Pittsford planners map rewrite of subdivision rules to meet state mandates

At its April 24 meeting the Pittsford Planning Commission reviewed a draft rewrite of the town's subdivision regulations intended to align local zoning with recent State requirements. Logan Solomon of RRPC told commissioners the package will include the State-law changes and recommended treating subdivision regulations either as an article of the zoning bylaw or as a stand-alone addendum. "The revision includes the State law component but the subdivision regulations are another item to be included in the revision," Solomon said.

Commission discussion focused on who should review minor subdivisions and what acreage triggers higher-level review. Rick Conway and others raised concern about retaining eligibility for a $10,000 zoning-update grant and about how subdivision thresholds interact with Act 250. Conway said it was important "to get the subdivision regulations implemented so that Act 250 will start after 10 acres," and commissioners discussed options including defining a minor subdivision by acreage, number of lots, timeframe, or intended infrastructure. The group reached consensus to keep the Planning Commission as the reviewer for larger subdivisions and to clarify which sections would not apply to minor subdivisions. Mr. Solomon said the final site-plan review language will be revised to reflect State law and the 45-day statutory timeline for action; "If the Planning Commission fails to reply within that time, the application would be deemed approved," he noted.

The commission agreed to several specific edits to application requirements: reduce the number of hard-copy plan sets from seven to three; allow waiver requests; change mylar-only requirements to "Mylar or Paper"; delete several provisions considered duplicative (proposed conservation buffer, reduced copies, the certification clause); and explicitly require engineering reports to include State and/or Town wastewater and water permits. Mr. Solomon will prepare redlined text and the mitigating pieces that address State-mandated components before the next meeting. Commissioners were asked to send any additional section changes to Ann Reed so the work can proceed under a single zoning amendment with the subdivision regulations appended.