[Amended 2-27-1995 by L.L. No. 1-1995; 2-4-2020 by L.L. No. 2-2020]
A. The Board of Trustees of the Village of Yorkville hereby abolishes
the existing Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals; and
B. Hereby creates a new Zoning Board of Appeals and gives and grants to the new Zoning Board of Appeals the powers and duties of a Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals as set forth in the New York State Village Law, and Chapter
135, Article
VII, §
135-34, of the Village Code; and
C. Wherever the terms "Zoning Board," "Zoning Board of Appeals" or "Planning
Board" appear in the Code of The Village of Yorkville, said terms
shall hereafter mean and refer to the Zoning Board of Appeals created
upon the adoption of this article; and
D. The Mayor shall appoint the members of the new Zoning Board of Appeals,
subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees; and
E. There is hereby established a Zoning Board of Appeals consisting
of five members, including one Chairperson, and, in addition, there
shall be two alternates which shall function in the manner prescribed
by law. The members of the Zoning Board of Appeals shall be residents
of the Village of Yorkville and shall be appointed to serve for five-year
terms, as prescribed by law. Vacancies occurring in said Board, by
expiration of term or otherwise, shall be filled in the manner provided
by law.
F. The Board shall have and exercise the additional powers and duties prescribed by the Village Law and Chapter
118, Subdivision of Land, of the Village of Yorkville.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
All meetings of the Board of Appeals shall be
held at the call of the Chairperson and at such other times as such
Board may determine. The Chairperson or, in his absence, the Acting
Chairperson may administer oaths and compel the attendance of witnesses.
Meetings of the Board shall be open to the public. Such Board shall
keep minutes of its proceedings, showing the vote of each member upon
every question or, if absent or failing to vote, indicating such fact
and shall also keep records of its examinations and other official
actions.
All decisions of the Board of Appeals shall
be by resolution, and a copy of each decision shall be sent to the
applicant, to the Village Clerk and to the Zoning Enforcement Officer.
Every rule, regulation, amendment or repeal thereof and every order,
requirement, decision or determination of the Board shall immediately
be filed in the office of the Board and shall be a public record.
Each decision shall set forth fully the reasons for the decision of
the Board and the findings of fact on which the decision was based.
Such findings and reasons shall include references to the standards
pertaining thereto where the appeal is for a variance or a special
exception.
An appeal stays all proceedings in furtherance
of the action appealed from, unless the Zoning Enforcement Officer
from whom the appeal is taken certifies to the Board of Appeals after
the notice of appeal shall have been filed with him that, by reason
of facts stated in the certificate, a stay would, in his opinion,
cause imminent peril to life or property; otherwise proceedings shall
not be stayed except by a restraining order, which may be granted
by the Board of Appeals or by a court of record on application or
notice to the officer from whom the appeal is taken and on due cause
shown.
The Board of Appeals shall have the following
powers and duties prescribed by statute and by this chapter as described
below:
A. Jurisdiction:
(1) Appellate jurisdiction:
(a)
Appeals from the interpretation of the Zoning
Enforcement Officer.
(b)
To grant a variance in case of unnecessary hardship.
(2) Original jurisdiction: the granting of special exceptions
for certain uses stated in the chapter.
B. Interpretation: on appeal from a determination of
the Zoning Enforcement Officer, to hear and decide on questions where
it is alleged there is an error in any order, requirement, decision
or determination made by the Zoning Enforcement Officer involving
the interpretation of any provision of the chapter.
C. Variances: on appeal from a determination of the Zoning
Enforcement Officer and in conformity with law, to vary the requirements
as they apply to a particular lot where the property owner can show
that his property was acquired in good faith and where the strict
application of this chapter would result in practical difficulty or
unnecessary hardship. No application for a variance shall be acted
on until the required public hearing has been held. The Board of Appeals
shall prescribe appropriate conditions and safeguards to carry out
the requirements of this subsection and shall not grant any variance
unless it shall make a finding of fact based upon the evidence as
presented to it in each specific case that:
(1) Because of exceptional narrowness, shallowness, shape
or area of the specific parcel or because of extraordinary topographic
conditions or other physical conditions or location of the specific
parcel, the strict application of the provisions of this chapter actually
prohibit or unreasonably restrict the use of the land or building
for which such variance is sought, that the granting of the variance
is necessary for the reasonable use of such property and that the
variance granted by the Board is the minimum variance that will provide
for the reasonable use of the property; or
(2) The granting of the variance will alleviate a clearly
demonstrable hardship as distinguished from a special privilege or
convenience sought by the owner, which conditions are peculiar to
such land or building and do not apply generally to land or buildings
in the vicinity or neighborhood and have not resulted from any act
of the applicant subsequent to the adoption of this chapter; and
(3) In any case, the granting of the variance will be
in harmony with the intent and purpose of this chapter, will not constitute,
in effect, an amendment of any district regulations or boundaries
or uses and will not be injurious to the neighborhood.
D. Special exceptions: On application supplementing an
application to the Zoning Enforcement Officer for a permit or certificate
of occupancy, the Board of Appeals may authorize the Zoning Enforcement
Officer to grant a permit for any use for which approval of the Board
is required by this chapter. The Board shall, pursuant to law, hold
a public hearing on any such application prior to acting thereon.
In authorizing such permit, the Board may designate appropriate conditions
in harmony with the following standards:
(1) The use shall be of such location, size and character
that it will be in harmony with the appropriate and orderly development
of the district in which it is situated and will not be detrimental
to the orderly development of adjacent districts and uses.
(2) The location and size of the use, the nature and intensity
of the operations involved in or conducted in connection therewith,
its site layout and its relation to streets giving access to it shall
be such that traffic to and from the use and the assembly of persons
in connection with it will not be hazardous or inconvenient to the
neighborhood or conflict with the normal traffic of the neighborhood.
In applying this standard, the Board shall consider, among other things,
convenient routes of pedestrian traffic, particularly of children,
relation to main traffic thoroughfares and to street and road intersections
and the general character and intensity of development of the neighborhood.
(3) The location and height of buildings, the location,
nature and height of walls and fences and the nature and extent of
landscaping on the site shall be such that the use will not hinder
or discourage the proper development and use of adjacent land and
buildings or impair the value thereof.
Special exceptions to be considered by the Board
of Appeals include the following:
A. Public utility stations or structures. Such uses shall
include electric substations, transformers, switches and auxiliary
apparatus serving a distribution area and water-pumping stations in
any residential district and shall be subject to the following regulations:
(1) Such facility shall not be located on a residential
street, unless no other site is available, and shall be so located
as to draw a minimum of vehicular traffic to and through such streets.
(2) The location, design and operation of such facility
shall not adversely affect the character of the surrounding residential
area.
(3) Adequate fences, barriers and other safety devices shall be provided, and the facility shall be screen-planted in accordance with the provisions of §
135-22.
B. Drive-in restaurants or refreshment stands. In addition
to meeting the minimum yard and lot coverage requirements, such businesses,
where persons are served in automobiles or out of doors, shall be
subject to the following regulations:
(1) Such use shall be not closer than 200 feet to a residence
district.
(2) Such use shall have frontage on a public street.
(3) Ingress and egress shall be so designed as to minimize
traffic congestion, and for this purpose, the number and location
of driveways shall be subject to review and approval of the Board
of Appeals.
(4) Such use shall be adequately fenced and screened from
any adjacent residential property, and lighting shall be directed
away from adjacent property.
C. Auto washes. In addition to meeting the minimum yard
and lot coverage requirements, any auto wash establishment shall be
subject to the following regulations:
(1) Such establishment shall not be closer than 200 feet
to a residence district.
(2) The wash water shall not pollute any stream nor create
a hazard because of surface drainage.
(3) The number and location of driveways shall be subject
to review and approval of the Board of Appeals.
(4) Such establishment, in addition to meeting the off-street
parking requirements of Schedule B, shall provide four stacking spaces per bay on the lot
to prevent the waiting of automobiles in the public street.
D. Commercial excavations. Except in a commercial excavation
district and except when incidental to the construction of a building
on the same lot, the excavation, processing or sale of topsoil, earth,
sand, gravel, clay or other natural deposits is subject to the following
conditions:
(1) An application shall be made to the Board of Appeals
for a special exception for commercial excavation.
(2) In its consideration of said application, the Board
of Appeals shall find that such excavation will not endanger the stability
of adjacent land or structures nor constitute a detriment to public
welfare, convenience or safety by reason of excessive dust, noise,
traffic or other conditions. The Board of Appeals shall specify any
reasonable requirements to safeguard the public health, safety and
welfare in granting such permit, including the following:
(a)
The slope of material in such topsoil, sand,
gravel, clay or other earth shall not exceed the normal angle of repose
of such material.
(b)
The top and the base of such slope shall not
be nearer than 50 feet to any property line nor nearer than 50 feet
to the right-of-way line of any street or highway.
(3) A plan for restoration and rehabilitation of a commercial
earth excavation area or burrow pit shall accompany the application
for a special exception and shall assure conformance with the public
health, safety and welfare. The Board of Appeals, upon approval of
such plan, shall require a performance bond to assure rehabilitation
of commercial excavation sites in conformance therewith.
E. Junkyards and automobile junkyards. No junkyard or
automobile junkyard shall be operated or established hereafter in
any area of the Village unless a special exception shall have been
granted by the Board of Appeals for such use. Any such use existing
at the time of adoption of this chapter shall be discontinued within
two years unless such use shall comply with the requirements below
and shall be granted a special exception by the Board of Appeals.
(1) Before a permit for a junkyard or automobile junkyard
is authorized, the Board of Appeals shall find that such use will
not constitute a detriment to the public health, safety, welfare,
convenience and property values by reason of dust, smoke, fumes, noise,
traffic, odors and vermin or other conditions.
(2) The Board of Appeals may specify any reasonable requirements
to safeguard the public health, welfare, safety, convenience and property
values in granting such permit, including the following:
(a)
Said use shall not be located within 50 feet
of any highway, stream or property line or within 500 feet of any
existing church, school, public building or place of public assembly.
(b)
Any junkyard or automobile junkyard shall be
completely surrounded with a fence which substantially screens said
area and shall have a suitable gate which shall be closed and locked,
except during the normal working hours of said use. Such fence shall
not be erected nearer than 50 feet to any highway or property line.
All junk and dumping materials stored or deposited at the site shall
be kept within the enclosure of the fence and below the top of the
fence, except during transportation of the same in the reasonable
course of the business. No dumping or burning of the same shall be
accomplished within the Village.
(c)
Where the topography, land forms, natural growth
of trees or other considerations accomplish the purpose of this section
in whole or in part, the fencing requirements hereunder may be reduced
by the Board of Appeals; provided, however, that such natural barrier
conforms to the purposes of this section. Where the topography, land
forms, natural growth of trees or other considerations are such as
to prevent effective screening, other means shall be designed, or
the use shall not be allowed in the particular location.
F. Used car sales. Any used car sales establishment shall
be subject to the following regulations:
[Amended 9-4-2012 by L.L. No. 4-2012]
(1) Such establishment shall not be closer than 200 feet
to a residence district.
(2) A site plan showing the lot dimensions and the proposed
building dimensions and location on the lot shall be submitted with
the application. The relationship of the size of the building to the
lot size and yard dimensions shall be subject to review and approval
of the Zoning Board of Appeals.
(3) Such use shall be adequately fenced and screened from
any adjacent residential property.
(4) All work performed shall be conducted entirely within
a completely enclosed building.
(5) Such use shall not include auto salvage, as defined
in this chapter.
G. Auto body shops. Any auto body establishment shall
be subject to the following regulations:
(1) Such establishment shall not be closer than 200 feet
to a residence district.
(2) A site plan showing the lot dimensions and the proposed
building dimensions and location on the lot shall be submitted with
the application. The relationship of the size of the building to the
lot size and yard dimensions shall be subject to review and approval
of the Zoning Board of Appeals.
(3) Such use shall be adequately fenced and screened from
any adjacent residential property.
(4) All work performed shall be conducted entirely within
a completely enclosed building.
(6) Any additions or alterations to the exterior of existing
structures shall be subject to review and issuance of special permit
by the Zoning Board of Appeals prior to issuance of a building permit.