Development standards for agriculture, extractive and industrial manufacturing uses
The zoning board of review, or where applicable, the planning board for unified development review, shall not grant a special use permit for uses in the agricultural, extractive, and industrial manufacturing use category of the Table of Use regulations unless it finds the applicable standards in sections 4, 7 and 12 are met, and, where applicable, the following standards are met:
See sections 12.6 and 12.7 of this ordinance for special use permit development standards in industrial zones.
(1) Standards for special use permits for Use Code 10: Crop and livestock farm.
a. Site. There is no minimum size for a crop farm. The minimum size for livestock farm is five acres of developable land except for poultry where the minimum size is 10,000 sq. feet of developable land.
b. All animals must be contained on the property. Buildings for housing livestock shall be at least 40 feet from any property line.
c. For livestock farms, applicants must have an approved USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) plan for the number of animals that will be on the property. The minimum setback for animal fencing to contain livestock must be 20 feet from abutting properties.
d. Poultry farms may not have a rooster in R10 and R10A zones.
e. All farms must have an approved erosion and stormwater management plan to prevent soil, dust and any manure from leaving the property.
f. Retail sales are not permitted on farms in R10 and R10A zones with the exception of a small farmstand for selling produce grown on the property in compliance with RIDEM regulations. On-site sales of produce are only permitted if there are adequate parking facilities on the lot for at least 2 customer vehicles.
1. Farmstand. A farmstand is a rustic, freestanding accessory structure or from a vehicle used only for the seasonal sale of farm products as permitted by this ordinance. Farmstands may be structures or may be wagons or trailers and is used only for the sale of seasonable farm products, the major portion of which are grown or produced on the premises.
2. Farmstand structures, other than motor vehicles, shall not exceed 200 square feet in total floor area and 15 feet in height. There shall be no space available to patrons inside the farmstand. Farmstands may provide self-service customer access to goods for sale within the farmstand structure subject to compliance with applicable life safety codes. Yard setbacks shall be regulated by the appropriate dimensional regulations for accessory structures as provided in section 6.
g. Off-street parking and loading. Off-street parking for farmstands shall be a minimum of two onsite parking spaces. All such parking areas shall be set back at least ten feet from the paved portion of the street and shall be physically restricted or channeled on the lot to define a readily recognizable driveway between the highway and the parking area, and to prevent parking directly along highway shoulders. Parking areas for farmstands do not need to be paved.
h. Signage. Signs must comply with section 7.18 of this ordinance.
i. No field crop farm, livestock farm shall conduct activities that would cause deleterious effects upon neighboring property, including, but not limited to, the following:
1. Pollution of any waterways or water bodies;
2. Contamination of neighboring property from any insecticides, fertilizers or similar chemical agents.
3. In addition, the processing of agricultural products shall be limited to those activities normally accessory to and necessary for an agricultural activity conducted on the premises.
j. Storage of farm vehicles and equipment. The storage of farm vehicles and equipment is permitted as an accessory use to a permitted agricultural activity. The outdoor storage of farm vehicles such as tractors, etc., and farm equipment, animal feed, hay or manure when located on a lot in R10, R10A shall be screened by a fence or landscape plantings.
(2) Special use standards for Use Code 1122: Veterinarian and animal hospital. A veterinarian or animal hospital may be allowed by special use permit in those zones specified in section 6, subject to the following conditions:
a. The lot or parcel on which the veterinary hospital is to be located consists of at least 50,000 square feet.
b. Utilities. The facility must be served by public sewer and water.
c. The veterinary hospital may include one accessory single-family residence, with no more than two bedrooms containing no more than 1,500 square feet of living area for the caretaker/employee family of the hospital only. The accessory residence shall be designed and constructed in such a way as to maintain the appearance of the use of the lot as a veterinary hospital.
d. Trash disposal. The building(s) shall be provided with an enclosed trash container and separate recycling container sufficient to accommodate all trash and waste stored on the premises. The containers and utility area shall comply with provisions of section 7.3(5) of this ordinance.
e. Landscaping, buffering, and illumination. The site shall otherwise comply with landscaping, buffering and illumination requirements of section 7.8 of this ordinance.
f. Parking. Off street parking must be provided and shall comply with the standards in section 7 of this ordinance.
g. Signage. Signs must comply with section 7.18 of this ordinance.
h. In reviewing a veterinary use the zoning board shall consider the mitigation of impacts relate noise, handling and disposal of animal waste.
i. The veterinary hospital use shall meet all the requirements of development plan review.
j. Odors. No significant odors extend beyond the edges of the lot.
(3) Special use standards for Use Code 1129: Animal husbandry service or other raising or breeding of animals.
a. The lot or parcel on which the animal husbandry service is to be located consists of at least five acres.
b. Landscaping, buffering, and illumination. The site shall otherwise comply with landscaping, buffering and illumination requirements of section 7.8 of this ordinance.
c. Trash disposal. The building(s) shall be provided with an enclosed trash container and separate recycling container sufficient to accommodate all trash and waste stored on the premises. The containers and utility area shall comply with provisions of section 7.3(5) of this ordinance.
d. Odors. No significant odors extend beyond the edges of the lot.
(4) Special use standards for Use Code 1961: Boat storage.
a. Site. A boat storage area must have a minimum lot size of 40,000 sq. ft. of developable land.
b. The lot or parcel on which the use is to be located shall be serviced by the municipal sewer system.
c. The storage area shall be completely enclosed along all lot lines by a solid fence or wall a minimum of eight feet and a maximum of 12 feet in height, including ingress and egress. Fences or walls along the front or corner side lot line shall be set back a minimum of five feet. Within that setback, one shrub a minimum of five feet in height shall be planted linearly every eight feet on-center along such fence or wall.
d. Storage of any kind is prohibited outside the fence or wall. No items stored within ten feet of the fence or wall may exceed the height of the fence or wall.
e. No boat that exceeds 30 feet in length or 25 feet in height (including support stands) shall be serviced or stored on the lot or parcel.
f. The storage area should be located in the rear of the lot. Any structures shall be located in front of the storage area to obscure the view of the storage from street(s), in compliance with the front yard of the underlying zoning district.
g. No service bays within any structure shall face a residential zoning district.
h. The site shall otherwise comply with landscaping, buffering and illumination requirements in section 7.8 of this ordinance and parking requirements of section 7.9, 7.10 and 7.11 of this ordinance.
The use shall meet all of the requirements of development plan review, section 17.3.
(Ch. 1117, § 13 12-18-2023)