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A Better Understanding of Land-use Moratoria
Dear Editor
I am writing this letter in response to some misinformation which is winding its way through the Village of Cold Spring.
On Thursday night, the Special Board for the Comprehensive Plan met. They had been given two letters. The first advised that the Trustees are considering a land-use moratorium. It requested that the members educate themselves on the subject. The second letter was from the Mayor alone stating that a moratorium would hurt the Village, but not explaining why. It appears that some concerns about moratoria surfaced at this meeting, fueled possibly by the Mayor's letter. Since that meeting, I have heard that the Chapel restoration grants would be jeopardized, as well as a proposed senior center and firehouse. These fears are unsubstantiated. No one has proposed a moratorium that would jeopardize the Chapel permits or its funding. All focus has been on the larger once dormant properties, which once developed could substantially impact the character of our community. The Firehouse and the Senior Center are wonderful ideas but the Village does not control either proposed property, doesn't have funding, has no building plans and hasn't held any public meetings to discuss them. They are too far off to be adversely impacted.
We in Cold Spring have lots of ideas about our Village. Land-use moratoria are commonly enacted at the beginning of a comprehensive planning process to allow these ideas to be collected and considered. All it does is stop the clock for a while so All of our ideas are given due respect. Then, and only then, should development proceed and the zoning be changed as appropriate. The Butterfield site is zoned for medical use and senior housing, and the Marathon site is zoned industrial. If we don't want what the properties are zoned for, and if we have our own ideas and needs, it is time to talk. Otherwise the landowners will give us what They want, not what we want.
At the last Tuesday board meeting I asked the Mayor to bring in a land use attorney to talk to the Board and public to help us understand moratoria and frame the language. The mayor replied that bringing in a lawyer to educate us was too expensive. I hope by the time you read this he has reconsidered.
If you want to know more about land-use moratoria refer to:
http://www.dos.state.ny.us/ lgss/pdfs/moratoria.pdf.
and come to the comprehensive planning meetings. Let's make sure future land use aligns with all of our collective vision, not just with that of a few.
Judith Rose Cold Spring
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