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Fairport board debates zoning-code overhaul: RV storage window, ADU limits and downtown height cap dominate discussion
Summary
At an extended discussion on a proposed zoning-code rewrite, planner Jill presented a draft intended as a compromise. Board members debated new RV storage language (driveway allowance April 1–Nov. 1 with screening), accessory dwelling unit rules (internal/attached ADUs capped at 650 sq ft; detached ADUs prohibited) and whether downtown building heights should remain three stories or allow a special-permit fourth story up to 55 ft.
Planner Jill told the Village Board that the draft zoning code reflects two rounds of public outreach and working-group work intended to implement the 2021 comprehensive plan. "We came to the village board and we said, 'Well, tell us a little bit about what you'd like this cake to have in it,'" she said, using a cake analogy to describe the drafting process.
The board reviewed several contested elements in detail. On recreational vehicles and boat storage, the draft would allow a maximum of one licensed recreational vehicle (including boats/trailers) owned by a full-time resident to be stored in a driveway between April 1 and November 1, subject to size limits, operable condition and screening requirements (for example, screened from view except from the street by fence or evergreen hedge). Planner Jill and supporters described the change as a compromise designed to respect Fairport’s canal-town character while giving residents reasonable seasonal storage options.
That compromise prompted concern from another board member, who argued that allowing RVs in driveways for nearly seven months would harm village aesthetics and suggested the request came from an elected official who could directly benefit. "It is suggested by an elected official who would directly benefit from this change," the board member said, and urged that person consider recusal; counsel said the ethics question would be addressed outside the public meeting.
The board then moved into a lengthy discussion about Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). The draft permits ADUs that are internal to or attached to single-family homes (a detached ADU is prohibited) and includes design and size controls intended to keep ADUs modest and accessory in scale. Key constraints in the draft include a 650-square-foot cap and a one-bedroom typical ADU; the code would allow internal ADUs that are fully enclosed within the principal structure or attached to it and would prohibit detached ADUs or carriage-house conversions at this stage. Some board members urged a narrower rollout — for example, limiting ADUs to transitional residential neighborhoods, requiring a special permit, or tying internal ADUs to minimum existing-house sizes — while others said the draft was the intended middle ground.
Downtown height policy also drew lengthy debate. The current draft generally limits buildings to three stories (about 45 ft) in downtown and related districts, with a special-permit pathway for four stories up to 55 ft for non-residential mixed-use projects that meet specific design criteria. Planner Jill defended the special-permit upper limit as a tool to evaluate context and design; opponents argued the downtown core should be strictly capped at three stories to preserve the Main Street character.
Jill explained next procedural steps: the village attorney will translate the draft into a local law, SEQR/environmental-review materials will be completed, and the village will schedule a public hearing on the local law before adoption.
What’s next: the board signaled it may ask staff to refine specific provisions (some members asked Jill to return with narrower ADU options for consideration) and will vote later on formally transmitting the draft to the attorney for the local-law process.
