Zoning working group seeks referral and public hearing on limited form-based code edits

Representatives of Kingston’s zoning working group described proposed targeted amendments to the city’s Kingston Forward form-based code and asked the Laws and Rules Committee to refer the changes to the City Planning Board, the Ulster County Planning Board and the Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission and to set a public hearing.

The working-group representative said the package is narrow in scope and intended to fix implementation issues that arose after the form-based code took effect. The proposed changes highlighted at the March 19 meeting include: simplifying the parkland fee process so developers pay a per-unit fee (staff cited the current fee as approximately $3,000 per unit) with permanently deed-restricted affordable units excluded; lowering minimum first-floor height requirements in many districts (the working group proposed reducing several T4 district minimums to 9 feet and using a contextual standard in historic districts); and clarifying off-street parking standards and other administrative cleanups.

On the parkland fee, the working-group representative said the current multi-step process — which can require the planning board to find a need and seek input from the parks and recreation commission — has proven confusing and duplicative under the new code. The proposed change would set an annual fee schedule administratively and keep permanently affordable, income-restricted units exempt from the fee calculation.

On first-floor heights, the representative said several minimums currently in the code are higher than surrounding building stock and can make new construction infeasible or out of context; the package proposes reduced minimum heights in many midtown districts while retaining larger minima for certain main-street or commercial blocks and allowing contextual standards within historic districts.

The working-group representative recommended referring the amendments to the statutorily required reviewing agencies and holding a public hearing; the committee voted to refer the amendments and set the process in motion.

Ending: The committee approved referring the form-based code edits to the planning and historic review bodies and to set a public hearing date, directing staff to circulate the materials to the required reviewers.