The Village Center is the cultural and commercial hub of the
community. The enhancement and preservation of its character are essential
elements of the Rhinebeck community and the Hudson Valley. Therefore,
zoning in the Village Center will adhere to the following principles:
A.
New buildings shall be appropriately integrated into the traditional
Village fabric.
B.
The Village Center shall be characterized by a mix of commercial
(retail and office) and residential uses that will encourage social
interaction and economic activity.
C.
Outdoor storage or display of merchandise is prohibited, except as permitted in Chapter 89, Outdoor Sales.
D.
Ground floors shall primarily contain active, publicly accessible
uses. Retail uses are encouraged and each retail establishment shall
have a minimum of 400 square feet.
E.
Building height and short setbacks will create the feel of an "outdoor
room" so that streets and sidewalks function as the primary public
spaces in the community.
F.
Buildings will typically be located on small lots with small or nonexistent
front and side yard setbacks and shall have a minimum footprint of
650 square feet.
G.
Buildings shall be constructed close to the sidewalk.
H.
Well-defined crosswalks and well-maintained sidewalks will clearly
define pedestrian space.
I.
Streets shall form a modified grid, or interconnected network. Dead-ends,
culs-de-sac and loop roads shall be prohibited unless unusual topography
or other physical characteristics of the land make these necessary.
J.
Multiple routes between destinations (in an interconnected network
of streets) shall allow pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists a choice
of the most direct or most interesting routes.
K.
Streets and publicly used spaces shall be designed to accommodate
multiple users, including cars, bicycles, pedestrians and persons
with disabilities.
L.
On-street parallel parking, and the planting of street trees between
the curb and sidewalk, will be encouraged in order to provide a buffer
between moving vehicles, pedestrians and persons with disabilities.
M.
On-street parallel parking shall be permitted on both sides of the
street, unless otherwise prohibited by the agency with jurisdiction
over that segment of street.
N.
Any off-street parking shall generally be located behind buildings,
and in the interior of lots.
O.
Opportunities for municipally controlled parking and/or shared parking
arrangements between private entities will be preferred to the fragmentation
of the intact Village fabric with large expanses of private parking.
P.
New construction shall be compatible with general architectural principles common to the existing historic character of the Village Center and the finding, purposes and standard of the Historic District Overlay (§ 120-39A).
Q.
Well maintained landscape areas and publicly accessible green space
shall be integrated into site plans whenever possible.
R.
Mechanical equipment shall be located and operated so as to minimize
visual, auditory or other disruptive impacts on the neighboring properties.
Buildings in the Village Center District may have apartments
as a subordinate use to the primary ground floor use subject to the
following provisions:
A.
The habitable area of each apartment shall be at least 500 square
feet.
B.
Each apartment shall be a separate dwelling unit with provisions
for complete living, including kitchen, sanitary and sleeping facilities
for year-round use by one family.
C.
Apartments shall not be located in the front half of the first floor
of the building, and each apartment shall contain all services for
safe and convenient habitation meeting the New York State Fire, Building,
Health and Environmental Codes.
D.
Apartments shall have access to the outside of the building, in compliance
with the building code of the State of New York.
All building and zoning permit applications in the Village Center
District shall be subject to site plan approval. During site plan
review, preexisting nonconformity with this chapter shall be reduced
to the maximum extent practicable.
