The HM, HR, and MCO Districts are intended to implement the concept of traditional neighborhood development (TND). The RDO District is intended to incorporate major design elements of TND. TND refers to the development of compact complete communities that include single-family homes, apartments, townhouses, workplaces, shops, restaurants, inns, hotels, and recreational facilities. Its goal is to create a pedestrian-oriented environment in which residents and those who work in the area can walk comfortably between different land uses and minimize the use of automobiles. There is a large literature on TND (also known as "new urbanism" and "neotraditional development"), and applicants are encouraged to consult that literature and the website of the Congress for the New Urbanism. The Charter of the New Urbanism, available on that website, is an expression of the intent of this §
121-12.1 and shall be considered by the Planning Board in evaluating applications in these districts.
A. Open space requirement. Applicants for residential development in an HR or HM District shall provide a payment in lieu of providing recreational land (recreation fee) unless the development parcel is at least 10 acres and the applicant provides at least 15% of the land as publicly accessible open space in the form of squares, greens, parks, playgrounds, and/or trails. Open space requirements for the MCO and RDO districts are contained in §§
121-16 and
121-18. Recreation fees shall also be charged for single-family and multifamily dwelling units in these districts, unless the applicant can demonstrate that all of the recreational needs of residents of the development will be provided on site. Recreation fees shall not be charged for any units designated as workforce housing.
B. Multifamily dwellings. Multifamily dwellings shall have their front
entrances on an existing or new street, with parking behind the buildings.
Multifamily dwellings may take the form of rowhouses, townhouses,
apartment buildings, hotel-condominiums, mixed-use buildings containing
apartments, or any other form, such as three-family and four-family
houses, provided that they fit into the traditional architectural
character of Amenia, as determined by the Planning Board.
C. Apartments in mixed-use buildings. Apartments are encouraged to be
located in the upper stories of buildings that have retail or service
commercial on the ground floor, in the manner of traditional hamlet
main streets.
D. Design guidelines. TND development shall, to the extent practical, follow the "Hamlet Design Guidelines" and Greenway Connections referred to §
121-5. The Town Board may adopt additional design standards or guidelines to assist in the administration of this §
121-12.1. An applicant may substitute proposed architectural covenants or a form-based code with design standards in lieu of following these guidelines. Such covenants or code may also substitute for the requirements in Subsections
E and
F of this section.
E. Setbacks and build-to lines. Maximum setbacks and build-to lines
may be established at the time of site plan approval, in conformance
with the practices found in traditional hamlets, and shall supersede
otherwise applicable setbacks in the Dimensional Table.
F. Streets and blocks. Streets shall generally be interconnected, and
permanent culs-de-sac shall only be permitted where wetlands, watercourses,
or steep slopes make street interconnections impractical. In such
cases, pedestrian paths and public stairways shall be provided where
possible. The average area of a block shall not exceed 2.5 acres.
Applicants shall show street cross sections demonstrating compliance
with TND principles. All streets shall be offered for dedication to
the Town, and no street shall be gated. The requirements for streets
in the Town's road specifications shall be waived if such waivers
are necessary to permit street designs in traditional hamlet character.
G. Consultants. For all development under the regulations in this § 121.12.1,
the Town shall retain design experts with specific expertise in TND
development as necessary to review the application and ensure that
it complies with the principles contained in the Charter of the New
Urbanism.
H. Applicability to the MCO and RDO Districts. Development in the MCO and RDO Districts shall conform to the requirements of this §
121-12.1 with the following exceptions:
(1)
Within the MCO District, these requirements shall apply only
within 3,500 feet, horizontal distance, of the Ten-Mile River commuter
rail station platform.
(2)
Within the RDO District, the requirement of a complete mixed-use community shall not apply if it would not be economically viable in the location of the resort development or if it would have an adverse impact on the economic viability of the Hamlet of Amenia. However, the requirements of Subsections
B,
D,
E,
F, and
G above may apply if such requirements are consistent with the proposed resort use of the property.