This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Zoning
Law of the City of Amsterdam, New York."
This chapter regulates and restricts the location, construction,
alteration, occupancy and use of buildings and structures and the
use of land within the City of Amsterdam and for said purposes divides
the City into zoning districts.
This chapter is enacted pursuant to the General City Law of
the State of New York to promote and protect the public health, safety
and general welfare, specifically including the following additional
purposes:
A.
To protect the character and maintain the stability of residential,
institutional, commercial and light industrial areas within the City
and to promote the orderly and beneficial development of such areas.
B.
To regulate the intensity of use and to prescribe the area of open
spaces surrounding buildings necessary to provide adequate light and
air, to provide privacy and convenience of access and to protect the
public health.
C.
To regulate the location of buildings and to fix reasonable standards
for development to which structures and uses shall conform.
D.
To prohibit new uses, buildings and structures, which are incompatible
with the character of development or the permitted uses within specified
zoning districts.
E.
To limit such additions to and alterations of existing buildings
and structures as would not comply with the restrictions and limitations
imposed hereunder, including the gradual elimination of certain nonconforming
uses, with prior approval of the Planning Commission.
F.
To limit congestion in the public streets by providing for adequate
off-street parking of motor vehicles and for the loading and unloading
of commercial vehicles.
G.
To provide protection against fire, explosion, noxious fumes and
similar hazards.
H.
To conserve the taxable value of land and buildings throughout the
City, while enhancing the appearance of the City as a whole.
I.
To protect the general environment and to achieve compliance with
the objectives of applicable state and federal regulatory programs.
