TOWN TO VOTE ON ZONING IN NOVEMBER
Robert Mitchell
ccSCOOP News
The town's first zoning law may be enacted this November, Austerlitz Supervisor George Jahn said this week. Austerlitz is the one of only two towns in Columbia County that has no zoning. The other is the Town of Greenport, often considered the county's commercial hub.
In June, the Zoning Commission, a seven-member panel appointed by the Town Board, was dissolved after two and a half years of tireless work. The commission’s efforts produced an 83-page draft of proposed land use regulations. This document is available on the town’s website: www.austerlitzny.com.
Town Attorney Jeff Baker recently completed his review of the draft document. His recommendations included changes to the sections having to do with Land Clearing, Grading, and Protection of Specimen Trees (Section 7.4); Commercial Timber Harvesting (Section 7.5), and Non-conforming Uses (Section 11.1).
Between now and November, when the Town Board is scheduled to vote on the proposed zoning, the Town Board members will hold four workshops and a public hearing and will conduct the required State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR).
Jahn explained that at the workshops board members will discuss the proposed zoning. The workshops will be open to the public, but the public will not participate in the discussions.
Dates for the workshops and public hearing have not yet been set.
The next Town Board meeting is scheduled for September 11 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall in Spencertown. |
|
|
|
