HomeMy WebLinkAbout276J~ZENIA A/C SILVER SANDS _,~276 _. jD~_~__
& L~V~N A/C SOUND SHORE May 26, 1960
Page 5
GRANTED permission for double-faced sign on
property of Edwin King, North Road & Chape!
Lane, Greenport.
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COUNTY OF SUFFOLK
STATE OF NEW YORK
I 55.
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Frederick C. Hawkins, being duly sworn, says that
he is the owner and publisher of THE LONG ISLAND
TRAVELER - MATTITUCK WATCHMAN, a public news-
paper printed at Southold, in Suffolk County; and that
the notice of which the annexed is a printed copy, has been
published in said Long Island Traveler-Mattituck Watch-
man once' each week for ...{J).44-L"'{"/)(k weers
successively, commencing on the ..........)./....................
day of .~~...._ 19.G~O . _
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....................................................................................
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF HEARING
Pursuant to Section 267 of the Town
.1 Law Rnd the provisions of the Amended
~ Building Zone Ordinance of the Town
~ of Southold, Suffolk County. New York,
~ public hearings will he held by the I
Zoning Board of 'AppeaLS of the Town
of SouthoId at the Town .Clerk Office,
Main Road, Southold, New York, on
< May 26, 1960, oil the following appeals:
7:30 P. M. (E.D.S.TJ, upon applica-
i tion of Thomas Jurzenia, ale Silver
SandsiMotel and Jack Levin, ale
Sound Shore Motel, Greenport, New
i York, for a special exception in ac-
cordance with the Zoning Ordinance,
Article III, Section 300, Subsection 11,
for' permi~ion, to replace an existing
directional sign' wJth a two-pan~l
- directional sign. Location of property:
southeast corner of intersection of
i North Road and Chapel Lane, Green-
! port, New York. ~
, 7 :45 P. M. (-E.D.S.T.), upon applica-
. tion of Thomas Jurzenia,a/c SUver
Sands Motel and Jack Levin, ale
j Sound Shore Motel, Greenport, New
! York, for' a special exception in ac-
: cordance wit.h' the Zoning 'Ordinance,
. Article TII, Section 300, Subsection 11,
~ for permission to replace an existing
directton~l sign 'with a tW9-panel di-
rectional sign. .Location of property: -i
southwest GOmer 011 intersection of
North Road and Albertson Lane,
Greenport, Ne~ York.
Any person desiring to be heard on
the' above applications should appear at
the time and place above specified.
C DATED: May 13.1960. By Order of the
Southold Town ,Board of Appeals;
-1A
Sworn to before me this ........d.G........ day of
......~.~. 19...~6
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Notary Public _
ADELE PAYNE
Notary PUbHC. State of New York
Residing in Suf~olk County
No 523041000 0j
Commission b:pires March 30, 19~
. TOWN OF SOUTH OLD, NEW YORe
APPLICATION FOR SPECIAL EXCEPTION
~ra-~tf '0//6 -.> '"
APPLICATION Nod 7'6
DA TE.~y'...+.;1.....l960
TO THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS, SOUTHOLD, N. Y.
Thomas Jurzenia , ale Silver Sands Motel
~ (We) .~~~~..~.!'!:':':~.!....~/~...~.C?~~...s.~?!~. .M~.~~;\-.............~;-.~~~.;::!7.c................................
Name Street and Number
Greenport New York
................................................................................. ............................................................
Municipality State
hereby apply ta THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
with the. ZONING ORDINANCE ARTICLE III
SUBSECTION 11
far a SPECIAL EXCEPTION in accordance
SECTION 300
THE SPECIAL EXCEPTION IS REQUESTED BECAUSE we wish to replace the
existing sign advertising the Silver Sands Motel with two directional
signs, each one advertising the Sound Shore Motel and the Silver Sands
Motel. Each sign to be double faced.
This special exception is requested because we are endeavoring
to eliminate a surplus amount of signs. It is hoped in the near
future to consolidate many of the other motel signs in the area in
this same manner.
Location: southeast corner of intersection of North Rd. & Chapel La.
SKETCH OF PROPOSED SIGNS ATTACHED.
LETTER OF PERMISSION ATTACHED.
STATE OF NE').;~~/J ss~.~.... :.... . . '
COUNTY OF ~_v ) ~ Signature
Sworn to this ,....!o?.:~ ~ .....7.:1.t..~........, 19....<!i.9
.................~.~I.i~~.........
JUDITI/ r B
N'otary PUblic . OKEr{
No. 52'034496State of New York
Cgmmission Lv .3, SuffoJl( COllnt)
L,J;pJres March SUe 19 (P/
FORu>1: ZB2
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KING
.
FARMS
EDWIN H. KING
TElI;;PI-lONES
OFFICE ORIE.NT 2-1070
RESIDENCE ORIENT 2-0656
ORIENT
EAST MARION
GREEN PORT
POST OFFICE BOX 263
ORIENT, LONG ISLAND
NEW YORK
May 12th 1960
The South old Town Zoning Board
Southold, Long Island,
New York
Dear Sirs:
This is to confirm that I have given Mr. Thomas
Jurzinia of the Silver Sands Motel permission to erect an
additional sign on the corner of Chapel Lane and North Road,
Greenport. I understand there is an agreement between Mr.
Jurzinia and Mr. Jack Levin that they are to share these two
(2) directional signs.
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Not\'lLtie ,of He~r ing
Pursua.nt., till, Sect,1l\ln2t;7' cif the' ';l'own Law and 'the provisions
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of t:h.~'$l'1,d.ll .l:l.:I.;Ld1i1.lJ ~one Ci>:JfCl.inilnc$ of t:he T0WJ01 of Sout.hold,
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Suffolkceun~y~ New ~ork, publlchearinqs will ~e~.ld by t.he
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Zenin<g ltg, arid. cllfAppeala "q>f 'Ute"\l'M €lf$l!)\l:thold at the TI!lWn
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Clerk. od,!e.e',liIdn Road, S(!)utJol,e,ld, New York, on May 26, 1960,
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the fello'W1P:9'appea11iil"
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all:! SllVe'3r $and'S Motel anciaaelF'Levin, 'a/e Sound Shore ",ot..l,
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\GreeJl~rt,."I;few'~~r,~'~' ',for, 'a,~,~,fY.:,~,~)&~~~h1~~:~. aecordance:,w, ith
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1 theZ€lning OX'dinaRce,' Artlcle III, Seetl.1on 300, .~~ect.ic:n 11,
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,lor p,flJ!'l!iissiOl'l'~ }lre;pll.~a:"l'l' ~i,U1'l9jdl1]l'e~t1c;)l'lal dq,nwith a
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tw..~l).el' ~1recUQI'lill.l",s~g".",I,.e12:att.1Eln, G~ prQperty. 'fiIoutheaet
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la"m.ar ef il'l,te:r;i1.'ed,~Jf' ~f ;li0r~ 'Rl;iad ani!. 'ChaPel Lane, Greenport,
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New York. '
7.4S.P.M. (E.D.I.'l'.)l 1;1~n applicat.ion of 'l'h0lll2ul JurzeRia,
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i./e Ulvl!!'lr, Sands Metel ,ahd~~GlltL.evj,nt ale Sounli Shore Motel,
'Gre.npor~, New' Yo.r;k,',to,r a ,special hexeeptiol'i' inaeeordance with
i .,
, tbeZcmil'l~ Ordinance., ,ArtielelU. S8et.1on 300,Subsect1on 11,
forpermissit;lD'UO, reJilul\l an ex1.t1nq'dire~Uoni1l sign with ill.
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I~WQ"li'iII.,n..J" <Urecf!:.1et:)al liij1l. 'LocaUonof pra,peruy. sout.hwelilt
ieorhe; of inteJisectionof Nath Road and Albertson Lane, Greenport.,
: NeW York. '
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b€lultl IlPpell.r".t~i,tU1\e ailldl. pla!;:. above ,pec1fj,ad.,
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SOItEONE SHOULDAIl'PEAR AT 'I'BE H1tARING.
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have not returned to the .office and explain to them that
the rate for each room is posted on the ,closet door.
If the .guest thinks our rates are 'too high we refer
him to a district where the J'ules are lower because of
distance (rom town. Should our motel be filled we ask
the" guest his needs and then phone other nearby motels.
The guest can look on the Lee County motel map and
see the location as well as what facilities are offered. The
guest can then use our prepaid reservation system: if
he wishes, whereby we i.ssue him a registration receipt
card which guarantees him a certain unit.
You Illigl-tt wonder what this does to promote and ~d.
vertise our motel. We believe that by doing a good turn
.
As a final note, we do have two exceptionally honest
and hardworking maids who have been at the River
Court for nine years. They do their job, are civil to
guests and helpful where possible, Believe me, this does
make a difference to 'some people as to their length of
stay, just as much as the manager being a good host.
COOPERATIVE SIGN PROGRAM
Downtown motels in Atlanta, Georgia, have joined
with the hotels in an effort to snag the fast express-
way tourist traffic headed north from Florida.
Utilizing an electrically operated sign similar to one
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ATLANTA 81tTMORE }ll,~.lm;!'cat
MOIEL' TR 5 3461 eo':f
/ A 7 SfilHIJlffifOlL
I A.TlANf.ACA8AN J(lJ-,lhttu6 prAJ,r.1
_ MOTEL-TR 5-SSIl lOo'UP" ",~.....:::
O..tTiUII.' n[!(olOtHi '.. .
ATLANTA 0 _" V'H~ IWiRnCO~)'lr, .-.-.rel\
MOTEL JA S>2771 8<><>\J1' . 1 : ._d,," --- .!
ATlAN1AN 110TEL: P:&~1~6
JA 4.6461 .Y" \l~._
"OIEl -'FRe'E-"!---" .
BRIA~~l~'~771 PA6~.~~~__~!,,:{~~t!
LAZA AldPLl ~~R1J1iG I
D1NKLER P ,!;'UP !v/.':.A.'\('.
HOIEL JAH461 . ,
-- .--"1 F'REE _I
GEORGIA HOTEL PA..,NG" r ..,.
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:/RiVitRi'~t'All.A-'HA :~i;~:~ll'.i:'l-.. '.'C
'MOT~l.'_!_~ 5'9?H tOO<'lJpw, t...,,_.~
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This is the cooperative sign program being used by motels and hotels in Atlanta, Georgia.
like this we will bring the guest back to us on a return
visit. Also, don't forget that other motels are sending
guests to us in the same way if we have a vacancy.
We have four hillboards (two north and two south)
within ten miles of Fort Myers arid have made arrange-
ments with Duncan Hines for three additional billboards
for erection on Route 80. These signs state a fe-\v facts-
River Court, Downtown on -waterfront, AAA, Duncan.
Hines, Restaurant one block, Efficiencies, Air conditioned.
Size of boards are approximately 60 x 30 feet,
We try to make 'all guests'ouf friends and try to ob-
taill the dates of their births so we can forward greeting
cards. We believe birthday cards are more noticed than
Christmas cards. It is my contention that you cannot
do better than word of'mouth recommendation hacked
up by honest truthful advertising.
50
in the Atlanta airport which shows motels and hotels
having vacancies, free telephone service is being offered.
Transients may stop and call collect any motel or hotel
displaying the vacancy sign.
The telephone. company co-operated by placing a toll
phone booth near the sign, which is located approximate.
ly 15 miles south of Atlanta on U. S, 41 which is now an
expressway skirting the city, thus diverting a lot of the
tourist traffic away from the central area.
With the fast traffic on the highway, another smaller
sign was placed two miles from the electric board in
order to- slow the traffic down, This one tells the tourist
there is a free telephone two miles ahead for reservations.
The design is such that transients ,can make a selection
of accommodations based on what they want to pay and
facilities offered. Minimum rates are quoted on the board.
AMERICAN MOTEL MAGAZINE for May, 1960
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Hay 6>, 19'0,
Mr. Thoe. Juraenia - 9ilvar aamd. Motal
Mr. Jack Levin- .'ound Shor. Motel
Graenport, ..'1'.
GentleRlen;
Your propO$al to ~.t~li.h joint venture direet10nal signa
wald1ecu...d by t~. aoar~ of A~p.al. intormaly at their meeting laat
night and ~s well thou\ilht ot.
~hey have 4.c!d.~ that to do thi3 ,a ,tormal a~pl1cation will
have too ba macte f~r ..Gh location, and that ~h. application should be
. jointapplieaUo:n ~ith.:Lgni!ltt\r.1!I _,Q~ ,a~l:p.rson.. who will have IIpace
on th8lt particular, lOt\!ltioi'l,.,togs\lie1f w-iv.h:ia,l.tter ot consent from
the property own.r wnera it 1. to'~. 'l$catadi and an .plication for
aiqn peem1t w,1th :thill .~l!l~t ~r~ing- liltCau~6 ~eorder of the lilotels liated
fr01ll the tep 4~. p9:o~a})ly llot Illore t,ha'lil 4panelll te one 8et of posta
but. another .etc;t p~ts alof.l9' aide "'j,l !l'l.cli.l!la;ry to .(lc_ode te all. '
'l'ruIlUi1it4...bQV<I wUl '~. .~i.iadory t.o your Auoc1at1on.
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Copyrighted 1%0
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Motels and Zoning
by Richard F. Bnbcock and R. Marlin Smilh
RICHARD F. BABCOCK and R. jJ;IARLIN SMITH are
members of the Chicago Bar, and partner and associate,
respectively, in the firm of Ross, McGowan & O'Keefe.
lVIr. Babcock is an affiliate member of the American In-
stitute of Planners and author of numerous articles on
zoning law.
//
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Motels and Zoning
The rapid growth of the motel industry
ill tile last fifteen years has made the
zoning regulations of many municipalities out-
moded because those regulations were de-
signed to control a form of land use the/
character of which no longer conforms to
the assumptions _ upon which the ordinances
were drafted. Twenty or twenty-five. years
ago the words tourist court conveyed to the
mind an image of a group of somewhat
shabby cabins, in various states of disrepair,
which were crudely furnished and occasion-
ally without private bathroom facilities. The
average American/family traveling by auto-
mobile avoided }hem for their overnight stops
unless forced/by economic necessity or un-
usual circuhtstances to make use of their
facilities:"Today the thousands of fine motels,
locl:j.tei:l at strategic locations on our major
highways, offer facilities tbat are at least
~~qual to, and in many instances. far more
// luxurious than the accommodations that the
downtown hotel provided for an earlier
/ generation.
A Multitude of Problems
The dramatic cbange in the social and
economic status of this type of lodging has
brought witb it a multitude of problems
with respect to tbe proper location of the
motel within a community. It is our purpose
to examine briefly the attempts of communi-
ties to regulate tbe location of motels, to
comment upon tbe experience of these regula-
tions in courts and finally to suggest some
standards by which this issue should be
judged.
A study of motel zoning regulations and
of court decisions leads to the conclusion that
the motel industry bas, in its dealings with
local governments and courts, been faced
with two major difficuhies. First, it seems
clear that local legislators (whether county
or municipal) and their planning staffs or
consultants have failed (or refused) to recog-
nize that the modern motel has at least
four major functions insofar as its service to
the public is concerned. Secondly, the motel
industry has had to struggle with local legis.
latures and the courts to overcome long.
established prejudices against types of tran-
sient lodging other than that falling under the
I)rthodox concept of a Central Business Dis-
trict "hoteL" This is best evidenced by the
,tortured efforts in zoning ordinances (and
some court decisions) to draw distinctions
between "hotels" and "motels." A study of
a cross-section of local ordinances and the
court decisions is more meaningful if these
two generalizations are kept in mind.
The character of the demand for motel
accommodations is not uniform, a condition
previously noted by Richard L. Nelson in
this series. The contemporary motel. to meet
the varied nature of the demands for its
services, will seek to locate in at least four
types of areas, each significantly distinct in
its character from the others. These are: (1)
the highway motel, which caters. almost ex.
clusively to motorists stopping only overnight
or for a few days at most; (2) the resort
motel, which is located in an area that eaters
to vacationers or near a tourist attraction
such as a national park, and which may
expect to retain its guests for from one to
two weeks or more; (3) the airport motel,
which is located strategically close to a major
airfield and caters largely to individuals
traveling by air and only incidentally to the
motorist; and (4) the downtown motel,
which is often difficult to distinguish from
a hotel and which caters partly to motorists
and partly to visitors coming to the urban
area {or conventions, vacations or business
trips. The efforts of communities to control
50 complex a land use by reference to con-
cepts of an earlier generation inevitably re-
sults in confused and frequently arbitrary
regulations. An examination of a few zoning
regulations confirms this premise.
Common Motel Zoning
By far, the most common form of motel
zoning is the ordinance which relegates
motels to the least restrictive commercial
zones or industrial zones. Underlying such
treatment is the assumption that motels are
not entitled to different treatment than the
average business or commercial use. Typical
of this attitude is tbe Columbus, Ohio, wn-
ing Ordinance, which makes provision for
five commercial districts including the Cen-
tral Business District. Motels are permitted
in the C.3, C.4 and the Central Business
i"
,
District, but are excluded from the more
restrictive C.! and C.2 Districts. In the C.g
District, most of the permitted uses are such
that they can be conducted indoors with
little impact on adjacent property. The uses
include bakeries, filling stations, hotels, hard-
ware stores, clothing stores, motor bus termi.
nals, motion picture theatres, trade schools
and business colleges, etc. In the C4 Dis.
trict, bowling alleys, garage repair shops,
printing shops, skating rinks, supennarkets and
veterinary hospitals, among others, may exist
in the same use zone as motels. Similarly
the zoning ordinance of Baton Rouge (city
and parish), Louisiana, allocates the motel
to districts in which its permitted neighbors
include "furnace, heating, air.conditioning,
typewriter, sheet metal, plumbing, tire,
motor vehicle repair and similar shops,"
and "poultry and fish markets."
The basic weakness in a scheme of zoning
regulation which limits motels to tbe "heavy"
commercial districts is that the success of
a motel wiH, to some extent, depend upon
its being insulated from commercial establish.
ments whose operations are apt to interfere
with the sleep of its OCcupants.
In Contrast
In contrast to this "ash can" approach,
many municipalities seem to have come to
the conclusion that the motel is as much
entitled to protection from the incompatible
use of adjoining land as is the quiet, residen.
tial neighborhood. Indeed, some communities
have acknowledged the motel should he
treated as a type of high-density residential
use. In the City of Los Angeles, for example,
hotels and motels are permitted in the R.4
Multiple Dwelling District along with apart.
ment houses, churches and schools. The same
technique has been used in Denver, Colorado,
and in Duval County OacksonviHe), Florida.
In the latter ordinance, multiple.family dwell-
ings, bungalow courts and motels are per.
mitted in the Residence "D" District and
in tbe Residence "0-1" District in which
trailer parks are also permitted. In the De.
troit, Michigan. Zoning Ordinance, motels are
listed in high.density multiple.family dwelling
districts in wbich hotels, private professional
offices and rooming and lodging houses are
permitted. The City Plan Commission, how-
ever, is required to approve the establishment
of a motel "as being essential or desirous
to the public convenience or welfare, not
injurious to the surrounding neighborhood
and not contrary to the spirit and purpose"
of the ordinance.
The Syracuse, New York, Zoning Ordi.
nance permits motels in two "Office Dis.
tricts." In one such district, motels and botels
are pennitted uses as are office buildings,
apartment houses, barber shops, beauty par-
lors and newsstands. In the less restrictive
Office District, restaurants are also permitted
if locatcd in an office building, apartment
house, hotel or motel, and swimming pools
are permiued as an accessory use.
Spccial Motel Zone
Another regulatory technique is the creation
of a special motel zone. In some instances
this is simply a refinement of the practice
of allowing motels in high-density residential
districts. The Traverse City, Michigan, Zon-
ing Ordinance contains a motel district which
is simply an extension of the multiple. family
dwelling district with "motels and cabins"
added as an additional permitted use. No
retail or commercial facilities may be as-
sociated with motels in the motel district.
The Chattanooga, Tennessee, Zoning Ordi-
nance establishes a "tourist court, trailer camp
and motel district" in which, in addition to
those uses, multiple dweJIings, boarding
houses, lodging houses, private clubs, guest
houses and tourist homes are also permitted.
A more detailed type of regulation is ,that
which has been adopted by Marion County
(Indianapolis), Indiana. The county zoning
ordinance creates a "Temporary Residential
District" under which there are three sub-
classifications. In the "RT.l District" the
customary spectrum of residential uses and
motels are permitted, together with communi.
ty centers, public parks, public playgrounds
and gymnasiums. In the "RT.2 District" motels
are permitted along with tourist courts and
tourists cabins, and in the "RT-g District"
trailer camps are added to the list of per.
mitted uses. The Pima County (Tucson),
Arizona, Zoning Ordinance creates what is
called a "transitional zone" in which tourist
Courts and motels, guest ranches, trailer
courts (if on a state or federal higbway),
clubs, storage garages, hospitals and a variety
of public uses of land are aU permitted. The
Pima County Ordinance is noteworthy be-
cause it recognizes that some very limited
business uses are frequently appropriate in
connection with the operation of a motel;
the ordinance allows retail shops, personal
services, recreational facilities, restaurants and
beverage service as an accessory use on the
premises of a motel or botel.
Plausible Varia lion
:i\-Iore plausible variations of tbe special
motel zone technique are zoning provisions.
designed to open areas along heavily-traveled
highways for development by motels, while
excluding other commercial uses which could
develop if normal commercial zoning were
adopted. One example of this type of zoning
is the Durham County, North Carolina,
Zoning Ordinance which creates a "Highway
Commercial District" in which motels, filling
statioTI!!, restaurants, retail stores and other
businesses which may serve the needs of
motorists are permitted to locate. The neces-
sity for overnight accommodations along
major highways has led the communities of
Carmel, N ew York, and Milford, Connecticut,
both of which are on parkways, to adopt
zoning provisions which permit the construc-
tion of motels on land adjacent to parkways,
but which exclude most commercial uses. In
addition, strict standards are set for motels
in those districts so that attractive designs
utilizing deep setbacks and low density will
result and so that the development of motels
in those districts will be compatible with
near-by residential areas. Santa Clara County,
California, permits motels in what is called
the "H-l District" subject to the issuance of
an architectural and site control permit. In
that district one-famii)r dwellings, agricultural
uses, filling stations, restaurants, refreshment
stands, nurseries, greenhouses, trailer parks
and "retail stores are also permitted. Another
variation "is found in the Portland, Oregon,
Zoning Ordinance which permits motels as
well as hotels in certain apartment house
zones, provided the property abuts on a
numbered state or federal highway other than
" a / limited access throughway. In Tampa,
Florida, motels are allowed in the R-3
Multiple Family Zone if the property is
located on a state or federal highway, but
the site plans must be approved by the
Zoning Board of Adjustments after a public
hearing. The Duval County, Florida, Zoning
Ordinance allows motels in both agricultural
'Zones. In practice, this provision "hould mean
tbat motels will, for economic reasons, locate
only on the main highways is such zones.
"Special Use" Technique
The most persuasive evidence that the
motel 5till has not achieved general accept.
ance in the community mind (tbe local resi.
dent has one view while at home, another
when touring) is the frequency with which
ordinances treat motels as a special use for
which special permission to locate must he
obtained from local authorities. The '\'pecial
use" technique bas come into wide use during
the last decade as a means for deferring
decisions as to the proper location of what
are considered "troublesome" uses. Typically,
such uses include trailer camps, gravel pits,
race tracks, outdoor theatres-and, motels. The
result is that the decision to grant or deny
a permit is subject to the almost unlimited
discretion of a local hoard.
This "technique of procrastination" takes
various shapes insofar as motels are con-
cern ed_ The least offensive is illustrated by
the 1954 zoning ordinance of Kansas City,
Missouri, under which motels are only per-
mitted in certain commercial zones, hut may
also be located in any other zone in 'which
they would not otherwis~ be permitted pro-
vided a special use permit is obtained from
the local zoning authorities, a procedure
which involves the approval of the plans
and specifications of the "motel to be con-
structed. Under the zoning ordinance for the
City of Macon and Bibb County, Georgia,
motels are listed as a "conditional use" in
the multiple-family district. In order to estab.
lish a motel in a multiple. family district, an
application must be made to the Planning
and Zoning Commission and there must be a
hearing before that Commission. The Com-
mission must find that the establishment of
a motel on the property involved would be
consistent with the general zoning plan and
with the public interest. In addition, mini-
mum lot area and lot size restrictions are
imposed 50 that no motel can abut too closely
upon neighboring property used for perma-
nent residential purposes. Under the Moltno-
mah County, Oregon, Zoning Ordinance,
motels are permitted in the Apartment-
Residential A.2 District, but only if a public
hearing has been held before the Planning
Commision on the proposed motel. The
Planning Commision may attach such special
conditions relating to set-backs, screening, off.
street parking and loading, construction
standards, and maintenance as it thinks neces-
sary to protect the public and the adjacent
properties. Du Page County, Illinois, allows
motels in any residential zone provided a
special use permit is secured from the
County Board. To obtain a permit, an applica-
tion is made to the Zoning Board, which
holds a hearing on the application and
makes a recommendation to the County
Board with respect to whether the pennit
should be issued.
Highly Restricth'e Provisions
Not all communities have used the special
use device solely as a method of permitting
motels in residential zones upon special dis.
pensation_ Some municipalities and counties
will not permit motels anywhere within the
corporate limits unless a special use permit
has been obtained, and among these com-
munities are found some of the most highly
restrictive provisions with respect to motels.
Under the St. Joseph County, Indiana, Zon-
ing Ordinance, motels are not a penuitted
use in any district, but are classified as
special uses in the Limited and General
Commercial Districts and the Industrial Dis-
trict. The Board of Zoning Appeals is em-
powered, before granting a permit for the
establishment of a motel as a special use,
to "establish appropriate conditions and safe-
guards as "a",part of such permission." The
Talbot County;,Maryland, Zoning Ordinance
does not pennih motels anywhere in the
county unless a special use pennit is granted.
Including motels in tbe category of "tourist
cabin camps," the ordinance lists motels as
a special use along with "junkyards, hulk
petroleum storage, gravel pit'si',commercial
poultry processing, sawmills and canning fac.
tories! However, only motels, trailer coach
parks, tourist cabin camps and outdoor
theatres are subjected to any additional reo
strictions_ In order to grant a special use
permit, the Board of Zoning Appeals must
find that the use of the property as a motel
will not constitute a nuisance because of
noise, sanitary conditions or traffic, and that
it wiU not affect adversely the ,present char-
acter of future development of the surround-
ing residential community. A minimum lot
area of five acres and a minimum frontage
of 200 feet is required by the ordinance,
and other requirements relating to land.
scaping, open yards and the location of the
units on the premises are also imposed. The
restrictions in the Talbot County Ordinance
placed on motels are not especially burden-
some in themselves, but it is noteworthy that
not even as unsympathetic a use of land as
a junkyard is regulated as closely by the
zoning ordinance as are motels-proof that
the old prejudices do not die easily. Perhaps
the most restrictive regulations examined in
connection with this article are those imposed
by Marietta, Georgia. The ordinance classifies
motels as a "tourist camp or tourist court"
and does not permit their establishment in
the city unless a special use permit has been
obtained. Application for a permit is made
by filing plans and specifications. In addition,
there are minimum lot area, lot size and
land use density provisions. Private bathrooms
are required. The permit which is subse-
quently issued is for an indefinite period and
the ordinance provides that it can be re-
voked at any time. Mixed in with the zoning
provisions are other conditions, which must
be met in order to keep the permit in
force, relating to plumbing, electrical wiring,
and olher matters properly the province of
the building code, and matters relating to
sanitary facilities which are properly the
domain of the health department. The
owner of the motel and all of his employees
are required to be finerprintecl and to have
periodic health examinations.
Local Bias
This diversified treatment of motels, of
which these referenecs are only illustrative,
might make sense if it could he assumed
that the non-uniformity of regulation were
based upon a careful analysis of the char.
acter of each community and a recognition of
the varied demand for motel facilities. Un-
fortunately, it is equally plausible to argue
that in many communities the classification
of the motel in the zoning ordinance is noth.
iug more than a reflection of local bias.
The frequent attempts in zoning ordinances
to distinguish between "hotels" and "motels"
appear to bear out this unhappy conclusion.
The failure of many zoning ordinances to
take account of the increasing diversity of
the motel function is reflected in the dis.
tinctions that are found in ordinances between
hotels and motels. Although a variety of dif-
ferent definitions of motels and botels have
been incorporated in zoning ordinances, no
satisfactory functional distinction seems to
have been found. Definitions based on the
physical characteristics of hotels and motels
are common, but no one solution offers the
flexiLility that is required if an appropriate
place for all types of motels is to be found
in the community.
Hotel and Motel Definitions
The Evansville, Indiana, Ordinance defines
a hotel as:
"A building or portions thereof used for
more or less temporary occupancy of in-
dividuals who are lodged with or without
meals and in which provision for cooking
is made preponderantly in a central kitchen
and not in the individual rooms or suites,"
Motels are distinguished as:
"A pennanent building or group of build-
ings containing rooms without cooking
facilities, used, rented or hired out for the
more or less temporary occupancy of over-
night gue~ts."
Motels Are Limited
On the hasis of this distinction, hotels are
pennitted in the multiple family residential
zone while motels are limited to the down-
town business and the general business zones.
The Des Moines. Iowa, Zoning Ordinance
defines a hotel as "a building in which lodging
is provided and offered to the public for
compensation, and which is open to transient
guests, in contradistinction to a boarding
house or a lodging house," and a motel is
defined as "a building or group of attached
or detached buildings containing individual
sleeping or living units for overnight auto
tourists, with garage attached or parking
facilities conveniently located to each such
unit,"
Hotels and motels are both allowed in
high-density multiple. family residence dis-
tricts and in commercial districts, but motels
are required to comply wilh larger minimum
lot area regulations. Thus the question of
whether a particular building is to be classed
as a hotel or as a motel may determine
whether. the requirements of the zoning or-
dinance can be met. The device of limiting
the definition of motels to accommodations
that ca-tcr to "overnight auto tourists" takes
account of only one of the possible forms
that motels may take and leaves the classifi.
cation of .other types of motels entirely am-
biguous. The writers have been advised that
an attempt has been made to eliminate the
ambiguity in the Des Moines Ordinance with
an administrative interpretation that if access
to sleeping rooms is only through a common
lobby, then the structure wUl be considered
to be a hotel.
/
Administrath"c Interpretation
The administrative interpretation that is
applied in Des Moines has been wriuen into
the definition section of a number of or-
dinances. For example, the Metropolitan
Dade County (Florida) Zoning Ordinance de-
fines a hotel as;
"A building occupied as the more or less
temporary residence of individuals who are
lodgea, with or without meals, and in
which there are ten or more sleeping rooms
, and no provisions made for cooking in any
individual room or apartment, and entrance
is through a common lobby or office."
A "motel or motor motel" is limited to;
"A building or group of twn or more
buildings designed to provide sleeping ac-
commodations for transient or overnight
guests with no common entrance or lobby.
Each building shall contain a minimum of
ten residential units or rooms, which gen-
erally have direct private openings to a
street, drive, court, patio, etc."
14Common Lohby" Distinction
The New Orleans, Louisiana, Zoning Ordi.
nance uses the "common lobby" distinction
with an additional provision which reflects
a moralizing attitude toward motels. In that
ordinance, a hotel is defined as:
"A building containing twenty (20) or more
individual sleeping rooms or suites, having
each a private bathroom attached thereto,
for the purpose of providing overnight
lodging facilities to the general public for
compensation with or without meals, ex-
cluding "accommodations for employees, and
in which ingress and egress to and from
all rooms is made through an inside lobby
or office supervised by a person in charge
at all hours."
Other municipalities ha....e adopted more
detailed definitions in an attempt to differ-
entiale between hotels and motels. The Kan-
sas City, Missouri, Zoning Ordinance defines
a motel as:
"A motorist's hotel where no portion of the
building is over two (2) stories in height
and where at least fifty (50) per cent or
more of the guest rooms are on the ground
floor level and open directly on a private
roadway or court, and where at least one
parking space is provided for each guest
room."
Pa..tly Descriplive, Partly Functional
The Du Page County (lJIinois) Zoning Or.
dinance, after limiting hotels to buildings
which provide "a common entrance, lobby,
halls and stairways," defines motels as:
"An establishment consisting of a group of
attached living or sleeping accommodations
with individual bathrooms, and designed
for use by transients. A motel fumishes
customary hotel services such as maid serv-
ice and laundering of Hnen, telephone and
secretarial or desk service, and the use and
upkeep of furniturc. In a motel less than
50% of the living and sleeping accommoda-
tions are occupied or designed for occu.
pancy by persons other than transient auto-
mobile tourists."
The partly descriptive, partly functional defi-
nition in the Du Page Ordinance in effect
confines the definition of motel to those
lodgings with relatively high standards of
service. By definition, the less attractive
"tourist cabin" has been eliminated.
Treatment Vades
Not all zoning ordinances provide more
restnctIve treatment for motels than hotels.
For example, in the Traverse City, Michigan,
Zoning Ordinance motels are permitted in
the special motel zone previously mentioned.
only if restaurants and retail and commercial
facilities arc not established in connection
with the motel. Gatlinburg, Tennessee, has
adopted a similar limitation which permits
motels in one of the two residential dis-
tricts in the community provided the motel
does not have a public dining room. Hotels
and motels with public dining rooms are
restricted to the business district. The pro.
visions of the Seattle, Washington, Zoning
Ordinance permit motels as a "principal con-
ditional use" in a low-density multiple-resi-
dence district from which hotels are excluded.
In order to qualify, the motel site must be
on a major arterial highway and confono
to conditions relating to the type of facilities
to be offered, the size of the lot and the
type of signs used, but such restrictions are
reasonable when designed to insure that the
motel will be compatible with the adjacent
residential property.
In ennt"" 'nse Qrdinanees which allow
motels in lower density, more restrictive dig.
triets than hotels, some communities provide
much more favorable treatment for hotels
than for motels. The Mobile, Alabama, Zon-
ing Ordinance apparently limits motels to the
indJ;lstriBl districts-a restraint not imposed on
hotels. Aud the Village of Ardsley, New
York, forbids motels anywhere within the
village limits-a prohibition that is not appli-
cable to hotels.
Relatively few communities have been will.
ing to concede that there is no rational dis-
tinction between a motel and a hotel. The
planning consultant to Niagara Falls, New
Y (Irk, has recommended that the proposed
Niagara Falls, New York, Zoning Ordinance
contain only a single definition of a hotel as:
"Any building or portion thereof or any
building group which contains sleeping
accommodations in ten or more rooms for
persons who are not members of a family
as defined in the section, whether such
establishment is designated as a hotel, inn,
automobile court, motel, motor hotel, motor
reD
.
inn, motor lodge or otherwise."
The acceptance of hotels and motels as being
sufficiently similar to allow the same zoning
regulations to be applicable to bl}th has met
with acceptance in other ordinances. The
City of Los Angeles, California, treats hotels
and motels without kitchen facilities as the
same type of use and permits both in some
high density residential districts as well as
in most commercial districts. In the Broward
County (Florida) Zoning Ordinance, hotels
and motels are both permitted in two special
districts, one of which is called the Motel
District and the other the Hotel District.
More restrictive height, bulk, lot size and
yard area requirements are imposed in the
former district than in the latter, but the
restrictions are equally applicable to hotels
and motels.
Tbis study of contemporary regulation of
motels through zoning ordinances will con.
clude with an analysis of the aUitudes of
the courts toward these provisions and with
some proposals for a more rational legislative
treatment of this type of land use.
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