New Bedford 2020 - VHB.com

A City Master Plan New Bedford 2020ZoningZoning regulations or ordinances are the method in which municipal government controls the physicaldevelopment of land and the kinds of uses that may be developed for each individual property. Zoning typicallysegregates land uses into three main categories: residential; commercial; and industrial. Thus, if a section of acity is zoned residential to allow for housing, then no commercial uses, such as an auto body shop are allowedto be developed in that area.What Is Zoning?Modern zoning began in the early 1900s in response to the location of potentially incompatible and noxious land uses next tocommercial and residential areas. The zoning ordinance has evolved over the years as a means to limit the types of land uses thatcould locate in a particular area of the municipality, resulting in a separation of uses. Ideally, a master plan is the blueprint for thecity, and the zoning ordinance is the regulation that implements the plan. Typically, a zoning ordinance regulates land use by:> Specifying and distinguishing different land use types;> Creating development standards for the size and shape of lots, and the buildings erected on those lots;> Addressing lots, buildings and uses that pre-date the adoption of the zoning ordinance (non-conformities);> Establishing criteria for the evaluation of permit applications for new buildings;> Establishing procedures for permitting uses not specifically allowed by right;> Defining terms that have specific meanings under the ordinance; and> Creating a map that displays the geographic extent of each zoning district.Within New Bedford there are four residential, two business, and four industrial zoning districts definedwithin the zoning ordinance. Additionally, there are eight overlay districts and 15 historic districts. Table 4-3summarizes the City’s zoning districts. Refer to Figures 4.2 and 4.3, provided at the end of this chapter, for theexisting zoning districts and historic districts, respectively.Table 4-3: New Bedford Zoning DistrictsZoning DistrictResidence A District (RA)Residence B District (RB)Residence C District (RC)Residence AA District (RAA)DescriptionSingle-family residence district with an 8,000 square footminimum lot size. A density of one dwelling unit per lot isallowed. 1Two-family house, also with a minimum lot size of 8,000 squarefeet for RA use. One dwelling unit per 10,000 square feet and twoper 5,000 square feet are allowed by right.Multi-family housing on lot sizes that are at least 15,000 squarefeet. One unit per 1,000 square feet is allowed for multi-familydwellings of three or more units.Minimum lot size is 16,000 square feet with a density of one unitper lot restricted to a single-family residence.Shaping the City4-5