New City Zoning Changes Approved

Prior to the Clarkstown Town Board’s unanimous vote Tuesday to approve zoning changes for New City, Town Attorney Amy Mele remarked that the process had taken nearly a decade.  She explained that the amendment to the zoning law divides the hamlet center into four zones and allows property owners greater flexibility in how they use their property. A few community members spoke during the public hearing held prior to the vote. 

Mele said the changes require fewer curb cuts, allow property owners to share parking areas and permit apartments over retail or office space.  She said the intention is to use the new zoning as a template for other hamlets.  

Joe Simoes, principal town planner, said one of the objectives of the new zoning is to create a variety of housing. He stated it incorporates safeguards to protect neighborhoods from improperly scaled developments such as multiple story buildings.

“There are going to be five subcategories in that zoning, which are all hamlet, H1, 2, 3 and 4,” he explained. 

Two sections of New City’s Hamlet Center are designated as H4 along North and South Main streets. Simoes described H1 as the civic and cultural portion encompassing the Rockland County office buildings, Clarkstown Town Hall, Demarest and Kevin Landau parks. The H2 area named the Hamlet Neighborhood District allows for residential and retail uses.

“It’s probably the more flexible of the districts,” he said referring to H2. 

H3 is considered the transitional zone with retail only no residential use is permitted. Simoes said H4 is considered the heart of the district and the true hamlet center with retail.

He explained the new zoning provides more development potential because setbacks have been reduced and properties that were partially zoned commercial and residential will now be commercial.  Property owners will be required to add more landscaping and buffers between their commercial businesses and nearby residential homes.

“Use wise the most important thing is that now we’re allowing mixed use,” he said. “We’re allowing apartments over retail particularly in the H4 district and residential in the H2 district.”

Simoes expects building renovations and new construction as a result of the zoning amendment since second floors may be remodeled to accommodate apartments instead of offices.

“There’s a balance in here,” he said. “It’s not completely just providing the property owners everything they want. It is providing them some incentives but it also provides people in the community some safeguards and protection.”