A Public Hearing was held on August 15, 2012 at Watts dePeyster Hall. Mayor Cranna opened the public hearing at 7:07 pm.
Present: Mayor Cranna, Deputy Mayor Leedy, Trustees Ezrati, Bruno and Griffith, Attorney Christine Chale and PANDA film representative Fred Cartier.
Public: Jeanette Canaday, David Cleaveland, Karen Cleaveland, Vincent Jones, Tyson Kreig and Radley Glasser:
Mayor Cranna asked if there were any comments from the public. Tyson Kreig stated that he purchased his property on Route 9G five years ago with the intention of using it for commercial purposes and wants to know about the proposed changes in the RB district.
Planner Michele Greig spoke regarding the proposed Local Law:
- over the past several years, the Village of Tivoli has been amending its Zoning Law to bring it into conformance with the recommendations of the V’s Comp Plan, adopted 2005
- the Local Law that is the subject of this public hearing is part of that ongoing effort to bring the Zoning Law into conformance with the Comp Plan
- NYS Village Law requires that Zoning amendments be consistent with a Comp Plan.
- focus of these amendments are the RB District along Route 9G in the gateway to the community
- what has been proposed are some modifications to the list of permitted and special permitted uses, and the inclusion of some design standards –these amendments will permit a range of uses while preserving this are as the gateway to the Village.
- examples of uses that would now be permitted that weren’t allowed before include agriculture, bed-and-breakfasts, and ag. support businesses, such as farmers’ market and equipment sales and rental.
- examples of uses that are currently permitted as-of-right and would now require a special permit include hotels and offices
- examples of uses that would be deleted from the district include light industry and gas stations.
- the amendments are consistent with the Comp Plan which recommends that Route 9G be “maintained and enhanced as a designated scenic roadway” with small-scale uses, ample landscaping, and preservation of historic structures and scenic views
- the purpose of the RB District is to “enhance the quality of the built environment and promote site layout and architectural design compatible with the rural, scenic, historic and natural character of the community.”
- in preparing the draft version of these amendments, the Zoning Review Committee met with landowners in the district to explain the amendments and receive comments, and they made revisions to their recommendations based on the comments of the landowners.
- the full text of the Local Law is available from the Village Hall and online at the village website, www.tivoliny.org
Karen Cleaveland asked if another meeting will be held before the Board adopts the local law. The Mayor stated that the public hearing will be kept open until September. Further comments should be submitted to the board before the next public hearing so that the board has an opportunity to review them.
Trustee Ezrati spoke about the remaining process for adopting the local law. Zoning changes are a Type I action because of being in a historic district. SEQR review is needed. Consistency with the current proposal and past village law is reviewed. Post Management will be addressed. The process itself is prolonged because different boards such as the Planning Board will also review and make recommendations, then the Board of Trustees will then consider making a decision or continuing the public hearing. Attorney Chale added that part of the process would be for the Board to review the LWRP and SEQR for consistency. The Dutchess County Department of Planning had responded to the proposal with no objections and included recommendations for the review of the standards for the central part of the village as well as the 9G portion for multifamily and should be considered in the set of discussions.
Mayor Cranna asked for additional comments – there were none. At 7:24 pm, on a motion by Deputy Mayor Leedy, seconded by Trustee Ezrati, the public hearing was continued until September 19, 2012 at 7:00pm
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Gonnella
Village Clerk &Treasurer