The commercial districts established in this article are designed
to provide a suitable character and stable environment for the provision
of commercial goods and services within the community and to promote
and protect the public health, safety and general welfare. The purpose
of these districts includes, among others, the following specific
goals:
A. To provide sufficient space, in appropriate locations, for various
types of commercial and miscellaneous service activities, in order
to meet the consumer needs of the Town of Hamlin's present and future
populations.
B. To provide sufficient space, in appropriate locations in proximity
to residential areas, for local or neighborhood retail development
catering to the regular shopping needs of the occupants of nearby
residences.
C. To encourage large-scale residential developments to contain convenience-type
markets, multipurpose retail and personal service shops when not available
in the immediate area.
D. To provide sufficient space, in appropriate locations throughout
the Town, to satisfy the needs of larger-scale retail developments,
including the need for off-street parking spaces in areas to which
a large proportion of shoppers come by automobile, and the need for
landscaping and buffering of commercial areas; and to encourage the
natural tendency of such retail developments to concentrate in certain
areas, to the mutual advantage of both consumers and merchants.
E. To protect retail development and nearby residences against fire,
explosions, toxic and noxious matter or other safety and environmental
hazards, offensive noise, vibration, smoke, odors, heat, humidity,
glare and other objectionable influences.
F. To protect both local retail development and nearby residences against
congestion, particularly in areas where the established pattern is
predominantly residential but may include local retail uses, by regulating
the intensity of such development, restricting the types of establishments
which generate heavy traffic to locations along major Town streets
or highways, and by providing for off-street parking and loading facilities.
G. To provide for access of light and air to windows, to provide for
privacy as much as possible and to provide for adequate fire protection
by controlling the spacing, location and heights of buildings and
other structures, and to provide for adequate access to sunlight and
to wind for solar energy and wind-powered devices or structures.
H. To discourage strip commercial development along major Town roads
and in rural areas.
I. To provide for the maintenance of the general aesthetic character
and integrity of commercial areas by limiting construction, development
and certain types of activities in required front, side and rear yards.
J. To provide for the proper review and consideration by the Town Planning
Board and Town Board of proposed developments in certain areas of
the Town and for certain types of uses.
K. To provide for the ordered, economic growth and development of the
Town through the establishment of viable commercial activities and
uses that will contribute to employment opportunities within the Town
and help protect the Town's tax revenue base.