Board talks cottages, trees, parking and signs

By JEFF MORRIS 

The Town Board on Sept. 16 held a public hearing on making ministerial changes to the zoning code to clean up errors and typos in Chapter 125, concerning accessory apartments and cottages, as had been called for in the new comprehensive plan. 

The hearing resulted in a brief discussion that uncovered some possible additional difficulties with the existing code.

Rose Goldfine of Katonah related a story about a senior she knew who built a cottage on their property and wanted to move into it and rent out the house, but she said she was prevented from doing so because the town code required the owner to occupy the main house, not the cottage. Asked by Supervisor Ellen Calves if the person had attempted to obtain any kind of variance, Goldfine said the person might have tried to do something, but became frustrated and moved. Goldfine asked if there was a way to change that part of the code. Calves said this was not something they could do immediately, but could look at making a change in the future.

Julie Stern, chair of the town housing committee and Blue Mountain Housing Corp., interjected that while she applauded the effort to revise the code and make it more user-friendly, she thought it still needed more work. 

“As Rose alluded, we hear a lot of stories about people saying, ‘I thought about it, but I couldn’t do it.’ I would like to address who’s having problems, what are the barriers, what are issues; maybe we can do a little more of a substantive dig into what these problems are.” 

Stern referred to one person who was told their cottage hadn’t been around long enough. 

“I hope we’ve cleaned up that one,” she said, and also mentioned “other people who’ve had issues with the sewer, the septic, electrical connections.” She said she thought the town needed to be more proactive in dealing with this, “because we really don’t want to have large-scale multifamily built in any of these neighborhoods.”

Calves reiterated that these were more substantive changes that would have to be considered in the future.

In response to the specific instance that Goldfine brought up, town Attorney Eric Gordon noted that the code actually says: “The owner of the lot on which the cottage is to be located shall occupy at least one of the dwelling units on the premises,” and does not limit occupancy to the main house. He speculated that perhaps there was some other problem.

The town code provides another possible explanation consistent with what Stern mentioned, as it says: “No permit for a cottage shall be granted until five years after the construction of the accessory building, including all additions.”

The board approved the five specific revisions that were proposed, but the larger issues regarding other conditions set forth in the code remain for future discussion.

Upcoming NYSEG tree trimming

In a presentation, Sam Miller, who said he was forester in NYSEG’s vegetation department, explained the work that they will be doing to trim trees and cut back vegetation this year will be significantly more aggressive than in the past. 

The specification for the work, he said, is 10 feet from the power lines, 15 feet above, and 10 feet below, to promote directional growth away from the power lines. Trees touching the lines, he said, are the single biggest cause of power outages worldwide. Removing the trees and vegetation is done for the safety of linemen and the safety of the public.

“We are going to try to reclaim a lot of the right-of-way,” Miller said. “Some trees that we have worked with homeowners in the past are going to come down this year.” He said that if trees have a history of being troublesome, they are being targeted for removal. “That’s a little bit different than what we used to do, where we used to take it on a case-by-case basis and work with homeowners, and try to come to a resolution that works for both parties; we’re being more stringent with those guidelines.” 

Miller said some trees that have been standing for awhile will be subject to evaluation for removal. He said he is available to come out and talk, but “it is going to be a little bit of a shock when we start removing some of these trees.”

He also said they are being much more aggressive with trying to cut the vines around the poles, and that includes some vines that are hidden in shrubs. “There are a lot of shrubs that go along a lot of properties in Bedford,” he said, and they are going to have to cut some of the shrubs out to get to the vines. “We’re not surgeons,” he warned. He said they will be working in Bedford until the end of the year.

Miller also said they are going door-to-door, leaving pamphlets and making two attempts to speak with each homeowner, and will explain exactly what is going to be removed.

Lot 5 parking

Calves said in an attempt to open up more public parking in Bedford Hills, this summer they had interns do a daily car count at the parking lots. Their analysis showed that at Lot 5, behind the post office, which is designated for employer permits for business employees, on average more than 50% of the parking spaces are unused. As a result the lot will be available for paid public parking, using the parking app, but the first 30 minutes will be free. Calves said the sidewalk is also being extended to Lot 5.

Update on amending sign ordinance

Amendments that had been suggested to the town sign ordinance regarding signs on private property are being tabled. 

Calves said she had not heard from many people about the issue. She noted a lot of people reached out and said they don’t want their sign use restricted, while others said they don’t want any signs at all. She proposed pausing it for now, until they hear from more people. 

The Recorder receives official designation

The board approved a request from the town clerk to designate The Recorder as “an additional official newspaper of the Town of Bedford for notices and publications.” The Recorder will become the primary paper for town notices.