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Wawarsing board rescinds 55-plus zoning restriction after packed public hearing
Summary
After a public hearing with dozens of speakers, the Wawarsing Town Board adopted a local law rescinding a 55-and-older zoning restriction. Residents argued the change is needed to address a local housing crisis; others urged fresh environmental review of an existing site plan.
The Wawarsing Town Board voted on June 2 to adopt Local Law No. 1 of 2026, rescinding Local Law No. 2 of 2025, which had added a 55-and-older restriction to Section 112-80 of the town zoning code.
The vote followed a public hearing that drew multiple residents and advocacy voices. A longtime resident who identified as representing the property’s most affected party told the board the town is losing young families and needs rental apartments to attract new households: “We have a crisis in this town,” the resident said, urging the board not to delay action.
Speakers on both sides urged the board to balance housing needs with environmental protections. One petitioner representative, speaking on behalf of more than 400 signers, thanked the board for reversing the law and called for high scrutiny of projects that affect water resources, wetlands and infrastructure. “Projects with the potential to dramatically impact our water resources, natural environment, and community infrastructure deserve a particularly high level of scrutiny,” that speaker said.
Forest and environmental commission chair Sarah Under told the board that any future proposal for the site should be evaluated with a new site plan and a current SEQR environmental review to reflect updated classifications and standards.
At the hearing resident Seth Gar alleged documentary evidence showing the prior law’s origins: “When you file documents and you see that the Brooklyn developers’ attorney was the person who wrote the law and submitted [it] for the town, that’s actually more than an allegation,” he said.
The board closed the hearing and carried the resolution by roll call; the meeting minutes and transcript record the motion as adopted (the transcript records the roll-call result as "passes 5 Z"). The board did not read an explicit detailed tally in the public record beyond the roll-call procedure recorded in the minutes.
The board and residents urged that any future development proposals for the site be evaluated against current environmental standards and community needs, including consideration of unit sizes and whether one- and two-bedroom apartments would meet local family housing goals. Several speakers asked the board to consider voiding long-expired site plans and to require new site-plan approvals under present-day rules.
The board’s action removes the 55-and-older restriction from chapter 112 and returns decisions about allowable occupancy and site use to the town’s ordinary zoning and planning processes, subject to any future comprehensive site-plan review or SEQR determination.
The board did not take up any new site-plan approvals during the meeting; members and public commenters said they expect additional review and community input on any future proposals.
