buildings must stand at least twice the height of the taller one apart.
• A principal building must stand 20 ft from a one-storey accessory building.
• The side setback shown is the minimum for one side, and a separate combined total for both sides applies as well.
• Entries and porticoes may be ignored in computing the front yard.
• This district appears as MF in the use table and R-MF in the dimensional table; both refer to the same district.

Business 1 - Beyond the minimum area, the lot must be able to contain a 30 ft by 40 ft rectangle within 50% of the lot, so a long, narrow parcel can fall short even at full size.

• The 1.5 storey cap applies alongside the 35 ft height, so a three storey Main Street building is not available even within that height.
• The zero front setback is the stated standard in this Main Street core, not an absence of a rule: buildings meet the sidewalk.
• The side setback figure is a one side minimum, and a separate combined total for both sides applies as well.
• This district carries the highest building coverage allowance in the village.

Business 2 - Day-care centres and filling stations are provided for in B-2 and in no other district in the village.

Medical and Health Care Facility and Senior Citizen Housing - Unit yield is set by lot area per dwelling unit, not by the 3 acre lot minimum alone, and building coverage plus a 180 ft maximum building length are tested on top of it.

• No building may exceed 180 ft in length.
• Buildings must stand apart by twice the height of the building.
• Each dwelling unit requires a minimum of 2,300 sq ft of lot area and 600 sq ft of livable floor area.
• The side setback figure is the one side minimum; a separate combined total for both sides applies, so doubling the single figure falls short.

Medical and Health Care Facility and Mixed Use - There is no single front setback here. The required front setback ranges from 15 ft to 75 ft on the same lot, depending on the use and on whether the lot fronts a Village street or a State Highway, and the Planning Board sets the figure in some cases.

• A use other than a single-family residence fronting on a Village street: 75 ft front setback.
• A single-family residence fronting a Village street or a State Highway: 25 ft or less, as the Planning Board permits.
• Any other use fronting a State Highway: 15 ft or less, as the Planning Board permits.
• The side figures work together: 10 ft is the minimum for one side, and both sides must still total at least 25 ft under Table 6B.

Parks and Recreation - Building here is limited to park and recreation uses: athletic fields, court games, parks, playgrounds, conservation areas and wildlife refuges. The district sets no minimum lot area, width, depth or setbacks, so the height and coverage caps are the main dimensional limits.

• The 15 ft height cap and 10% building coverage cap are the lowest of any district in the village.

Civic Uses - This district sets no minimum lot area, width or depth and no setbacks, so the height and building coverage caps are the only dimensional limits. It is shaped for civic uses such as municipal buildings, parks, schools, conservation areas and farmers markets.

• A marina is allowed only by special use permit.
• The height cap is the lowest in the village, shared with PR (Parks and Recreation).

Educational, Religious and Cultural - The dimensional figures here are the same as those for the R-O district, so what sets ERC apart is the use list: schools, libraries, houses of worship, parks and municipal buildings are the permitted uses.

• The side setback figure is a one-side minimum, and Table 6B sets a separate combined total for both sides, so meeting only twice the single figure falls short.

Planned Mixed Use - The lot area, width, depth and height shown are the standards for a lot holding a multi-family building, which is also capped at 2½ stories. One-family and two-family homes follow the R-O district's lot and dimensional rules, and cottage courts follow § 134-12E.

• Each multi-family building sits on its own lot and holds no more than four units of no more than 1,200 square feet gross each, with at most one parking space per unit.
• Density is an average of seven dwellings per net acre, counting gross acreage minus non-buildable land, so a constrained site yields fewer units.
• A multi-family building has a maximum front setback of 15 feet, and the table sets a maximum side yard of 10 feet on one side and 15 feet for both.
• Multi-family buildings may not adjoin one another and must stand at least 15 feet from other residential buildings.
• Each of the four dwelling types must make up at least 20% of all units.
• PMU is a single planned development district covering the former Marathon Battery Factory site.