The Peru Gazette

By Donald McBrayer

Why is Peru adopting a new Zoning Law and what changes are being proposed?

The Town of Peru Zoning Update Committee, appointed by the Peru Town Board over three years ago to revise the Town’s zoning ordinance, has completed the document. This effort was really initiated in 2003 when a larger committee began the process of completing a Comprehensive Plan, which is essentially a blueprint for guiding future growth and development of the Town. The Comprehensive Plan <http://d1091839.domain.com/PeruTown/zoning/CompFinalPlan.pdf>  (http://d1091839.domain.com/PeruTown/zoning/CompFinalPlan.pdf) was initiated in response to a number of issues that had arisen over the years, including loss of open space, increased housing starts and subdivisions, increase in commercial development and perceived loss of town character. The residents of the Town of Peru are blessed to live in a community that is diverse, well organized, and pleasant in character. The zoning ordinance is a key tool to allow the Town to protect those community values that we share in common and to allow the Town to continue to grow in a well planned manner.

The draft schedule for the adoption of the new zoning law anticipates that it will be adopted by the Town Board in June. Before then there will be at least two opportunities to comment on the new law. During the first week in April a public meeting will be scheduled to present a summary of the new law and provide an opportunity for questions. In May a public hearing will be held to allow citizens to make comments.

The Zoning Update Committee was aided by the professional services of Nan Stolzenburg of Community and Environmental Planning Associates, who prepared a revised zoning law based on the findings and recommendations contained in the Comprehensive Plan. The Zoning Update Committee then began meeting in February 2008 to go over the proposed zoning law line-by-line making revisions that we believed best met the needs and conditions of the Town of Peru. It is important to note that the proposed Zoning Law is based on the Comprehensive Plan, which was an extensive effort to determine the needs and desires of the Town and was based on considerable public input, including a town-wide survey, three public meetings and two public hearings.

The proposed Zoning Law includes considerable changes from the existing zoning ordinance that is little changed since the 1970s. The major changes to the Zoning Law include:

• Establishment of entirely new zoning districts: Neighborhood Commercial, Commercial, Commercial Lake, and two Adirondack Park zones. The new districts recognize the need to diversify our economy and tax base while being sensitive to target commercial growth in areas able to sustain such development without impacting residential areas and the reality that the Adirondack Park poses regulations that override town zoning.

• Elimination of existing zoning districts: highway commercial zone, Rural Lands 2 & 3, Watershed One, Rural Arterial. The elimination of these districts is being recommended to simplify the zoning law and to remove the ability to focus commercial development broadly along major roads throughout the town, which encourages negative “strip” development.

• Reduction of the number of Hamlet Zones from 4 to 1 to simplify the zoning law to allow easier administration by the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals and to create a zoning law that is easier to understand for the Peru residents.

• Creation of five overlay zones. Overlay zones are areas overlain over existing zoning districts that provide special regulations in addition to those of the zoning districts underneath. Overlay zones are used to either protect special resources or allow certain types of development across different zoning districts. It is a great tool to encourage certain types of development or protect specific types of resources that cut across more than one zoning district. The five overly zones proposed include: Planned Development, Manufactured Home, Agricultural, Reservoir Watershed, and Historic.

• Decrease the density requirement for important agricultural lands to help protect farmland. To a great extent Peru is defined by our beautiful and productive agricultural heritage. Unfortunately, agricultural lands are slowly being lost, not only in Peru but throughout the country. A significant change in the zoning includes a provision that would protect farmland by requiring five acres of important farm land for the development of a house instead of just one acre, and then requiring that the housing sites be clustered on an area of the farm least important for farming. This allows for the development of typical housing subdivisions, but in a way that protects the most important farmland.

• Elimination of Special Use Permit provisions and enhancement of Site Plan Review. This will allow for easier and more thorough review by the Town Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals Boards and, be more fair and understandable to the citizens requesting permits.

The Zoning Update Committee have devoted a significant amount of time to draft a Zoning Law that we believe advances the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan <http://d1091839.domain.com/PeruTown/zoning/CompFinalPlan.pdf> <http://d1091839.domain.com/PeruTown/zoning/CompFinalPlan.pdf> <http://d1091839.domain.com/PeruTown/zoning/CompFinalPlan.pdf> (http://d1091839.domain.com/PeruTown/zoning/CompFinalPlan.pdf <http://d1091839.domain.com/PeruTown/zoning/CompFinalPlan.pdf> ), simplifies the zoning process, and will ultimately result in the protection of the values that Peru residents hold dear.

See the Proposed Zoning law at: http://d1091839.domain.com/PeruTown/zoning/NewZoning/finaldraft31Jan2012.pdf

You may share your comments anytime by contacting the Zoning Update Committee at: peruzoninglaw@gmail.com

Zoning Update Committee:Rodney  Brown (Chair), Adele Douglas (Secretary), Keith Matott, Jane Brelia, Donald McBrayer, James Falvo, Donald Evans, Sandy Andrews, Nan Stolzenburg (Consultant)