Home occupation?
Occasionally, the Planning Board will receive an application for a Conditional Use specific to a home occupation.
The whole idea of this ordinance was to allow legitimate, low intensity, “business” activities, inside someone’s house, and not change the character of the neighborhood, especially residential neighborhoods, in any manner.
Allowing someone to have a one-person professional office dealing with a very limited cliental, no outside activities, and no storage of heavy equipment on the property is generally the idea.
The following is straight from the Town of Webb Zoning Ordinance, word for word.
Section 480-24 states…
A. A home occupation must be conducted within a dwelling that is a bona fide residence of the principal practitioner, or within an accessory building on the residential property such as the garage.
B. Such use shall clearly be incidental and secondary to the use of the dwelling unit for residential purposes and shall not utilize or occupy more than twenty (20) percent of the gross floor area of the dwelling and its accessory buildings.
C. There shall be no outdoor display of goods or products, nor shall there be any outdoor storage of materials used in the home occupation, without prior review and approval by the Planning Board.
D. Permitted signage shall be as specified in Section 32 herein.
E. Off-street parking shall be provided for expected average peak weekday numbers of clients, customers, patients or other visitors in the side or rear yard, in addition to parking required for the dwelling.
Such off-street parking shall be located at least ten (10) feet from any side or rear property line, shall be surfaced, screened or fenced as directed by the Board, and shall be so lighted that there will be no direct light into adjacent properties or streets.
F. No dwelling shall include more than one (1) home occupation.
G. Not more than one person other than a resident of the dwelling shall be employed as part of the home occupation.
H. In no way shall the appearance of the structure be altered or the operation within the residence be conducted in a manner which would cause the residence to differ from its residential character either by use of colors, materials, construction, lighting, or the emission of sounds, noises or vibrations.
I. No use shall create noise, dust, vibration, odor, smoke, glare, electrical interference, fire hazard or any other hazard or nuisance to any greater or more frequent than usually experienced in an average residential occupancy in the district in question under normal circumstances wherein no home occupation exists.
J. Not more than one truck or trailer greater than 24 feet in length used in connection with the home occupation shall be parked or stored on the property at any time, except for temporary, but not overnight, parking for purposes of pick-up or delivery of merchandise.
K. A home occupation shall not include any of the following: garages and shops for the repair or maintenance of motor vehicles; commercial stables and kennels; restaurants; tourist homes; rooming or boarding houses; clinics; musical and dancing instruction to groups exceeding four (4) pupils; or other trades and businesses of a similar nature.
L. A home occupation shall not include any trucking business, construction business, well-drilling business, excavation business or similar business that involves parking or storing on the property at any time any truck or trailer greater than 24 feet in length, any piece of earth moving equipment, any well-drilling rig, or any other similar heavy equipment or vehicle used in the conduct of the business.
M. No home occupation shall cause an increase in traffic or parking that creates an adverse impact upon the character of the neighborhood.
N. No home occupation shall be conducted without a conditional use permit authorized and approved by the Planning Board.