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Planning board hears detailed briefing on Chapter 285 zoning updates, including new M30 and TR districts
Summary
Commissioner Duquesne presented proposed Chapter 285 zoning changes that would create an M30 multifamily district and a Tarrytown Road Mixed Use (TR) district to replace remaining Urban Renewal parcels; staff recommended adding complete‑streets language and noted parking reductions could be permitted where multimodal access exists.
Commissioner Duquesne briefed the Town of Greenburgh Planning Board on proposed Chapter 285 zoning text and map amendments on May 20, outlining two major elements: a new M30 multifamily district and a Tarrytown Road Mixed Use (TR) district intended to replace the town’s remaining Urban Renewal (UR) parcels.
Duquesne said the M30 district is designed to apply to two fully built sites now and to provide an option for moderate-density redevelopment over a long horizon. “Some key features of the M30 District are a ratio of one residential unit for every 1,500 square feet of land area, setbacks comparable to the M‑25 district, and a four‑story, 50‑foot height maximum — or five stories/60 feet if the approving board finds landscaping and surrounding conditions appropriate,” he said.
On Route 119, staff proposed the TR district as a replacement for remaining UR zoning. The TR district would broaden allowable uses in ways intended to fill vacancies while avoiding industrial uses: Duquesne said the district would not permit new gas stations or car washes and would allow multifamily residential and certain commercial uses such as adult day care and private event spaces. He added that approving boards could reduce required parking to one space per unit where there is “good access to multimodal transit.”
The presentation included site‑specific planning safeguards. Duquesne highlighted draft conditions requiring adherence to New York State and county comments, and he told the board Westchester County recommended adding complete‑streets references to the TR district language. “Complete streets envisions the roadway for all users — pedestrians, transit riders, bicyclists and drivers — and the county suggested including that text in the TR language,” Duquesne said.
Board members pressed staff on mixed‑use form and heights. One member asked whether allowing first‑floor commercial with residential above would be the anticipated mixed‑use pattern; Duquesne said that is the envisioned model for most intersections and that wholesale removal of prohibitions on mixed‑use within a single building should be approached carefully and likely studied as part of the comprehensive plan update. Another member suggested the TR district should explicitly allow compact‑car parking designations and consider permitting certain tiered solar uses carried in the CA district.
Duquesne said staff will convert the discussion into working concepts and build them into the planning board’s formal report for the Town Board. He encouraged continued dialogue as the town moves toward a comprehensive plan update and noted some elements could be refined before the Town Board’s public hearings.
Next steps: staff will circulate draft worksheet materials for the TR and M30 districts, incorporate board feedback on setbacks, parking and complete‑streets language, and return to the board in subsequent meetings for refined review prior to the Town Board’s environmental review and public hearings.
