Newburgh zoning board allows school activities on residential lot but denies commercial-style sign

The Town of Newburgh Board of Zoning Appeals voted to allow a school to continue using a residential property for school activities but denied a separate request to keep a commercial-style sign on that residential lot.

The board reopened the public hearing to hear the petitioner and nearby residents before taking votes. Committee member (speaker 6) moved to approve the conditional-use permit for school activities and the board chairman declared the motion carried after the ayes were called. The board later considered the sign as a distinct conditional-use item and, after public comment and discussion about relocation options and grant constraints, voted to deny allowing the sign to remain in its current residential location.

Why it matters: The decisions separate the land-use question (allowing school activities to continue on the residentially zoned parcel) from the aesthetics and placement of signage that neighbors say functions as advertising. The board’s rulings let the school continue outdoor programming while requiring the applicant to remove or relocate the larger sign from the residential lot unless they return with new information, a variance, or move it onto the commercial parcel or another approved…