[Amended 10-21-2003 by L.L. No. 7-2003]
There is hereby established a Zoning Law regulating
and restricting the location, grouping, bulk, construction and use
of buildings and structures and the development and use of land in
the Town of Thompson, New York (hereinafter referred to as the "Town"),
and providing fines and penalties for the violation thereof, which
law is set forth in the following text, schedules and related maps
forming the Zoning Law for the Town of Thompson. This Part 1 is adopted
for the purposes set forth in the Municipal Home Rule Law of the State
of New York in the interest of protection of order and the health,
safety and well-being of persons and property and the protection and
enhancement of the physical and visual environment and shall be deemed
to include the following purposes, among others:
A. To guide future growth and development of the Town
of Thompson in relation to the orderly development of the region of
which it is a part and in consideration of its existing development
pattern and improvements, its resources and the quality of its environment.
B. To provide adequate light, air and privacy; to secure
safety from fire, flood and other danger; to prevent overcrowding
or the overly intensive or inappropriate use of land; and to protect
the quality of the physical environment.
C. To promote a mutually supportive, logical and harmonious
interrelation of land uses by bringing about the gradual conformity
of the uses of land and buildings throughout the Town to the Zoning
Law set forth in this Part 1 and minimizing conflicts between the
uses of land and buildings.
D. To prevent and reduce traffic congestion so as to
promote safe and efficient circulation of pedestrian and vehicular
traffic.
E. To protect the surface and ground water supplies from
pollution by ensuring that, except in rural or undeveloped areas,
homes, businesses and industries are served by adequate, central sewage
treatment and water supply systems meeting or exceeding state and
federal standards.
F. To encourage the use of land and the design of buildings
so as to create a harmonious appearance in all parts of the Town and
to prevent abuses that would offend the eye or cause unfavorable reaction.
G. To encourage flexibility in the design and development
of land in such a way as to promote the most appropriate use of land;
to facilitate the adequate and economical provisions of streets, utilities
and parks; to preserve the natural and scenic qualities of open lands
for public use and enjoyment; and to provide opportunity of choice
of housing and environment suitable to the varied needs of the population.
H. To facilitate communication by requiring that signs
be compatible with their surroundings and promote the distinctive
identity of the Town, the occupant, services, or type of product provided
thereon.
I. To preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of
the community and the economic value of the land by means of the wise
use and management of natural resources throughout the Town, which
shall require the preservation and protection of the natural and scenic
resources, including the surface drainage system, topographic features
and wildlife habitats, so as to prevent the pollution of air and water,
to assure the adequacy of surface drainage, to safeguard water supplies
and to provide for the adequate propagation and support of game and
nongame animals.