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Greenburgh board weighs ADU law changes, asks staff for garage and lot‑size data
Summary
At a Dec. 2 work session the board continued reviewing a local ADU law: commissioners explained a prior reduction from 10,000 to 7,500 sq ft for ADUs, members debated whether garage conversions should be included at 7,500 sq ft and asked staff to provide counts of 7,500‑sq‑ft lots and accessory garages before the Dec. 10 public hearing.
Town planning staff and the board continued a review of proposed changes to Greenburgh’s accessory dwelling unit (ADU) law and asked for targeted data before the Dec. 10 continued public hearing.
Gary Duquesne, commissioner of the Department of Community Development and Conservation, summarized prior changes: the lot‑size minimum for ADUs had been lowered from 10,000 square feet to 7,500 square feet in limited instances for accessory units within single‑family homes. Duquesne said the question before the board now is whether the same 7,500‑square‑foot standard should apply to garage conversions, noting that conversions still must show the required three parking spaces if they remove one or two garage spots.
Board members raised concerns about driveway width and neighborhood character if garage conversions or expanded driveways were authorized at smaller lot sizes. Several members pressed staff for practical counts: how many 7,500‑sq‑ft lots exist in R‑5 zoning, and how many accessory garages exist on lots between 7,500 and 10,000 sq ft. Duquesne said the building department can quickly pull the count of 7,500‑sq‑ft lots in R‑5 and will try to return counts of accessory garages if the records permit; if not, a manual scan would be more time‑consuming.
Duquesne also noted public comment had included suggestions to relax lot‑size requirements further (some commenters advocated 5,000 sq ft) and to reduce or eliminate additional off‑street parking; the board discussed tradeoffs between increasing ADU opportunity and protecting front‑yard character. The board confirmed the Dec. 10 continued public hearing date; if the hearing is closed and the board approves, staff said the earliest practical adoption would be in January (the Jan. 14 meeting was mentioned) or, if there are no changes, potentially a December consent action (Dec. 17).
