Planning commission urges zoning changes to allow smaller, durable homes to preserve borough character

The Westchester Borough Planning Commission on May 22 presented a detailed review of how recent development compares with the borough’s 2016 comprehensive plan and urged the council to pursue zoning tools that legalize traditional, smaller‑scale housing types.

Planning Commission Chair Jim Cherry summarized the commission’s annual report and training participation. Commissioner Thomas Doherty delivered a 40‑minute presentation on “traditional patterns of building homes in Westchester,” arguing that the borough’s current dimensional standards — notably a 20‑foot minimum lot width — and other zoning rules prevent construction of the small, brick rowhouses and narrow lots that define much of Westchester’s character.

Doherty said the comprehensive plan’s “underlying premise… is that new development and preservation are complementary elements of a planning…