Planning board recommends PDD overlay for 65.5-acre Grand Island site and forwards rezoning to town board

Sean Hopkins, attorney for the applicant, told the Grand Island Planning Board on a recent meeting that the proposal would replace existing R2 and B1 zoning on a 65.5-acre site with a Planned Development District overlay based on a development concept plan dated Dec. 12, 2024.

Hopkins said the application would preserve more than the 25% permanent open space required under the PDD code, proposing about 30.7% permanent open space and a loop road built to public specifications that would provide access to contiguous properties. “We’re asking you consider again for the third time recommending approval by the town board of the requested PDD overlay based on the most recently submitted development concept plan,” Hopkins said.

Why it matters: the PDD overlay would become the zoning for the parcel if the town board approves it, locking in lot sizes, setbacks and allowed uses included in the approved plan. The change could alter what future owners may build on the site and was the primary reason the planning board spent more than an hour reviewing lot sizes, buffers and stormwater arrangements.

Ke…