This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Zoning
Law of the Town of Pine Plains, New York."
This Zoning Law is adopted for the protection of the residents
and property owners of Pine Plains, by means of regulating and restricting
the location, construction, alteration, occupancy and use of buildings
and structures and the use of land and, for said purpose, dividing
the Town into zoning districts.
This Zoning Law is enacted pursuant to the authority and power
granted by Municipal Home Rule Law of the State of New York, Article
2, § 10 et seq. of the Consolidated Laws and Town Law § 261,
to protect and promote public health, safety, morals, comfort, convenience,
economy, aesthetics, and the general welfare, and for the following
additional purposes:
A. To implement the Town of Pine Plains Comprehensive Plan adopted in
2004, as may be amended from time to time.
B. To implement the Hudson River Valley Greenway Compact.
C. To conserve the Town's rural, small-town character and scenic beauty.
D. To protect the Town's sensitive environmental features, including
but not limited to ridgelines and steeply sloping hillsides; streams,
wetlands, floodplains and other surface water features; groundwater
resources; and ecosystems, including protection of the Town's biodiversity.
E. To preserve open space for purposes that include but are not limited
to agricultural preservation, scenic quality of viewsheds, ecological
habitat protection, and passive recreation.
F. To preserve lands that are conducive to agricultural use, and to
support agricultural activities and uses that are integral to the
heritage of Pine Plains.
G. To maintain the functional continuity of the Town's remaining open
space, both in the working agricultural landscape and across the Town's
expansive, diverse natural environment.
H. To protect the Town's historic structures, features and character,
including the history embodied in the Town's numerous hamlets.
I. To maintain the Pine Plains hamlet as the Town's center and principal
location for residential and nonresidential uses.
J. To promote and encourage economic development in the hamlets consistent
with the use regulations contained herein.
K. To encourage a range of housing types and residential densities in
suitable locations.
L. To provide adequate transportation facilities, ensure safe and efficient
traffic circulation, and encourage a circulation system that supports
pedestrians and cyclists.
M. To ensure that the Town's current and future needs for community
facilities and services, including but not limited to emergency protection,
recreational resources, and educational facilities, are considered
and addressed during the review of land development applications.
N. To protect property owners from nuisances including but not limited
to noxious odors, noise, light, air and water pollution, and other
unsightly, obtrusive effects of offensive land uses and activities,
and to secure property owners from the perils of fire, flood and other
dangers.
O. To protect existing and future property values through pursuit of
the purposes set forth herein.