5.8.1 PURPOSE
5.8.1.1 The purpose of the Retirement Community Overlay District is to provide people over fifty-five (55) years of age the opportunity to live in a residential neighborhood designed specifically for their needs, equipped with the appropriate amenities and located within reasonable proximity to shopping and services.
5.8.2 ALLOWED USES
5.8.1.2 Besides those uses permitted in the underlying districts, a retirement community shall be allowed in a Retirement Community Overlay District by special permit of the Board of Appeals pursuant to section 8 of these by-laws, and subject to the following conditions:
A retirement community shall consist of structures constructed expressly for use as housing for persons fifty-five or over, on one parcel or on contiguous parcels of land totaling at least thirty acres.
No building shall be more than two and one-half stories in height.
Each building shall face either upon an existing street or upon a public or private way constructed within said retirement community, and shall have a minimum front yard of no less than 20 ft. from the edge of the paved way to the closest point of the structure, and a sideyard of no less than 10 ft. from the edge of the paved way to the closest point of the structure. Each building, whether principal or accessory, shall be at least 20 ft. distant from any other building by air line distance between the nearest points of the buildings.
No dwelling shall contain less than 1,000 sq. ft. of living area or more than 2,400 sq. ft. of living area. At least 66% of the living area in each unit shall be located on the first floor.
All dwelling units shall be detached from the others or attached only along sidewalls in the so-called “townhouse” style.
The lot or lots on which a retirement community is located shall contain at least 5,000 sq. ft. per unit in the retirement community.
No part of any principal building shall be within 25 ft. of any exterior lot line, or less than 50 ft. from the side line of a public way.
Each dwelling unit shall have its own attached yard area.
Required off street parking for each dwelling unit shall be adjacent thereto. Each unit shall be required to provide one parking space inside a garage and an additional space in front of a garage, said garage to be attached to said unit.
Maximum lot coverage in a retirement community shall not exceed 50% of the total lot size, excluding from lot size any land which, prior to development of the site as a retirement community, would be defined as a freshwater wetland as that term is defined in Mass. General Laws Ch. 131 sec. 40.
Each lot or contiguous lots upon which a retirement community is located shall have frontage on an or access to a public way.
The Board of Appeals may, as a permit condition, require that all proposed condominium by-laws or similar binding retirement community regulations which may be relevant to the issuance of the permit, including but not limited to by-law provisions prohibiting the presence of children residing in the retirement community and limiting or prohibiting the presence in the retirement community of boats, boat trailers, or recreational vehicles, be made a part of the special permit, and that any change to or failure to enforce said provisions shall be a violation of said special permit.
5.8.1.3 Any applicant for a special permit shall, prior to said application, obtain site plan approval from the Planning Board pursuant to the provisions of sec. 7.1.7 of these by-laws.
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