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Philipstown's Zoning Advisory Committee Tackles Issues Related to Affordable Housing
Board plans to start redrawing zoning maps
by Maria Theodore Leiter
As part of an ongoing effort to rebuild the zoning code for the Town of Philipstown to bring it in line with the Comprehensive Plan that was adopted by the Town in March of 2006, the Philipstown Zoning Advisory Committee met in the Town Clerk's Office on March 21.
The group, which was appointed following that adoption, has been meeting approximately twice a month since last July. They are working with Planning Consultant Joel Russell, who provided the starting framework for the new codes.
It took about five years to complete the Comprehensive Plan and reworking the zoning code is probably an even more daunting task. The ZAC is presently working through a draft presented to them by Russell, making changes to the suggested laws. The changes that are being discussed still have to be worked into the document, and new zoning maps will have to be drawn up before the Board can make its recommendations to the Town.
"We are less than half way through the process, and more than half way through the first draft," said Russell.
Board members said that they were more interested in coming up with a good code, than rushing through the process.
On this evening, the discussion centered on the ins and outs of affordable housing, one of the types of housing encouraged by the Comprehensive Plan. Some of the issues that came up were how to encourage or mandate developers to build affordable units, how to keep the prices affordable into the future, and how to administer a program for reviewing applicants and unit compliance. The administration would require the creation of a new Housing Board that would oversee the various aspects of the new section of law. Such a board would be responsible for reviewing applications, making certain applicants are qualified and oversee the housing regulations.
"Most of the zoning code is self activating," explained Russell. "This needs a new structural framework to be built." He suggested that the ZAC might want to invite the Fishkill Housing Board to one of their meetings, since Fishkill has already dealt with the issue.
Jordan Dale read a letter to the editor of the PCN&R from Philip Vartanian, a North Highlands resident. In the letter, which appeared in the February 28, 2007 edition of the newspaper, Vartanian offered four suggestions to the "powers that be" in charge of the new zoning code. The board discussed his suggestion to "Increase the fines for breaking the Environmental laws to the extent that they are actual deterrents, not just a slap on the wrist."
Russell suggested that fines not be included in the zoning code, which would make them cumbersome to change, but to leave them as part of the town code, which would allow the Town to increase them annually.
Anthony Merante suggested that a meeting was needed to begin the process of redrawing the zoning map.
Russell said that a good starting point would be to draw out the areas where obvious zones already exist, such as rural/residential, suburban and commercial, before tackling the undeveloped areas. Merante suggested bringing in the Town Board to the map meeting, but Russell said that the ZAC was charged with submitting their recommendations on zoning and maps to the Board at the end of the process.
"You could give the [Town Board] a progress report," he said.
Glen Watson thought it would be a good idea to invite someone who served on the Comprehensive Plan Special Board to the map meetings so that they could have the benefit of insight into the thought process behind the decisions made in the Comprehensive Plan.
The Board scheduled their next meetings for April 11 and April 18. The latter meeting will include the start of redrawing zoning maps.
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