The provisions of this chapter shall be administered and enforced by the Building Inspector, who shall issue building permits and zoning permits. No building permit, zoning permit, certificate of occupancy, or other permit or license shall be issued if it would be in conflict with the provisions of this chapter, Chapter
92 of the Gardiner Town Code, entitled "Building Construction," or any other applicable local, state, or federal law or regulation.
The steps to obtain zoning permits shall be the same as those required for building permits in Chapter
92. If the Building Inspector denies a building or zoning permit and does not refer the application to the Planning Board or Town Board, the applicant may appeal to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
No building or structure hereafter erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, or moved, and no enlarged, extended, altered, or relocated portion of an existing building or structure shall be occupied or used until a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the Building Inspector, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter
92 of the Town Code, this chapter, and any other applicable laws and regulations. Any structure for which a building permit has been issued, which remains partially complete with no substantial progress over a twelve-month period, shall be considered a violation of this chapter to be remedied pursuant to §
220-57.
Pursuant to the provisions of § 267
of the Town Law, there is hereby established a Zoning Board of Appeals
consisting of five members appointed by the Town Board. The Zoning
Board of Appeals shall have all the powers and duties prescribed by
law and this chapter in connection with appeals to review any order,
requirement, decision, interpretation, or determination made by an
administrative official charged with the enforcement of this chapter,
generally the Building Inspector. An appeal may be taken by any person
aggrieved or by any officer, department, board, or bureau of the Town.
A. Appeals of orders, requirements, decisions, interpretations,
or determinations. The Zoning Board of Appeals may reverse or affirm,
wholly or partly, or may modify the order, requirement, decision,
interpretation, or determination appealed from, and shall make such
order, requirement, decision, interpretation, or determination as
in its opinion ought to have been made in the matter by the administrative
official charged with the enforcement of this chapter. In so doing,
the Zoning Board of Appeals shall have all the powers of the administrative
official from whose order, requirement, decision, interpretation,
or determination the appeal is taken.
B. Appeals for variance.
(1) Where there are practical difficulties or unnecessary
hardships imposed by the strict letter of this chapter, the Zoning
Board of Appeals shall have the power, upon appeal from a determination
by the Building Inspector and after public notice and hearing, to
vary or modify the application of any of the provisions of this chapter
relating to the use, construction, or alteration of structures or
the use of land, so that the spirit of this chapter is observed, public
safety and welfare secured, and substantial justice done.
(2) All applications for variances shall be submitted to the Building Inspector at least 10 days before the meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals and shall be accompanied by six copies of a plot plan, drawn to scale with accurate dimensions, showing the location of all existing and proposed structures on the lot. An application for a use variance may require submission of an agricultural data statement pursuant to §
220-37D.
(3) Any variance which is not exercised by application
for a zoning permit or by otherwise commencing the use within one
year of the date of issuance shall automatically lapse.
C. Use variances.
(1) The Zoning Board of Appeals, on appeal from a decision
or determination of the Building Inspector, shall have the power to
grant use variances, authorizing a use of the land which otherwise
would not be allowed by this chapter. No use variance shall be granted
without a showing by the applicant that applicable zoning regulations
and restrictions have caused unnecessary hardship to the applicant.
In order to prove unnecessary hardship, the applicant shall demonstrate
that for each and every permitted use under this chapter for the district
in which the applicant's property is located:
(a)
The applicant cannot realize a reasonable return,
provided that lack of return is substantial as demonstrated by competent
financial evidence;
(b)
The alleged hardship relating to the property
in question is unique, and does not apply to a substantial portion
of the district or neighborhood;
(c)
The requested use variance, if granted, will
not alter the essential character of the neighborhood; and
(d)
The alleged hardship has not been self-created.
(2) Failure to demonstrate any one of the requirements in Subsection
C1(a) through
(d) above is sufficient to justify the denial of a use variance.
(3) The Zoning Board of Appeals shall consider any agricultural data statement submitted pursuant to §
220-37D.
(4) The Zoning Board of Appeals, in granting use variances,
shall grant the minimum variance that it deems necessary and adequate
to address the unnecessary hardship proven by the applicant, and at
the same time preserve and protect the character of the neighborhood
and the health, safety, and welfare of the community.
(5) In addition to the grounds for granting a use variance in Subsection
C(1) above, a use variance may also be granted if the applicant can prove, by competent financial evidence, deprivation of all economically beneficial use of the property. In such a case, the Zoning Board of Appeals shall grant only the minimum variance necessary to allow an economically beneficial use.
(6) If the use variance is granted for a nonresidential
use, the applicant shall obtain site plan approval from the Planning
Board prior to commencing the use or obtaining a building permit or
zoning permit.
D. Area variances.
(1) The Zoning Board of Appeals shall have the power, upon an appeal from a decision or determination of the Building Inspector, or in connection with a special permit or site plan application as provided in §
220-62D or §
220-66D, to grant area variances from the area or dimensional requirements.
(2) In making its determination, the Zoning Board of Appeals
shall take into consideration the benefit to the applicant if the
variance is granted, as weighed against the detriment to the health,
safety, and welfare of the neighborhood or community of such grant.
In making its determination, the Board shall also consider:
(a)
Whether an undesirable change will be produced
in the character of the neighborhood or a detriment to nearby properties
will be created by the granting of the area variance;
(b)
Whether the benefit sought by the applicant
can be achieved by some method, feasible for the applicant to pursue,
other than an area variance;
(c)
Whether the requested area variance is substantial;
(d)
Whether the proposed variance will have an adverse
effect or impact on the physical or environmental conditions in the
neighborhood or district; and
(e)
Whether the alleged difficulty was self-created,
which shall be relevant to the decision of the Board, but which shall
not necessarily preclude the granting of the area variance.
(3) The Zoning Board of Appeals, in the granting of area
variances, shall grant the minimum variance that it deems necessary
and adequate, while preserving and protecting the character of the
neighborhood and the health, safety, and welfare of the community.
E. Imposition of conditions on variances. The Zoning
Board of Appeals shall, in granting use variances and area variances,
impose such reasonable conditions and restrictions as are directly
related to and incidental to the proposed use of the property. Such
conditions shall be consistent with the spirit and intent of this
chapter, and shall be imposed for the purpose of minimizing any adverse
impact the variance may have on the neighborhood or community.
F. Procedures.
(1) Application. Appeals shall be taken by filing a written
notice of appeal and any required plans with the Building Inspector
and the Zoning Board of Appeals, within 60 days after the filing of
the order, requirement, decision, interpretation, or determination
that is being appealed, on forms prescribed by the Zoning Board of
Appeals. Such application shall refer to the specific provision of
this chapter involved and shall specify the grounds for the variance
requested, the interpretation claimed, or for the reversal of an order,
requirement, decision, or determination of an administrative official.
The Building Inspector shall forthwith transmit all the papers constituting
the record of the appeal to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
(2) Referral to County Planning Board.
(a)
Requests for variances that require referral
to the County Planning Board shall be so referred pursuant to General
Municipal Law, Article 12-B, §§ 239-l and 239-m, as
amended.
(b)
No action shall be taken on variances referred
to the County Planning Board until its recommendation has been received,
or 30 days have elapsed after its receipt of the full statement of
the proposed variance, unless the County and Town agree to an extension
beyond the thirty-day requirement for the County Planning Board's
review.
(c)
County disapproval. A majority-plus-one vote
shall be required to approve any variance which receives a recommendation
of disapproval from the County Planning Board because of the referral
process specified above, along with a resolution setting forth the
reasons for such contrary action.
G. Hearing and public notice.
(1) If an agricultural data statement has been submitted,
the Secretary of the Zoning Board of Appeals shall, upon receipt of
any variance application, mail written notice of the application to
the owners of land as identified by the appellant in the agricultural
data statement. Such notice shall include a description of the proposed
variance and its location. The cost of mailing the notice shall be
borne by the appellant.
(2) The Zoning Board of Appeals shall set a reasonable
time after receipt of a complete application for the hearing of appeals.
(3) The Secretary of the Zoning Board of Appeals shall
refer all applications for use variances to the Planning Board for
a report prior to the public hearing. If the Planning Board does not
report within 30 days of such referral, the Zoning Board of Appeals
may take action without the Planning Board's report.
(4) At least five days prior to the date of the hearing
of appeals, the Zoning Board of Appeals shall give public notice by
causing the publication of a notice of such hearing in the official
newspaper and by mailing a notice thereof to the Planning Board and
by certified mail to all property owners within 200 feet of the property
upon which the appeal is taken. The cost of publishing and mailing
such notices shall be borne by the appellant.
(5) If the application is for a use variance on property
located within 500 feet of the boundary of an adjacent municipality,
notice of the hearing shall be sent to the clerk of the adjacent municipality
by mail or electronic transmission at least 10 days prior to such
hearing, and such adjacent municipality may appear and be heard.
(6) The clerk of the board and the Code Enforcement Officer shall comply with the supplemental notice requirements in §
220-59.1, and the costs shall be borne by the applicant.
(7) At the hearing, any party may appear in person or
by agent or by attorney.
(8) The Zoning Board of Appeals may adjourn the hearing for a reasonable period in order to cause such further notice as it deems proper to be served upon such other property owners as it decides may be interested in the appeal. If the hearing is adjourned for more than 30 days, the Board may require that it be re-noticed as provided in Subsection
G(4) above.
H. Action. The Zoning Board of Appeals may, in conformity
with the provisions of this chapter, reverse, affirm, or modify, wholly
or in part, the order, requirement, decision, interpretation or determination
of the administrative official in accordance with the provisions of
this chapter.
(1) Any such action shall be decided within 62 days after
the close of the hearing.
(2) Every decision of the Zoning Board of Appeals shall
be approved by vote of a majority of the members by resolution which
contains a full record of the findings and rationale for the decision.
If the Zoning Board of Appeals acts contrary to the recommendations
of the Town Planning Board or the County Planning Board, it shall
give written reasons for such action.
I. Filing. Every order, requirement, decision, interpretation,
or determination of the Zoning Board of Appeals shall be filed in
the office of the Town Clerk within five business days after the decision
is rendered, and shall be a public record. A copy thereof shall be
placed in the permanent file of the property and shall also be mailed
to the appellant within the same five-day period.
J. Court review of Board decisions. Any person or persons,
jointly or severally aggrieved by any decision of the Zoning Board
of Appeals, may apply to the Supreme Court for review by a proceeding
under Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules and § 267-c
of the Town Law.
K. Expiration of appeal decision. Unless otherwise specified
by the Zoning Board of Appeals, a decision on any appeal shall expire
if the appellant fails to obtain any necessary building permit within
12 months of the date of such decision.
L. Stay of proceedings. An appeal shall stay all proceedings
in furtherance of the action appealed from unless the Building Inspector
certifies for the Zoning Board of Appeals, after the notice of appeal
has been filed, that such a stay of proceedings would, in the Building
Inspector's opinion, cause imminent peril to life or property by reason
of facts stated in the certificate. In such a case, proceedings shall
not be stayed except by a restraining order granted by the Zoning
Board of Appeals or by the Supreme Court on application, on notice
to the Building Inspector for due cause shown.