[Added 6-8-1999 by L.L. No. 7-1999]
A. 
Pursuant to the public purpose of providing specialized housing facilities for senior citizens to meet the special housing, health care, social and recreational needs of this segment of the population, the Town Board establishes a Senior Residence District (R-S) as a floating district that permits the development of Senior Residence Communities as specified herein.
B. 
The Town Board may establish an R-S floating district in the RM, Hospital, Business A, Business B, Industrial A and Industrial B Districts subject to the following standards and requirements. Such district shall be affixed to the official Town Zoning Map where such district is approved.
C. 
Notwithstanding any provision of Articles X1 and XXV of Chapter 70 of the Town Code to the contrary, developments that utilize federal housing programs providing low-income housing tax credits, which programs are administered by the New York State Housing Finance Agency and/or New York State Homes and Community Renewal, need not designate the development to be occupied by those aged 62 and older, so long as such development is designated to be occupied by those aged 55 and over and the development otherwise complies with Section 807(b)(2) of the Fair Housing Act, as amended, and its implementing regulations.
[Added 10-21-2014 by L.L. No. 17-2014]
A. 
A building or buildings may be erected, altered or used and a lot or premises may be used for the following purposes and no other:
(1) 
Senior independent-living facilities.
(2) 
Senior congregate-living facilities.
(3) 
Senior assisted-living facilities.
(4) 
Nursing homes.
(5) 
Senior day-care centers.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection B, provided that a minimum of two types of principal uses constitute an R-S community, which immediately followed, was repealed 10-21-2014 by L.L. No. 17-2014.
Senior Residence Districts may contain or provide uses necessary to and customarily incidental to such facilities where such uses are limited to use by residents, their guests and employees as follows:
A. 
Community meeting rooms.
B. 
Library.
C. 
Convenience retail, barber and beauty shops; snack bar and gift shops.
D. 
Group dining rooms.
E. 
Medical offices, limited to use by residents, with no visible sign announcing their presence.
F. 
Physical therapy and exercise rooms, limited to use by residents.
G. 
Outdoor active and passive recreation space.
A. 
No principal building shall exceed three stories or 45 feet in height.
B. 
No accessory building shall exceed one story or 12 feet in height.
A. 
Every project under this article shall occupy a plot of not less than two acres. The maximum allowable density in the R-S district shall be calculated based on the following densities:
[Amended 10-21-2014 by L.L. No. 17-2014]
Type of Facility
Maximum Units/Acre
Senior independent living
32
Senior congregate living
32
Senior assisted living
38
Nursing home
50 beds
Senior day-care center
N.A.
B. 
A 25% density bonus shall be available for senior independent-living facilities where such units are made available as affordable senior citizen facilities as defined in § 70-231.
C. 
For buildings containing more than one senior citizen facility, a composite total of 32 units per acre shall be permitted, with each use assessed at the following rate:
Type of Facility
Equivalent Unit
Senior independent living
1.0
Senior congregate living
1.0
Senior assisted living
.85
In the case of R-S developments, the maximum coverage of land by principal and accessory buildings shall not exceed 35% of the lot area.
A. 
Buildings containing the following senior citizen facilities shall have the following minimum and maximum gross habitable floor area per unit:
Type of Facility
Minimum Floor Area/Unit
(square feet)
Maximum Floor Area/Unit
(square feet)
Senior independent living
600
1,600
Senior congregate living
550
1,600
Senior assisted living
350
1,000
B. 
In senior independent, congregate- and assisted-living facilities, a minimum of 40% of the dwelling units shall be one bedroom units. No dwelling unit shall contain more than two bedrooms.
C. 
No basement apartments shall be permitted in any senior citizen facility other than one such apartment for the use of a superintendent, custodian or other person in charge of the maintenance of such dwelling.
[Amended 10-21-2014 by L.L. No. 17-2014]
A. 
There shall be a minimum perimeter buffer of 15 feet around all R-S communities, suitably landscaped and permanently maintained with planting of trees and shrubs in accordance with specifications of the site plan approved by the Town Board as part of the approval of the RS District.
B. 
Landbanked parking may be located within a required buffer in accordance with the limitations set forth in § 70-95.13B.
A. 
There shall be a minimum distance of 20 feet between any two main buildings on the same lot within the R-S District.
[Amended 10-21-2014 by L.L. No. 17-2014]
B. 
All buildings shall be situated in such a manner as to provide adequate light and air.
A minimum of 80 square feet per dwelling unit of indoor common amenity space other than dining space shall be provided. A minimum of 50 square feet of common outdoor active and passive recreation and open space shall be provided per dwelling unit.
All senior citizen facilities shall be designed to meet the special needs of senior citizens and at a minimum shall contain the following:
A. 
A call button monitoring or equivalent system within each dwelling unit for emergency calls to on- or off-site emergency personnel.
B. 
Exterior access, at a minimum of two locations, without steps.
C. 
Grab bars in all tub and shower stalls.
D. 
Corridor length and design to facilitate wayfinding.
E. 
Elevators required for access to all units above the first story.
F. 
Non-skid floors.
G. 
Handle-type spigots and doorknobs.
H. 
In all rooms, doors of sufficient width to accommodate wheelchairs.
I. 
Separation of vehicular circulation drive from pedestrian walks.
J. 
Changes in grade on walk systems to be accomplished by ramps.
K. 
Passenger dropoff for occupants and visitors near entrance and elevator halls of buildings.
No Senior Residence District shall be permitted unless provided with municipal sewerage or unless an independent sewage disposal plant, approved by the Nassau County Department of Health and/or Town of North Hempstead Building Department, is constructed for the sanitary disposal of the sewage of such buildings.
A. 
Off-street parking for senior residence communities shall be calculated based upon the total of the parking requirements of the individual components which comprise the R-S where such requirements are set forth in § 70-103, with the exception that up to a ten-percent reduction in the requirement may be applied for and granted by the Town Board based on a demonstration that a sharing of personnel between facilities would effectively reduce the required parking.
B. 
Landbanked parking as defined in § 70-231 may be permitted for senior independent, congregate-, and assisted-living facilities within the required buffer subject to the following restrictions.
(1) 
Landbanked parking shall be limited to 40% of the required parking.
(2) 
Landbanked parking shall be indicated as such on the site plan and shall be maintained as landscaped or open green space.
(3) 
No structure shall be erected in any designated landbanked area.
(4) 
Landbanked parking shall be located a minimum of 15 feet from any property line abutting a residence district.