Elmsford trustees direct rewrite of solar-permit review, plan public hearing on appeals

At a Village of Elmsford work session, trustees agreed to revise how certain rooftop and ground-mounted solar installations are reviewed and to add an appeals path back to the village Architectural Review Board.

The change under discussion removes some solar-panel reviews from the Architectural Review Board’s (ARB) initial review and places them with the building inspector “in the first instance,” a staff member said during the meeting. Trustees debated whether appeals from the building inspector’s determinations should go to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) or return to the ARB. A staff member recommended returning disputes to the ARB; trustees agreed that made more sense in practice.

The matter covers two points, the transcript shows: the definition of “solar panel” in the village code and an exclusion that would shift initial review to the building department. Trustee Chelsea Henry asked whether appeals would go to the ZBA or back to the board, and a staff member replied that the building inspector would make the initial determination and that the village should add an appeal provision so a single staff decision would not be final.

Trustees directed staff to prepare a revised local law reflecting the change and to schedule a public hearing on the amendment. “You’ll need a public hearing for this,” a staff member said, and added they would revise the draft and forward it to Mayor Mike Mills for timing.

The discussion did not record a formal vote to adopt the amendment; trustees approved placing the item on a future agenda and signaled support for the ARB to handle appeals if disputes arise.

Implementation details — which solar types are included, the precise text of the definition change, and the timing of the public hearing — were not specified in the session.

The issue returns to staff for redrafting; the village will post formal hearing details once the draft and schedule are finalized.