The residential and commercial districts established in this article are designed to promote and protect public health, safety and general welfare. These general goals include among others, the following specific purpose:
(a) To provide sufficient space, in appropriate locations in proximity to residential areas, for local and neighborhood retail development catering to the regular shopping needs of the occupants of nearby residences, with due allowances for the need for a choice of sites.
(b) To provide, as far as possible, that such space will be available for use for business and related activities, and to protect residences by separating them from Business activities.
(c) To provide appropriate space, and in particular sufficient depth from a street, to satisfy the needs of modern local and neighborhood retail development including the need for off-street parking spaces in areas to which large portion of shoppers come by automobile, and to encourage the natural tendency of local and neighborhood retail development to consumers and merchants.
(d) To protect business development and nearby residences against fire, explosions, toxic and noxious matter, radiation and other hazards, and against offensive noise, vibrations, smoke, dust and other objectionable influences.
(e) To protect business development and nearby residences against congestion, particularly in areas where the established pattern is predominantly residential but includes local retail uses, by regulating the intensity of local and neighborhood retail development, by restricting those types of establishments which generate heavy traffic and by providing for off-street parking and loading facilities.
(f) To provide sufficient and appropriate space, and in particular sufficient depth from the street, to meet the needs of the Town's central and community business centers, including the need for off-street parking spaces in areas where a large proportion of customers come by automobile, with due allowance for the need for a choice of sites, and to encourage business development to concentrate in continuous retail frontage within business/highway areas, to the mutual advantage of both consumers and merchants.
(g) To provide sufficient space in appropriate locations for all types of business and miscellaneous service activities, with due allowance for the need for a choice of sites.
(h) To provide freedom of architectural design, in order to encourage the development of more attractive and economic building forms.
(i) To promote the most desirable use of land and direction of building development in accord with a well-considered plan, to promote stability of business development, to strengthen the economic base of the Town's tax revenues.
(Ord. 08-01. Passed 11-6-08.)