by Bea Peterson
About a dozen people, including members of the committee working to update the Hoosick Falls Zoning regulations, attended a meeting at the HAYC3 armory on October 9. Thaddeus Kolankowski and Robert Murphy of Barton & Loguidice (B&L) gave the overall presentation, noting this was the first of two public hearings.
A complete update of the Village Zoning regulations has not been done since 1977. They reported that some funding for this update has come from a $9,500 grant from the Hudson River Valley Greenway.
The goal of the project is to reduce the current book of regulations from 12 chapters to six. They said the regulations as they stand are antiquated and barriers to development as they are not in an easy format to follow because of all the add-on changes over the years.
They have reviewed Village properties and present guidelines and are working to have district boundaries be the same on both sides of a street, re-establish historic rights of way, enhance walkability throughout the Village and allow mixed use buildings downtown with some light industry and to integrate quality development standards. It was suggested, for example, that there be a pre-submission meeting held with developers prior to the submission of their application to expedite and streamline the zoning process. They also advocate training for members of both the Zoning Board and the Planning Board.
The B&L representatives felt it is important to review the Village street by street to look at potential areas and see what fits into that area and to address the needs and problems of the buildings that are there. The issue of absentee landlords and nonconforming properties was also discussed.
The objective, with whatever changes are made, is to maintain property values and a level of compatibility within neighborhoods. The committee has been meeting monthly all summer and will meet again in November. Another Public Hearing will be held at a later date.