A busy meeting with lots of proposed new local laws.
Snow and sidewalks. To clear up two conflicting sections of the Town Code that regulate when sidewalks have to be cleared of snow, the Board referred out proposed local laws that would:
1)repeal one section of the Code that created a specific snow district, and
2) add a new section that would basically reinstate a law that was repealed in 2011 but somehow remained in the Town Code that would require ALL sidewalks to be cleared of snow 12 hours after the end of the storm.
During the discussion, the question was raised about whose responsibility it was, or should be, to maintain sidewalks. Currently, the town is required to maintain them while other municipalities make it the responsibility of the property owner whose property abuts the sidewalk.
Accessory Dwelling Units. Members of the Community Housing Board presented proposed changes to the existing Code provisions regulating accessory dwelling units (ADUs) that are allowed by special permit issued by the Zoning Board. The changes are designed to assist homeowners who want to downsize but also stay in their homes, and to be able to take advantage of a special program that offers homeowners up to $125,000 to make the needed changes to create the ADU.
Another provision would provide an amnesty for homeowners who have created accessory units but have not applied for the required special permit. As part of the discussion, Housing Board members highlighted provisions in the Code designed to preserve the character of the existing neighborhood and the types of issues the ZBA considers before granting a permit.
The proposed law was referred out for comment.
Solar law. After a lengthy discussion with each Board member offering their own suggestions on how the law should be changed, the Board directed the town attorney to draft the following amendments to the existing law regulating large scale solar farms in residential zones.
- Lot size: increase minimum to 15 acres from 5
- Lot coverage: decrease to 50% from 80%
- Setback: Increase to 200’ from 100’
- Screening: no change
There was no consensus on how to deal with two applications currently before the Planning Board and which were impacted by the year-old moratorium (Jaccob Road and Dell Avenue). Some Board members wanted to grandfather them in, i.e., approve the plans based on the current provisions; others wanted them to meet the new criteria.
The decision to amend the provisions of the existing law came after it was clear that the majority did not support Councilman Esposito’s suggestion for a total ban of large scale solar farms in residential zones but to also include criteria that would allow them in the event a court overturned the ban, or Councilwoman Siegel’s compromise suggestion for a floating zone approach that would give the Town Board the power to rezone a residential parcel for solar on a case-by-case basis and only if the plan met certain strict criteria.
For more insight into the discussion. Scroll to 1.18 on
https://yorktownny.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=1928
Battery Storage. Before scheduling a public hearing on the proposed local law that would prohibit Tier 2 facilities, the town attorney was asked to review the current draft to make sure it contained adequate provisions regulating the ongoing maintenance of the four existing Tier 2 facilities: IBM, Staples Plaza and Foothill, all of which combine battery storage with rooftop, canopy or ground mounted solar, and Gomer Court which is 100% storage.
Route 118/Underhill intersection improvements. (See Town Board, February 4, 2025) The Board rejected the bids that were received in December. After Councilwoman Siegel raised issues about the bid specs in the second bid because they had not been shared with Board members before the vote to advertise the bid (the quotes were received on February, 28), Supervisor Lachterman said there would be a Board discussion on what was included in the bid specs before any action was taken on the bid.
Peekskill Sewer District I&I. The Board awarded a bid for $142,800 for the closed circuit television inspection of certain sewer lines. The project is designed to identify stormwater infiltration and/or inflow problems into the sewer lines. The money will come from the fund balances in two Hunterbrook sewer districts
Traffic. Highway Superintendent Paganelli advised the Board of two projects the Traffic Safety Committee is working on
- Quinlin/London: 4-way stop signs
- Speed bumps. Developing criteria for when they would be appropriate for consideration.
A video of the meeting is available at https://yorktownny.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=1928