Village District Zoning Seeks To Preserve Borough’s Appearance

By Andrew Gorosko

The Borough Zoning Commission has formulated proposed Village District zoning regulations and design guidelines for sections of the borough with business and professional zoning designations to “protect the distinctive character, landscape, and historic values” of those areas.

Areas that would be affected by the proposed Village District overlay zone include properties that have commercial and professional zoning designations along both sides of Church Hill Road, lying between the Housatonic Railroad overpass and Wendover Road; the commercially zoned properties along both sides of Queen Street lying between its intersection with Church Hill Road and the traffic signal at the main entrance to Newtown Shopping Village; and the several individual commercially zoned properties lying along the west side of Main Street, between Newtown General Store and the intersection of Main Street and Sugar Street.

Borough Zoning Commission members April 9 unanimously endorsed the Village District zoning proposal, forwarding the matter to the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) for its review and comment. Because the Borough has no planning commission, the P&Z serves as the Borough’s planning agency, commenting on such proposals.

After receiving the P&Z’s comments, the borough zoners will have another opportunity to revise the zoning proposal and then submit it to a public hearing, after which the Borough Zoning Commission would act on it.

In 1998, the Borough Zoning Commission began work on the Village District zoning project. Under the provisions of state law, such districts are regulated through zoning regulations, plus a series of design guidelines, that pertain to new construction, to substantial reconstruction, and the to rehabilitation of properties within that district that are in view from public roads.

Broadly, the zoning project would provide the commission some of the visual controls that are in place within designated historic districts.

Last fall, the borough zoners revised their zoning regulations to eliminate a requirement for brick exteriors for business, professional, and industrial buildings, and instead require designs and materials that are consistent with the traditional architectural designs that are present in the borough.

According to the borough zoners, the intent of the proposed Village District design guidelines is selectivity, and occasional restrictiveness, “to exclude designs that would erode the historic, cultural, and economic resource built up over generations.”

“The borough’s commercial center evolved in a simpler society and before the widespread availability of electricity, large machinery, easy transportation, low-cost steel and glass, and elevators…Today, caution and vigilance remain essential to the continued preservation of the borough through regulation of the commercial center,” according to the commission.

Through the proposed zoning regulations and design guidelines, the commission urges that contemporary designs for new buildings and the designs for additions to existing buildings be compatible with the distinctive character of the district, and also be related to neighboring historic buildings in terms of size, scale, building materials, and site planning.

The commission also urges that building sizes be limited to preserve the architectural scale of the area, in that large-scale buildings are alien to the distinctiveness of the Village District and the larger borough.

Regulations

Through its proposed Village District zoning regulations, the commission would require that new buildings and modifications to existing buildings be constructed with “appropriate” materials and that construction designs be “appropriate” for a scenic and rural town in New England, observing “appropriate” architectural scale, rhythm, and proportion, and also avoiding monolithic forms.

“The color, size, height, location, proportion of openings, roof treatments, building materials and landscaping of the property that is to be improved, and any proposed signs and lighting, shall be evaluated for compatibility with the local architectural motif and the maintenance of views, historic buildings, monuments and landscaping,” according to the proposed regulations. “The removal or disruption of historic, traditional, or significant structures or architectural elements shall be minimized,” it adds.

Broadly, the regulations call for the architectural scale, proportions, massing, and detailing of proposed new construction to be in harmony with the architectural elements of existing structures in the Village District.

Under the terms of the zoning proposal, applications for new construction and substantial reconstruction, which are visible from public roads, would be subject to a design review and recommendations, which would be made by a consultant designated by the Borough Zoning Commission, plus possibly various other consulting agencies.

The commission proposes that business and professional buildings have their parking areas at the rear of buildings, away from streets.

Loading areas would be located at the rear or side of buildings and screened from view. Garbage dumpsters and storage areas similarly would be located at the rear or side of buildings and also would be screened from view.

Utility equipment would be located at the rear or side of buildings and screened from view. If utility equipment creates noise or odors, it would need to be housed within a building.

The Borough Zoning Commission lists various views within the borough that must not be altered as a result of building design, construction, placement, height, or mass.

These are the view from Main Street looking eastward toward Church Hill Road, the view of the Main Street flagpole, the view from the Main Street flagpole, the view from Castle Hill, the view of Newtown Meeting House, the view of Trinity Episcopal Church, the view of the Ram Pasture, and the view from the Ram Pasture.

Besides containing new zoning regulations, the Borough Zoning Commission’s zoning proposal includes various revised zoning regulations that would create certain construction size limits in areas with business and professional zoning designations, thus preventing the construction of large-scale office buildings.

The proposed zoning regulations also address the design, paving materials, the placement of public roads. The proposed regulations address many landscaping requirements. The preservation of major trees and existing landscape features would be required, plus the intensive replanting of disturbed areas. Landscaping would be required to screen utility equipment, garbage containers, fencing, parking areas, outbuildings, storage areas, loading areas, and lighting equipment.

 Nonresidential lots that are adjacent to residential property would be required to have at least 50-foot-wide planted buffer areas.

The proposed regulations also address outdoor illumination in terms of safety, convenience, and security, while considering the adverse effects of lighting, such as skyglow and glare.

Design Guidelines

In a set of design guidelines for the Village District, the Borough Zoning Commission makes various recommendations on architectural design.

 Recommended designs include buildings with peaked roofs, fractured facades, paned windows, and natural building materials, such as buildings with Colonial or Victorian facades.

The commission encourages increasing the number of shared parking areas to reduce traffic conflicts on roads and reduce traffic-pedestrian conflicts on pedestrian walkways.

“Adjoining property owners are encouraged to share common curb cuts, and to have inter-lot driveway connections, thereby allowing vehicular traffic to traverse on the commercial landowners’ property without burdening the public roads and adding to traffic conflicts…Parking lots should be screened from view from the street and from adjacent lots with landscaping,” according to the commission.

The commission lists a number of preferred uses in business zones. Those preferred uses are inns, restaurants, stores, dry cleaners, banks, travel agencies, and general offices.

The commission’s preferred uses in professional zones are professional offices, schools, government offices, medical and dental offices, real estate brokers, insurance brokers, stockbrokers, public museums, and art galleries.

If approved, the proposed Village District overlay zone may become part of the P&Z’s revised Town Plan of Conservation and Development.