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Steep-slope code amendment pulled after residents, experts warn it could favor developers
Summary
The town board postponed a proposed amendment to the town’s steep-slope regulations after lengthy public comment. Residents and civic groups argued the draft went beyond simplifying minor permitting and could remove safeguards meant to protect scenic, environmental and flood-control functions of hillside land.
The Town of Huntington pulled a proposed amendment to its steep-slope rules after public comment and board discussion raised substantial concerns about the draft’s scope and potential unintended consequences. The amendment, described by some sponsors as an effort to simplify permitting for minor retaining-wall and grading projects, drew sharp criticism from homeowners, civic leaders and former officials who said the text as written could weaken protections for hillside properties.
Why it matters: Steep-slope regulations were adopted to reduce erosion, slope failure and adverse impacts on surrounding properties. Critics said the proposed rewrite risked opening a loophole that developers could use to avoid environmental review and oversight; proponents said the goal was administrative simplification for homeowners and to reduce inconsistent regulatory burdens.
Public comments and key objections: Law professor and long-time civic activist Lawrence Kelly and other speakers criticized specific language that would have excluded some previously developed lands and nonresidential properties from the protections. Robert Burding, who has followed the code’s legislative history, warned that eliminating classes of properties from the rules “would create an arbitrary and capricious class of properties” and undermine the ordinance’s intent to protect the environment.
Multiple residents and civic leaders said the steep-slope rules protect scenic landscapes and prevent erosion that can lead to property damage and increased stormwater runoff. Ann West and others urged the board to “lean towards the citizens” and retain safeguards. Several public speakers told the board they feared the draft would favor developers and alter sensitive coastal hillside areas, and asked the board to exempt coastal land from any future weakening of protections.
Council response and next steps: Board members said the amendment had been pulled for further review. One council member explained the original intention was to ease burdens on homeowners, not to broadly relax standards for large-scale development; engineering and planning departments will reexamine the draft to address code drafting issues and public concerns. At least one board member urged that the public be given further opportunity to review any revised text before it returns to the board.
Ending: For now the steep-slope changes are on hold. Board members asked residents to submit written comments to planning and engineering and signaled they would revisit the draft after technical review and public input.
