Town Board to get final Gateway District report

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. » Town Board members expect to review Thursday the final report from Route 299 Gateway Committee members and determine how to move forward with he panel’s zoning recommendations.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the community center at 3 Veterans Drive.

“With the whole gateway they are trying to break it down into smaller districts,” Supervisor Neil Bettez said. “Instead of having a single set of zoning for that whole entire area, they are breaking it down into ... different types of zoning that fit the local areas.”

Under the proposed revisions, new land-use regulations would be drafted for a 230-acre area encompassing about 46 properties, running for about a mile from the east edge of ShopRite Plaza to about the town line with Lloyd.

Current zoning has property on either side of state Route 299 listed as the B-2 business district from the municipal line with Lloyd, with the exception of an R-1 district for several properties near the state Thruway toll plaza. On either side of the B-2 district are combinations of light industrial and agricultural designations.

“The B-2 highway business zoning designation fails on its own to achieve the community’s vision for the gateway corridor because its rudimentary use and areas and bulk requirements, applied uniformly across the corridor, do not distinguish between the different character-areas envisioned,” committee members wrote. “Furthermore, the B-2 zoning does not provide any guidance about the design of sites and structures, and worse, the current area and bulk requirements often force development out-

comes that are inconsistent with the desired characteristics for each subarea.”

Under the proposed changes, districts would reflect development that has already occurred along sections of state Route 299. Included would be:

• Main Street Mixed Use Overlay between the ShopRite plaza and state Thruway.

• Gateway Business Overlay from the state Thruway east to Paradies Lane and, then again, for about another 0.3 miles at the east end of the corridor.

• Hamlet Overlay from Paradies Lane going about 0.3 miles east.

• Resort Development Planned Development District going south between Paradies Lane and South Ohioville Road.

Official in the report wrote that regulations are needed to “ensure the New Paltz Exit 18 Gateway Area gives a sense of ‘arrival’ to visitors, commuters and locals alike, reflecting the unique natural resources and cultural assets of

New Paltz, including New Paltz’s small town, rural character.”

Town Board members in April enacted a ninemonth moratorium on new development along eastern state Route 299 after some residents objected to an application to construct a CVS pharmacy and Five Guys Burger and Fries restaurant at the intersection of state Route 299 and

North Putt Corners Road.

The moratorium put a halt to application reviews for special permits, area variances, use variances or subdivisions, except for residential development of five units or less and non-residential structures of 2,500 square feet or less.

A copy of the proposed Gateway Committee report can be found at https://bit. ly/2H8baxK