At a June 1 joint workshop, the Gallatin Town Board reviewed the town’s draft zoning law with members of the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Comprehensive Plan Review Committee.
Planning consultant Nan Stolzenburg also attended the workshop and offered feedback on the proposed revisions. Her overall assessment was that the draft needs clearer procedural details and tighter definitions for districts and uses, including apartments, farm operations, and solar energy, so residents can more easily understand requirements and apply for permits.
“I would say, make sure you go back to your purpose statements for each district and that you have it clear what your policy is on what you’re trying to accomplish in that district,” Stolzenburg said.
Town Board member Jeff Jorve reminded the group of the purpose of the zoning effort.
“The goal is to scientifically identify the things that we want to protect, areas that are environmentally important,” Jorve said. “It’s part of the balance between conservation and potential affordability.”
One notable addition to the draft zoning update is a provision for accessory dwelling units, or ADUs. Stolzenburg recommended limiting ADUs to single-family dwellings, rather than allowing them for both single-family and multifamily dwellings, which she said could become complicated.
She also said ADUs could largely replace any need for ECHO housing, or Elder Cottage Housing Option, and recommended removing that provision from the code, calling it outdated. The board agreed to keep the minimum square footage of a primary single-family dwelling at 400 square feet and subordinate dwellings, such as ADUs, at 300 square feet.
On short-term rentals, Stolzenburg said the draft addresses safety and nuisance concerns but should also account for potential effects on parking and public roads. The town’s zoning update document calls for short-term rentals to register with the town as businesses, undergo safety inspections, and have a local caretaker.
The board also agreed to cap driveway lengths at 500 feet for properties in the proposed forest protection overlay district that fall within two mapped categories: ancient forest areas and areas with forests that score in the 90th percentile on the Forest Condition Index, a conservation metric used by the New York Natural Heritage Program. Hudsonia Ltd., an environmental research institute based at Bard College, is preparing the overlay maps for the town’s zoning review. The number of affected properties remains unclear because the town is awaiting revised maps from Hudsonia after two representatives working on the project recently left the company, according to the board.
Stolzenburg said the solar farms section of the revised code needs to be more comprehensive. She called for clearer expectations for fencing, landscaping, buffers, stormwater, and decommissioning. The board plans to continue discussing solar regulations and other aspects of the code at its next meeting, scheduled for 5 p.m. on Monday, June 29.