Port Jervis council adopts Tri-State Central Business Overlay (Local Law No. 5)

The Port Jervis Common Council voted to adopt Local Law No. 5 of 2025 on Tuesday, creating a Tri-State Central Business Overlay district along East Main Street to ease permitting for new businesses.

Council discussion and a staff legal review established that the Orange County Planning Department characterized the proposal as a local determination and that the city had circulated a SEQR notice of intent to serve as lead agency more than 30 days earlier with no objections. Corporation counsel recommended issuing a SEQR negative declaration, concluding the change "is not going to have any adverse environmental effects or impacts on the city," according to the counsel's summary presented to the council.

Supporters on the council said the overlay aims to streamline approvals and reduce zoning variances that have slowed commercial activity along the corridor "to make it a lot easier for businesses to come in," in a council member's description of the change. After public comment was solicited and none was offered, a council member moved to adopt the negative declaration and the local law; the motion was seconded and the vote carried.

Council materials note the overlay shifts allowable uses from the NMU (Neighborhood Mixed Use) zone to permit the uses allowed in the Central Business District in the corridor "from the bridge to [the] city line." Orange County Planning and the local planning board submitted comments with no opposition, according to the record.

The local law's adoption clears a primary procedural step for the city to implement the overlay. Next steps will be administrative implementation of the new zoning language and updates to the city code, and staff indicated the approval resolution and environmental assessment form are included in the meeting record.

— Reporting by the Port Jervis Common Council meeting record; council discussion and counsel recommendations were included in the public file.