Shelter Island town subcommittee to review site plan chapter in code
“This is crazy,” Town Attorney Stephen Kiely said at Tuesday’s Town Board work session during a discussion of a Town Code chapter dealing with site plan reviews. He suggested the entire chapter might need to be rewritten.
He explained to Board members the difference between site plan reviews and special permits. A site plan review deals with allowable uses by code, but examines factors such as lighting, drainage, landscaping and parking for construction on a lot.
A special permit deals with something not allowed by code that could need an area or use variance. But digging that information out of the code as written requires reference to an appendix to the code, Town Board members found.
If there was one agreement easily reached by the members, it was that site plan review should be delegated to the Planning Board, which they believe has the expertise and outreach to experts for advice.
Like the draft legislation dealing with upgrading of septic systems, the Town Board is opting to set up a subcommittee to work with Mr. Kiely in reviewing the chapter and seeking advice when necessary.
The proposal to amend the chapter is based on the Town Board’s belief that the current chapter is too narrow, dealing only with businesses, and failing to capture other uses that may have parking, lighting, loading, and density impacts more intense than a dwelling or accessory structure.
“To protect the health, safety and welfare of the community the trigger for site plan must be expanded so these non-residential uses can be properly vetted and situated,” the document states.
If enacted as recommended, the chapter revisions would require site plan review of any business land use permitted by Chapter 133, the Chapter on zoning, except for single- or two-family houses on a single and separate lot.
Public hearings
There were brief discussions of public hearings, which occurred Monday night, providing those hearings were closed without further public comment after the hearings.
A proposed law to control fertilizer use was closed, but left open for written comments until May 15. But plans to vote on the law won’t occur until May 29, Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams said.
That’s because there is no meeting on May 21 and the meeting that generally would occur on May 28 was moved to the following day, May 29, because of the Monday Memorial Day holiday.
A one-hour parking limit at the Bridge Street town dock is expected to be voted on without further comment from the Town Board.
A proposed pyramid law limiting the height of residential structures is expected to be subject to a vote as the moratorium on large houses comes to an end in late June. At the same time, Board members are still working on a proposed companion piece on proportionality of structures that would place limits on what size structures could be built on various lots.
That piece is still in the talking phase by the Town Board and has not yet been drafted.
