Planner presents draft lot‑coverage and impervious‑surface definitions to support housing goals

Town Planner Chris Shaheen told the Planning Commission that Jericho’s zoning currently lacks formal definitions for “impervious surface” and “lot coverage,” and presented draft language and district examples to illustrate practical implications for housing development.

Shaheen reviewed draft definitions—slides read in the meeting define impervious surface as “A surface composed of a material that impedes or prevents the natural infiltration of water into the soil including, but not limited to, rooftops, streets, driveways, sidewalks, walkways, patios and similar hard‑surfaced areas…” and lot coverage as “The portion (percentage) of a lot area covered by buildings, structures and man‑made Impervious Surfaces, including but not limited to parking and loading areas, walkways, access roads, service areas, and other surfaces that prevent the infiltration of storm water.”

He walked the Commission through example calculations for proposed smaller minimum lot sizes in the Village and Commercial districts (proposed change from 1 acre to 0.25 acre for some districts) and PUDs (6,000‑sq‑ft lot example), noting how driveways, parking and walkways increase effective impervious surfaces. Commissioners asked for clarifications, including whether driveways and walkways count toward coverage and how buildable areas within setbacks interact with lot‑coverage percentages; Shaheen confirmed driveways count toward lot coverage and noted some local exemptions and separate stormwater rules apply at larger project scales.

The Commission did not vote on a regulation change; members requested the planner continue refining definitions, check best practices, and ensure the regulations avoid unnecessarily restricting housing options when lot sizes are reduced.