The Town of Ipswich is hereby divided into districts of twelve (12) types to be known as: (Amended by 10/22/90 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 1/14/91)
1. Rural Residence A (RRA) District
2. Rural Residence B (RRB) District
3. Rural Residence C (RRC) District (Amended by 10/22/90 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 1/14/91)
4. Intown Residence (IR) District
5. General Business (GB) (Added by 10/20/03 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 1/22/04)
6. Central Business (CB) District (Added by 10/20/03 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 1/22/04)
7. Highway Business (HB) District (Added by 10/18/93 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 2/4/94)
8. Planned Commercial District (PC) (Amended by 10/22/90 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 1/14/91)
9. Industrial (I) District
10. Limited Industrial (LI) District (Amended by 10/22/90 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 1/14/91)
11. Water Supply (WSA) District A
12. Water Supply (WSB) District B
13. Flood Plain (FP) District (Amended by 4/1/85 Annual Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 11/4/85) (Amended by 11/4/91 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 3/5/92)
14. Wireless Communication Districts (Added by 10/21/02 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 2/03/03)
15. Green Space Preservation District (Added by 10/20/08 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 1/28/09)
The intent of the districts is as follows:
1 .The Rural Residence Districts are intended primarily for single-family residential uses in a rural and semi-rural environment. Agricultural uses are permitted, as are community facilities necessary to service the residential uses. Generally, commercial and industrial uses are not permitted. The district is generally not served by municipal sewerage, but areas within the district may be accessible to it. Municipal water supply is available in most areas of this district.
2. The Intown Residence District is intended primarily for residential uses in the older, more established area of the Town. The predominantly permitted use is single-family residences, but two-family and multi-family residential uses may also be permitted. Community facilities necessary to service the residential uses are permitted. In addition, certain business uses may be permitted, but most non-residential uses are not allowed. The district is generally served by municipal water supply and sewerage facilities.
3. The General Business (GB) District is intended primarily for retail, trade, service, and other commercial uses with some compatible light industrial uses. Multi-family residential uses may be permitted. The District is generally served by municipal water supply and sewerage facilities. (Added by 10/20/03 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 1/22/04)
4. The Central Business (CB) District is intended primarily to accommodate a composite of business and retail uses, multi-family residential uses, office uses, and institutional uses, all of which comprise the Town's central core. The district is served by municipal water supply and sewerage facilities. (Added by 10/20/03 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 1/22/04)
5. The Highway Business District is intended primarily for retail, trade, service, and other commercial uses; multi-family residential uses at a density defined by this bylaw may also be permitted by Special Permit. The District is generally served by municipal water supply but is only partially served by sewerage facilities. (Added by 10/18/93 Special Town Meeting; approved by 2/3/94 by Attorney General)
6. The Planned Commercial District is intended for non-residential uses. Office and service uses are generally permitted; retail, research and development, enclosed manufacturing, warehousing and other commercial uses require a special permit. The district is intended to preserve the natural features and vistas of the Route One Corridor. The district is not served by municipal sewerage or water. (Amended by 10/22/90 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 1/14/91) (Amended by 10/15/07 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 1/23/08)
7. The Industrial District is intended for light industrial uses and business uses, which are compatible with adjacent uses. Industrial uses which might constitute a nuisance due to odor, fumes, dust, vibration, or other nuisance type characteristics, are not intended. The District, except that portion bordering Route One, is served by municipal water supply and either served by municipal sewerage facilities or located in an area of planned sewerage expansion.
8.The Limited Industrial District is intended for some light industrial, wholesale, and warehouse uses. Industrial uses which require smelting or chemical reduction or which might constitute a nuisance due to odor, fumes, dust, vibration, heat, glare, noise, (i.e., have a decibel level over fifty-five (55) more than fifty (50) feet from the premises), or other nuisance characteristic are not intended. Retail and office uses are prohibited. The district is intended to preserve the natural features and vistas of the Route One Corridor. The district is not served by municipal sewerage. Municipal waste supply is available only in that portion of the district bordering Old Right Road and the access road to Assessor's Map 27A, Parcel 21. (Amended by 10/22/90 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 1/14/91)
9. The Water Supply Districts are intended to protect the public health and safety by preserving and maintaining the existing ground and surface water supplies and to protect the community from the costs which may be incurred if unsuitable development were to reduce either the quantity or quality of the municipal water supply.
10. The Flood Plain District is intended to protect persons and property against the hazards of flood inundation by assuring the continuation of the natural flow pattern of the water courses within the Town; to minimize the impact of coastal storms; to protect the health and safety of individuals; and to protect the community from costs which may be incurred from unwise individual choices of uses of lands which are subject to seasonal or periodic flooding. (Amended by 4/1/85 Annual Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 11/4/85) (Amended by 11/4/91 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 3/5/92)
11. The Wireless Communication Districts are overlay districts intended to accommodate wireless communication facilities. Wireless Communication District A is intended for all types of wireless facilities, including free-standing monopoles. Wireless Communication District B is intended only for wireless facilities wholly enclosed within or attached to buildings or structures. (Added by 10/21/02 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 2/03/03)
12. The Green Space Preservation Development District is an overlay district intended to expand the Town's economic base by allowing limited non-residential uses on certain large properties in the RRA and RRC Districts. This overlay district preserves the allowed uses of the underlying districts while allowing specified non-residential uses if designed to protect the Town's natural features, rural character and vistas, preserve open space, and provide an alternative to subdivision of large parcels for residences. (Added by 10/20/08 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 1/28/09)
The boundaries of each of the said districts, except the Water Supply District A, Water Supply District B, and the Flood Plain District, are hereby established as shown, and defined and bounded on the map accompanying this bylaw and on file with the Clerk of the Town of Ipswich titled "Zoning Map of the Town of Ipswich, Massachusetts". Said map and all explanatory matter thereon are hereby incorporated herein by reference. (Amended by 4/1/85 Annual Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 7/9/85) (Amended by 11/4/92 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 3/5/91)
The boundaries of the Water Supply Districts are hereby established as shown, defined and bounded on a map accompanying this bylaw, prepared by Metcalf and Eddy, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, entitled "Water Supply Districts of the Town of Ipswich, 1983" and on file with the Clerk of the Town of Ipswich.
The boundaries of the Flood Plain District are hereby established as shown, defined and bounded on a map accompanying this bylaw, prepared by Dewberry and Davis, Fairfax, Virginia, entitled "Town of Ipswich Compiled Flood Insurance Rate Map, scale 1" = 1,000' dated August 05, 1985 " and on file with the Clerk of the Town of Ipswich. All explanatory matter thereon is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Said Flood Plain District includes all special flood hazard areas designated as Zones A, AO, A1-30, and V1-30 on said map. (Amended by 4/1/85 Annual Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 7/9/85)
Where any uncertainty exists with respect to the boundary of any district as shown on the Zoning Map, the following rules apply:
1 .Where a boundary is indicated as a street, railroad, watercourse, or other body of water, it shall be construed to be the centerline or middle thereof.
2. Where a boundary is indicated as following approximately or parallel to a street, railroad, watercourse, or other body of water, it shall be construed to be parallel thereto and at such a distance there from as shown on the Zoning Map. If no dimension is given, such distance shall be determined by the use of the scale shown on the Zoning Map.
3. Where a dimensioned boundary coincides within ten (10) feet or less with a property line existing at the date of adoption of the zoning district boundary, the boundary shall be construed to be the property line.
4.Where boundary lines extend to the Town boundary, then the Town boundary shall be construed to be a zoning district boundary line closing the district so extended. (Amended by deleting paragraph referencing Wetlands District 11/4/91 Special Town Meeting; approved by Attorney General 3/5/92)
