42-39. Surface Water District (SW)

  1. Purpose. The Surface Water District (SW) is established to maintain the zoning in place prior to the adoption of this Chapter 42. It is the intent of this district to protect surface waters for the enhancement of recreation, to promote water safety and maintain a proper ecologic/development balance. The SW District shall not be extended from the locations designated on the Official Zoning Map, nor shall new SW District areas be designated except where initiated by the Board of Commissioners or Planning Board. The SW District may be altered or removed.
  2. Permitted Uses. Within the SW District, the following uses are permitted:
    1. Private boathouse, pier, dock, and bulkhead.
      1. Structures may extend over the water for a distance of no more than 80 feet from the shore as measured from the full pond elevation (lakes) or mean sea level elevation (rivers).
      2. In no event shall a structure, when located in a cove or river, extend more than one-third (1/3) the width of the cove or river measured from the shore at the full pond elevation (lakes) or mean sea level elevation (rivers) at the point of the proposed construction to the nearest point on the opposite shore.
      3. The structure shall extend into the water so as to remain confined within a projection of the side lot lines of the lot on which the pier is accessed, maintaining the side yard setback requirements of the adjacent zoning district. A structure or other projection over the water may be established at each of the two (2) property lines on the shoreline at the full pond elevation (lakes) or mean sea level elevation (rivers). Each projection should be perpendicular to a line connecting two (2) points on the shoreline where a ten (10) foot radius from that property corner intersects the shoreline.
      4. Maximum building height for private boathouses shall be 25 feet measured from full pond elevation (lakes) or mean sea level elevation (rivers).
    2. Governmental recreational facilities, including, but not limited to: piers, docks and bulkheads, provided that the standards cited in subsection (1) a through (1) d are met.
    3. Communications Facilities, Category 1 (See SR 9.3-Communication Facilities, Category 1).
    4. Communication Facilities, Category 2 where such towers are limited to:
      1. monopole towers, and
      2. a height no greater than 100 feet (See also SR 9.3-Communication Facilities, Category 2).
    5. Navigational or Warning Signs (signs, other than navigational or warning signs, shall not be allowed on the surface of the lake or river).