Certain words in this ordinance are defined for the purposes
thereof as follows:
Words in the present tense include the future; the singular
number includes the plural, and the plural the singular; the word
"lot" includes the word "plot"; the word "building" includes the word
"structure"; the word "zone" includes the word "district."
A facility providing care for the elderly and/or functionally
impaired adults in a protective setting for a portion of a twenty-four-hour
day.
[Added effective 8-31-2001]
A restaurant, cabaret, tavern, club, bookstore, video store,
movie theater, peep show or similar establishment which devotes a
substantial portion of its stock-in-trade or a substantial portion
of its total viewing or presentation time to the regular and routine
featuring of material or performances that depict the display of the
human body in a state of undress, or nudity, including but not limited
to the display of female breasts with nipples exposed, or male or
female buttocks or genitalia which are less than completely or opaquely
covered; and which excludes any minors on the basis of age.
[Added effective 1-28-1994]
Defined as the term is defined in the Connecticut General
Statutes Title 30, Intoxicating Liquors, Chapter 545, Liquor Control
Act.
[Amended effective 3-9-1955; effective 7-25-2008]
An establishment for the care and boarding of dogs or cats
for a fee.
[Added effective 3-29-1996]
A building or any portion thereof used by an artist, as verified
by the City of Norwalk, as both their dwelling unit and artist workspace.
[Added effective 6-13-2019]
Space within an existing building, used for the creation,
rehearsal or teaching of any visual art or craft and occasional exhibition
of artwork, including, but not limited to, painting, photography,
sculpture, print making, video, film, and pottery, or of any performing
art, whether for live or recorded performance, including music, dance,
and theater, and accessory sales of such art.
[Added effective 10-27-2006; amended effective 6-13-2019]
Lighting and audio systems used to illuminate athletic playing
fields for nighttime use and to provide audio broadcasting of events,
including, but not limited to, football, baseball, softball, volleyball,
tennis, marching band and related athletic events.
[Added effective 1-25-2011]
An alternative structured parking facility which uses an
automated (robotic) parking system located within an enclosed structure
to provide the required on-site parking spaces for developments requiring
a minimum of two hundred (200) parking spaces or more. Such facility
uses palettes or other automated equipment to deliver vehicles to
designated parking spaces.
[Added effective 8-29-2008]
A roof-like cover constructed of fabric, metal, or glass,
designed and intended to provide protection from the elements, which
projects from the wall of a structure over a door, walkway or other
ingress or egress opening.
[Added effective 9-24-2010]
Any dwelling or portion thereof in which at least four unrelated
persons but not more than 20 persons are housed or boarded without
separate kitchen facilities, where meals may be provided.
[Added effective 6-12-1987; amended effective 8-10-2018]
Any business operation or combination of uses in the servicing
and maintenance of boats, the mooring of boats for rent or for fee,
a retail selling of boat spaces and any other use or product thereto.
The custom manufacturing of certain products by hand in limited
quantities for distribution primarily to a local or regional market,
including but not limited to, confections and other custom-made food
items, ceramics, furniture, artwork including painting, printmaking
and sculpture, and similar products.
[Added effective 10-28-2005]
A business establishment engaged in the manufacture, storage
and bottling of beer, the retail sale of alcoholic liquor to be consumed
on the premises, which may include the sale of food, the retail sale
from the premises of sealed bottles or other sealed containers of
beer brewed on such premises for consumption and/or distribution off
the premises, all in accordance with the Connecticut General Statutes
Sec. 30-16 and 30-91. A brew pub may be equipped with a full kitchen,
provide hot meals regularly and be issued a manufacturer's Permit
for a brew pub by the state of Connecticut Department Of Consumer
Protection Liquor Division.
[Added effective 9-28-2012; amended effective 6-13-2019]
A strip of land along a property line, free of any structure
or other improvement and landscaped with trees and shrubs of sufficient
height and mass to buffer adverse effects upon adjacent properties
the year around.
[Added effective 9-15-1975]
The maximum area of a building and its accessories, projected
on a horizontal plane.
Establishments primarily engaged in rendering services to
business establishments on a fee or contract basis, such as advertising,
typing, duplicating, mailing, building maintenance, employment, consulting,
protective services, taxi, collection, photofinishing, office equipment
rental, repair and leasing and other similar services.
[Added effective 10-1-1987]
A signed, written approval by the Zoning Commission, or its
designated agent, that a soil erosion and sediment control plan complies
with the applicable requirements of these regulations.
[Added effective 9-13-1985; amended effective 5-26-2000]
A facility which offers a program of supplementary care to
more than 12 related or unrelated children on a regular basis and
which is licensed by the State of Connecticut.
[Added effective 6-12-1987]
A public or private institution of higher education offering
a two-year or four-year degree program of study which is accredited
by the State of Connecticut Board of Governors for Higher Education,
as per the Connecticut General Statutes.
[Added effective 12-27-2002]
[Added effective 5-29-1992; repealed
effective 10-27-1995]
A business establishment engaged in providing leisure time
activities and open to the public for a fee, and which may include
as an accessory use the sale, rental or repair of recreation equipment
and the serving of refreshments to patrons. A "commercial recreation
establishment" may include, but is not limited to, tennis and paddle
tennis courts, golf driving range, bowling lanes, ice skating and
shooting ranges. A billiard parlor or pool hall shall not be permitted
as a "commercial recreation establishment."
[Added effective 12-7-1990]
The Zoning Commission of the City of Norwalk.
[Added effective 12-11-1975; amended effective 5-26-2000]
A nonprofit facility for recreation, social or cultural activities
under the management and unified control of the membership or the
city.
[Added effective 6-12-1987]
A nonprofit facility where social services are provided and
recreation, social, educational, developmental or cultural activities
take place under the management and unified control of the City of
Norwalk, a public or nonprofit agency or the membership. Permitted
programs and activities may include the following: child day-care
and summer camp programs, after school and tutoring activities, social
services assessment, advocacy and counseling, job training and neighborhood
organization; provided that the facility continues to be available
for the general public.
[Added effective 5-28-1993]
A facility which houses eight or fewer mentally ill adults
and the staff of such facility and which is licensed by the State
of Connecticut.
[Added effective 6-12-1987]
An assisted living facility providing independent or partially
independent living quarters, congregate meals, housekeeping, professional
caregiving, and other supportive services to persons 60 years of age
or older who, because of infirmities and other functional limitations,
including those related to beginning and intermediate Alzheimer's
disease, cannot live in a completely independent environment.
[Added effective 7-25-1980; amended effective 9-27-1996]
A structure used predominantly for offices necessary for
the operation of a contracting business, which may include as an accessory
use the interior storage of contractor's equipment and materials
used in the construction trade. Off-street parking for contractor's
vehicles, which do not exceed one-ton rated capacity nor more than
two (2) axles, shall be permitted only if all equipment and supplies
are stored predominantly within the vehicle. The number of such vehicles
shall not exceed the number of parking spaces designated for their
use, in addition to the number of spaces required for the office use
and all other on-site uses. Outside storage of contractor's equipment
or vehicles exceeding one-ton rated capacity or more than two (2)
axles shall not be permitted on the premises.
[Added effective 1-26-2001]
A parcel of land, with or without structures, a minimum of
12,500 square feet in size, used for the storage of equipment and
materials used in the construction, landscaping, landscape nursery,
masonry or arborist trade; including, but not limited to, trucks,
vans, bulldozers, backhoes and other similar equipment and/or stockpiles
of construction or property improvement materials, such as concrete,
gravel, woodchips, logs, plant stock, masonry, plumbing or electrical
supplies, and other similar materials. All such equipment and material
shall be stored in an environmentally safe manner behind the front
setback line and no closer than five feet to the side or rear property
lines. All such stockpiles shall be limited to a maximum height of
20 feet and shall be effectively screened from view from adjacent
properties.
[Added effective 10-25-1996; amended effective 10-28-2011]
See "nursing home."
[Added effective 6-12-1987]
The Fairfield County Soil and Water Conservation District
established under Subsection (a) of Section 22a-315 of the Connecticut
General Statutes.[1]
[Added effective 9-13-1985]
A facility to accommodate the visual and performing arts,
including, but not limited to, art galleries, artist studios, television
and radio recording studios, art, dance and music schools, and the
like.
[Added effective 10-26-2007]
A parcel or parcels of land, a minimum of ten (10) acres
in area, for mixed use developments including two (2) or more of the
following uses: office, retail, residential, hotel and related accessory
uses, having or proposing more than one (1) building (whether or not
buildings are connected by atrium or other type of common area), which
is designed in a unified manner and which has common facilities, such
as private interior motor vehicle ways and open space for use by occupants
and invitees of the park. Development within a design district development
park may include one (1) or more adjoining parcels whether or not
separated by public street(s), provided that such parcels are developed
in accordance with a design district development park master plan.
Land previously conveyed or to be conveyed for public right-of-way
purposes shall be included in all applicable area calculations (i.e.,
lot area, density, building coverage, FAR, etc.).
[Added effective 10-26-2007; amended effective 10-26-2007]
Any construction or grading activities to improved or unimproved
real estate.
[Added effective 9-13-1985]
A parcel or parcels of land, a minimum of 10 acres in area,
for office and accessory uses having or proposing more than one building
(whether or not buildings are connected by atrium or other type of
common area), which is designed in a unified manner and which has
common facilities, such as private interior motor vehicle ways and
open space for use by occupants and invitees of the park.
[Added effective 4-12-1985; amended effective 12-20-1996]
[Added effective 4-12-1985]
An interior private passageway within a development park
designed for motor vehicle passage into and within various areas of
the development park and which meets the following standards:
An area where the ground cover is destroyed or removed leaving
the land subject to accelerated erosion.
[Added effective 9-13-1985]
Any structure whose framing projects out from a sloping roof
to form a vertical wall designed to accommodate a window or other
opening. When constructed as part of a half story, dormers shall be
set back a minimum of two (2) feet from all building faces. Dormers
located on the front of the structure facing the street shall occupy
no more than fifty percent (50%) of the length of the second-story
roof and shall comply with the story definition. When the gabled end
of the structure faces the street, dormers on both roof faces shall
occupy no more than fifty percent (50%) of the length of the second-story
roof and shall comply with the story definition criteria.
[Added effective 7-28-2006]
A building containing one or more dwelling units; but in
the case of a building having two or more portions divided by one
or more party walls forming a complete separation, each such portion
shall be considered to be a separate dwelling.
[Added effective 1-8-1974]
A dwelling having any portion of one wall in common with
adjoining dwellings.
[Added effective 1-8-1974]
A dwelling having open space on all sides.
[Added effective 1-8-1974]
A building containing three or more dwelling units.
[Added effective 8-25-1978]
A dwelling having only one (1) dwelling unit with one (1)
kitchen, as herein defined, from ground to roof and having independent
outside access.
[Added effective 1-8-1974; amended effective 1-26-2007]
Any room or group of rooms located within a residential building
and forming a single habitable unit with facilities which are used
or intended to be used for living, sleeping, cooking and eating by
one (1) family, provided that each such unit is limited to one (1)
kitchen, as herein defined.
[Added effective 1-8-1974; amended effective 1-26-2007]
A dwelling unit specifically designed for and occupied by
an elderly person or persons and which conforms to the requirements
of state or federal programs providing for housing for the elderly.
[Added effective 6-2-1975]
The detachment and movement of soil or rock fragments by
water, wind, ice or gravity.
[Added effective 9-13-1985]
A person living alone, or a group living together, as a single
nonprofit housekeeping unit and sharing common bathing, sleeping,
cooking and eating facilities, and sharing at least one common living
room space. Said housekeeping unit may include any number of people
related by blood, marriage, adoption or legally recognized foster
relationship, but shall never include more than three (3) unrelated
individuals.
[Amended effective 1-8-1974; effective 8-10-2018]
A private family home caring for not more than six children,
including the provider's own children not in school full-time
and which is registered with the State of Connecticut.
[Added effective 6-12-1987]
The sum of the gross horizontal areas of the several floors
of a building, measured from the exterior faces of exterior walls,
and excluding floor space permanently devoted to mechanical equipment
used in the operation and maintenance of the building and floor space
permanently devoted to parking or loading.
[Added effective 11-16-1984]
The ratio of the total floor area of a building to the area
of the lot on which it is located.
[Added effective 11-16-1984]
Any department, commission, independent agency or instrumentality
of the United States, of the State of Connecticut or of the City of
Norwalk, including any authority or district thereof, or other governmental
unit.
[Added effective 5-28-1993]
Any excavating, grubbing, filling, including hydraulic fill,
or stockpiling of earth materials or any combination thereof, including
land in its excavated or filled condition.
[Added effective 9-13-1985]
Roof areas which are landscaped by vegetation or other means
to manage stormwater, where such green roof landscaping comprises
a minimum of twenty percent (20%) of the total roof area, excluding
roof areas permanently devoted to mechanical equipment used in the
operation and maintenance of the buildings or permanently devoted
to parking.
[Added effective 10-26-2007]
A private family home or a facility which provides a program
of supplemental care to not less than seven nor more than 12 related
or unrelated children on a regular basis and which is licensed by
the State of Connecticut.
[Added effective 6-12-1987]
A facility which provides resident services and twenty-four-hour
supervision for not less than seven nor more than 12 mentally retarded
and/or physically handicapped persons and which is licensed by the
State of Connecticut.
[Added effective 6-12-1987]
A transitional living facility which provides resident services
and supervision for persons who have physical or social disabilities
which make operation in society difficult and require the protection
of a group setting to facilitate their rehabilitation and return as
a fully functional member of society.
[Added effective 6-12-1987]
A facility to accommodate the medical care of persons, including,
but not limited to, medical laboratories, diagnostic testing facilities,
physical therapy, pharmaceutical centers, research centers and similar
facilities.
[Added effective 10-26-2007]
The vertical distance measured from the average elevation
of the finished grade adjacent to the exterior walls of the building
to the level of the highest point of the roof's surface, if the
roof is flat, or to the mean level between the eaves and the highest
point of the roof if any other type; except that in the CBD, building
height for properties located on the west side of West Avenue shall
be measured in relation to the street center line with the highest
elevation on which the lot fronts, and for properties located on the
east side of West Avenue, building height shall be measured from the
center line of West Avenue. Where the finished grade is established
by filling, the average elevation of any filled portions shall be
measured from not more than three feet above the existing grade prior
to any proposed development.[2]
[Amended effective 7-30-1982; effective 4-12-1985; effective 7-27-2007; effective 6-13-2019]
In the case of a building located within a development park,
as defined herein, the center-line elevation of an adjacent development
park private way, as defined herein, may be used to measure height,
provided that, in so doing, building height shall not exceed by more
than fifteen (15) feet the maximum height as measured from the center-line
elevation of the street.
[Added effective 7-27-2007]
Sites which are used, designed or intended to be used for
the purpose of the taking off or landing of helicopters or any other
similar aircraft. Each take-off and landing operation shall constitute
one (1) flight.
[Added effective 9-28-2001]
A building or group of buildings designed and used primarily
as a temporary abode for transients, and not exclusively designed
for independent housekeeping, and in which not more than ten percent
(10%) of the living or sleeping units shall have cooking facilities.
A sign reading "No cooking permitted" shall be posted in all such
units not having cooking facilities.
[Added effective 2-9-1977]
A building or group of buildings designed and used as a temporary
abode for travelers, who typically stay for multiple nights and who
have a permanent residence elsewhere. The living units may have cooking
facilities.
[Added effective 8-29-1997; amended effective 9-29-2000]
A structure located on a parcel of land, a minimum of 10,000
square feet in size, used for the indoor storage of equipment and
vehicles used in the construction, landscaping, landscape nursery,
masonry or arborist trades; including, but not limited to, trucks,
vans, bulldozers, backhoes and other similar equipment. All contractor
vehicles and equipment shall be stored entirely within the building.
No outside storage of materials shall be permitted on the premises.
No outside storage of contractor's equipment or commercial vehicles
of any kind shall be permitted on the premises.
[Added effective 3-29-2013; amended effective 12-19-2014]
A parcel or parcels of land, a minimum of fifty (50) acres
in area, zoned for industrial, manufacturing, office, college or university,
research and development, single- and multi-family residential with
recreational facilities on a parcel containing 25 acres or more, and
accessory uses, having or proposing more than one (1) building (whether
or not buildings are connected by atrium or other type of common area),
which is designed in a unified manner and which has common facilities,
such as private interior motor vehicle ways and open space for use
by occupants and invitees of the park.
[Added effective 10-26-2001; amended effective 12-27-2002; effective 11-27-2009]
The periodic review of sediment and erosion control measures
shown on the certified plan.
[Added effective 9-13-1985]
A structure limited to two hundred (200) square feet in size,
located in a design district development park from which a limited
selection of products and/or services are sold or provided, including,
but not limited to, food, flowers, newspapers, information guides,
and the like.
[Added effective 10-26-2007]
An area of a dwelling unit, as herein defined, used for the
preparation, storage and/or service of food which contains any or
all of the following fixtures and/or equipment in whole or part: storage
cabinets (plastic, metal or wood), kitchen sinks, refrigerator, dishwasher,
stove, hot plate, oven, table top broiler, including fans and hoods;
all of which are installed or plugged into related plumbing and electrical
fixtures or connections.
[Added effective 2-2-1990; amended effective 1-26-2007]
Any form of musical entertainment performed live for patrons
of a specific establishment, including, but not limited to, live bands,
disc jockeys playing recorded music, and any music played using equipment
that amplifies the music.
[Added effective 9-30-2011]
A parcel of land, not divided by streets, occupied or to
be occupied by a building or buildings and accessory buildings or
uses customarily incident to it, together with such open spaces as
are required under the provisions of these regulations.
[Amended effective 8-25-1978]
A parcel of land at the junction of and fronting on two or
more intersecting streets or upon two parts of the same street forming
an interior angle of 120° or less.
[Amended effective 2-24-1989]
The mean distance from the street line of the lot, measured
in the general direction of the side lines of the lot.
A lot other than a corner lot.
A lot situated to the rear of lots fronting on a street and
having access to the street via an accessway which is in the same
ownership as the rear lot.
[Added effective 2-13-1980]
The horizontal distance between the side lines of a lot measured
at right angles to its depth along the street line. Ninety percent
of this lot width must be maintained for the first seventy (70) feet
of lot depth. Where the street line forms an arc with a radius of
less than one hundred (100) feet and the side lot lines converge towards
the street line, the lot width shall be measured along the front setback.
On a corner lot, the width shall be measured along the narrow street
front and may include 1/2 the arc of the street corner.
[Amended effective 7-28-1950; effective 2-13-1980; effective 2-24-1989]
The custom fabrication of certain products by hand by artisans
or businesses in limited quantities for distribution primarily to
a local or regional market; including but not limited to: confections
and other custom-made food and beverage items, ceramics, furniture,
artwork, including painting, printmaking and sculpture, and similar
products.
[Added effective 6-13-2019]
A use which involves the production of goods from raw materials
or the assembly of finished products that may result in the need for
considered access by large vehicles or vessels for transport and may
require the storage of significant quantities of materials, both internally
or externally, for processing on-site or for distribution to other
locations.
[Added effective 6-13-2019]
A use involving the production of goods from raw materials
or the assembly of finished products that will result in limited external
effects, noise, and other by-products.
[Added effective 6-13-2019]
A use or facility located within a business establishment
and providing massage therapy as defined in C.G.S. Section 20-206a.
Such uses and facilities shall limit the hours of operation from 7:00
a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and shall provide evidence that all persons rendering
such services are licensed by the State of Connecticut in accordance
with C.G.S. Section 20-206b. Any such similar uses or facilities not
consistent with this definition shall be prohibited.
[Added effective 10-25-2002]
Supportive pre- and post-partum living environments for pregnant
women and their children where housing, meals, medical care, occupational
therapy, job training and other services are provided.
[Added effective 6-28-2019]
A place of business for which a dispensary license has been
issued under the provisions of the Connecticut General Statutes Chapter
420f, Palliative Use of Marijuana, and the facility is thereby recognized
as a "licensed dispensary" or "dispensary" by the State of Connecticut
Department of Consumer Protection pursuant to the Connecticut General
Statutes Section 21a-408h (Public Act No. 12-55).
[Added effective 7-29-2016]
A place of business for which a producer license has been
issued under the provisions of the Connecticut General Statutes Chapter
420f, Palliative Use of Marijuana, and the facility is thereby recognized
as a "licensed producer" or "producer" by the State of Connecticut
Department of Consumer Protection pursuant to the Connecticut General
Statutes Section 21a-408i (Public Act No. 12-55).
[Added effective 7-29-2016]
An establishment used by a licensed health care provider
which does not include any hospital or outpatient surgical care facilities
as defined by the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
[Added effective 9-25-2009]
A parcel or parcels of land, a minimum of ten (10) acres
in area, for mixed use developments designed primarily for retail
uses (which include food and beverage) in excess of 700,000 gross
square feet and including one (1) or more of the following uses in
addition to retail, one of which must be public realm, as that term
is defined in the Urban Renewal Plan for the Reed Putnam Area Norwalk,
Connecticut, as amended and restated: public realm, office, residential,
hotel, personal and business service establishments, commercial recreation
establishments, cultural arts and entertainment facilities, colleges
and universities and related accessory uses, having or proposing one
(1) or more than one (1) building (whether or not buildings are connected
by atrium or other type of common area), which is designed in a unified
manner and which has common facilities and may include one (1) or
more adjoining parcels, whether or not separated by public street(s),
provided that such parcels are developed in accordance with an Urban
Renewal Plan effective as of the date of the adoption of this regulation,
and as may be amended from time to time thereafter. Portions of such
parcel or parcels of land previously conveyed or to be conveyed for
public right-of-way purposes shall be included in all applicable area
calculations (i.e., lot area, density, building coverage, FAR, etc.).
[Added effective 6-10-2016; amended effective 6-13-2017]
A plant or storage yard necessary for the production of electric
power and related equipment that is owned by a municipality and licensed
by the Connecticut Siting Council, including and not inconsistent
with the definition of "facility" in Connecticut General Statutes
Section 16-50i(a), as amended.
[Added effective 9-27-2002]
An establishment permitted in residence zones that is owned,
controlled and used by a neighborhood association for meetings, events
and recreational activities of its members.
[Added effective 9-24-2010]
One that does not conform with the regulations of the zone
in which it is situated.
A lot or parcel, the area, dimensions or location of which
was lawful prior to the adoption or amendment of a zoning regulation,
but which fails by reason of such action to conform to the present
requirements of the zoning district in which it is located.
[Added effective 2-24-1989]
A structure, the size, dimensions or location of which was
lawful prior to the adoption or amendment of a zoning regulation,
but which fails by reason of such action to conform to the present
requirements of the zoning district in which it is located.
[Added effective 2-24-1989]
A use or activity which was lawful prior to the adoption
or amendment of a zoning regulation, but which fails by reason of
such action to conform to the present requirements of the zoning district
in which it is located.
[Added effective 2-24-1989]
An establishment for the care of the aged or terminally ill
which furnishes, in single or multiple facilities, food, shelter and
nursing supervision and which is licensed by the State of Connecticut.
The facility may provide services which meet a need beyond the basic
provisions of food, shelter and nursing supervision but shall not
include surgical services or similar activities as is customarily
provided in hospitals.
[Added effective 6-12-1987]
A business establishment engaged in the receipt, sorting,
shipping and distribution of packages directly to consumers and businesses,
and where customers and businesses may also bring packages for receipt,
shipping and distribution, and with limited on-site storage of packages.
[Added effective 4-29-2016]
As the term is used in these regulations shall be construed
as defined in the Connecticut General Statutes Title 30, Intoxicating
Liquors, Chapter 545, Liquor Control Act, as amended.
[Amended effective 7-25-1955; effective 7-25-2008]
Establishments primarily engaged in providing services involving
the care of a person or his or her apparel, such as barbershop, beauty
parlor, shoe repair, dry cleaning, tailoring or dressmaking, optician,
health club, clothing rental, photographic studio, massage spa and
other similar services.
[Added effective 10-1-1987; amended effective 10-25-2002]
Any container designed for the storage of personal property
that is owned or leased by the owners or occupants of the property
for storage and is typically delivered and removed by truck trailer.
[Added effective 5-29-2009]
All artwork that may or may not be an integrated part of
a public right-of-way or facility or building, including but not limited
to a drawing, painting, murals, fresco, mosaic, sculpture, photograph,
work of calligraphy or work of graphic art or mixed media and other
architectural embellishment or functional art created by an artist,
artisan, or craftsperson that is made available to the public, provided
that:
[Added effective 6-13-2019]
A nonprofit, noncommercial establishment operated as a repository
or a collection of natural, scientific or literary curiosities or
objects of interest or works of art, not including the regular sale
or distribution of the objects collected.
[Added effective 6-12-1987]
Publicly or privately owned property which is publicly accessible
that may provide gathering space for cultural performances; linkages
to other private or publically accessible spaces; and/or contains
building elements or public art that are physically and/or visually
accessible regardless of ownership. These places and elements can
include, but are not limited to, drives, sidewalks, pedestrianways,
bikeways, bridges, plazas, nodes, squares, transportation hubs, gateways,
parks, waterfronts, natural features, view corridors, landmarks and
building interfaces.
[Added effective 6-13-2019]
A structure or facility containing equipment, including,
but not limited to, electrical substations, telephone exchanges, water
or sewer pump stations, vehicles and related equipment and supplies
necessary to transmit and maintain electric power, water, sewer, telephone
or other public utility services and equipment related thereto to
certain areas or neighborhoods, that is owned by a public utility,
licensed by the State of Connecticut, or when the facility is located
on a parcel a minimum of ten (10) acres in size in a AAA Residence
Zone that abuts a limited access highway, by a licensed contractor
who works exclusively for and in support of public utility companies.
[Added effective 9-27-2002; amended effective 1-27-2017]
Any vehicle designed or intended primarily for use in recreational
activities, including, for example, aircraft, boats, boat trailers,
campers, camp trailers, horse trailers, horse vans, house trailers,
motor homes, snowmobiles and utility trailers.
[Added effective 7-15-1976]
An open space of not less than two hundred (200) square feet
in size devoted exclusively to recreational activities and recreational
equipment and facilities, such as play equipment, swimming pools,
picnic tables, tennis courts, landscaping, etc. The required recreation
area shall have minimum dimensions of not less than ten (10) feet
and shall not include buffer strips or the required front yard.
[Added effective 2-2-1990]
Any receptacle used for the disposal of unwanted items, including
dumpsters, trash compactors, recycling bins and the like.
[Added effective 7-29-2011]
A business establishment which has a full kitchen and whose
principal function is the preparation and serving of food to the public
for consumption on the premises, where hot meals are regularly served
and where the customer consumes such meals while seated at tables
or similar sit-down accommodations. Such restaurant may include one
(1) bar for serving alcoholic beverages, provided that such bar shall
not exceed fifteen (15) feet in length, that the active floor area
of the bar shall comprise no more than twenty percent (20%) of the
active floor area of the restaurant and that a restaurant permit for
such service shall be obtained from the State of Connecticut Liquor
Control Board. Cafe permits shall not be accepted in lieu of restaurant
permits.
[Added effective 5-29-2009]
An establishment offering a full line of household furnishings,
displayed in room settings, where at least eighty percent (80%) of
the floor space shall be devoted to interior household furniture.
Room settings shall include large-scale furniture pieces, used in
living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms, and shall not include appliances
or electronics. Not more than ten percent (10%) of the floor space
shall be devoted to related accessory furnishings, such as lamps and
carpets, except that additional accessories may be displayed only
as an integrated part of a room setting. Such establishments shall
be a minimum of 10,000 square feet and shall be open to the general
public on a year-round basis.
[Added effective 6-30-1995]
An establishment of at least eighty thousand (80,000) square
feet in size whose primary use is the offering for sale of a full
line of tools, equipment, materials and design services for altering
and improving the interior and exterior of homes, buildings, lawns,
gardens, landscapes, sheds and other structures, including the sale
of such items as grills, outdoor furniture, cabinets, appliances,
lumber, paint, plumbing, electrical and hardware and that a substantial
majority of those items offered for sale be stored within the sales
area of the building. Such establishment shall be open to the general
public on a year-round basis.
[Added effective 3-1-2013]
The excavation or removal of earth, soil, loam, rock, gravel,
etc., from within or upon any lot or privately owned land and removing
same from the premises of which it is a deposit thereof for the specific
purpose of sale.
[Amended effective 5-12-1952]
The Schedules of Height and Bulk of Buildings which are found
inside the rear cover of these regulations[3] and which contain the dimensional standards for lots and
buildings in all zones.
[Added effective 12-5-1973]
A public or private elementary or secondary school meeting
all requirements of the compulsory education laws of the State of
Connecticut.
[Added effective 7-15-1976]
Any place of business and any place of storage or deposit
which has facilities for preparing and processing iron, steel and
nonferrous metals into a form suitable for remelting by a foundry,
steel mill or other remelter.
Solid material, either mineral or organic, that is in suspension,
is transported or has been moved from its site of origin by erosion.
[Added effective 9-13-1985]
Any unconsolidated mineral or organic material of any origin.
[Added effective 9-13-1985]
A scheme that minimizes soil erosion and sedimentation resulting
from development and includes, but is not limited to, a map and narrative.
[Added effective 9-13-1985]
A facility consisting of individual, self-service units that
are used for the storage of business, personal or household goods.
In a Business No. 1 Zone, such storage facilities shall be located
only on parcels containing a minimum of two acres in size and in buildings
that are fireproof.
[Added effective 9-27-1996]
That part of a building between any floor and the floor above
or, in its absence, the ceiling or roof above.
[Amended effective 7-30-1982; effective 4-12-1985; effective 2-24-1989; effective 7-27-2007]
A "story" shall constitute a full story where:
The ceiling is more than three (3) feet above the average elevation
of the finished grade adjacent to the exterior wall of the street
facade; or
The lot is located within a development park, as defined herein,
and the ceiling of which is three (3) feet or more above the center-line
elevation of the development park private way.
Any "story" between a pitched roof and the uppermost full story,
the floor of which is not more than two (2) feet below the plate,
shall be counted as a half story, provided that not more than sixty
percent (60%) of the gross floor area is finished for use or occupancy.
Except for buildings within a development park, at no point regardless
of topography, shall the number of stories exceed by more than one
(1), the maximum number of stories as otherwise would be permitted.
Nonresidential activities that provide visual engagement
between those in the street and those on the street-level floor of
buildings. This can include, but is not limited to: retail displays,
video displays or promotions, art studios, entertainment, visibility
of manufacturing or fabrication, and any other uses that foster visual
engagement with pedestrians.
[Added effective 6-13-2019]
The dividing line between the street and the lot.
A structure or enclosed part of a structure used solely for
the storing of goods, materials and merchandise, excluding goods in
the process of fabrication.
[Added effective 7-24-1981]
In any village district, the aggregate side yard shall be
defined as an open, unoccupied space on the same lot with a building
situated between one side line and all buildings on said lot and extending
through from the street to the rear yard.
[Added effective 6-27-2003]
An open, unoccupied space on the same lot with a building,
situated between the street wall of the building and the street line
of the lot.
An open, unoccupied space on the same lot with a building,
between the rear wall of the building and the rear lot line of the
lot.
An open, unoccupied space on the same lot with a building,
situated between the building and the side line of the lot and extending
through from street to the rear yard, or where no rear yard is required,
to the rear line of the lot.
[1]
Editor's Note: The former definition of "curb level,"
which immediately followed this definition was repealed effective
7-30-1982.
[2]
Editor's Note: The definition of "height of a court or
yard." which immediately followed this definition, was repealed effective
5-26-2000. The definition of “height of building – design
district development park,” added effective 10-26-2007, as amended
effective 10-24-2014, was repealed effective 6-13-2019.
[3]
Editor's Note: Schedules are included at end of chapter.
