Supplementary use regulations
The following regulations are required in addition to the schedule of use regulations table in article 3:
501.1. Number of residential structures per lot.
In all zoning districts, there shall be no more than one (1) principal residential structure on a lot except for land development projects, bed and breakfasts, hotels, and motels, as further provided in this ordinance.
501.2. Vision clearance at corners.
At street intersections, no structure shall be erected and no vegetation shall be planted or maintained in such a manner as to materially impede vision between the heights of three (3) feet and ten (10) feet above the triangle formed by the two (2) street lines and a third line joining points on the street lines fifteen (15) feet from the intersection. This section shall not apply to the CD Zoning District.
501.3. Manufacturing uses in commercial districts.
All manufacturing uses designated in article 3 and allowed in commercial districts as permitted uses or by special use permit, may not employ more than seven (7) persons, nor occupy more than one thousand five hundred (1,500) square feet floor area. In addition, the manufacturing of products that are sold on the premises shall be permitted by special use permit in the CH and CD Zoning Districts only; provided that (i) the area devoted to manufacturing does not exceed one thousand (1,000) square feet or twenty-five (25) percent of GLFA, which ever is less, (ii) that no more than three (3) employees be involved in the manufacturing activity, and (iii) the manufacturing is conducted entirely inside the building. It is the intent of this section to permit in commercial districts only those manufacturing uses which are of a small scale and which would essentially function as commercial uses and be consistent with and in character with the intent and purpose of the commercial district.
501.4. Regulation of agricultural activities.
No field crop farm, livestock farm, general farm or animal husbandry service shall conduct activities which would cause deleterious effects upon neighboring property, including, but not limited to, the following:
A. Pollution of any waterways or water bodies;
B. Contamination of neighboring property from any insecticides, fertilizers or similar chemical agents.
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. Buildings for housing livestock shall be at least forty (40) feet from any property line; however if greater yard setbacks are required in section 401, then the greater requirement shall be met.
501.5. Temporary mobile and manufactured homes or trailers.
A single mobile and manufactured home or trailer for residential use may be located temporarily on a lot where a residential dwelling is already located, provided that all of the following conditions are satisfied:
A. Use of the mobile and manufactured home or trailer is necessitated by a fire or other emergency rendering the permanent residence on the same lot unfit for habitation.
B. The mobile and manufactured home or trailer is serviced by all of the utilities required for a residence by the state building code, including, but not limited to, public sewers or an individual sewage disposal system.
C. The location of the mobile and manufactured home or trailer on the lot shall conform as nearly as possible to the front, side and rear yard requirements of the zoning ordinance that apply to the lot.
D. The maximum period of time the mobile and manufactured home or trailer shall be permitted to remain on the lot shall be six (6) months. The building official is hereby empowered to extend that period for good cause shown.
501.6. Docks or piers in residential zoning districts.
In a residential zoning district, no more than one (1) dock or pier may be erected upon any lot which abuts on waters.
501.7. Senior residential community.
A. Intent. It is the intent of this subsection to encourage residential communities designed for senior citizens, to ensure compatibility with surrounding areas and with the natural environment, and to regulate the location and design of such senior residential communities to ensure safe, sanitary and attractive living conditions.
B. Approval procedure. The planning board may approve, as a land development project, the establishment of a senior residential community in zoning districts where allowed in article 3. Application for such land development projects shall be made in accordance with the procedures of the town's subdivision and land development regulations.
C. Permitted uses. Permitted dwelling units in senior residential communities may include conventionally built single-household detached structures (use code 10); single-household detached mobile and manufactured homes (use code 16) as defined in article 12; or single-household detached modular homes as defined in article 12 that conform to the Rhode Island State Building Code. Permitted accessory uses include the following:
1. Senior services center as defined in subsection G.;
2. Convenience store for residents of the community;
3. Sales/management office;
4. On- and off-street parking areas;
5. Garages, (including common or shared garages), sheds and other structures customarily accessory to a residential use;
6. Recreational facilities intended primarily for residents and their guests;
7. Common storage areas or buildings for use of residents of the community.
D. Dimensional requirements. See section 401, Schedule of Dimensional Regulations. In addition, senior residential communities shall be subject to the following supplementary dimensional regulations:
1. For the community as a whole:
(a) A senior residential community shall contain a minimum of thirty (30) acres.
(b) The total density of a senior residential community shall not exceed one and ninety-nine-hundredths (1.99) dwelling units per developable acre.
(c) For portions of the tract used for general vehicular entrances and exits only, the lot width and frontage shall be a minimum of fifty (50) feet. For portions containing lots and buildings open generally to occupants, the width of the lot shall be a minimum of two hundred fifty (250) feet. The ratio of width to depth shall not exceed one to five (1:5).
(d) Maximum percent of lot building coverage: Thirty-five (35).
(e) Maximum height, principal building: Thirty-five (35) feet.
(f) Maximum height, accessory building: Fifteen (15) feet.
2. Distance between buildings on the same lot. In cases where such communities are developed with more than one (1) dwelling on a single lot, such as condominium developments or where individual home site parcels are leased, the following dimensional regulations shall apply:
(a) The minimum land area of individual leased parcels shall be six thousand (6,000) square feet; provided, however, that the overall density of the community shall not exceed that provided in subsection D.1.(b), above;
(b) The minimum distance between two (2) principal buildings shall be thirty (30) feet, except where buildings are separated by opposing side walls or attached garage walls, in which case the minimum separation may be twenty (20) feet;
(c) The minimum setback of a principal or accessory building from a street right-of-way line shall be twenty-five (25) feet;
(d) The minimum distance between accessory structures and any other accessory or principal structure shall be twelve (12) feet;
(e) Attached or common garages may be attached to residential dwellings or may be separate detached structures. When attached to a principal building, such structures shall be considered a part of the principal building. When detached, such structures shall be considered accessory structures.
3. Dimensional regulations for buildings on individual lots. In cases where such communities are subdivided into individual lots, the following dimensional regulations shall apply:
Minimum lot size: Six thousand (6,000) square feet.
Minimum lot frontage and width: Fifty (50) feet.
Minimum yard setbacks, principal building:
Front: Twenty-five (25) feet.
Corner side: Twenty (20) feet.
Side: Ten (10) feet.
Rear: Twenty (20) feet.
Minimum yard setbacks, accessory building:
Side lot lines: Six (6) feet.
Rear lot lines: Six (6) feet.
E. Other restrictions. All senior residential communities shall be subject to the exemption requirements for housing for older persons set forth in the Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 and the Rhode Island Fair Housing Practices Act as amended and the following restrictions which shall be noted on the land development final plan and recorded in the land evidence records of the town:
1. Occupancy of a senior residential community is limited to adults fifty-five (55) years of age or older.
2. A senior residential community need not be subdivided into individual lots unless such lots are proposed to be sold, in which case subdivision approval shall also be required from the planning board as provided in the subdivision and land development regulations. Multiple dwellings are permitted on a single lot if individual home site parcels are proposed to be leased.
3. Dwelling units are limited to a maximum of two (2) bedrooms per unit.
F. Prohibition in the High Flood Danger (HFD) Overlay District or V1-30 Flood Zones. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other part of this ordinance, no senior residential community may be placed, occupied or maintained in the High Flood Danger (HFD) Overlay District or Zones V1-30 as shown on the official flood insurance rate map for the town, map revised January 3, 1986, prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and on any subsequent amendment or revision to said map.
G. Senior services center. All senior residential communities shall be provided with a community center for recreation and social functions or any similar facility which shall provide services specifically designed to meet the physical or social needs of older persons. A convenience store may also be provided. The use of such community center, including the convenience store, shall be restricted to residents and guests. The floor area of such community center shall not be less than one thousand five hundred (1,500) square feet (GLFA/use) for the first two hundred (200) dwelling units in the community, and shall be increased by not less than five hundred (500) square feet (GLFA/use) for each additional fifty (50) dwelling units.
H. Open space and buffers. At least ten (10) percent of the developable land area of a senior residential community shall be set aside for recreation and open space areas, in addition to required perimeter buffers. Along all exterior property lines of a senior residential community, a landscaped buffer strip shall be maintained. Such buffer strip shall be not less than fifty (50) feet wide. Where a senior residential community is located directly adjacent to a public or private street, the planning board may increase this width to one hundred (100) feet along the entire street frontage, except for any necessary access streets.
Such buffer strip shall be planted, screened, or otherwise maintained in a natural condition in order to provide year-round visual obstruction of the dwellings within the senior residential community from abutting land and streets. Such buffer strip may be used for recreation of a nonintensive character provided however, that no structure or parking area be located thereon.
I. Site standards. Any senior residential community shall meet the applicable site development standards as provided in article XIII of the subdivision and land development regulations.
501.8. Transient trailer parks.
A. Intent. It is the intent of this subsection to provide areas which are properly located and designed to accommodate the leisure time and vacation activities of transient residents utilizing transient trailers and similar recreational vehicles, and intended for short-term residential occupancy only. It is further intended to safeguard the health and safety of residents of trailer parks, to ensure compatibility with the natural environment and to ensure harmony with the character of the surrounding area.
B. Approval procedure. In order to construct, alter or extend any transient trailer park the following must be obtained:
1. Approval of a land development project from the planning board pursuant to the procedures and standards set forth in the subdivision and land development regulations.
2. A license from the state health department in accordance with G.L. 1956, Tit. 23, Ch. 21;
3. A building permit from the building official; and
4. An annual license granted by the town council as required by the provisions of the Town of South Kingstown Tourist Accommodations Ordinance.
C. Density requirement. The overall density of the transient trailer park shall not exceed twenty (20) transient trailer spaces per acre of developable land area of such park.
D. Minimum area. No transient trailer park shall be less than ten (10) acres in land area.
E. Community center and convenience store. A community center and/or a convenience store may also be provided. The use of such community center, including the convenience store, shall be restricted to residents and guests. The floor area of such structure shall not exceed one thousand five hundred (1,500) square feet (GLFA/use) for the first two hundred (200) spaces in the park, and may be increased by not more than five hundred (500) square feet (GLFA/use) for each additional fifty (50) spaces.
501.9. Hotel and motel use.
A. Minimum lot size. The lot shall consist of not less than fifty thousand (50,000) square feet of land for the first twenty (20) rooms, and five hundred (500) square feet of land for each additional unit.
B. Lot coverage. The permanent structures of motels or hotels shall not occupy more than twenty-five (25) percent of the total lot area. Additional lot coverage, not to exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the total lot area, is authorized for recreation facilities.
C. Unit size. No individual motel unit or hotel room shall be erected or altered so as to have a floor area of less than two hundred forty (240) square feet, including bathroom and closet space.
D. Setback regulations. No part of a motel or hotel structure, accessory structure (except a sign) parking lot or utility area shall be within fifty (50) feet of any lot line or closer than one hundred (100) feet to the right-of-way of any public street. Except in CH districts, a landscaped or natural buffer zone shall be provided within said fifty-foot setback from any lot line, and within said one hundred-foot setback from any public street.
E. Standards for development. The following additional standards shall apply to all motels and hotels:
1. Accessory use. Accessory uses may include necessary office, recreation, parking and maintenance areas, lunchroom, restaurant, cocktail lounge or gift shop.
2. Height. No principal building shall exceed thirty-five (35) feet in height; no accessory building or other structure shall exceed twenty (20) feet in height.
3. Minimum lot width. Each lot shall have a minimum lot width of two hundred (200) feet.
4. Rubbish disposal. Each motel or hotel shall be provided with enclosed waste pens of sufficient size to accommodate all trash and waste stored on the premises. The waste pens and utility areas shall be properly screened and buffered from all buildings and lot lines.
501.10. Religious housing.
A. Minimum lot size. The lot shall consist of not less than five thousand (5,000) square feet of land per bedroom.
B. Number of occupants. Occupancy shall be limited to not more than one (1) person per bedroom, or eight (8) occupants, whichever is less.
C. Utilities. The structure shall be serviced by public water and sewer.
D. Parking. There shall be one (1) off-street parking space per two (2) bedrooms, subject to all other requirements of article 7.
E. Signs. There shall be no signs permitted, except for one (1) sign indicating the name of the religious group and the address, and which shall not include any advertising. Such sign shall not exceed two (2) square feet.
501.11. Indoor gun range.
A. Minimum setback. The indoor gun range operation (and any associated structure) shall be situated no closer than three hundred (300) feet to any property boundary, said three hundred (300) feet serving as a minimum setback. Accessory off-street parking and required curb-cut openings (driveway entrances) shall not be subject to this setback requirement. This setback shall only apply to indoor gun ranges located within residential zoning districts or within two hundred (200) feet of a residential zoning district.
B. Parking. There shall be one (1) off-street parking space for each four hundred (400) square feet of total gross floor area allocated to an indoor gun range operation. The stated minimum parking standards are subject to all other requirements of article 7.
C. Maximum impervious lot coverage. Any impermeable surface improvement (inclusive of all structural improvements, access drives, parking and loading areas) associated with an indoor gun range shall not exceed four (4) percent of the total lot acreage. This requirement shall only pertain to residential zoning districts where such use is permitted by special use permit.
D. Retail use. Any retail component shall be accessory to the principal indoor gun range and shall not be permitted without said principal land use(s) being actually in place.
E. All preceding regulatory standards associated with an indoor gun range shall constitute minimum zoning standards and are mandatory. Any noncompliance with minimum zoning standards shall render permissibility of the indoor gun range land use prohibited in all zoning districts.
501.12. Bow and arrow range/clay shooting and field trials.
The following regulations shall apply to any property which operates a bow and arrow range, outdoor clay shooting, field trials, or any combination of these activities as a principal use of the property. Where the subject property also operates an indoor gun range, the regulations in this subsection as well as the regulations in section 501.11 shall apply:
A. Minimum lot size. The subject property shall consist of not less than one hundred twenty (120) acres in total land area—said land area consisting of all acreage regardless of whether it is deemed suitable or unsuitable for development.
B. Minimum setback. Any shooting stations shall be set back at least five hundred (500) feet from any property boundary.
C. Retail use. Any retail component shall be accessory to the principal use of the property and shall not be permitted without said principal land use(s) being actually in place.
(Ord. of 3-9-15; Ord. of 10-24-16)