The purpose of the Neighborhood Commercial Zone
is to provide areas or centers for shopping and service-oriented uses
that are easily accessible to the neighborhoods which they serve,
which are not intended to draw customers from considerable distances,
or which have low-volume traffic and no significant impacts so as
to be minimally intrusive upon residential neighborhoods. These zones
shall be located so as to be generally distributed throughout the
Town in proportion to the population and shall be limited both in
size and in proximity to one another.
Only the following buildings or uses are permitted
of right in a Neighborhood Commercial Zone:
A.
The following retail uses provided that the interior
floor area is 5,000 square feet or less:
(1)
Retail food store/grocery.
(2)
Retail sales of candy, ice cream, gifts, flowers and
similar small items.
(3)
Retail store (other than a retail store expressly
referred to elsewhere in this chapter) where goods are sold from inside
the store and rental of goods is not a significant portion of the
revenues.
(4)
Arts and crafts gallery/studio.
(5)
Photography store/studio.
(6)
Drugstore/pharmacy.
(7)
Florist.
(8)
Bicycle sales/repairs which may include outside displays.
(9)
Bakery.
(10)
Plant nursery which may include outside displays.
(11)
Hardware store.
(12)
Painting and decorating boutique.
(13)
Bookstore or newsstand.
B.
The following personal service retail uses provided
that the interior floor area is 5,000 square feet or less:
C.
Business, professional, administrative, or governmental
office, but excluding a medical or dental clinic.
D.
Fire station and emergency medical services.
E.
The following uses provided that the area on which
construction occurs on the land is 5,000 square feet or less (excluding
underground utilities):
(1)
Any municipal or public utility purpose necessary
to the maintenance of utility services except that substations and
similar structures shall be subject to the same setback requirements
as apply to other buildings in the district in which the substations
or similar structures are constructed.
The following uses are permitted in a Neighborhood
Commercial Zone, but only upon receipt of a special permit for same
from the Planning Board in accordance with the procedures set forth
in this chapter:
A.
Any of the uses, except caterer, set forth above as
being permitted as of right where the interior floor area for such
use exceeds 5,000 square feet.
B.
The following uses where the construction on the lot
exceeds 5,000 square feet of land area but does not exceed 10,000
square feet of land area (excluding underground utilities):
(1)
Any municipal or public utility purpose necessary
to the maintenance of utility services except that substations and
similar structures shall be subject to the same setback requirements
as apply to other buildings in the district in which the substations
or similar structures are constructed.
C.
Bank or other financial institution with a drive-through
with a maximum of two drive-through lanes served by tellers or automatic
teller machines.
D.
Furniture and appliance sales and service.
E.
Packaging/mailing service.
F.
Hotel or motel provided the facility fronts on a state
highway.
G.
Child day-care center and elder care center.
H.
Clubhouse, lodge, community center.
I.
Mixed use commercial and residential provided the
commercial use is a use that would be permitted in a Neighborhood
Commercial Zone if it were not in a mixed use facility.
J.
Health or fitness center.
K.
Any other lawful use, not otherwise specifically referred
to in this chapter, that both the Planning Board and the Zoning Board
of Appeals find is substantially similar to a use permitted as of
right in the Neighborhood Commercial Zone and does not have greater
adverse effects upon traffic, noise, air quality, parking, or any
other attribute reasonably relevant, than a use permitted as of right.
No building in a Neighborhood Commercial Zone
shall exceed 7,500 square feet in size (inclusive of all floors except
a basement used solely for storage) unless the Planning Board, by
special permit, authorizes the size to be increased up to 10,000 square
feet. In no event shall a building exceed 10,000 square feet in size
(inclusive of all floors except a basement used solely for storage).
