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Town continues public hearing on zoning update; board and planner remove marinas and refine waterfront definitions
Summary
The Red Hook Town Board continued a public hearing on proposed zoning changes (local law D). Public comment urged more restrictive cannabis dispensary zoning while town counsel and the planner recommended narrowing definitions and removing marinas from allowable uses to align the draft with the Comprehensive Plan and the town’s Local Waterfront Rev
The Town Board continued a public hearing on proposed local law D—an update to the town zoning law—and scheduled a further continuation to Jan. 29, 2025 at 7:35 p.m. The board said it will make the revised draft (called "d 3") available at the clerk’s office prior to that date.
Resident Laurie Urban spoke during public comment to urge more restrictive rules for cannabis dispensaries, noting the town already has one operating dispensary and another confirmed to open soon. "In a village of 2,000 people, in a town of 10,000 people… perhaps we don't need to encourage more marijuana dispensaries," Urban said. (Laurie Urban, resident.)
Town attorney Ted reviewed environmental review forms and the waterfront consistency analysis. He recommended retaining the Part 2/Part 3 environmental assessment framing used earlier in the process and explained the local waterfront revitalization program (LWRP) considerations. Ted told the board that, under the town’s LWRP and comprehensive plan, the waterfront conservation area has a preference for passive and water‑dependent recreation and open space—language that is not consistent with expanding marinas or large commercial waterfront marinas in most of the town’s shoreline areas.
As a practical matter, Ted said, the existing parcels that could be used for a commercial marina in the Beartown/Barrehtown area are mostly small residential lots. He noted the minimum size requirement in the zoning schedule for establishing a marina is five acres; most waterfront parcels in that area are much smaller, and the one large parcel noted in the transcript (Edgewater Estate) is owned by a preservation trust and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Planner Chris and attorney Ted described a number of smaller definitional changes added to the draft (boat ramp, boat club, mooring) and recommended removing references to federal wetlands or Army Corps delineation as a town‑level setback requirement because that would be difficult for a local code to administer. The board also reviewed a draft LWRP consistency determination; counsel recommended the board keep the Part 2 findings largely unchanged from the prior submittal while explaining the historic/archeological resources question that often requires an affirmative Part 2 answer.
Supervisor Robert moved, and the board passed, a resolution to continue the public hearing until Jan. 29, 2025 at 7:35 p.m. The board also said it will incorporate written comments received and may make further edits before final consideration.
