Proposed zone change for Blauvelt property aims to address housing shortage
A developer would like to change their woodsy property along Western Highway in Blauvelt to have more than a dozen homes but the Orangetown Town Board needs to greenlight a zone change for the parcel first.
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A developer would like to change their woodsy property along Western Highway in Blauvelt to have more than a dozen homes – but the Orangetown Town Board needs to greenlight a zone change for the parcel first.
The developer for the multiple-acre property would like to change from an R-80 to an R-15 zone, allowing an increase in the housing density there. The area of topic is between Leber Road and Old Western Highway.
"I think it's very drastic and overkill for the area," said Don Gable who lives next to the land. He and other neighbors are against the zone change. "I hope the board looks carefully at all the things that we have talked to them about and really responds to the citizens and the needs of the people around them who have spoken up quite loudly."
"I feel it is not in keeping with the rural nature of the street that we live on, and the neighborhood," said Vanessa Lapins, a Blauvelt resident and member of Citizens United to Protect our Neighborhoods (CUPON) Hamlets of Orangetown.
Both Lapins and Gable say the zone change would not be in line with the Town's comprehensive plan.
Other residents voiced their disapproval at a recent town board meeting. Sharing their reasons include losing green space as well as more traffic and environmental concerns. The developer's attorney defended the plan that night.
Supervisor Teresa Kenny said the county and Orangetown are dealing with a "severe housing shortage." The Orangetown Town Board say they will vote on whether or not the zone change will happen during their meeting later this month on Feb. 11. An online petition against the zone change has more than 1,000 names. Here are more public documents pertaining to the zone change.
