Download PDF: Proposed C-6 Zoning & Site Plan Changes Addressing Concerns in Huntington Village
INFO SHEET: PROPOSED CHANGES TO C-6 ZONING & SITE PLAN REGULATIONS IN DOWNTOWN HUNTINGTON
Huntington – Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci and Councilman Ed Smyth were joined by Councilman Eugene Cook to unveil proposals to regulate development projects in the Huntington Village Hamlet Center to restrict development density, size and environmental impact on Thursday, September 12.
“We have heard the concerns of our residents who have questioned the impact some development has on our traffic patterns and congestion, on our water quality, and our quality of life. It is our goal to preserve the historic character and suburban charm of our Town, while simultaneously supporting economic development and protecting our natural resources," said Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci. "We have already appointed new members and leadership to the Town’s Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals with individuals who share our vision for the Town, as these decision-making bodies have a critical role in the development process. We have also located new potential parking sites, like the property at 295 New York Avenue, which the Town is very close to closing on to add 71 new parking spaces. And now, after a year and a half of working with our Planning Department to find an appropriate solution to the C-6 zoning issue, we will be introducing measures at the September 17th Town Board meeting to address the scale of development in the Huntington Village Hamlet Center and ensure future development is appropriate and preserves our historic downtown aesthetic.”
Councilman Eugene Cook stated: “These resolutions concerning C-6 zoning have been long awaited by the residents of Huntington, and I want to thank the various Town of Huntington departments that worked hard and long on these resolutions. These changes take in to account not only water quality, storm water run-off, sewer system capacity, and traffic issues while allowing for the future development of Huntington Village. It is extremely important that these changes are not only appropriate, but will preserve the historic downtown nature that draws visitors from all over to Huntington. I encourage all Huntingtonians to reach out to myself and my colleagues on the Town Board to have your thoughts heard on these proposed changes, thank you.”
Councilman Ed Smyth added: “Supply for parking just isn’t there. The proposed changes will help to alleviate the current demand for parking across the downtown village area.”
Proposed changes include amendments to the Town’s C-6 Zoning Code that restrict height, density and other characteristics of existing buildings converting to mixed-use and new mixed-use construction; amendments to Site Plan Regulations to add multiple new requirements for the Planning Board to consider for site plan review, including traffic impact, impact on sewers, compliance with storm water pollution prevention, design consistency and others; and reserving newly acquired municipal parking to support existing residents and businesses but excluding them from calculation used to satisfy parking requirements for new development.
PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE TOWN’S C-6 ZONING CODE (CHAPTER 198) WILL REGULATE THE SIZE AND SCALE OF C-6 ZONED DEVELOPMENT FOR MIXED-USE BUILDINGS:
- A newly established 38-foot height limit on all new mixed-use buildings.
- A newly established Floor-Area Ratio (FAR) requirement to control building density, which is the ratio of square footage in the building to lot size, for both existing buildings and for new construction, with more restrictive density requirements for new construction.
- Existing buildings converting to mixed-use/building within the existing footprint will be subject to a newly established Floor-Area Ratio (FAR) of 2.5.
- New construction or building outside the existing footprint of the building will be subject to a Floor-Area Ratio (FAR) of 1.5.
- To promote economic activity and eliminate mixed-use projects that are essentially residential buildings in disguise, the new requirements limit storage or community space to no more than 15% of the ground floor, which was intended to be reserved for commercial activity.
- For aesthetic purposes, the establishment of parking in the front of existing buildings converting to mixed-use will be prohibited.
PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE SUBDIVISON AND SITE PLAN REGULATIONS IN THE TOWN CODE (CHAPTER A202) ESTABLISH NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR PLANNING BOARD SITE PLAN REVIEW:
- Requiring traffic impact analysis when reviewing projects in the C-6 District.
- When the project is also in the Huntington Sewer District, requiring sewer and system capacity impact analysis; the Departments of Environmental Waste Management and the Department of Planning and Environment must review the project’s sanitary use projections prior to the submission of the site plan. If the joint review determines it will have a detrimental impact, the application will not be entertained by the Town.
- Requiring compliance with the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan; applications must comply with drainage system requirements but if this requirement cannot be satisfied by the applicant, payment must be made to the Town to fund the required drainage, storm water runoff, and water quality improvements, deposited in the Drainage Impact Fee Account.
- Some site plan applications in the Huntington Village Hamlet Center will also be sent to the Historic Preservation Commission to advise the Planning Board with architectural review, including new buildings, front facades, exterior additions or alterations above 1,000 sq. ft., and any type of demolition.
- Architectural guidelines will promote better coordination between a building’s architecture and its surroundings; design should be consistent with its location.
- Height and setback of the building should be similar to that of surrounding buildings, designed to complement existing neighborhood aesthetics.
PROPOSED CHANGES TO OFF-STREET PARKING REQUIREMENTS IN TOWN’S C-6 ZONING CODE (CHAPTER 198, ARTICLE VII) WILL PROHIBIT NEWLY ACQUIRED MUNICIPAL LOTS FROM SATISFYING PARKING REQUIREMENTS:
- Eliminates the ability to use newly acquired municipal parking lots in the Huntington Village Hamlet Center, which has been identified as the area in the Town which has the greatest need for additional parking, to satisfy parking requirements for new development.
- Reserves any property acquired on or after September 1, 2019 for municipal parking, such as the former Chase Bank property at 295 New York Avenue, for the purpose of supporting existing businesses and residents.
- Special Use Permit rules would not be changed for existing municipal parking lots, so the existing rights of property owners would not be changed.
In addition to the newly proposed changes to the Town Code, applications would be required to meet all new requirements and existing C-6 requirements:
- prohibiting upper floors exceeding the footprint of the ground floor;
- requiring buildings to meet height, area and bulk requirements of the zoning district;
- requiring 1 parking space provided on-site for each apartment; and
- prohibiting parking lots and residential apartments on the ground floor of the building.
It was the approval of parking variances and other special use permits in the past, prior to the Lupinacci administration, which allowed projects that didn’t meet the existing requirements to move forward, which is why the appointment of individuals to the Zoning and Planning Boards, who share Lupinacci’s, Cook’s and Smyth’s vision for the Town, is a critical complement to enacting these amendments to the Town Code.
- Each Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals member is appointed by the Town Board to a seven year term, and the terms are staggered, so it is a process to fill each of these boards with individuals who share the vision of the current administration, as they operate independently of the Town Board and outlast the terms of the Town Board members:
- The Planning Board reviews application design, density, environmental impacts and other factors to approve or reject site plans and make its recommendations to the ZBA on variances requested by the applicant when the application doesn’t meet Code requirements.
- The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) approves or rejects parking variances and other special use permits that, in the past, have allowed prior projects to avoid meeting requirements.
- New appointees on these boards have already had a significant impact on the outcome of Planning Board recommendations to the ZBA, Zoning Board decisions and these boards’ interactions with our residents and property owners to seek input from the community they serve; it’s a more open, transparent process than residents were afforded in the past.
The proposed resolutions will be introduced by Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci, Councilman Eugene Cook and Councilman Ed Smyth at the September 17 Town Board meeting at 2:00 PM and the Town Board will vote to schedule public hearings for community input on the proposed Zoning Code changes for the Wednesday, October 16 Town Board meeting at 7:00 PM.
[HIGH-RESOLUTION VIDEO] http://huntingtonny.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=4&clip_id=1935
In the photo (l-r): Councilman Eugene Cook; Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci; Councilman Edmund J.M. Smyth.
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