Form-based criteria for two-family and two single-family homes§350-6.11.Form-based criteria for two-family and two single-family homes.
A.General standards.
(1)Any new heating system to serve a second unit on a parcel or a new two-family
or two single families that trigger site plan review or special permit must use
on-site sourced or grid-sourced electricity. This must be shown at the time of
the site plan application.
(2)The dwelling units in a two-family dwelling may be arranged side-by-side,
front-and-back, or vertically stacked (up-down), or a combination thereof.
(a)Example of vertically stacked two-family dwelling and side-by-side two-
family.
(b)Diagram of front-and-back and two units per lot two-family dwelling.
B.Illustrative examples.
(1)The following photos show illustrative examples of two-family dwellings in
Northampton.
C.Design standards for two-family and two single-family structures on a lot. For two-
family/two single-family, in the URA, B, C Zones, there is a minimum building
occupancy in accordance with the following:
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Dimensional Standards
URC URB URA
Side Setback (min)See Tables
Rear Setback (min)See Tables
Build-to-Zone (min-max)
(Not applicable to existing
structures or lots where existing
structures do not meet this
criteria.)
10 feet to 25
feet
10 feet to 25
feet
20 feet to 40
feet
Building Frontage Occupancy
width (min)
20 feet 20 feet 20 feet
(1)Building massing. Maximum length of massing is 50 feet. ("B")
(a)A dwelling may have more than one mass.
(b)When a mass is attached to another mass, the masses must be designed
with one or more of the following:
[1]The roofs of adjacent masses run in different directions.
[2]The roofs of adjacent masses that run in the same direction have at
least a two-foot difference in height.
[3]Adjacent masses are arranged to create an ell or T shaped building.
The leg of the ell or the arms of the T must extend at least eight feet
beyond an intersecting wall.
[4]Where the walls of adjacent masses are in the same plane, the walls
must be offset by at least four feet.
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Illustrative examples of techniques for making masses
distinguishable
(2)Building frontage.
(a)Within the URA, URB, and URC Zones, in order to create a transitional
space between a building's facade and the public realm that enhances
neighborhood character, a new two-family dwelling or substantial
alteration of a single-family dwelling that adds 50% or more gross floor
area must include a covered front entry that meets the standards below.
[1]The covered front entry must be located within the build-to zone,
except when a pre-existing building is not located within the build-
to zone.
[2]The covered front entry must face the street. This is required for
buildings facing and along the street front within the build-to zone.
This is not applicable for additional structures built behind such
buildings and which are not within the build-to zone.
[3]A covered front entry must have a minimum contiguous floor area
of six feet by eight feet, exclusive of any stairs or ramps, for each
unit's entry. The Planning Board, through site plan review, may
approve a smaller size but not smaller than four feet by four feet for
each unit.
[4]The roof must cover an area of at least four feet by four feet.
[5]At least one side of the covered entry shall be open between three
feet and seven feet above its floor surface.
[6]A front entry may project beyond the front facade of a building or
may be integral to the overall massing and roof form of the building.
[7]Any stair egresses to porches above first floor covered entries must
be within the footprint of the porch and may not project on the
exterior of the porch footprint if it is within the build-to zone.
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Illustrative examples:
(b)A two-family dwelling may have a shared front entry, or two separate
front entries.
(c)When a dwelling or dwelling unit is located to the rear of another
dwelling unit that has a covered front entry, the principal entrance to the
rear dwelling may face the side or rear of the lot. In this case, the covered
front entry must be at least 20 feet from the lot line unless other means to
create a buffer/private outdoor space to adjoining properties are approved
by the Planning Board. The entrance must meet the requirements for a
covered front entry as described above.
(3)Parking/garage placement.
(a)General parking.
[1]A parking area must be located to the side or rear of a dwelling. No
more than one parking space may be located in front of a dwelling's
front facade.
[2]Where a pre-existing parking area in front of a dwelling's front
facade is proposed to be used in association with a new two-family
use: the parking area may be expanded toward the side of the lot but
may not encroach further in front of the home between the home and
the street.
[3]No more than four cars may be parked beside a dwelling. Additional
vehicles must be parked behind a dwelling or inside a garage.
[4]Parking for more than four cars shall be separated by landscaped
areas of at least six feet by six feet.
[5]Parking areas behind a dwelling shall be adequately screened to
block car headlights from illuminating adjacent properties.
[6]The Planning Board may issue a special permit for alternative
parking configurations when: the proposed design maintains an
equal level of safety and no more than four cars will be visible from
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a public way.
Illustrative Examples of Parking Configurations
(b)Detached garage design.
[1]When a detached garage is located to the side of a dwelling and the
garage doors face and are visible from the street, the width of the
detached garage must be no more than 75% of the width of the
principal dwelling on the property.
[2]Detached garage front setback - 20 feet minimum.
(c)Attached garage design.
[1]When an attached garage is located between two dwelling units, the
garage doors must face the side or rear of the lot.
[2]When the garage door(s) of an attached garage faces and is visible
from the street, no garage door shall be wider than 12 feet.
[3]For attached garages in the SR, RR, and WSP Districts when the
garage doors do not face the street, the facade of the garage visible
from the street shall have window glazing that covers at least 20%
of that exterior facade.
(4)Screening.
(a)All exterior mechanical structures must be located along the sides or rear
of structures or screened from view from public ways.
(b)All refuse containers must be contained within a structure or screened
from view from a public way and adjacent properties.
(c)For every tree over five inches in caliper removed for construction, a
replacement shade tree of at least one-inch caliper must be planted on the
property. When more than three trees are required for replacement, a
variety of shade trees from the City's Tree List and Planting Guidelines
must be selected. The Planning Board may waive the total number of
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required trees to be planted on site if it finds that it is infeasible to replace
all removed trees on site and when:
[1]At least one one-inch tree is planted on site; and
[2]It is shown that even ornamental/small trees cannot be planted on
site; and
[3]Planting and spacing requirements for trees would be hindered by
constraints of the lot in combination with the planned usable space
of the lot; and
[4]The remainder of the required one-inch trees, in consultation with
the City's Tree Warden, are planted on public property with
preference given to the public right-of-way as close to the site as
feasible.
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350 Attachment 4:1 Supp 13, Dec 2021
350 Attachment 4 City of Northampton Table of Use and Dimensional Regulations RR District Description: Example Uses/Structures
Primarily low-density residential and agricultural land. Pristine forested and wildlife habitat where, if developed, conservation cluster design is encouraged. Area is within the outermost portion of the City. Mostly served by private water and sewer systems. Within transect-based zoning, RR is a T2 Rural zone.
Lot Dimension Requirements Layout/Setbacks
Lot Size - Standard 40,000 ft.2 min. (80,000 ft.2 if both private water and private sewer) Frontage/Width = 175 feet min. Depth = 200 feet min. Setbacks [principal and detached accessory structures (det. acc.)] Front = 40 feet min. Side = 20 feet min. (10 feet det. acc. structure) Rear= 50 feet min. (10 feet det. acc. structure) Max. Height = 35 feet (20 feet det. acc. structure) Open Space = 80%
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350 Attachment 4:2 Supp 13, Dec 2021
Flag Lot Size 80,000 ft.2 min. Frontage/Width = 50 feet min. Depth = 200 feet min.
Setbacks Front = 80 feet min. Side = 40 feet min. (10 feet det. acc. structure) Rear = 100 feet min. (10 feet det. acc. structure) Max. Height = 35 feet Open Space = 85%
FLAG LOT LAYOUT
Design Standards Illustrated
1. For attached garages/ parking structures that face the street: a) The front face of the garage must be stepped back 10 feet from the house façade; and b) The garage shall comprise no more than 30% of the front facade of the primary structure, unless the garage is stepped back from the façade by 20 feet (A). The criteria above do not apply to residential structures that are either behind another principal structure which is along the street front or if the structure is set back 50 feet or more from the lot line. See additional specific criteria for two-family homes.
Max. 30% of total combined area of facades
Living space above
DOESN’T FIT
Max. 30% of total combined area of facades
Living space above
Exceeds 30% of total combined area of facades
Garage or Parking Structure
Area
Primary Structure
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350 Attachment 4:3 Supp 13, Dec 2021
Minimum parking for residential uses For other uses see table in § 350-8.2
1 space per 1,000 ft.2 gross living area (round up). No more than 2 spaces required per unit. Front yard setback may only have parking for a maximum of 2 vehicles.
RR USES ALLOWED
Uses Allowed By Right:
• Single-family residence
• Home business up to 25 visits per week as defined in § 350-2.1
• Preexisting nonconforming uses (may trigger ZBA permit)
• Accessory uses to residential:
Tag sales - temporary sales of personal and household articles Pets/Animals (see § 350-5.3)
• Accessory structures - detached (but no larger than 1,000 ft.2 of lot coverage or 3% of lot area,
whichever is greater, unless it is used for agricultural purposes). See also § 350-6.7.
• Family day care (registration w/Building Commissioner required)
• Cemetery, including any crematory therein
• Temporary event as defined in § 350-2.1
• Agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, noncommercial forestry, the growing of all vegetables and a
temporary (not to exceed erection or use for a period of four months in any one year) greenhouse or
stand for retail sale of agricultural or farm products raised primarily on the same premises
• Rooftop solar hot water and photovoltaic
• Accessory solar photovoltaic (PV) ground-mounted on a parcel with any building/use, provided that
the PV is sized to generate no more than 200% of the annual projected electric use of the non-PV
building/use or 12 KW, whichever is greater. The setbacks for such a PV shall be the same as for
detached accessory structures as set forth in the table above.
• Essential facilities
• Municipal facility
• Short-term rental: allowed only upon annual registration with the City. Use as a registered rental is
only valid for the year in which registration is completed and expires December 31 each year.
Site Plan Approval Required for the Following:
• Two-family
• Two single-family dwellings per lot, one of the dwellings not to exceed 1,800 square feet of gross
living area per unit. See also § 350-6.11.
• Any construction (other than for a single-family home) greater than 2,000 ft.2
• Detached accessory dwelling unit for single-family home meeting same setback requirements as a
single-family home. See § 350-10.10, Administrative site plan.
• Educational use: nonprofit, any religious use, day care, school-aged child-care program (MGL
c. 28A, § 9)
• Reuse of historic educational or religious building(s) for: any residential use, live/work space, or
office; provided, however, that no more than 20% of the floor space of the building(s) shall be used
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350 Attachment 4:4 Supp 13, Dec 2021
for medical, banking or any offices where a primary function is to provide services to retail
customers or individuals. All such uses approved under this provision shall be within the footprint of
existing building(s) and may only be approved contingent upon protection of all historically
contributing portions of the building with an historic preservation restriction granted to the City of
Northampton in a form acceptable to the Planning Board, with input from the Historical
Commission, as preserving the key character-defining features visible from the road (and not
necessarily meeting federal or state preservation standards for the entire building). The existing
building may be expanded to accommodate elevators and stairwells. Portions of the building that are
not part of the original architecture of the building and which do not contribute to the historical or
architectural significance of the building as determined by the Planning Board, with input from the
Historical Commission, may be demolished.
• Parking off site and combined parking. See §§ 350-8.5 and 350-8.7.
• Creation or expansion of six or more parking spaces.
• Parking requirement reduction. See § 350-8.10F.
• Residential shared driveways. See § 350-8.8R.
• Year-round greenhouse/stand for wholesale and retail sale of agricultural farm products raised on
site
• Telecommunication antennas which are located on existing telecommunications towers or other
structures which do not require the construction of a new tower (in accordance with § 350-10.9)
• Open/Outdoor marijuana cultivation.
1. All security fencing that includes razor wire or other physical security measures that are not
typically residential in character must be screened with vegetation so that it is not visible
from public ways nor from other principal residential structures within 300 feet.
2. If a fence or other security structure is planned within a FEMA-mapped floodplain, it must
be shown to be engineered to withstand expected floodwaters or it must be engineered to
include a breakaway that opens during flood conditions.
• Any other solar photovoltaic (PV), large-scale ground-mounted not listed above, where less than two
acres of tree removal is planned. The removal of significant trees on the subject parcel(s) must be
replaced in accordance with § 350-12.3 and includes tree removal that occurs within 12 months
immediately prior to an application for installation of such a system.
Setbacks: Front = 50 feet Side = 50 feet Rear = 50 feet Maximum height = 30 feet Open space = 20% 1. A planted buffer to abutting residential property shall be at least 15 feet in width along the property boundary. It shall contain a screen of plantings in the center of the strip not less than three feet in width and six feet in height at the time of occupancy of such lot. Individual shrubs shall be planted not more than five feet on center, and individual trees thereafter shall be maintained by the owner or occupants so as to maintain a dense screen year-round. At least 50% of the plantings shall be evenly spaced. Whenever possible, existing trees and ground cover should be preserved in this strip, reducing the need to plant additional trees. Trees may not be cut down in this strip without site plan approval. 2. The owner or operator shall remove the installation no more than 150 days after the date of discontinued operations. Removal shall consist of: a. Removal of all structures, equipment, security barriers, transmission lines, conduits, poles.
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350 Attachment 4:5 Supp 13, Dec 2021
b. Disposal of all waste in accordance with local, state, and federal waste disposal regulations. c. Stabilization or revegetation of the site as necessary to minimize erosion. If the owner/operator fails to remove the installation in accordance with the requirements of this section, the City shall have the right to exercise or call the bond/performance guarantee in order to cover the cost of removal. 3. Performance guarantee: Applicants shall submit an itemized cost estimate for complete decommissioning of the array as specified above. Prior to beginning construction, the applicant shall post a performance guarantee in the form of a bond or escrow or other guarantee approved by the Planning Board for the amount to cover decommissioning,
including a twenty-percent contingency and calculated with twenty-year inflation factor. Special Permit Approval required for the following uses by Planning Board unless otherwise noted:
• Two single-family dwellings per lot, both of which are 1,800 square feet or greater of gross living
area per unit. See also § 350-6.11.
• Home business for personal service business by appointment only or home business more than 25
visits etc. See § 350-10.12 for other criteria—Zoning Board of Appeals Special Permit
• Flag lots. See § 350-6.13.
• Bed-and-breakfast
• Commercial stable or kennel in which all animals, fowl, or other forms of life are completely
enclosed in pens or other structures. See § 350-10.8 and exemptions MGL c. 40A.
• Outdoor commercial recreational use, miniature golf, temporary carnival
• Any other private school, college or university
• Historical association or society and nonprofit museum (may include the residence of a caretaker)
• Accessory solar photovoltaic ground-mounted on a parcel with any building or use, between 8 KW
or over 100% but no more than 200% of the annual projected electric use of the non-PV building or
use
• Private utility or substation, small-scale hydroelectric generation
• New telecommunications facility in accordance with §§ 350-2.1 and 350-10.9.
• Parking lot access for nonresidential uses across a residential lot. See § 350-8.9.
• Processing and treating of raw materials, including operations appurtenant to the taking, such as
grading, drying, sorting, crushing, grinding and milling operations. See § 350- 10.3.
• Removal of sand, gravel, quarry, or other raw material. See § 350-10.3.
• Filling of any land. See § 350-10.4. Filling of water or any wet area. See § 350-10.3.
• Private bridge, tunnel
• Railroad passenger terminal
• Municipal facility
• Heavy public use. See § 350-10.7—City Council Special Permit
• Membership club operated as a not-for-profit corporation, as defined by MGL c. 180, excluding any
adult establishments which display live nudity—City Council Special Permit
• Cluster residential development. See § 350-10.5.
Cluster Development Layout Standards a. Project lot = 4-acre minimum b. Project frontage = 175 feet
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350 Attachment 4:6 Supp 13, Dec 2021
c. Project depth = 200 feet d. Setbacks from project boundary: Front = 40 feet Side = 20 feet Rear = 50 feet e. Individual lot frontage, setbacks, frontage = 0 feet f. Maximum height = 35 feet g. Project open space = 75% h. Design: Planning Board to review layout to ensure project transitions between existing neighborhood along street and proposed project. For new buildings, setback, scale, massing should fit within the area. Mature specimen trees shall be preserved unless shown to be infeasible. No minimum setbacks, lot size, frontage, or open space for internal lots. More than one structure may be located on a single lot. Projects resulting in more than two acres of canopy removal shall submit the following additional
information to that which is required by site plan for large-scale ground-mounted solar above with their application. The Board must find that the removal of trees will not negatively impact the health safety and welfare of the residents of Northampton by maintaining a robust and diverse ecosystem for the residents while also creating renewable energy systems. In order for the Board to make such finding, the applicant shall submit an analysis of the proposed project’s impact relative to the benefit of the solar installation as follows:
1. Analysis showing that tree removal which occurs on more than one acre of slopes greater than 20% will not cause erosion of top soil and will not increase siltation of any streams present on the site or within 200 feet of the property boundary. 2. Analysis of the forest type and relevant habitat that will be lost. This analysis must include the
structure and diversity of the canopy, midstory and understory of the forested area to be cleared. Analysis must be performed by an individual with a master’s degree in wildlife biology or ecological
science from an accredited college/university or other competent professional with at least two years of experience in wildlife habitat evaluation. a. Any forested area within which certifiable vernal pools are found, must be identified and a permit from the Conservation Commission must be granted prior to review by the Planning
Board. b. Any forested area containing clusters of five or more healthy trees of 20 inches diameter
breast height or greater that are not in decline shall be preserved in order to continue to provide high value ecological benefit to the community. Connection of these larger trees to
surrounding stands of trees shall be maintained. c. As part of the forest type analysis, the report shall contain information regarding the
abundance and distribution of habitats within the region and of the specific site and any historical information on the extent and quality of these habitats and impact of clearing on
these habitats. The applicant must show through analysis that habitat is not fragmented and that connectivity remains in the proposed conditions.
3. Analysis by a qualified third party showing that the project will be carbon-neutral over the first 10 years of operation. The applicant shall provide the following calculations:
a. The total volume of trees to be removed (provided by an independent certified forester) and the projected volume of trees over a ten-year period of additional growth. b. Subtracting the estimated live-wood in replacement trees provided under the significant tree section of this zoning ordinance 10 years after planting.
c. Conversion of the net live-wood to be removed to short tons of carbon (using research from the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science or other methodology after approval by
the permit granting authority). d. Subtraction of the carbon offsets (short tons of carbon) provided by the solar photovoltaic
project over 10 years of operation, including the calculation of potential carbon stored had the trees continued to thrive in that same ten-year window.
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350 Attachment 4:7 Supp 13, Dec 2021
e. If there is any net release of carbon with the above calculations, the applicant shall assign Renewable Energy Credits (REC) to the City to match or exceed said release of carbon. However, RECs may not be used to fund biomass projects. 4. At least 50% of the property shall be protected from tree clearing and future development for the duration of the operation of the solar array installation and until such time as the system is decommissioned and removed. 5. Within the area beyond the first two acres of canopy removed, stumps for removed trees must remain in place and no excavation/soil disturbance is allowed other than what would be required to bore support posts for the PV panels. 6. Electrical transformers for utility interconnections may be aboveground only if required by the utility provider. Power and telecommunications poles and equipment shall not be visible from the public way.
* No minimum lot size, depth, or frontage required for essential services or municipal facilities as defined in § 350-2.1. Minimum setbacks for principal buildings as part of municipal facilities are the same as other principal uses in table above and are the only dimensional lot requirements necessary to be met.