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Planning Board weighs Washingtonville downzoning proposal as trustees prepare a March hearing
Summary
The Planning Board discussed a trustees' proposal to change Washingtonville zoning from R-4F to R-2F (raising minimum lot area per dwelling from 2,500 to 3,750 sq ft and limiting units). Members debated whether the change would meaningfully reduce impervious coverage or would disproportionately reduce housing affordability; the board will submit comments before the March 10 trustees hearing.
Trustees have proposed downzoning a Washingtonville neighborhood from R-4F to R-2F, changing the minimum lot area per dwelling unit from 2,500 to 3,750 square feet and reducing the maximum number of dwellings allowed per lot. Planning staff summarized the trustees’ motivations at the board’s Feb. 12 meeting, saying the trustees’ primary concerns are frequent flooding and a desire to preserve the historic, lower-density character of parts of the neighborhood.
Board members discussed multiple tradeoffs: an R‑2F designation would limit future unit counts on small lots, but both R‑4F and R‑2F currently share the same maximum impervious coverage (45%), so board members questioned whether the proposed change would materially reduce runoff or flooding. Several members also raised housing-affordability concerns, noting that raising minimum lot area per dwelling effectively increases the unit-size/lot-size threshold and could make homeownership or rental housing less attainable in an already more-affordable part of the village.
Planning staff noted Westchester County Planning Board had flagged the downzoning as a concern because it may reduce housing opportunities in a county with limited supply. The Planning Board did not take a formal position on Feb. 12 but asked members to return with written comments so staff could compile the board’s advice before the trustees’ March 10 public hearing.
Board Chair said the planning board’s role is to provide land-use and planning-focused recommendations to trustees rather than to make final policy decisions. The planning board scheduled further consideration for its Feb. 26 meeting.
