A. 
For the purposes of this chapter, the Town of Stillwater is hereby divided into the following districts:
T2
T2 Rural Conservation
T3N
T3 Neighborhood
T3G
T3 Gateway
T4
T4 Riverfront Corridor
T5
T5 Gateway
SLZ-1
Saratoga Lake Zone-1
MB
Mixed-Use Business District
CSR
Cold Spring Road Transition Zone
R67
Rt. 67 Mixed-Use District
T3G-1
T3G-1 Rural Gateway Transect Zone
R76
Rt. 76 Crossroads District
Saratoga Lake Watershed Overlay District
B. 
Additional planned development districts may be adopted by the Town Board from time to time pursuant to Article VII of this Chapter 210.
C. 
The locations of these districts are shown on the map entitled "Town of Stillwater Zoning Map," adopted by the Stillwater Town Board on June 19, 2025, and as may be subsequently amended.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: The Zoning Map is included as an attachment to this chapter.
D. 
The purposes of the districts are as follows:
(1) 
T2 Rural Conservation. The purpose of this district is to preserve, protect, and promote the rural agricultural heritage of the area while allowing compatible low-density residential development and agricultural supportive uses and protecting important viewsheds in relation to the Saratoga National Historical Park.
(2) 
T3N Neighborhood. The purpose of this district is to promote a range of housing types and opportunities in keeping with the surrounding neighborhood and encourage connectivity to surrounding neighborhoods, the Town's mixed-use areas, and the trail.
(3) 
T3G Gateway. The purpose of this district is to promote commercial opportunities and residential development in keeping with the rural character of the area and encourage connectivity to and from commercial establishments, the surrounding neighborhoods, and the trail.
(4) 
T4 Riverfront Corridor. The purpose of this district is to promote and enhance the Town's identity by encouraging mixed-use development, street-level activity, walkability to surrounding neighborhoods, and additional public access to the Hudson River.
(5) 
T5 Gateway. The purpose of this district is to maximize economic development potential by encouraging infill, reuse, and expansion of businesses while promoting and enhancing the Town's identity by encouraging mixed-use development, street-level activity, and walkability to connect to surrounding neighborhoods.
(6) 
SLZ-1 Saratoga Lake Zone 1. The purpose of this district is to provide a multi-use district recognizing existing development patterns while facilitating new appropriately scaled seasonal and year-round residential, water-dependent, and commercially related uses in an aesthetically and ecologically sound manner so as to afford maximum protection for the scenic and environmental quality of Saratoga Lake. Further, this district is intended to maintain and diversify recreational opportunities, promote development that is pedestrian friendly, calms traffic, discourages large-scale development, and encourages the integration of land uses rather than separation.
(7) 
MB Mixed-Use Business District. The purpose of this district is to provide areas for a compatible mix of well-planned office, light industrial, warehousing, research, and development, and multi-family residential development, with provisions for pedestrian and bicycle connections within and to surrounding districts. Where appropriate, commercial, service, and residential uses may be integrated into office buildings or located horizontally in freestanding buildings.
(8) 
CSR Cold Spring Road Transition Zone. The purpose of this district is to provide opportunities for appropriately scaled commercial and residential uses along the Cold Springs Road corridor and to provide a transition between existing low-density residential and agricultural development patterns in the T2 Rural Conservation District to the east, the more intense development in the Mixed-Use Business Districts and LFTC to the west, and higher residential and commercial density to the north.
(9) 
R67 Rt. 67 Mixed-Use District. The purpose of this district is to allow property owners to respond to long-term development trends and permit a mix of compatible commercial, residential, and light industrial development in an orderly fashion along the Rt. 67 Corridor. Allowed uses shall be sited in appropriate locations with vehicle and pedestrian safety being major elements to be considered during the review of proposed projects. Site and building designs will be of a quality that enhances the character of the corridor, eliminates visual clutter, and respects the diversity of existing developments and adjacent environmental resources.
(10) 
T3G-1 Rural Gateway Transect Zone. The purpose of this district is to encourage a mix of small-scale retail and service uses, a variety of housing types, and continued expansion of agribusiness and home occupations along Rt. 76, while providing a gradual transition between the Town's rural central and northern locations and the Saratoga Lake/Rt. 9P corridor to the west and the Village of Stillwater to the southeast. New development will maintain the open space and aesthetic quality of the corridor, avoid commercial strip development, and safely manage vehicle access along Rt. 76.
(11) 
R76 Rt. 76 Crossroads District. The purpose of this district is to provide an opportunity to cluster appropriately scaled public, agricultural, residential, and commercial uses at the intersection of Routes 76 and 75, and to sustain and enhance this rural crossroads area while protecting the surrounding open space and associated natural resources. Development shall be designed and sited to consolidate curb cuts and provide opportunities for internal vehicle and pedestrian connections between land uses.
(12) 
Saratoga Lake Watershed Overlay District. The purpose of this overlay district is to preserve and enhance the environmental quality of Saratoga Lake, its shoreline and watershed through the retention and protection of natural topographic features including drainageways, stream corridors, wetlands, steep slopes, ridgelines, vistas, and existing vegetation. Grading, runoff, and soil erosion will be minimized through limitations on new land disturbances, impervious areas, steep slope development, and vegetation clearing, combined with enhanced stormwater design standards, the use of cluster and conservation subdivisions, and other measures.
Where uncertainty exists with respect to the boundary of any district shown on the Town of Stillwater Zoning Map, the following rules shall apply:
A. 
Where district boundaries are indicated as approximately following the center lines or right-of-way lines of streets, highways, railroads or public utility easements, said boundaries shall be construed to be coincident with such lines.
B. 
Where district boundaries are so indicated that they are approximately parallel to the center lines or right-of-way lines of streets, highways, railroads or public utility easements, said boundaries shall be construed as being parallel thereto and at such distances therefrom as indicated on the Town of Stillwater Zoning Map or as shall be determined using the scale on the Town of Stillwater Zoning Map.
C. 
Where district boundaries are indicated as approximately following the Town boundary line, property lines, lot lines, or projections thereof, said boundaries shall be construed to be coincident with such lines or projections thereof.
D. 
Where district boundaries are so indicated that they are approximately parallel to the Town boundary line, property lines, lot lines, or projections thereof, said boundaries shall be construed as being parallel thereto and at such distances therefrom as are indicated on the Town of Stillwater Zoning Map or as shall be determined using the scale on the Town of Stillwater Zoning Map.
E. 
Where a street, highway, railroad or public utility easement, center line or right-of-way line is coincident with a zoning boundary line and varies from the actual on-the-ground physical monument or mark, then such on-the-ground physical monument or mark shall determine said zoning boundary.
F. 
Where uncertainty exists in determining the precise location of any district boundary line, the Zoning Board of Appeals shall interpret the intent and purpose of the Zoning Map. The Zoning Board of Appeals shall render such interpretation within 30 days of receipt of all information it deems necessary to make its interpretation. A public hearing is not required for an interpretation.
Where the position of a floodplain boundary is not clear, an elevation shall be taken from an agreed-upon benchmark to the elevation of the lowest finished floor of the building. If the elevation of the lowest finished floor is found to be below the elevation of the 100-year floodplain as shown on the appropriate Flood Insurance Rate Map published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, such property shall be construed to be within the floodplain.
A. 
The restrictions and controls intended to regulate development in each district are set forth in this section and are supplemented in other sections of this chapter.
B. 
Except as hereinafter provided:
(1) 
No building or structure or land shall be used or occupied and no building or structure or part thereof shall be erected, moved or altered unless in conformity with the regulations herein specified for the district(s) in which it is to be located.
(2) 
No new building or structure that is allowed for the district in which such building or structure is located shall be erected to exceed the height or bulk, occupy a greater percentage of lot area, or have narrower or smaller lot size, front yards, rear yards or side yards than is allowed in the particular district.
C. 
Use regulations.
(1) 
Principal permitted uses. A use shall be permitted in a given zoning district if it is listed in the Schedule of Regulations[1] hereof as a principal permitted use for that district, provided that all other requirements of this chapter are met.
(2) 
Site plan review uses. A use listed in the Schedule of Regulations hereof as a site plan review use for a given zoning district shall be permitted in that district when approved in accordance with Article IV hereof, provided that all other requirements of this chapter are met.
(3) 
Special permit uses. A use listed in the Schedule of Regulations as a special permit use shall be permitted in that district when approved in accordance with Article V hereof, provided that all other requirements of this chapter are met.
(4) 
Nonpermissible uses. Any use which is not a permissible use by right, site plan review, or special use permit in a given zoning district or which is not an accessory use to such a permissible use, site plan review use, or special permit use, shall be a nonpermissible use and shall be deemed prohibited in that zoning district.
(5) 
Accessory use or accessory structure. An accessory use or accessory structure shall be permitted if the use to which it is accessory is a lawful use pursuant to the terms of this chapter and for which a permit has been issued if required pursuant to the terms of Article XX hereof, so long as said accessory use or structure does not result in or increase any violation of the provisions of this chapter. Accessory structures shall be located in the side or rear yards of a principal structure. The structures may be located no closer than 25% of the setback requirement but in no case less than five feet from the side or rear property line. An accessory structure shall not be used for commercial purposes by residents of residential structures, except as permitted by Article XV, Home Occupations, nor shall it include a sign, except as permitted by Article XIII, Signs.
(6) 
Principal buildings in residential zones. In areas zoned for single-family dwellings, a maximum of one single-family dwelling may be constructed per lot, regardless of lot size. Construction of additional single-family dwellings shall require subdivision approval and shall be in conformance with the requirements of this chapter.
(7) 
The following uses shall be expressly prohibited in the Town of Stillwater: any landfill, waste-storage or -processing facility, sludge dewatering facility or other facility used to process or store hazardous materials or materials dredged from any river or water body.
D. 
Schedule of Regulations. The Schedule of Regulations for the zoning districts is found in the table at the end of this chapter in Table 1/Attachment 1.[2]
A. 
Purpose.
(1) 
The Town of Stillwater recognizes the importance of the Plum Brook and Village of Stillwater watersheds as a source of water supply to the City of Mechanicville and the Village of Stillwater, as well as to the surrounding region.
(2) 
The Town of Stillwater also recognizes the importance of Saratoga Lake as an important water resource as well as the lake's environmental, cultural, recreational and historical significance to the area. The Town therefore determines that it is in the interest of the Town to designate the Plum Brook Watershed Protection Overlay District and the Village of Stillwater Watershed Protection Overlay District, within which certain regulations intended to protect the watersheds shall apply.
B. 
Designated areas.
(1) 
The locations of the Plum Brook and Village of Stillwater watershed protection overlay districts are shown on the Town of Stillwater Zoning Map.
(2) 
The boundaries of the Saratoga Lake Watershed Protection Overlay District are shown on the Town's Zoning Map and is intended to encompass all land within the Town that drains into Saratoga Lake and tributaries within the Town of Stillwater.
(3) 
In cases where a parcel is partially inside and partially outside of the overlay district, only those portions located within the overlay district are required to comply with the regulations of this chapter. Any interpretations of the boundaries of this map shall be the responsibility of the Building, Planning, and Development Department (the "Planning Department"), whose decision may be appealed to the Town's Zoning Board of Appeals.
C. 
Regulations. Within the watershed protection overlay districts, the following activities shall be prohibited:
(1) 
Disposal of any solid waste, petroleum, radioactive material, brine, solvents, hazardous material, or nonresidential wastewater into or onto land or a surface water body (except for the underground injection activities specifically and directly related to the development or maintenance of water supply wells and except for the operation of existing on-site disposal systems for sewage). This section shall not be construed to prohibit or otherwise regulate manure storage or processing or spreading or other agricultural use of recognizable and nonrecognizable food waste, sewage sludge, septage and composted sludge, including the land application or storage of such materials for agricultural purposes.
(2) 
Commercial use, storage and/or application of pesticides without applicable permits/certification from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
(3) 
Open storage of agricultural chemicals or fertilizer within 100 feet of any water body.
(4) 
Introduction into an existing on-site disposal system of any material that is potentially hazardous to groundwater quality, including but not limited to petroleum, radioactive material, brine, solvents and hazardous material.
(5) 
Dry cleaning, dyeing, printing, photo-processing, and any other business that stores, uses or disposes of hazardous material, unless all facilities and equipment are designed and operated to prevent the release or discharge of hazardous material.
(6) 
Establishment and/or operation of any solid waste management or waste management facility or hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facility, including but not limited to: solid waste storage area or facility; transfer station; rail-haul or barge-haul facility; landfill of any kind; disposal facility; solid waste or animal incinerator; recycling facility; land application facility; composting facility; surface impoundment; used oil storage; reprocessing and re-refining facility; waste tire storage facility; junkyard; salvage yard; impoundment yard; dump; radioactive waste facility; pathological or medical waste facility; or hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facility.
(7) 
Installation or operation of any underground petroleum product or chemical storage facility in excess of 1,100 gallons.
(8) 
Cemetery.
(9) 
Dumping or disposing of snow or ice collected off-site from streets, roads or parking areas within 100 feet of any water body.
(10) 
Wholesale storage of fertilizers.
(11) 
Bulk storage of coal or chloride salts.
(12) 
Construction of commercial pipelines or piping systems that carry petroleum or any other liquid hazardous material.
(13) 
Construction of public or private sewage treatment facilities.
(14) 
Discharge, land application or disposal of any septage, sewage sludge, animal wastes, animal remains or human excreta within 100 feet of any water body, except that such prohibition shall not apply to manure storage or processing or spreading or other agricultural use of recognizable and nonrecognizable food waste, sewage sludge, septage and composted sludge.
D. 
Nonconforming activities.
(1) 
A lawful activity which exists at the time of the effective date of this chapter that does not conform with the requirements of this section is not subject to the restrictions and requirements of this section.
(2) 
No nonconforming activity shall be expanded, enlarged or modified in any way that is deemed by the Code Enforcement Officer to pose a greater threat to groundwater and otherwise contravene the intent and purpose of this section.
(3) 
In the event that an allowed nonconforming activity is stopped, suspended or abandoned for a period of 12 months or longer, the activity shall permanently desist and shall be subject to the requirements of this chapter.
E. 
Imminent hazard.
(1) 
If any allowed nonconforming activity is found by the Code Enforcement Officer to pose a potential or imminent health hazard or threat to a public water supply, it shall be deemed a violation of this chapter. The Code Enforcement Officer shall take whatever actions are necessary to remedy an imminent threat to a public water supply.