STONE HARBOR – At its Tuesday, Nov. 7, council meeting, Stone Harbor’s governing body tabled two zoning ordinances that were the subject of some controversy in the borough.
An ordinance to further clarify the issue of the first habitable story, along with an ordinance dealing with side-yard setbacks in residential zones, were both tabled with no specific date for bringing them back to a future council agenda.
At the previous council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17, council members heard from several residents who expressed anger at the side-yard setback requirements being considered. On Nov. 7, Council member Bunny Parzych told the audience, “We heard you loud and clear at the last meeting.”
Two zoning issues have produced persistent public complaint. One deals with a new home being constructed at 113th Street and 3rd Avenue. Several members of the public, many who live in the neighborhood of the home, have claimed that a lack of attention to ordinance development and adoption has allowed the home to be constructed at an “excessive elevation,” causing problems for other homes in the area. The home is being singled out by residents as evidence of what they say is a need for a change in the ordinance regulations.
The second issue is the one of alterations to established rules for side-yard setbacks. One of the ordinances that was tabled at the meeting would have extended new side-yard setback rules to all homes in the borough instead of just those with oversized lots, which the Planning Board had recommended.
With the ordinances tabled, the discussion at the meeting included residents pressing for a land use planning professional to take a “big picture” view of the borough’s ordinances and whether they offer the best road to the stated goals for the ordinances.
Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
