XXIV-A - Purpose.

A Waterfront West Overlay District (WWOD) and WWOD special permit (WWOD-SP) are established due to the unique land use, historic, cultural and architectural resources of the properties located along the central waterfront to encourage implementation of the recommendations of the 2001 Master Plan and 2003 Waterfront Strategic Plan, as amended and supplemented from time to time, to:

a.

Encourage a building pattern, scale, setbacks, height, density, and design conforming to that now found in the historic downtown business district;

b.

Encourage a pattern of building development similar to the existing downtown by eliminating excessive "yard setback requirements," providing mandatory "build-to" lines, and increasing the percentage of a lot area that can be covered by a building;

c.

Encourage mixed-use buildings with commercial uses on the ground floor and housing and/or offices above;

d.

Promote a lively mixed-use waterfront district that will serve Newburyport's citizens and visitors with ample public space and intimately scaled streets and public pedestrian ways with key views to the water from Merrimac Street;

e.

Maintain and protect marine-dependent uses consistent with the requirements of Commonwealth Chapter 91;

f.

Diminish the visual impact of the parked car by discouraging expansive surface parking lots and encouraging structured parking;

g.

Encourage "shared parking" strategies in mixed-use projects to diminish overall parking requirements;

h.

Provide incentives to construct pedestrian ways to the water such as pedestrian alleys, sidewalk plazas and other public open spaces. Also provide incentives to pool and contribute private open space required by zoning to public open space areas;

i.

Protect the architectural, cultural, economic and cultural heritage of the waterfront through preservation and adaptive reuse of existing historic structures; and

j.

Encourage affordable housing within an overall density that is generally consistent with the Zoning Ordinances and the downtown districts.

(Ord. of 2-14-05, § A)