[Added 1-5-2021 by L.L.
No. 1-2021]
A.
The intent of the Railroad Avenue Urban Renewal Area Overlay District
("RRA-OD") is to allow, maintain, and foster a traditional downtown
character to complement the character of Main Street, with transit
oriented development, a pedestrian-friendly streetscape, active ground-floor
uses, meaningful public spaces and uses, a twenty-four-hour presence
from upper-story residential at an intensity similar to that of the
DC-1 Main Street District where feasible and at a scale that is suitable
for the property size.
B.
The Town Board recognizes that although the adoption of the DC-1
District code provisions has resulted in investment in the downtown
area, there has not been a comparable investment within the DC-3 District
and even with the designation of an opportunity zone which defers
and reduces taxes on capital gains in exchange for capital investment,
redevelopment has not occurred. This overlay district is formed in
recognition of the blighted conditions that exist in this area of
the downtown and the unique obstacles which face the area and which
have deterred redevelopment as documented in the 1990 Urban Renewal
Plan, the 2003 Comprehensive Plan, and the 2015 Brownfield Opportunity
Area Step II Nomination Study.
C.
The Town Board sees this as a unique opportunity for revitalization
to build upon the success of the downtown and which will create important
synergies with key resources including the Suffolk County Supreme
Court Complex, LIRR Station, Riverhead Public Library, Railroad Museum
and Riverhead Historic Society Museum. By permitting a higher-intensity
mix of uses, with ground-floor offices and retail and residential
on upper floors for larger sites within the area, the Town seeks to
activate this area of the downtown that has not experienced significant
investment since the implementation of zoning district recommended
by the 2003 Comprehensive Plan.
A.
This article shall be applicable to properties at least 20,000 square
feet in size within the Railroad Avenue Urban Renewal Area. Utilization
of the RRA-OD provisions is voluntary for applicants meeting the lot
area threshold.
B.
The provisions of the overlay district provide an alternative option
for landowners in development of properties of at least 20,000 square
feet and provides means to achieve additional density through the
provision of community benefits for properties over one acre.
C.
Developments within the RRA-OD may incorporate one or more adjoining
properties outside of the overlay district boundary to provide related
site amenities and limited building encroachments as long as the total
area of such parcels do not increase the property by more than 50%.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
An establishment which contains three or more individual
businesses in an area where food can be served and diners can enjoy
flexible seating, entertainment, with up to 20% of the businesses
dedicated to retail. A food hall includes shared entry ways and common
flexible space to provide area for dining or entertainment (indoor
and/or outdoor), shared restrooms, dumpsters, and facilities such
as HVAC, storage areas, and loading dock; and may include shared food
prep facilities.
A product used to create a stabilized but pervious area for
parking using a plastic grid system (or similar product) when installed
according to manufacturer's instructions with stabilized base, allows
grass to grow, protects roots and allows stormwater to recharge.
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In the Railroad Avenue Urban Renewal Area Overlay District,
no building, structure, or premises shall be used or arranged or designed
to be used, and no building or structure shall be hereafter erected,
reconstructed, or altered, unless otherwise provided in this chapter,
except for the following specially permitted uses and their customary
accessory uses:
A.
Permitted uses through Town Board approval.
(1)
Retail store.
(2)
Banks.
(3)
Personal services businesses, such as a beauty parlor, barber
shop, health and fitness center, tailor, shoe repair, custom cleaning
services.
(4)
Indoor recreation up to 1,500 square feet.
(5)
Art galleries and studios.
(6)
Restaurants, cafes, bakeries with retail sales on premises,
banquet facilities, ice cream parlors.
(7)
Marketplace including farmers market or food hall.
(8)
Taverns.
(9)
Offices and professional offices (excluding medical offices).
(10)
Governmental offices or other public offices.
(11)
Museums, libraries and other cultural attractions.
(12)
Schools (including business and secretarial).
(13)
Movie theater and multiplex cinema.
(14)
Mixed-use buildings (ground floor permitted uses with apartments
on upper floors).
(15)
Live-work space .
(16)
Brew pubs and microbreweries.
(17)
Hotels, for properties at least 40,000 square feet in size.
(18)
Mixed use incorporating community use on the ground floor and
mixed use on upper floors.
A.
New buildings shall comply with the lot, yard, bulk, and height requirements
of the Railroad Avenue Urban Renewal Area Schedule of Dimensional
Regulations.
B.
The maximum height for building elements facing West Main Street,
Court Street, Griffing Avenue, shall not exceed 60 feet measured horizontally
from the property line.
C.
New development should be consistent with the recommendations of the Objective Design Standards for Private Development contained in the Downtown Riverhead Pattern Book, with the exception of maximum height which shall be dictated by Chapter 301, Attachment 11, RRA-OD Schedule of Dimensional Regulations.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Said schedule is included as an attachment to this chapter.
D.
Exemptions .
(1)
Bay windows, awnings, unenclosed porches, and other front and
side projections shall be exempt from the calculation of building
area, so as to encourage a variety in facade design. However, such
projections shall be required to meet the setback requirements of
the Railroad Avenue Urban Renewal Area Schedule of Dimensional Regulations.
A.
The Town Board has identified appropriate community benefits by which
the applicants that opt into the RRA-OD may increase density on site
through parking reductions, additional gross floor area and/or increased
height/number of stories as described in Table XX. The maximum FAR
with the provision of community benefits is 3.0
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Table XX
RRA-OD Community Benefits
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Community Benefit Category
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Type/Maximum Density Increase/Parking Reduction
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Requirement
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Parking
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20% total reduction in required off street parking requirement
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Shared parking for complementary uses. Requires design and implementation
of cross access. Certification that the peak parking of two or more
uses occurs at different times provided by a licensed traffic engineer.
Does not apply to municipally owned sites
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Parking
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No off-street parking required for nonresidential uses
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Properties which opt into the Parking District through petition
to the Town Board, where public parking lots within the Parking District
are located within 1/4 mile of at least one of the main building entrances
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Parking
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Parking reduction for the number of stalls "parked" off-site
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Parking management strategy demonstrating how parking needs
will be met off-site
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Parking
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Reduction of up to 3 parking stalls for area to be used for
green infrastructure
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Construction and maintenance of a rain garden or bioswale designed
to collect rain water of 200 square feet per parking stall reduction
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Promoting multimodal transportation
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5% reduction in required off street parking requirement
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Provision of interior bicycle storage lockers for 1/2 of proposed
residential units
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Recreation
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Increase in the allowable gross floor area equivalent to the
area of the dedicated park area minus 10%
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Purchase of offsite Peconic River riverfront land within 1/2
mile of the subject property provided that it meets the criteria below:
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(1)
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Such riverfront property is to be used in a passive manner whether
dedicated to the Town, conservation group, or maintained privately
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(2)
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The property must remain accessible to the public in a parklike
setting for the community (which may include outdoor art installation)
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(3)
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No structures other than a structure that is accessory to the
use of the park/garden/art installation which does not exceed 10%
of the site area or 1,200 square feet, whichever is smaller
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(4)
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Covenants and restrictions be required to ensure that the riverfront
property is maintained as a publicly accessible passive use park or
similar in perpetuity'
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Open space or farmland preservation
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3,000 square feet floor area per 1 TDR credit purchased
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Purchase of up to 5 TDR credits (maximum of 5 credits per project)
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Sustainability elements
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Additional 200 square feet gross floor area for each 100 SF
improved
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Design and implementation of green infrastructure for drainage
(rain gardens) on- or off-site
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Sustainability elements
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Additional 50 square feet gross floor area for each 1,000 square
feet of green roof area
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Green roof
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Sustainability elements
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.25 increase in FAR for gold or platinum LEED certification
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USGBC Certified LEED buildings
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Recreation
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Additional 10% gross floor area for each 200 linear feet of
easement dedicated
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Provision of public easement along the Peconic River (either
through purchase or agreement with property owner)
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Recreation
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Additional 5% gross floor area for each 200 linear feet of easement
improved for public access
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Improvement of public easement for public access to the riverfront
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Recreation/visual resources
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5% increase in gross floor area per 0.5-acre property improved
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Permitting and implementation of physical improvements of private
or public riverfront property to enhance public views of the Peconic
River, incorporate green infrastructure and accessible pedestrian
improvements through implementation of a boardwalk or path
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B.
Additional community benefits available for properties over 60,000
square feet.
(1)
Increased height and gross floor area may be provided with approval
from the Town Board for development on properties over 60,000 square
feet in size with the provision of community benefits.
(2)
Properties over 60,000 square feet in size may achieve parking
reductions and increased density through community benefits outlined
in the previous section and additional density increases as provided
in Table XX. The maximum additional floor area achieved for properties
over 60,000 square feet through the application of community benefits
is a floor area ratio of 3.0.
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Table XX
Additional Community Benefits Available for Properties Over
60,000 Square Feet
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Community Benefit Category
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Type/Maximum Density Increase
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Requirement
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Museum, performing arts
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Increase in maximum building height for mixed use building at
discretion of the Town Board (at a height less than defined as a high
rise building per NYS Building Code).
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Commitment to maintenance of the museum or other arts attraction
which is accessible to the public for a reasonable period, but not
less than 20 years.
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Open space or farmland preservation
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3,000 square feet area floor area per 1 TDR credit purchased
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Purchase of up to 10 TDR credits (maximum of 10 credits per
project)
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A.
The principal building entrance and front shall face the primary
street frontage and sidewalk . For corner lots, both facades shall
be coordinated and if necessary, the principal building entrance shall
be designated by the Planning Board.
B.
Facades of commercial buildings that face sidewalks or pedestrian
walkways shall be broken up into bays of no more than 30 feet in width,
through use of variations in facade plane, piers, or other architectural
features complementary to the building style .
D.
Buffering and transitions.
(1)
Trash and/or dumpster areas shall be screened by wood fences, equivalent no-maintenance fence materials that appear to be wood, landscaping, or a combination thereof, pursuant to § 245-8.
(2)
Buffer plantings or landscaping or opaque fences, preferably
wood fences, shall be provided between commercial businesses and adjoining
residential uses and maintained as a condition of approval.
E.
Deliveries and loading activities shall, to the extent possible,
be restricted to the hours between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.
A.
The design guidelines listed in the provisions below are intended
as a guide for improvements on participating developments on parcels
within this overlay district.
(1)
Where feasible, openings or gates shall be incorporated into
fencing between private and public properties to encourage pedestrian
activity.
(2)
The intent is to create buildings that are lasting and that
each building adds to the revitalization of the urban renewal area.
Accordingly, high quality materials are required (e.g., brick, granite,
or other masonry matter, including architectural block or architectural
precast concrete). Painted or natural utility concrete panels or masonry
units, if used at all, must be confined to rear elevations and in
loading dock areas and not visible from the public right-of-way, or
other public gathering spaces .
The development standards contained herein are required for
parcels being redeveloped in accordance with this article or relief
from the Zoning Board of Appeals is required.
B.
Public space .
(1)
Public space, including alleys between buildings and walkways
between building entrances and adjacent public properties shall be
consistent with the objective design standards for private development
contained in the Riverhead Downtown Pattern Book.
(2)
All properties greater than 60,000 square feet shall incorporate
activated public areas on the ground level .
C.
Parking.
(1)
The number of off-street parking spaces in the Railroad Avenue Urban Renewal Area Overlay District shall be provided in accordance with§ 301-231, with the exception that off-street parking requirements for residential use shall be calculated in accordance with Table XX as recommended by the 2020 Riverhead Strategic Parking Plan and any Payment in Lieu of Parking requirement that may be adopted by the Town Board as also recommended by the 2020 Riverhead Strategic Parking Plan
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Table XX
RRA-OD Required Parking for Residential Development
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Use
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Minimum Parking Stalls Per Unit
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Maximum Parking Stalls per unit
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Studio/1-bedroom
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0.50
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1.00
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2-bedroom
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1.00
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1.25
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(2)
Off-street parking design.
(a)
Off-street parking shall not be permitted in the front yard.
(b)
Parking shall be sited to the rear of buildings, away from street
frontages when possible, or to the side of buildings. In all cases,
garages and parking areas shall be recessed at least five feet from
the primary front facade plane of the main building, and at least
15 feet back from the front property line.
(c)
Parking may also be located fully below buildings, partially
below grade in a building, or at grade within a building, provided
it is fully enclosed and no entry is provided facing a public street
or front yard unless no other alternative exists. Structured parking
that is partially below grade shall be screened from the street by
steps, trellises, or screens. Where parking is provided on the ground
floor, liner stores, which may consist of commercial uses or accessory
uses/amenities to multifamily developments are required along the
public streets. For block developments which front on more than one
street, the requirement for liner stores shall apply along all but
one of the streets. Access to parking for block developments shall
be at the discretion of the approving agency.
(d)
Curb cuts to parking lots shall be minimized by sharing driveways
for access to adjacent parking lots.
(e)
In order to provide shade, parking lots with 21 or more spaces
shall have "orchard" planting: one tree per 10 off-street spaces.
Such trees shall be spread throughout the parking lot and along the
perimeter.
(f)
Where parking lots cannot be located entirely in a rear yard,
a vegetated buffer of at least five feet in width shall be provided.
(g)
To soften the appearance of parking lots and reduce the heat
island effect, 10% of parking lot area shall consist of landscaped
islands.
(h)
In order to provide area for stormwater recharge, at least one
of the following management techniques shall be used in parking lots
where underlying soils support infiltration of precipitation to the
groundwater:
[1]
Where sanding and salting are not used in the winter,
low-traffic or seasonal parking overflow areas of the parking lot
shall be surfaced with porous pavement, grass pave, or gravel.
[2]
Landscaped areas of parking lots shall be planted,
situated and graded in a manner to provide infiltration and detention
of runoff from paved areas.
A.
The adoption of this article was analyzed pursuant to the State Environmental
Quality Review Act through the preparation of a full environmental
assessment form and analysis of development under a theoretical build
condition scenario for properties within the RRA-OD meeting the minimum
area requirements and which were considered more likely candidates
for redevelopment. A traffic impact analysis was conducted to supplement
the analysis completed for the Brownfield Opportunity Area Step II
Nominations Study in 2015 to assess the impact of redevelopment within
the RRA-OD on the intersections where an impact was anticipated under
the full build out identified by the BOA, specifically the intersections
of Center Street/Court Street at West Main and at Roanoke and Peconic
Avenues at Main Street.
B.
The negative declaration adopted by the Town Board was supported
by a SEQR analysis which evaluated redevelopment of the following
parcels applying the base GFA permitted under the code without the
application of community benefits to increase density.
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0600128000200010000
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0600128000300009000
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0600128000200014001
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0600128000300010000
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0600128000200015000
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0600128000300011000
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0600128000200021001
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0600128000300012001
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0600128000200022000
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0600128000300012002
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0600128000300001000
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0600128000300012003
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0600128000300002000
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0600128000300013000
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0600128000300003000
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0600128000300014000
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0600128000300004000
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0600128000300015000
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0600128000300005000
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0600128000300017001
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0600128000300006000
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0600128000300018000
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0600128000300007000
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0600128000300019000
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0600128000300008000
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0600128000300020000
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C.
The SEQR documents are on file with the Town Building Department
for reference . Any applications that are consistent with the thresholds
utilized in evaluation of the adoption of the Overlay District shall
benefit from the adopted negative declaration.
D.
Projects which exceed the base thresholds for redevelopment within
the RRA-OD and/or provide community benefits to increase density will
be required to prepare a Full Environmental Assessment Form and a
SEQR review will be conducted by the Town. Dependent upon the increase
in traffic volume in comparison to the volumes evaluated for adoption
of this article, a traffic impact study may be required to evaluate
the need for traffic mitigation (which may include installation of
a traffic signal, modified traffic signal timing, or lane reconfigurations/restriping)
if demonstrated to improve level of service at area intersections.
