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Board grants one-year extension to Doral Greens HOA on seasonal leaf blower ban with conditions
Summary
The Rye Brook Board of Trustees approved a one-year exemption/extension allowing Doral Greens HOA continued carve-outs from the village's seasonal gas-powered leaf blower ban, with the same conditions as the prior extension: no gas blowers on driveways/walkways during the ban and a minimum percentage of electric equipment used.
The Rye Brook Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a one-year extension of an exemption for the Doral Greens homeowners association from the village's seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers.
The extension applies to the local law in chapter 158 —2.1 that bans gas-powered leaf blowers from May 1 through Sept. 30. The trustees approved the HOA's application for an extension under the code provision that allows properties of five acres or more to seek a full or partial exemption.
The board resumed discussion after hearing a presentation from the HOA's attorney and the association's landscaping contractor. "I'm from the law firm Guy Schwartz and Jelenich on behalf of the applicant," said Russ Jelenich, who spoke for the HOA. Henry Valencia, president of Valencia Work Group, the association's landscaper, told trustees the crew is shifting equipment as battery technology improves: "We're using the electric, in areas that that we can," Valencia said, while noting some large areas still require gas-powered equipment.
Trustees pressed for details about equipment and operations. Valencia said the contractor currently uses four electric blowers out of a fleet of five, keeps a battery charging station on site, and replaces or supplements tools as necessary; he reported the most recent purchase of electric blowers was last year. Trustees also questioned which brands and whether backpack battery units were used. Valencia said battery life and continuous-use power remain a limiting factor on the larger acreage the contractor must service.
The board incorporated conditions from last year's extension into the new approval: gas-powered blowers may not be used on driveways and walkways during the seasonal ban period; at least 50% of the blowers used must be electric-powered; and the extension runs through Oct. 1 of next year (covering the seasonal ban period through the next cycle). Trustees clarified that the exemption covers the Doral Greens property because the code allows property owners of five acres or larger to apply, and that the association must reapply if it wants another extension the following year.
The motion to approve the one-year extension, with the same conditions as the prior extension, passed on a roll call vote: Trustee Epstein, yes; Trustee Heizer, yes; Trustee Crom, yes; Trustee Marlino, yes; Mayor Jason A. Klein, yes.
The board's action allows Doral Greens to continue relying on a mix of electric and gas equipment for the coming seasonal period while signaling the village's expectation that the association continue to transition toward electric equipment as technology improves.
The trustees also discussed the broader intent of the village code to reduce noise and emissions during the May-September period, while recognizing current technological limits for heavy commercial landscape work on large properties.
The association's application was filed March 18; the board discussed the request in public session and accepted the staff and contractor clarifications before voting.
The board's written resolution records the exemption as an administrative approval under Village Code chapter 158 —2.1 and notes the application and conditions referenced in the resolution.
