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Draft zoning measure assailed

By Dollie Gull

NEW BALTIMORE — Now that the public meetings are over and comments have been obtained on New Baltimore’s Draft Zoning Ordinance Update, the next step following the Zoning Commission’s consideration of the public input will be approval by the New Baltimore Town Board.

Some property owners have expressed concern that the new zoning ordinances will adversely affect the division of their properties. One property owner, Brian Goff of Cornwallville, said that this draft document sets forth “radical ideas in New Baltimore” … that “actually control division of property,”

The draft ordinance update, created for the town by Elan Planning and Design of Saratoga Springs and bears the name of Attorney Lawrence E. Howard, attorney and planner, Averill Park.

Goff, who owns a 300-acre farm in New Baltimore with plans to divide the acreage among his five children, states that New Baltimore’s proposed zoning “is radical in concept,” and added that it “is quite unlike any zoning proposals I’ve seen in the past either in Durham or Greenville.”

Other larger property owners in New Baltimore are also expressing deep concerns regarding the requirement, not only to provide at least 50 percent of each property for “open space,” but limiting division of said properties for their children who, in future, may well want to develop the land.

“While we understand that many people in New Baltimore want to retain the rural character of the land in the area, there has to be some allowances for growth in population densities,” said Goff.

Goff said he hopes enough public comment has been made at the recent series of public meetings on the Elan proposal “to change the document in accordance with public wishes.”

The updated New Baltimore document, which will become law upon approval by the town board, sets forth various zoning districts:

n 1-RA - Rural/Agricultural District zoning, and the document notes that most of the town is rural in character, where the soil is impermeable where public water and sewer services will never be available.

n 2-MU - Mixed Use.

n n3-C - Commercial, mostly located along the Route 9W Corridor where the majority of commercial property is available, close to a major state highway with rail access and proximity to the New York Thruway Exchange.

n 4-HR - Hamlet Residential, characterized by land with steep slopes and poor drainage and the presence of a National Historic District.

n 5-PR - Professional/Residential located on Route 9W where small-scale businesses should be encouraged with the location within converted residential structures and blending with existing use.

n The document goes on to state that new buildings should take into account the rural nature of the area and adhere to rural architectural styles, with scaled parking and landscaping and signage in accordance with that setting.

n 6-Development District, for large scale commercial uses, possible with nearby water and sewerage facilities,

n 7-DMR - Development/Multi-family Residential District, primarily residential, or large-scale commercial uses should be encouraged, due to road access.

It also addresses the subdivision of properties within the town and sets minimum lot sizes for future development.

The document also notes that “No development may be commenced within the town prior to the issuance of the relevant permit or approval” by town officials.

Town officials indicate that action will come on the draft document in September. The next meeting of the New Baltimore Town Board will be Monday, Aug. 11, at 7:30 p.m., at New Baltimore Town Hall on Route 51.

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