Woodstock is one step closer to changing its zoning to promote the development of housing accessible to all who live and work in the community.
“It’s a combination of a lot of hard work from the task force and a lot of conversations and input from a lot of people in the community,” said Housing Oversight Task Force co-chair Deborah DeWan at the April 18 meeting of the town board. The board referred the proposed zoning amendments to the town and county planning boards for review.
“Our mission has been to make housing more available to people of a range of income levels and backgrounds, while preserving the town’s unique character and scale and continuing to protect our natural environment. It’s derived directly from the comprehensive plan, which supports creation of a variety of housing options and proactively planning for an expanded mix of housing types in Woodstock,” said DeWan.
Planning consultant Nan Stolzenburg, who worked with the task force, complimented the members on their efforts. “I can vouch that they read every letter, every comment in every meeting that they had, to really evaluate the ideas and concerns that folks got in the community about the first recommendations that were made,” Stolzenburg said. “And they evaluated every single one of them literally line by line over the last year to evaluate how the zoning code addressed those concerns that were raised, while also meeting the task force and the comprehensive plan objectives and goals.”
Task force co-chair Kirk Ritchey said the group was making the changes so that the people who work for the town, who volunteer for the town, and the firefighters, the EMTs and other members of the community who assist the town could afford to continue to live in Woodstock.
“The one thing about affordable housing I want to stress is that what that means to me is housing where there’s not a burden of rent or mortgage based on the income that person has.” Ritchey said.
Subdivisions of significant size will be required to set aside half the land for conservation. The clustering of buildings will be encouraged.
Another goal was the removal of ambiguous language to assist the planning board in establishing standards and improving procedures — providing greater certainty within the review and approval process.
It will now be required for a property owner to come before the planning board with a pre-sketch plan, establishing a rapport between the planning board and the property owner from the beginning.
“And then from there they can they can understand your intentions, and then from there, they can give their insight as to what they would be looking for,” explained Ritchey. “What this does is it prevents property owners coming in with their team of lawyers and engineers, spending hundreds or maybe even thousands of dollars even before they’ve met with the planning board.”
Other highlights of the zoning amendments include moving all housing-related items into one chapter; simplifying accessory dwelling unit requirements, promoting long-term rentals by allowing more accessory dwelling units if they are affordable, requiring affordable housing in certain types of developments, and promoting affordable housing through density bonuses.
The town and county planning boards will have 45 days to review the changes and provide comment. The public will be given the opportunity to comment before the final zoning amendments are approved.
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